Locked On Jayhawks - Daily Podcast On Kansas Jayhawks Football & Basketball - REWRITING RECORDS: Savion Flowers, Tyson Leblanc POWER Kansas Jayhawks Baseball Past Baylor to Semis

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

Kansas Jayhawks baseball edge Baylor in a thrilling extra-innings Big 12 quarterfinal, as Savion Flowers delivers a walk-off home run to secure KU’s 40th win of the season. With this victory, Dan Fitzgerald’s squad continues to rewrite program history, clinching back-to-back 40-win seasons and a third consecutive Big 12 semifinal appearance. Can this momentum propel Kansas to an NCAA regional hosting spot—and potentially a Big 12 tournament title? Host Derek Johnson breaks down standout performances from Dom Voegele’s dominant start to Tyson LeBlanc and Augusto Mungarietta’s early power at the plate. Key topics include bullpen reliability under pressure, the importance of hosting NCAA regionals, and upcoming semifinal challenges against Oklahoma State’s explosive offense. Don’t miss this sharp analysis of Kansas baseball’s postseason path and what’s at stake as Selection Sunday looms. Everydayer ClubIf you never miss an episode, it’s time to make it official. Join the Locked On Everydayer Club and get ad-free audio, access to our members-only Discord, and more — all built for our most loyal fans. Click here to learn more and join your team’s community: https://lockedonpodcasts.com/everydayerclub   Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! Indeed Listeners of this show get a $75 Sponsored Job Credit to help give your job the premium placement it deserves at http://Indeed.com/podcast   FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game.   FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dan Fitzgerald and KU Baseball, get it done in the Big 12 quarterfinals. They're moving on to the Big 12 semis after an extra innings victory over Baylor. You are Locked on Jayhawks, your daily podcast on the Kansas Jayhawks, part of the Locked On podcast network, your team every day.

What's up, Derek Johnson here on this bonus episode of Locked on Jayhawks, recapping KU baseball. We'll get on to what's next. We'll get to our game MVP and awards. What happened in this one is KU takes down Baylor in the Big 12 quarterfinals. And we'll start right there as Kansas able to get by in X training.

This looked like a game for a while that was maybe even trending toward KU, you know, run ruling Baylor and moving on with a little bit more ease and maybe being able to, you know, keep some of their other pitchers rested for the rest of the big 12th tournament. Obviously, this being a single elimination tournament now as opposed to double elimination probably helps, you know, you keep some of your arms from fatiguing out over the course of an entire week before. the NCAA tournament. But at the end of the day, KU gets a win. And that's what matters here the most for a KU team that is sitting in a position where they just don't want to mess up their resume as a team that many places are predicting to be a host in the NCAA tournament, right? But it's cool to have some of the history that comes along with this eight to seven win as well, that comes on a walkoff. And we'll get to Savian Williams, who's the hero of the game with the walkoff home run and everything there. But this gets Kansas their 40th.

victory of the year. So some big picture stuff here, right? The 40 and 16 now. It is the fifth 40 win season in program history, and they've now done it back to back years. So before the last two years, they had done it three times in the entirety of the program. They've now done it back to back seasons. It's also the third consecutive year that Kansas has qualified for the big 12 semifinals. They've never done that before in program history. In fact, Kansas only had three big 12 semifinals appearances before the last three years. The last three years, they've doubled that output

with three consecutive appearances in the Big 12 semifinal. So again, you continue to just add history and rewriting the program record books under Dan Fitzgerald. And that'll be kind of the big thing here. Like I mentioned this the other day on a show

that Travis Goff kind of sent out an email and got put up on social media and online and of everything, kind of talking about like, you know, the need to invest in the program. And I think it's very apparent into that there is that need to upgrade the facilities and to give Dan Fitzgerald more of an NIL budget and to probably give Dan Fitzgerald another raise that is going to be well deserved

here because if you enjoy having all of these crazy accolades and things that are happening with KU Baseball, which I certainly enjoy here, don't you want to keep the good times rolling, right? So when you look at it, it was a very interesting game because it's one that Kansas gets up to this early lead, right? And it is one that, as we're going to be heading into the NCAA tournament soon. Like, I think the big question for me is going to be, can the KU bullpen hold up? Now, with Bodey Ray, he's a all big 12 first team or as your closer, you feel good about the back end of it, albeit, you know, he did blow save today, but he did get the win.

You feel good about the back end there. You feel good about some of the starters at the front for KU. It's those guys kind of bridging the gap between the middle. Are they going to have enough? And it almost costs KU a little bit in this one, as did, you know, maybe a defensive play here or there. But KU gets up to the early lead. They hit some early home runs. You get Augusto Mungaryetta who hits a two-run bomb in the second absolutely smashes it.

