Brian Haney

You don't expect the baseball run, this historic Fitzmagic season of 2026, to be the flag carrier in a given year, but that's been the case with KU baseball this year, and yes...

On the doorstep of Allen Fieldhouse, just to the south there, now exists a place that may not have the history of the Fog, but certainly is a home to just as passionate of a fan base, particularly a student group that latched onto this program a year ago when they made their first run to an NCAA regional in 11 years and really made it...

you know, must-see baseball and a thing to do at the end of the spring semester that for so many years before, Kansas baseball was kind of an afterthought.

You might have had sports fatigue by the end of a March Madness run for hoops, and it was maybe more of a novelty.

You go out for a game or two over the course of their home schedule.

This student fan base in the Kansas campus here has made baseball a vibe, and you want to be out there, and some of these kids...

Those that are of age, I hope, have been pre-gaming since late morning hours and getting over there for Friday night starts and a typical Big 12 weekend ready to go.

And it's added to an atmosphere and energy that I've not seen in 20 prior years of doing KU baseball.

So it's been pretty fun and it's neat to reward that awesome home atmosphere and home crowd with such a terrific result here today.

Yeah, they completely cleared the stadium, and we're hopeful that game will start on time and not have any thunderstorms affected.

But, yeah, they completely cleared it out, picked up the trash, get the second session started.

But to your point about the student fans, a special section of 130 reserved for those students.

They got free meal vouchers as well for those.

130 that stood in line to get him.

And so Kansas Athletics has made a great effort of outreach to maintain that excitement and that fervor and the passion amongst our students.

And even Coach Fitz.

has invited, if you were there for the Selection Monday selection show, the ringleaders of the fans in that student section that are so loud and rowdy and make it a true home field advantage, he invited them to the selection show because he wanted them to feel like an extension of it.

That's pretty cool stuff when you have that level of give back to the fans that are pouring so much energy into your efforts.

I haven't seen them around town yet, but I've read their tweets for sure.

So I know that they're pretty rowdy.