ARLINGTON, Texas – The Kansas Jayhawks baseball team continued its historic season on Thursday night, securing a thrilling 7-6 come-from-behind victory over Oklahoma State in the Big 12 Championship quarterfinals at Globe Life Field. The win marks Kansas’s 26th come-from-behind triumph of the year and propels them into the tournament semifinals.
Trailing 6-2 in the seventh inning, the No. 2 seeded Jayhawks (43-14) ignited a four-run rally. The comeback was capped by a monumental three-run home run from Brady Ballinger, tying the game at six. The drama continued into the ninth inning, where, with the score still knotted, Mike Koszewski delivered a walk-off single to shallow left field, scoring Tommy Barth and securing the dramatic victory for Kansas.
“They love baseball and they love competing,” said Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald after the game. “They’re amazing teammates and they love being together…they truly love each other and there’s just a belief inside of our dugout that we can do it. I did tell them when it was 6-2 in the seventh ‘guys, you know what we’re going to do? I would prefer we do something about it now instead of waiting until the ninth.'”
The win further strengthens Kansas’s case to be a regional host, as they notched their 43rd victory of the season, extending their program record for regular season wins.
Relief pitcher Alex Breckheimer earned the win for the Jayhawks, improving his record to 5-0 on the season after tossing 2.2 scoreless innings. Breckheimer and Manning West combined for five shutout innings out of the bullpen, stifling the Cowboys’ offense.
Kansas initially jumped out to an early lead in the first inning with an RBI double from Derek Cerda followed by another RBI double from Ballinger, giving KU a 1-0 advantage. However, Oklahoma State (28-23) responded in the third with a two-run homer from Brayden Smith and an RBI single from Nolan Schubart, taking a 3-1 lead. Jackson Hauge’s solo home run, his 19th of the season, cut the deficit to 3-2 in the bottom of the third.
Oklahoma State extended its lead in the fourth inning, adding three more runs with an RBI single from Avery Ortiz and a two-run single from Alex Conover, making it 6-2. West and Breckheimer then combined to hold the Cowboys scoreless through the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings, setting the stage for Kansas’s dramatic rally.
In the pivotal seventh, Michael Brooks walked and Sawyer Smith singled to put runners on the corners. Tommy Barth brought Brooks home with a sacrifice fly, making it 6-3, before Ballinger’s towering three-run blast tied the game.
Breckheimer navigated through traffic in the eighth and ninth innings, maintaining the tie. In the bottom of the ninth, Barth led off with a walk, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter T.J. Williams. Cerda then hit a fielder’s choice, moving Barth to third. After an intentional walk to Ballinger loaded the bases, Koszewski stepped to the plate and delivered the walk-off single, mirroring his previous heroics against BYU.
Kansas will now face the winner of the TCU and Houston game in the Big 12 Championship semifinals, with first pitch slated for 7:30 p.m. CDT on Friday.
