Jayhawks Host Baylor for Big 12 Bout at Hoglund Ballpark

LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas baseball team welcomes in Big 12 foe Baylor for a three-game weekend series, May 1-3, at Hoglund Ballpark with the first game slated for 6 p.m. on Friday.
 
Coming off a home loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, the Jayhawks (19-26, 6-9 Big 12) look to get back on track with a series win over the Bears (17-27, 6-12 Big 12), before taking to the road for the next five-straight games.
 
The Jayhawks are 16-46 all-time against Baylor, but have swept the last two regular-season series, including last season in Waco, Texas, that sparked a nine-game Big 12 win streak for Kansas. KU hopes this series can spark a run similar to last season, as the Big 12 season is beginning to wind down and the Jayhawks are on the unfavorable end of the conference standings.
 
Ben Krauth (6-3) will take to the mound Friday night, as he has done all season, with hopes of shutting down a Baylor offense that comes into Lawrence ranked seventh in the conference in team average (.257), which is exactly what the lefty is allowing to opponents this season.
 
Kansas has won its last three Saturday contests behind the arm of Drew Morovick (4-3) and looks to continue the trend this weekend.
 
Baylor will send Drew Tolson (3-6) and Daniel Castano (2-5) to the mound along with a starter that has yet to be named. Tolson and Castano are Baylor’s most experienced arms this season, each of them pitching at least 20 more innings than the next closest player. Both pitchers rank in the top-10 in innings pitched in the Big 12 standings (Tolson seventh, Castano 10th).
 
Something that could be a threat to the Jayhawks is the legs of Baylor’s Logan Brown. Brown is second in the league in stolen bases with 17, which is just four shy of the entire KU squad’s total. Kansas has allowed 46 stolen bases this season, so controlling the running game will be an emphasis of the Jayhawks’ this weekend.
 
All three of the games against Baylor can be seen on ESPN3 via WatchESPN.com or the Watch ESPN mobile app with Steven Davis and former Kansas pitcher Scott Heitshusen on the call. Along with the live stream, the game can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/radio or on the Kansas Jayhawks mobile app.
 
Following the series with the Bears, the Jayhawks trek to Evanston, Illinois, to face Northwestern in a two-game midweek set, May 5 and 6, before heading to Fort Worth, Texas, to face TCU in their final road Big 12 series of the season, May 8-10.
 
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