How the Kansas Jayhawks upended the Arkansas Razorbacks in NCAA Regional thriller
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Kansas advanced to 2-0 in the Lawrence regional with a 5-3 win over Arkansas.
- Tyson LeBlanc hit a two-run game-tying homer; Tyson Owens drew the walk that won it.
- Boede Rahe recorded a six-out save for the second consecutive day.
Kansas’ baseball team is one victory away from a spot in the NCAA Tournament’s super regionals.
The Jayhawks followed a 6-3 victory over Northeastern on Friday with a thrilling 5-3 decision over Arkansas on Saturday at Hoglund Ballpark, ending the day as the only undefeated squad in the four-team Lawrence regional.
Tyson LeBlanc blasted a game-tying two-run home run, his single-season school-record 23rd of the year, while KU pitchers Mason Cook, Riane Ritter and closer-deluxe Boede Rahe allowed just three hits.
The only loud one was a two-run home run by Reese Robinett that gave Arkansas a 3-1 lead in the fifth.
Meanwhile, the Jayhawks (44-16) made the most of their six hits off three Razorbacks pitchers, including staff ace Hunter Dietz.
Dietz was held out of Arkansas’ 9-5 opening-game victory over Missouri State Friday, in effect saving him to face host KU. He allowed four runs on five hits with a career high 14 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings.
“That guy was great on the other side,” LeBlanc said of Dietz, “but any day of the week, I’m riding with our guys.
“Our guys did their job today. Hats off to them. They threw amazing. To give up three hits to that caliber of an offense, that’s very impressive. It makes our job easy as an offense.”
The win pushed KU’s record to 2-0 in the regional and assured the Jayhawks of a spot in the (first) championship game at 5 p.m. Sunday against either Northeastern (39-21) or Arkansas (40-21) — teams that are 1-1 in the tourney and must meet in an elimination game first, at noon on Sunday.
KU would be crowned regional champion with a win in that 5 p.m. title game against the Northeastern-Arkansas winner. If KU loses that game, the Jayhawks would be forced to play a second title game on Monday (time TBD).
Cook, a sophomore from Keller, Texas, allowed three runs on three hits in 4 2/3 innings. Relievers Riane Ritter and Rahe did not allow a hit or a run in the final 4 1/3 innings.
“The moment is never too big (for Cook),” said KU coach Dan Fitzgerald. “He wants the ball. He’s competitive. He’s very intelligent, great worker, great teammate and you know he’s just trying to do his job out there.
“Cookie, unbelievable job of just keeping us in the game. So, when he came out, that’s what I told him. I said, ‘Man, you are just exactly what we needed to stay in the game.’”
Cook said opposing Arkansas’ Dietz inspired him before a record crowd of 4,042 on Saturday.
“It boosts you. You want to win more whenever someone is better out there. I mean I think he’s better than me,” Cook said. “He definitely is (better), but I mean it just boosts you, really.”
Rahe, a junior from Marion, Iowa, pitched two hitless innings for the second day in a row in picking up his 10th save.
“With it being postseason baseball I should want to pitch in every single game,” Rahe said. “Getting that mindset every single day and getting my arm right for whatever they have in store for me is my mindset going in every game.”
The biggest hit of the game may have been LeBlanc’s home run that tied it at 3-3 in the fifth, right after Arkansas had grabbed its 3-1 lead.
“Hat’s off to him. He’s a great pitcher,” LeBlanc said. “He’s going to pitch in the big leagues. I was just trying to capitalize on any mistake he hung over the plate. I spoiled a few good fastballs, had an idea he was going to try to get me with his wipeout breaking ball that he got a lot of us out on.”
The sophomore allowed the two-out, two run game tying homer to LeBlanc in the fifth and then appeared to run out of steam in the bottom of the seventh.
With the game tied 3-3, Daniel Osoria drew a walk. That was followed by a strikeout by Brady Ballinger. Dylan Schlotterback rapped a single, advancing Osoria to second.
At that point, Dietz was replaced by reliever James DeCremer. He threw a wild pitch that moved the runners to second and third with one out. And then KU slugger LeBlanc was put on base via intentional walk.
The Hogs’ strategy of filling the bases backfired as Tyson Owens plated what turned out to be the game-winning run by drawing a walk.
Arkansas then inserted reliever Cole Gibler with the bases loaded and still just one out. Gibler struck out Cade Baldridge. The threat ended as Josh Dykhoff’s deep fly ball to left field was caught on the warning track.
KU scored an insurance run on a homer by Augusto Mungarrieta in the eighth.
This story was originally published May 30, 2026 at 9:01 PM with the headline "How the Kansas Jayhawks upended the Arkansas Razorbacks in NCAA Regional thriller."
