LAWRENCE — However long Kansas baseball’s run in the Big 12 Conference tournament lasts, the Jayhawks are well on their way to making their first NCAA tournament since 2014.

KU takes a 42-14 record into its Big 12 Tournament quarterfinal Thursday against Oklahoma State. In the latest USA TODAY Sports baseball coaches poll top 25, Kansas is ranked No. 25 in the nation. Advancing far in the Big 12 tournament wouldn’t be about coach Dan Fitzgerald’s squad avoiding being passed up for a NCAA regional selection, but instead about ensuring it receives the best seed possible.

But what do some of the most recent projections for the NCAA tournament’s field of 64 say about the Jayhawks?

This sends Kansas to a four-team regional hosted by Arkansas , the No. 1 seed there. The Jayhawks would be the No. 2 seed, with UT Rio Grande Valley the No. 3 seed and Oral Roberts the No. 4 seed. Winning this regional would likely mean an upset of Arkansas at some point, as the Razorbacks are one of the best the Southeastern Conference has to offer this season during a strong year for the SEC.

This also sends Kansas to the four-team Arkansas regional. The Jayhawks would also be the No. 2 seed, with Creighton the No. 3 seed and Wright State the No. 4 seed. After the way KU ended the regular season by sweeping West Virginia the team has a lot of confidence in its pitching staff, but like any regional there would be another test for it here.

Make it three for three, as Kansas is the No. 2 seed here as well in the four-team regional hosted by No. 1-seed Arkansas. Elsewhere in the regional, is No. 3-seed Notre Dame and No. 4-seed Central Connecticut. The consistency in KU’s place in these projections could lead one to think that’s where the Jayhawks are likely to end up, but that doesn’t mean there can’t be movement before the field is selected.

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 [email protected] or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.