Pure delight.

Czyz closed another Kansas victory Sunday, a victory like no other for the Jayhawks, who completed an improbable week at the Big 12 Conference tournament with a 9-7 championship victory Sunday against Nebraska.

KU, which came to Oklahoma City hoping to improve its position with the NCAA Tournament selection committee, did even more, claiming the Big 12’s automatic berth with the championship. The Jayhawks will learn their postseason destination today, when the NCAA reveals the tournament field at 11:30 a.m., live on ESPN (Sunflower Broadband ch. 33).

As the Jayhawks celebrated near the pitcher’s mound in traditional baseball fashion, a high-rising stack of dog-piling players, Czyz found himself on the bottom, nose-to-nose with Matt Baty, another KU senior who considered the day a dream.

“I was gasping for air, but that’s about as good as it gets right there,” said Czyz, summoned to get the final out as the Huskers threatened to wipe out a big KU lead with the winning run at the plate. “It was getting kind of tight in there, but a great way to end the game.”

Said Baty: “I was on top of him, grabbing him. That’s just an awesome feeling. First time since high school to do a dog pile, and it’s a dream come true my senior year. All those years of hard work paying off.”

Fitting perhaps that Czyz and Baty found each other beneath the pile, knowing that Ritchie Price was there somewhere, too. Now seniors, they were freshmen when the Jayhawks first qualified for the Big 12 tournament and were sent packing with two straight defeats. “The foundation is right there,” Czyz said. “The bottom of it – the rock.”

With the veterans leading the way all week, the Jayhawks kept producing big wins. They beat Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in what essentially were road games.

They toppled archrival Missouri in a game that could have gotten out of control after a bench-clearing brawl. Then they finished off the run, taking it to Nebraska, which had owned Oklahoma City with four previous tournament titles here.

OU, OSU and Nebraska were all ranked in the top 15.

“We played with some confidence, and we played with some swagger,” Kansas coach Ritch Price said. “I don’t know if anybody in the country had a better weekend than we just had.”

The Jayhawks jumped on Nebraska early, taking a 1-0 lead in the second inning on Buck Afenir’s RBI single. A four-run third, touched off by a two-run double by Erik Morrison and an RBI triple by Jared Schweitzer, provided momentum. “It obviously showed with their intensity,” Huskers sophomore Ryan Wehrle said. “They came out a lot more aggressive than we did.”

Freshman Nick Czyz gave the Jayhawks 5 1/3 strong innings from the mound, allowing just three hits and two runs. KU’s lead was 8-2 through seven innings and 9-5 after eight, with the bullpen battling to hang on. First Paul Smyth and then Wednesday starter Kodiak Quick took their turns, before Don Czyz was called on with the Huskers threatening in the ninth. Czyz got the only out needed, with Jake Opitz grounding to Schweitzer at second, setting off the celebration.

KU hadn’t won a conference title in baseball since claiming the Big Seven championship in 1947. Before that, such success dated back 24 years to a Missouri Valley title in 1923.

“There’s a great sense of pride today, as you can well imagine,” Ritch Price said. “It’s certainly a new experience for us. Someone just told me we hadn’t won a championship since 1947.

“We’re going to enjoy the experience.”