400 bus feet, I would assume, based on where it went. Then you get a Tyson-Leblon solo bomb, which was his 20th of the year, which that's history in its own doing, because he's now tied second all-time for single-season home runs in KU history. Then you get a solo bomb to go back to back with Tyson Owens, his 13th of the year. It's four-nothing early. Then you get more traffic on the base paths. That's the same inning. You go back to back in the fifth.

You get a couple more runs with some walks, wild pitches and stuff. And it's a good thing you did capitalize more with how Baylor came back. Baylor gets on the board in the seventh. And here's the thing. Like everybody's going to point to the Savion Williams walk off home run to win the game. And obviously that is very important. But you're not even there if Savion Williams doesn't have a, or Savion Flowers, excuse me. um save you on flowers doesn't have a walk or a rBI single in the seventh inning if flowers doesn't get

that rbi single and you don't get that at the time insurance run to make it seven to one then all a sudden you're in a position where you're not even going to x-raining so flowers wasn't just the hero in the 10th he was the hero to get it to the 10th in a certain way as well so then baylor storms back you have the air release so a couple of runs they school four runs in the eighth uh then they get the runners on where you get them down to their last strike with Bodey Ray, where it looks like he's going to work out of a difficult situation. There's runners second and third after a pass ball with two outs, or with one out, he strikes out the batter.

Then it gets the two outs, he gets two strikes. It looks like he's going to get his way to it. But then he gives up a hit, Baylor responds, but then Bode Ray mows him down in the 10th, and then Savion Flowers hits the homer. I believe it was his first extra base hit of the season. That's what the broadcast was saying. And it comes at a pretty good moment,

and it's obviously a home run there. Interesting enough, I was kind of going back and forth between the radio broadcast and the TV broadcast and, you know, Brian Haney and the radio broadcasts were kind of talking about during it, like when he was coming in, getting some opportunity, how he's a really good player and he's done really well with the opportunities he's gotten, but it's just that KU's been so loaded in the outfield that he hasn't maybe got as much playing time as he normally would, if not for, you know, some of the really good players in front of him there. and now you see clearly the talent here.

And the irony in it all is, well, I don't know if it's ironic, but Brady Pollinger, who one of your best players, out this week with an injury. And that afforded for some guys to maybe get more opportunity. Max Siles ends up starting in left field. And then Savion Flowers comes in for him for three at bats. And it worked out in the end in a very real way for Kansas as they continue to kind of have some of this magic. So big win for KU, not just for some.

of the history, the 40 wins, the semifinals, all those sorts of things, but in terms of potentially hosting for the NCAA tournament as well, let's get into why that was so important to win this game for that reason and where Kansas's resume and case looks right now. Next. This episode of the show is brought to you by Indeed, workplace chaos, deadlines stacking up, inbox overflowing, and the one position you have to fill is still sitting open. When the pressure is on and you need the right hire, this is a job for Indeed sponsor jobs, which helps you reach the people who actually fit what you're looking for, the right skills, experience, location,

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This is a job for Indeed, sponsored jobs. You can share out the everyday or club locked onjahawks.com to get the ad-free version of the show that's locked onjahawks. com. All right. So KU gets this win. And above, you know, just some of the history stuff, maybe the big. biggest importance of this win for KU becomes their potential as a team that can host in the NCAA tournament. Some of the different, I guess, Brackatology websites have KU as one of the hosts

around like the 14, 15 seed. So you're hosting, but there's not a big buffer between you and the teams who would not be, which is not a huge margin for error necessarily if you were to lose a game like this, but also with like it's, if you're projected on the cut line, line of being able to host by certain bracketologists, like there's no guarantee the NCAA tournament committee views it the same way, right? You want to take the case out of their hands. You want it to be a guarantee. And so it's not that this win changes KU's resume in a big way. Like Baylor, while they are a feisty team and a team that's kind of on the up and up, it seems, it's a team outside the top 60 and RPI. So it's not one that is going to change KU's resume

or like completely boost, you know, their quad one wins or quad two wins or anything like that. But it's just that losing the game would have been more detrimental than winning the game is. And now you're in a situation where, you know, the next opponents you're going to be playing, most likely. I mean, that is the case with Oklahoma State here. Oklahoma State's top 25 team in the country, right? So like if you lose to Oklahoma State, it's not going to hurt you. It's actually still going to help your strength of schedule just for playing them. again. So that is the good news here. And you look at it and I think Warren Nolan has the live

