photo by: AP Photo/Colin E. Braley

Kansas third baseman Michael Brooks (6) reaches for a ground ball hit by TCU's Chase Brunson during the second inning of an NCAA baseball game on Saturday, March 9, 2024, in Lawrence. Brunson was out on the play.

With 18 conference games to go, the Kansas baseball team is now one win away from matching its league win total from all of last season.

That’s because the Jayhawks swept BYU in Provo, Utah, late last week, topping the Cougars 11-1 on Thursday before holding on for 4-3 and 8-5 victories in Friday’s doubleheader.

While KU has generally been best in games started by transfer pitcher and No. 1 starter Reese Dutton, on this occasion all three Jayhawk starters shone, as Dutton, freshman Dominic Voegele and junior Evan Shaw combined to allow just two runs in their 18 innings pitched.

After last week’s series loss at home to UCF, the trio of victories made KU 15-10 on the year and 7-5 in Big 12 Conference play ahead of a midweek nonconference game at Wichita State on Wednesday.

“I think that each weekend is its own story and in each weekend you have a chance to grow,” KU coach Dan Fitzgerald said in a press release. “Sometimes you lose a series but you get better. I thought that we made some great adjustments this week … we had great practice, great intensity and great togetherness. This is a team full of guys who really care about each other and really care about doing this together. It was just a great team weekend and hopefully more of a sign of things to come.”

The first game saw Dutton pitch eight innings, strike out 12 batters and issue just one walk. Meanwhile, the Jayhawks supported him on offense, as Michael Brooks and Jake English each went 3-for-5 with three RBIs.

“It’s cool to see the hard work pay off, but there’s a lot more work to be done,” Dutton said in a release. “That eight innings hopefully will turn into nine and that 12 strikeouts will hopefully turn into 13 as the season goes on. That’s the goal always – just to be better than you were the week before.”

Friday’s doubleheader provided a bit more intrigue. English had three hits again and KU got ahead as many as three runs with a breakout sixth inning, but BYU got a pair of sacrifice flies to make it close until Hunter Cranton slammed the door.

In the bottom half, the Jayhawks led 7-0 and allowed five runs, but an RBI double by Kodey Shojinaga and strong relief showings by Ethan Lanthier and Cranton again allowed KU to get out of Provo with the 8-5 win and its first road doubleheader sweep of a league foe since 1997.

Track records fall

KU senior distance runner Chandler Gibbens now owns a third school record, as on Friday at the Stanford Invitational he beat a 30-year-old mark of 28:51.24 in the men’s 10k, setting a new personal best with 28:12.14.

Meanwhile, competing across the country at LSU over the weekend, Gabrielle Gibson of the women’s track and field team broke a record that, in quite a contrast, was already her own and she set just two weeks ago. Her time of 12.99 in the 100-meter hurdles surpassed her previous mark of 13.07.

KU track and field will compete next at the Jim Click Shootout in Tucson, Arizona, beginning Friday.