Kansas baseball wrapped up its fall season on Friday afternoon at a cold and rainy Hoglund Ballpark. Strong performances from newcomers Augusto Mungarrieta and Toby Scheidt were a couple of the lone bright spots on the day for Kansas, as Kansas State dominated the day, defeating Kansas 16-2 in 11 innings.

The highlight of the game for Kansas offensively came in the fifth inning, when Mungarrieta connected for an opposite-field solo home run. A junior transfer from Northwest Florida State College, Mungarrieta was one of two Jayhawks to tally multiple hits in the game. The other was LSU Eunice transfer Tyson LeBlanc, who had two hits in three at-bats, including a hard-hit double in the seventh inning. 

Bryant transfer Toby Scheidt was the standout performer on the pitching side of things. Scheidt showcased a low 90s fastball and a slider that was virtually untouchable to strike out the side in the eighth inning on just 14 pitches.

“He was great,” Kansas head coach Dan Fitzgerald said about Toby Scheidt after the scrimmage. “We were really excited when we saw him in the portal, just the way his arm works and how hard he throws from a funky slot.”

This year’s Kansas team will feature 29 newcomers and 10 returners from last year’s team. Two staples of last year’s lineup, Brady Ballinger and Dariel Osoria, were at the top of the lineup for Friday’s scrimmage. Both players tallied a hit and a walk in the game, with Osoria’s hit being a triple off the batter’s eye. Immediately after the triple, Osoria scored on a base hit by fellow returner Max Soliz Jr.

Also of note, Ballinger, who played first base all of last year, was in left field for the scrimmage just like he was in Kansas’ first fall exhibition against Bradley. After the game, Fitzgerald confirmed that Ballinger could see extended time in the outfield during the 2026 season.

“He’s kind of got a little Lance Berkman to him in the outfield,” Fitzgerald said. [He’s] super confident catching fly balls. Brady is kind of confident doing everything, so [I] fully anticipate that being a real thing.” 

Returners from last year’s pitching staff include Kannon Carr, Manning West and Dominic Voegele. Carr pitched a scoreless fourth inning on Friday, striking out two along the way. West also looked sharp but ran into some bad luck and gave up an unearned run in his one inning of work.

Voegele will return to his role as Kansas’ Friday starter in 2026 and impressed in his one inning of work, as he struck out a pair of Wildcats and did not allow a baserunner. Noticeably, Voegele recorded his final strikeout on a 91 mph changeup, which is a pitch he’s added to his arsenal and is feeling really good about heading into 2026.

“It’s moving how we want it to move, and it’s playing pretty fast right now,” Voegele said.

The Jayhawks have their ace, as well as a few guys they know will be in the lineup come opening day, but like most teams, they exit the fall with a lot to still figure out. 

“I think we’ve got a long way to go in every facet,” Fitzgerald said. “And I mean that because I think our ceiling is really high.”

Kansas will begin its 2026 season on Feb. 13 in Edinburg, Texas, against the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.