photo by: Kansas Athletics

Kansas left fielder Brady Counsell slides into home plate during the game against North Dakota State on Saturday, May 31, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark.

Fayetteville, Ark. — A memorable season for the Kansas baseball team concluded with a forgettable trip to the NCAA Tournament.

The Jayhawks left Baum-Walker Stadium without a postseason win to their name, as they fell 4-3 to fourth-seeded North Dakota State (21-33) on Saturday afternoon.

With the Bison nursing a one-run lead for the final third of the game, reliever Ethan Lachenmayer pitched 2 2/3 scoreless innings to seal KU’s fate.

Jackson Hauge’s two-run home run in the fourth inning had tied the game after an uneasy start for KU starter Cooper Moore, but that was essentially the offensive highlight of the day for the Jayhawks, who only managed five hits as a team. Meanwhile, four NDSU players had two each.

KU finishes the year with a record of 43-17, having broken a postseason drought of more than a decade but delivered just one combined win between the Big 12 and NCAA tournaments.

Moore was one strike away from a clean first inning, but issued a two-out full-count walk and then allowed a double to Sam Canton, which combined with an error in right field allowed Davis Hamilton to score. Colten Becker singled up the middle to bring home Canton as well, putting KU in an early 2-0 hole.

NDSU put a pair of runners on with one out and Luis Garcia moved them both over with a sacrifice bunt to bring up the Bison’s best hitter Jake Schaffner. After falling behind 2-0, Moore got Schaffner to ground out to end the threat.

NDSU pitcher Logan Knight continued to breeze through the Jayhawks’ lineup with little difficulty until an error by first baseman Alex Urlaub put Brady Ballinger on second base to lead off the fourth inning. Dariel Osoria popped out, but Hauge sent the first pitch he saw 452 feet for his 20th home run of the season to tie the game.

Knight proceeded to hit a pair of batters, but Sawyer Smith grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the frame.

The Bison went back in front when Becker reached on an infield single against the shift, got bunted over to second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then scored on a single by Blake Timmons.

Urlaub singled as well and Schaffner managed to earn a two-out walk to load the bases for Dante Smith. Smith drew three straight balls, but then allowed a strike and grounded into a fielder’s choice to end the fourth inning.

NDSU ended up adding to its advantage with an RBI double to right-center field by Evan Gustafson in the fifth.

Another hit-by-pitch put Knight in a precarious situation in the sixth with two runners on. Tommy Barth singled to left to make it a 4-3 game, but Knight was able to strike out Smith.

Alex Breckheimer replaced Moore for the home half of the sixth and pitched a scoreless inning; Danny Lachenmayer came in for Knight to face the fellow lefty Ballinger with one on and one out in the seventh. A leaping catch by Becker prevented a hit for Ballinger near the warning track, and then Lachenmayer sat down Osoria.

In the eighth inning, Sawyer Smith came up for a third time in the game with runners on first and second and two outs, but was unable to capitalize, as he grounded out to second base on the first pitch he saw.

With NDSU seeking insurance, Breckheimer hit the first two batters he faced and Garcia bunted them over. The Jayhawks intentionally walked Schaffner to face Dante Smith, who popped out, and then Davis Hamilton grounded out to second base.

KU had one final chance to prolong its postseason journey in the top of the ninth but was not able to muster the comeback magic that defined its regular season. Chase Diggins lined out to second base, and then Ian Francis struck out after a protracted at-bat that included both a challenge when Francis thought he got hit in the shoe and then a protracted disagreement between Dan Fitzgerald and the umpires over a foul-tipped strike-three call. Brady Ballinger flew out to left field to conclude the game.