Kansas
As Kansas baseball, Dan Fitzgerald thrive, what will he think if rumors swirl about his future?
Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald, players highlight progress
Check out everything Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald and his players had to say Wednesday as the Jayhawks continued to progress this season.
LAWRENCE — There’s a level of attention around the Kansas baseball program exceeding what many might have anticipated in 2025.
The Jayhawks (36-10, 15-6 in Big 12 Conference) are on a nine-game winning streak that includes a win Tuesday at home against rival Missouri. They are back in the top 25 of the USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll, at No. 25. The conversation is no longer just about KU reaching its first NCAA regional since 2014, because there is a chance the team could go so far as to host a regional, too.
But with that attention, can also come a focus on what coach Dan Fitzgerald has been able to accomplish in Lawrence the just the third year of a rebuild. Other schools in search of a lift of their own programs could come calling, searching to see if Fitzgerald is open to being pried away from Kansas. Cleary, Fitzgerald has proven he’s someone who can ensure fans don’t have to wait all that long to see success from.
Fitzgerald, though, speaking last week, outlined the possibility of his name popping up on social media as a potential candidate for another job isn’t remotely close to his radar or that of his staff’s. While he appreciates how social media can allow someone to reach to so many about a philanthropic cause they care about so quickly, the other side of that is social media can cause so much distraction and drama. Within the KU program he has a no drama policy, and he’d put any talk about another school wanting to hire him into that bucket.
“It’s been really hard, it’s been unbelievably challenging, it’s been incredibly rewarding and we’ve done it together and we’re having so much fun doing it and we came specifically to KU for all the reasons that I’ve said 100 times — to build and to do something really special and to do something sustainable,” Fitzgerald said on April 21, not far removed from sweeping rival Kansas State.
“So, if people talk about that, I promise you this man, it won’t be something that I’m even aware of or care about because I have complete and total focus on executing what we set out to do, continue on the path that we’re going on, and it’s not even a thought.”
Fitzgerald would go on to explain that there’s stuff he reads about all of the time that, once he’s read it, he moves on, and what he’s read doesn’t have an effect on his life. He mentioned looking into hummingbird migration recently as one example, because he has hummingbird feeders in his backyard. The point being, seemingly, that there’s just so much information out there now that one could soon find oneself consumed by it.
Fitzgerald understands the notion of rather having people talk positively about his program than negatively, but added that even if people were saying bad things, he would be unaware of that as well. He pointed back to last year and how he wasn’t thinking about if people thought Kansas overachieved, and instead about the guys in his dugout as they put themselves in position to make a NCAA regional — before ultimately coming up short. He’s focused on evaluating if the program is moving in the right direction.
Fitzgerald says he believes heavily in how much he considers who you work for, and where you work. He praised his relationship with Travis Goff, KU’s athletic director and vice chancellor, and Sean Lester, a deputy athletic director for administration, and how much they’ve all collaborated since he took the job ahead of the 2023 season. Fitzgerald also praised how well two coaches he’s worked for in the past, Dallas Baptist’s Dan Heefner and LSU’s Jay Johnson, have handled the drama that can come with this topic.
“One thing I’d point to is, when this job opened last time, when coach (Ritch) Price retired … as far as I know, like, I think the first time my name was associated with this job is when I took it,” Fitzgerald said. “So, I think most of the time when there’s the rumors and the gossip, it’s usually just that. Just rumors and gossip.”
When Fitzgerald talks to Lester and Goff, the latter of whom said before the Kansas State series, he and Fitzgerald are already talking about what it will take to further the momentum the program has; their conversations encompass a lot.
The landscape isn’t just different at KU compared to a few years ago, but with college athletics as a whole when it comes to name, image, and likeness (NIL), revenue sharing, and more. Fitzgerald described the adjustments as driving on the same road they have been since he arrived, and just changing lanes here and there depending on what’s come up.
Staff retention is vital in Fitzgerald’s mind, considering how collaborative the group he has is, but as he says that he also highlights that commitment to his program is as strong now as it was when he was hired. He expressed how thankful he is to have the opportunity he has. He can’t imagine having better or more immediate access to an athletic director than what he has with Goff.
“The team effort thing is real and it’s not just in talk,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s very much in action, and it is a — it’s the exact partnership that we talked about almost three years ago.”
Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He was the 2022 National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.
What is next for Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs?
Joe Rivera and and Chris Bumbaca break down Patrick Mahomes’ ACL tear and where they see the KC organization going moving forward.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes underwent surgery to repair his torn left ACL on Dec. 15 in Dallas, Texas, the team said.
Dr. Dan Cooper, an orthopedic surgeon based in Dallas, performed the surgery. Cooper specializes in knee and shoulder injuries for the Carrell Clinic, based in Texas.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said earlier Dec. 15 that Mahomes was seeking a second opinion in the Dallas area. The Chiefs said Mahomes will begin his rehab immediately. The three-time Super Bowl winner will have roughly nine months to prepare for Week 1 of the 2026 season.
ESPN reported that Cooper also repaired Mahomes’ torn lateral collateral ligament (LCL).
Mahomes suffered the injury on Dec. 14 as the Chiefs lost to the Los Angeles Chargers at home, which knocked them out of playoff contention. The two-time MVP was tackled from behind by Chargers defensive end Da’Shawn Hand. Mahomes immediately reached for his left knee after being rolled up from behind as Kansas City’s medical staff immediately tended to him.
He eventually walked off under his own power but Chiefs head coach Andy Reid told reporters that the initial prognosis did not “look good.”
