KANSAS

How Sweep It Is: Kansas Baseball Sweeps McNeese State

The Kansas baseball team improved to 5-2 on the season after sweeping McNeese State over the weekend.
Jared Shlensky|
Oct 1, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks logo at entrance to the field prior to the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Oct 1, 2022; Lawrence, Kansas, USA; Kansas Jayhawks logo at entrance to the field prior to the game between the Kansas Jayhawks and the Iowa State Cyclones at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images | William Purnell-Imagn Images

The Kansas baseball team won its first eight games last year, and even though the Jayhawks haven't won more than three in a row this season, they have won both their series after sweeping McNeese State over the weekend. KU never trailed at any point against the Cowboys and are 5-2 overall on the year.

Kansas won the first game of the series on Friday, 11-2, the second on Saturday, 8-2, and completed the sweep with a 6-1 victory in game three.

Last week, Kansas relied heavily on its bats, but this week, it was the Jayhawks pitching, specifically its starting staff, that led them to victory.

Jayhawks rotation steps up big

KU didn't get much production from its starting rotation last week against Texas-Rio Grande Valley, but that wasn't the case against McNeese State. The Jayhawks starting staff allowed just four earned runs over 15 innings pitched over the weekend, and Mathis Nayral is slowly but surely establishing himself as the team's ace.

Nayral allowed just one run on two hits over seven innings in his Kansas debut last week, and on Saturday, he made his first start. And once again, Nayral was solid, allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks while striking out a season-high six in five innings of work.

Dominic Voegele bounced back in his second start after struggling in KU's season opener. The right-hander picked up his first win in the series opener on Friday after allowing just two runs on two hits in six innings.

Brady Ballinger Bashes

Brady Ballinger had a nice opening series against UTRGV -- 4-for-12 with five RBIs and two runs scored -- but no one was better than him this weekend. Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald moved him from the No. 2 spot to the No. 3 spot in the lineup, and it seemed to make a difference.

The left fielder finished the series 7-for-15 with five RBIs, two doubles, and three runs scored. Ballinger's best day was on Saturday after recording four hits, and he looks like a guy who might hear his name called in the first two rounds of this year's MLB Draft.

Next up

KU's first big test is this week against the 5-1 Minnesota Gophers. The Jayhawks and Gophers are scheduled for a four-game series, with game one set for Wednesday at 6 p.m. (CT). Each game is available to watch via BIG+.

Published
Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster

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