Following the Jayhawks’ 2-1 loss Saturday night at Hoglund Ballpark, their postseason dreams are nonexistent.

The Jayhawks had to sweep Missouri, sweep Kansas State next weekend and have MU lose all three games next weekend against Oklahoma State for KU to sneak into the league’s eighth and final spot in the Big 12 tourney. The loss Saturday eliminated KU from contention.

“It’s a raw deal,” senior first baseman Ryan Baty said, “and it hurts, because this is my last year and I get to walk away with this from my career knowing I made the tournament only once.

“But we still have a series to win. We can go out and we can finish these last six games 5-1, and that’s the way we have to look at it.”

Adam Buhler/Journal-World Photo

The Jayhawks (27-31-1 overall, 3-19 Big 12) don’t have much choice but to see it any other way. A win in today’s 1 p.m. series finale could give them their first series victory in the league this season, and they still have a chance to post back-to-back 30-win seasons for only the third time in school history.

“There’s still a lot to play for emotionally,” Baty said. “It stings that we’re not going to the tournament, but we’re building a program here and those things are gonna happen. There’s going to be bumps in the road, but you’re going to see a team bounce back from adversity.

“There’s something special about playing Mizzou, and we want to win the series.”

Kansas could have wrapped up the series win Saturday if not for a shaky eighth inning. KU virtually was flawless through the first seven innings as junior pitcher Clint Schambach baffled the Missouri hitters. During that time, the Tigers threatened only once — in the first inning — but junior catcher Sean Richardson spoiled the threat by picking off a runner at third base.

The Jayhawks forged a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when Travis Metcalf scored on Matt Tribble’s bloop single to right field. Tribble injured his left knee while retreating to first base on the play, and had to be helped off the field. Tribble will not play today and will undergo an MRI on Monday.

MU pitcher Garrett Broshuis (8-0, 2.83 earned-run average) was effective enough to keep the game close.

“You’d like to put up more than two runs,” Schambach said. “You wouldn’t think our team would get shut down like that, but that happens … unfortunately.”

Kansas stranded two runners in the fourth and fifth innings. It failed to score at all in the fifth despite loading the bases with no outs.

“It hurts … it hurts bad,” Schambach said. “We had our chances and they had their chances, and both pitchers really came through for both teams.”

The blown chances came back to bite hard in the eighth inning. Schambach walked the lead-off batter and allowed a game-tying single to Tyler Williams before being pulled with one out. Reliever Don Czyz gave up a single to the only batter he faced before freshman Sean Land was brought in from the bullpen with runners on the corners. Land immediately gave up a run-scoring sacrifice fly to Cody Ehlers that put KU behind 2-1.

Land walked three in the ninth before freshman Ryotaro Hayakawa came in and closed the inning without allowing a run. Missouri closer Mark Alexander retired the Jayhawks in order in the bottom of the ninth.

Despite having its postseason hopes dashed, KU coach Ritch Price said he didn’t expect his squad to go quietly the rest of the season. He said there still was plenty at stake besides playing for pride.

“We want to win the series,” Price said. “We’ve been talking all year about how important Sunday is. It sets the tone for everything that happens in college baseball. It’d be a great way for us to finish up the year and make a statement about where we’re heading next year if we win the series.”