Gardner Minshew replaced Mahomes and purports to be Kansas City’s starter for the final three games of the season.
Contributing: Jacob Camenker
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition: Recapping the carnage of Week 15.
Kansas
Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs facing rebuild after missing NFL playoffs for first time since 2014
The NFL playoffs and the road to the Super Bowl will not feature the Kansas City Chiefs for the first time since 2014 this season. Does it mark the end of an era for one of the league’s great modern dynasty teams?
Andy Reid’s side were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Sunday following a 16-13 defeat to the Los Angeles Chargers, coupled with deciding victories for the Buffalo Bills, Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans.
A miserable season was punctuated by a late injury to star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who was later ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with a torn ACL that will now disrupt preparations heading into next season.
Having reached five of the last six Super Bowls, the Chiefs face uncharted territory in the offseason.
“You look over the years, there’s a multitude of things (contributing to their downfall),” says Sky Sports NFL’s Phoebe Schecter. “They’ve had longer seasons than any other team and X amount of games every single year, emotionally, mentally, physically it’s taxing on a player.
“The Chiefs have never fully invested back into who they are drafting, free agency, they don’t have a ton of star receivers, you’re relying on people like Travis Kelce.
“There’s a lot of rebuilding that has to happen.
“It’s hard when you compare to a team like the Eagles, who are constantly staying ahead of it and building depth – I don’t think they’ve had a star receiver since Tyreek Hill.”
The Chiefs had entered the campaign on the back of reaching three straight Super Bowls, winning two in a row before being dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles in New Orleans last February.
A shortage of star quality or reinvestment in as much was evident that day at the Superdome, and has emerged as a prevalent talking point in the decline of a team and, in particular, an offense that once looked untouchable.
“This is maybe the end of the first iteration of the Chiefs that we’ve seen,” said Sky Sports NFL’s Neil Reynolds. “This happened to Brady and the Patriots. They had a 10-year gap. Brady won three, ironically, his knee ligaments went, 10 years later they then won another three with New England.
“So this feels like the end of something with Kelce. Have the Chiefs in recent years failed Patrick Mahomes? Because I don’t know if they’ve got a number one wide receiver. They don’t have a star running back.
“I don’t want to play fantasy football, but that offense with George Pickens or Breece Hall in the backfield, I just wonder whether they have assumed Patrick Mahomes will bail them out, as he has done many times, and continue to do so, and it feels like they’ve run out of it this year.”
Mahomes endured, statistically, one of the worst seasons of his career on the way to the Super Bowl last year as the Chiefs largely leaned on Steve Spagnuolo’s defense to carry them through a series of one-score games.
The production has been marginally improved in 2025 but no less erratic or inconsistent, Mahomes constantly relied upon to create magic in the face of limited options.
“I think that’s true,” said Sky Sports NFL’s Jeff Reinebold. “I think that they have confidence in his ability to elevate everybody at the critical moments.
“I have such an appreciation for excellence. And sustained excellence is even held in a higher esteem to me because you know think about this, 2014 is a long time ago and it’s been that long that they’ve been in the playoffs every year and have been the team that you had to beat, so to have sustained excellence in a league that makes it just about as difficult as you can make it, maybe more difficult than any pro sports league, that is a credit to the Chiefs organisation, to Andy Reid, to Brett Veach.
“However, the reality is eventually it just runs out, you just run out of steam. You look at Kelce, he’s not the player that he once was, I thought he was really good today and competed his tail off but you know there are now guys that can match and make it really difficult.
“I agree about the receivers they’ve got, some guys with unique skill sets but I don’t know if they’ve got a true number one receiver.”
As defensive lineman Chris Jones took to the podium post-game, he had to ask reporters if the Chiefs were out of the playoffs. He didn’t know. Until it hit him.
The silence was deafening and a reflection of the unknown. This was a day that was always coming, and the reality of a major offseason shake-up hit.
“It’s hard to rebuild when you’ve been winning, it’s ‘what are we going to change?’,” said Sky Sports NFL’s Jason Bell.
“You have to get to the point where it falls apart and doesn’t work, but you never want to see Mahomes get hurt like that, it’s the worst-case scenario.”
After 10 straight playoff appearances, nine straight division titles and seven consecutive trips to the AFC Championship Game, the Chiefs’ dominance is no more.
Watch the 2025 NFL season live on Sky Sports, including every minute of the playoffs and Super Bowl LX; Get Sky Sports or stream with no contract on NOW.
The Kansas Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Dec. 14, 2025, results for each game:
Winning Pick 3 numbers from Dec. 14 drawing
Midday: 9-9-6
Evening: 1-5-6
Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning 2 By 2 numbers from Dec. 14 drawing
Red Balls: 15-24, White Balls: 02-16
Check 2 By 2 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Dec. 14 drawing
08-23-32-33-34, Lucky Ball: 15
Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Kansas Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599. For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at select Kansas Lottery offices.
By mail, send a winner claim form and your signed lottery ticket to:
Kansas Lottery Headquarters
128 N Kansas Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603-3638
(785) 296-5700
To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a claim form, and deliver the form along with your signed lottery ticket to Kansas Lottery headquarters. 128 N Kansas Avenue, Topeka, KS 66603-3638, (785) 296-5700. Hours: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Kansas Lottery.
When are the Kansas Lottery drawings held?
- Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
- Pick 3 Midday/Evening: 1:10 p.m. and 9:10 p.m. CT daily.
- 2 By 2: 9:30 p.m. CT daily.
- Lucky for Life: 9:38 p.m. CT daily.
- Lotto America: 9:15 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
- Super Kansas Cash: 9:10 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Kansas editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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