LAWRENCE, Kan. — Kansas will host Oklahoma in the first super regional appearance in program history, with the best-of-three series beginning Saturday evening at Hoglund Ballpark.
The Jayhawks and Sooners will play Game 1 at 5 p.m. Saturday on ESPN2. Game 2 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Sunday, with the television network still to be announced. Game 3, if necessary, will be played Monday at a time to be determined.
The winner will advance to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
Kansas is two victories away from reaching the College World Series for the second time in program history. The Jayhawks made their only previous trip to Omaha in 1993.
The Jayhawks earned the right to host after winning all three of their games in the Lawrence Regional. Kansas defeated Northeastern 6-3 on Friday, Arkansas 5-3 on Saturday and Arkansas 13-10 in Sunday night’s regional championship game.
Oklahoma advanced after completing a dramatic run through the Atlanta Regional with an 8-7, 10-inning victory over Georgia Tech on Monday night.
Dayton Tockey hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th inning to eliminate the No. 2 national seed Yellow Jackets and send the Sooners to Lawrence for a postseason matchup against their former Big 12 rival.
Oklahoma entered the Atlanta Regional as the No. 2 seed after finishing 11th in the SEC with a 35-22 overall record and a 14-16 conference mark.
The Sooners opened the regional with an 8-3 victory over The Citadel on Friday before falling to Georgia Tech 9-3 on Saturday. Oklahoma stayed alive with a 15-5 win over The Citadel on Sunday and then rallied from an 8-2 deficit to beat Georgia Tech 15-8 later that night.
The Sooners needed another comeback in Monday’s winner-take-all game.
Oklahoma held an early 3-0 lead before Georgia Tech scored seven runs and took a 7-3 advantage into the bottom of the seventh inning. The Sooners scored twice in the seventh and added another run in the eighth to pull within 7-6.
Jaxon Willits delivered a game-tying RBI single in the ninth inning before Tockey ended the game with his home run in the 10th.
Jackson Cleveland kept Oklahoma alive on the mound by pitching 3 2/3 scoreless and hitless innings in relief.
The super regional will feature two programs that were conference opponents before Oklahoma left the Big 12 for the SEC. The Sooners lead the all-time series against Kansas 175-97-1.
Lawrence Super Regional schedule
- Game 1: Oklahoma at Kansas, 5 p.m. Saturday, ESPN2
- Game 2: Oklahoma at Kansas, 5 p.m. Sunday, television network to be announced
- Game 3, if necessary: Oklahoma at Kansas, Monday, time and television network to be announced