Who does Kansas baseball play in NCAA Tournament Lawrence Regional?

LAWRENCE — Kansas baseball is in the NCAA tournament for a second-straight season, and this year will be hosting a NCAA regional in Lawrence.

The Jayhawks (42-16) learned Sunday that they would be one of the 16 host teams for the first time in program history. Then, Monday, during the overall selection show, they learned they would be in a region with Northeastern, Missouri State and Arkansas — with Northeastern as Kansas' first opponent Friday at 12 p.m. (CT) on ESPN+. KU enters this portion of the postseason as the No. 15 overall seed in the nation, as well as the winner of both the Big 12 Conference regular season and tournament championships.

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Kansas coach Dan Fitzgerald’s rebuild in Lawrence has captured a lot of attention of late, for the heights he’s been able to take the program to so quickly. Fitzgerald, who took over ahead of the 2023 season, brought the team to a NCAA tournament in 2025 for the first time since 2014. As there’s been success on the field, that’s also been a catalyst for investment in the program and facilities.

Now, it’s a matter of how much KU can capitalize on being able to stay home for a NCAA regional this postseason. It’s a matter of how much Kansas can capitalize on the momentum of sweeping the Big 12 regular season and tournament titles. There’s been a lot of talk about how much the Jayhawks would like to have a NCAA regional in Lawrence, and now that time has come.

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.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Kansas baseball makes second straight NCAA tournament appearance