LAWRENCE – Kansas baseball fell out of the top 25 of the final edition of this season’s USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, when it was released Monday.
The Jayhawks (43-17) reached the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2014 this year. They tied for second in program history for wins in a season with that win mark of 43. But while a poll at the end of May saw them ranked No. 23 in the nation, losing back-to-back games in the Fayetteville Regional helped contribute to the slide as their season ended.
Momentum remains high, though, as KU looks ahead to the 2026 campaign. Coach Dan Fitzgerald has a new contract after building the program into a Big 12 Conference contender in just three years. Recruiting success has continued, too, as next month’s MLB draft approaches.
Like many programs, how the MLB draft plays out for Kansas could determine just how highly the Jayhawks are viewed going into the opener next year. But last year, the amount of talent KU saw drafted looked like it might put Fitzgerald and company in a precarious position, and it didn’t. So, there’s some trust the coaching staff has built up that they’ll be able to handle what comes their way.
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
Kansas falls out of USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll top 25 – The Topeka Capital-Journal
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