The Kansas University baseball team heads to Manhattan for the weekend, looking to keep alive its hopes of reaching the Big 12 Championship May 25-29 in Oklahoma City.

The Jayhawks (19-29-1 overall, 5-12 Big 12) enter the weekend a half game behind both Kansas State (24-25, 6-12) and Baylor for the eighth and final spot in the tournament.

And with just one series remaining after this, KU coach Ritch Price knows his team needs to show up and show well against the in-state rival Wildcats.

“When you’re in this position, you want a chance to play yourself in,” Price said. “And if you win (this) series you’re obviously ahead (in the standings).”

In order to do that, the Jayhawks are going to have to find a way to have some success beyond Game 1. Senior ace Ben Krauth has been solid all season in the opening game of each series, but injuries that crippled the KU pitching staff have made victories on Saturday or Sunday tough to come by. Kansas is 4-2 in conference in series openers this season but just 1-10 in Games 2 and 3.

While those numbers, which Price knows well, are important, they’re secondary to the big picture this weekend.

“It’s a really good rivalry series and, you know, we’ve got an amazing record against Missouri and Nebraska and Wichita State, but we have not done as well against K-State the last few years,” Price said. “We dominated ’em when I first got here but their left-handed hitters have given us fits and that’s gonna be the match-up. We’re gonna run two left-handed pitchers out there at ’em and they’re gonna have to pitch significantly better than they pitched (last) weekend to give us a chance to win this series.”

Price knows his team has to play well during the final two weekends of the regular season to have a shot at earning a trip to Oklahoma City. And he would not have it any other way.

“We don’t want to back in,” he said. “We gotta play good enough to get in.”

First pitch tonight is set for 6:30 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium in Manhattan.