RPI of KU still being at 20 right now after this win over Baylor. One thing that I do find interesting though is even though they're 20th in RPI, which the tournament committee will look at, of the teams in the top 20 in RPI, Kansas ranks 11th in Quad 1 wins, which would certainly get you into the top 16 to host. But even better, Kansas ranks seventh among the top 20 teams in RPI. Kansas ranked seventh in quad one plus quad two wins. So they do have the resume and this kind of helps you from free falling a bit in the RPI, which will certainly be very helpful for hosting. So if you were to ask me like, do I think KU will be hosting at this point? I think that win makes me feel good about it. But if you want to feel great about it, go win the big 12th tournament,

or at least go win this next game against Oklahoma State, right? Let's give out some awards. We'll do that next and then what's next for k u this is locked on jhawks once again don't forget enjoying the everyday air club to get the ad free version of the show at lockdown jhawks dot supercast dot com i'd mvp's for this one for k u baseball let's start with our pitching MVP it's got to be don vaguely he was fantastic for k u in this one seven innings of work four hits allowed just one earned run he had eight strikeouts and the beauty of this he was able to mow through 96 pitches you're not looking at like a 120 pitch game that um you know is going to be over overly bearing, you would think, like, now you get him ready for the NCAA tournament next week, right?

That's kind of the big thing here. And he was just in command, 68 strikes on 96 pitches, the efficiency he had and just mowing through that lineup of a day before that scored 13 runs for Baylor. Really impressive from vaguely. See, he gets your pitching MVP here. The hitting MVP, I mean, a lot of guys you could go with, right? When you get LeBlon and Owens both hitting home runs in this one, Mungarieta, he's. hits a home run and he was the only player for KU to score two guns in the same game. So that's obviously really impressive.

But I think it's got to be Savian Flowers, right? I mean, you're talking two for three for Flowers. He hits the game winning walkoff home run in the bottom of the 10th. He has that other RBI that, as I mentioned earlier, you aren't tied. You have one less run and doesn't even go to the 10th inning at that point if he's not around. So I think Flowers is clearly the offensive MVP of this one and probably the overall game MVP. If we were to give out like a resilience MVP, like who was the most resilient player for KU to be the MVP here. I mean, you, you honestly could argue flowers just from a

standpoint of like, you know, having to constantly stay ready coming off the bench and waiting for his moment. That does take a bit of resiliency. You could also give it to Bodie Ray, right? I mean, Ray comes into the game a little bit shaky. Then it looks like he's going to get out of it in the ninth. Then he gives up the two runs to tie it, but he stops it there. He doesn't allow any more runs. He winds up going two and two thirds. So even though he gives the two runs up, he gave KU a lot of outs. He gets four strikeouts. He mowed him down in the 10th inning to kind of keep the momentum. And he winds up getting the win for KU in the end. So I think you'd give a resilient one to Bodie Ray as well. All right. What's next for KU? Well, it's Oklahoma State in the semi-final

round. And Oklahoma State won the first meeting between these. It was in Stillwater. Kansas wound up winning the series, though, by winning the next two games. So the Cowboys jumped all over Kansas, actually run ruled them in eight innings in the first meeting 13 to 2. Then Kansas, 13 to 3 victory in game two, and then it was kind of more back and forth on the third game with a 9 to 6 Kansas win. This is an Oklahoma State team that is filled with boppers. They can hit, like, this is a team that when they get going, they slug very well, they

hit home runs very well. So that'll be kind of the challenge from the KU pitching staff trying to keep them away from the home runs. Now, the 13 to 3 win was Dominic vaguely pitching, and obviously vaguely won't go after just pitching this last one. So that was the best that KU did at preventing runs against Oklahoma State, and you won't have them in this one, which means, I think for Kansas to win this game, their bats are going to have to really get going to try to match what Oklahoma State brings to the table. You're probably, if you win this game, you're going to have to do it kind of like you did that 9 to 6 one in the third game of the series down at Stillwater. So that'll be on

Friday evening, I think 6, 630, something like that central time for the game. So we'll keep an eye on that one and keep you updated what's going on. Selection Sunday coming up this Sunday as well. And if KU beats Oklahoma State, they'd be playing for the Big 12th tournament championship, which I think they mentioned on the broadcast too. It hasn't happened since 2009 that a team will won the regular season, also won the tournament. Kansas two wins away from doing that. All right, that'll do it for this bonus episode of Lockdown, Jayhawks.

You can find our show anywhere you get your podcast, including on our YouTube page, Football Friday episode coming out on Friday as well. See you then.