Kansas Baseball Splits 4-Game Series with Minnesota

Jayhawks defense struggles but grad transfer Jordan Bach thrives in leadoff role

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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Kansas baseball recorded its first real test of the season in a four-game series against Minnesota, earning a split after beating the Gophers 8-3 on Sunday. The Jayhawks' defense struggled, making eight errors in the series, but graduate transfer Jordan Bach continued to excel as the leadoff hitter, leading the team in several offensive categories. Kansas's starting pitching also took a step back, with none of the four starters going past the fourth inning.

Why it matters

This series against Minnesota represented an early-season challenge for the Kansas baseball team, which had yet to lose a series. The Jayhawks' performance, both positively and negatively, provides insights into the team's strengths and weaknesses as they look to build on their 7-4 start to the season.

The details

In the four-game series, Kansas split the results, winning the first and last games 8-7 and 8-3 respectively, while losing the middle two games 12-5 and 10-3. The Jayhawks' defense struggled, committing eight errors over the four games, which proved costly. However, graduate transfer Jordan Bach continued to thrive as the team's leadoff hitter, leading the offense in several key statistical categories. On the mound, Kansas's starting pitchers failed to go deep into games, with none lasting past the fourth inning, putting pressure on the bullpen.

  • The four-game series against Minnesota took place from February 28 to March 2, 2026.
  • Kansas's next game is on Thursday, March 6, 2026 at 3 p.m. CT against St. Thomas, available on ESPN+.

The players

Jordan Bach

A graduate transfer outfielder who has played for several colleges, including SIU-Carbondale, Northeast Oklahoma, and St. Xavier University. Bach has had an immediate impact for Kansas, leading the team in numerous offensive categories as the leadoff hitter.

Kansas Jayhawks

The baseball team from the University of Kansas, which is currently 7-4 on the season after splitting a four-game series with Minnesota.

Minnesota Gophers

The baseball team from the University of Minnesota, which split the four-game series with Kansas, winning two games and losing two.

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What they’re saying

“Ended the series with a W 👏”

— Kansas Baseball (Twitter)

“Jordan Bach has been hitting the cover off the ball since joining @KUBaseball from Southern Illinois, ripped this RBI double to deep RF, his 3rd two-bagger of the year, leading Kansas in batting (.412) thru the first 2 weeks”

— Patrick Ebert (Twitter)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on Tuesday whether or not to allow Walker Reed Quinn out on bail.

The takeaway

This series against Minnesota highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the Kansas baseball team. While the offense, led by graduate transfer Jordan Bach, has been productive, the Jayhawks' defense and starting pitching need to improve if the team wants to consistently win games against top competition.