Kansas baseball opened its 2026 season with a 7-4 loss to UTRGV at UTRGV Baseball Stadium in Edinburg, Texas. The Jayhawks started strong when graduate transfer Jordan Bach hit a leadoff home run on the second pitch of the game. Bach finished his debut for Kansas going 4-for-5, including a double, two RBIs, and two runs scored.
Junior pitcher Dominic Voegele started for Kansas and struck out eight batters but was removed after three innings, having allowed five earned runs. Mason Cook followed in relief and gave up two runs over 1.1 innings. Kannon Carr pitched the final 3.2 innings without allowing a run and recorded six strikeouts.
Kansas took an early lead in the first inning with Bach’s home run and extended it to 2-0 in the second after an RBI single from Bach. However, UTRGV responded in the bottom of the second by scoring four runs through three bases-loaded walks and a hit by pitch, taking a 4-2 lead.
UTRGV added another run in the third with a solo home run by Thomas Williams. Kansas narrowed the gap to one run in the fourth inning following doubles from Bach and Brady Ballinger, as well as an RBI single from Augusto Mungarrietta that included a throwing error allowing another run to score.
In the fifth inning, UTRGV increased its lead to 7-4 with a solo homer by Armani Raygoza and an RBI double from Williams. No further runs were scored for either team during the remainder of the game. UTRGV’s Harrison Thayer pitched five scoreless innings to secure the win.
Head Coach Dan Fitzgerald commented on the outcome: “It was a very competitive game with a great environment and great crowd. UTRGV is a really, really good program and has a really nice team. There is a lot of stuff that that we’re going to learn from and a lot of stuff they’re going to learn from. That is why you play in these environments early to challenge yourself and find the things that need to change. We certainly found some tonight. We’ll get back to the hotel, watch the film and make adjustments for tomorrow.”
Since joining the Big 12 Conference before 1997, Kansas now holds a record of 21 wins and nine losses in season openers; under Fitzgerald’s leadership they are now even at two wins and two losses in openers. Seven players made their debut for Kansas during this game, with most offensive production coming from Bach, Ballinger, and Mungarrietta—the top three hitters who accounted for eight out of ten total hits.
The series continues Saturday at UTRGV Baseball Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m., broadcast on ESPN+.
