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Kansas redshirt junior pitcher Boede Rahe (29) yells out after the final out against Arkansas during the NCAA regional tournament at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas, on May 31, 2026. | Evert Nelson/The Capital-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
After a dominant stretch of games through the Big 12 Conference Tournament and the NCAA Regional round, the Kansas Jayhawks will host the Oklahoma Sooners in the Super Regional round, a best 2-out-of-3 that will send the victor to Omaha and the College World Series.
Game 1: Saturday, June 6, 5 PM (Jayhawk time), ESPN2
Game 2: Sunday, June 7, 5 PM, TBD
Game 3 (if necessary): Monday, June 8, TBD/TBD
Due to tournament rules, KU will be the designated home team in games 1 and 3, while Oklahoma will bat last in game 2.
A Quick Look at Kansas
Kansas (45-16, 22-8 B12) has tied its program record for wins in a season, and extended its single-season school record for team home runs to 110. The Jayhawks pair a potent offense with capable pitching, but primarily rely on outslugging their opponents. 25 of KU’s wins have come in come-from-behind fashion, including three games in which they trailed by 5+ runs at some point. The Jayhawks finished the regular season ranked #15, with an RPI of 19.
Kansas has four players with double-digit home runs this season, led by SS Tyson LeBlanc (the “c” is silent) who knocked 24 dingers so far while hitting .344 on season with an OPS of 1.139. LeBlanc has also logged 11 SB on 12 attempts on the season. Also keep a lookout for 2B Cade Baldridge (.320 BA), 1B Josh Dykoff (16 HR), red-hot C Augusto Mungarrieta (.294 BA, .987 OPS, 17 HR), and fan-favorite LF Brady Ballinger (.289 BA, .878 OPS).
Out of 304 NCAA baseball teams, the Jayhawk offense ranks #11 in home runs, #20 in hits, #19 in slugging percentage, and #22 in runs scored, #26 in OPS, and #77 in BA.
The KU pitching staff is led by SP Dominic Voegele, who has settled in after a rough start to the season. He has provided the Jayhawks with a quality start (6+ IP, 3 or fewer ER) in 7 of his last 8 outings. Similar to the regional round, I expect to see Mason Cook start game 2; Cook is sporting a 2.89 ERA since April 4. Key relievers are Boede Rahe (11 SV, .218 BAA) and Riane Ritter, who has struck out 12 of the last 18 batters he’s faced.
Overall, the KU pitching staff ranks #32 in K/BB ratio, #32 in K/9, #90 in ERA, and #67 in BAA.
The Jayhawks are looking for just their second-ever trip to the College World Series.
A Quick Look at Oklahoma
Oklahoma (36-22, 14-16 SEC) comes into the Super Regional after an impressive weekend in Atlanta, where the Sooners took 2 out of 3 from a very impressive and overall #2-seed Georgia Tech squad. Oklahoma finished the regular season outside of the top-25 rankings, but at #24 in the RPI.
Offensively, the Sooners are led by C Deiten Lachance, who posted 14 HR along with a .333 BA and 1.021 OPS. Oklahoma has five players hitting .285 or better (min 120 ABs). The Sooners like to run, with five players recording 14 or more stolen bases. As a team, OU was 117-138 on stolen base attempts, an 84.8% success rate.
Out of 304 NCAA baseball teams, the Sooner offense ranks #61 in home runs, #36 in SB, #68 in OPS, and #91 in BA.
OU’s pitching staff features freshman SP Cord Rager (4-3, 1.16 WHIP, 75/18 K/BB), who opened the regional round last weekend for the Sooners against The Citadel. You should also expect to see healthy doses of SP LJ Mercurius (6-7, 89/24 K/BB) and SP Cameron Johnson (.205 BAA). Bullpen help comes from Jackson Cleveland (8 SV) and Kadyn Leon (.169 BAA).
The OU pitching staff ranks #14 in K/9, #88 in ERA, and #19 in BAA.
Oklahoma is looking for its 12th trip to Omaha. The Sooners have won two previous titles (1951, 1994) and finished runner-up in 2022.
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