In the past year, some Kansas coaches have achieved milestone victories.

Men’s basketball coach Bill Self collected his 300th career victory and his 100th at Kansas while women’s basketball coach Bonnie Henrickson ended Kansas’ 12-game losing streak against Kansas State. And any time football coach Mark Mangino musters a victory, it’s a cause for celebration.

This weekend, yet another Kansas coach earned a landmark victory, as baseball coach Ritch Price surpassed Bobby Randall for third place on Kansas’ all-time wins list with a 167-138-1 record. The accomplishment is just one of many for Price since coming to Kansas in 2003.

Price also reached the 100- and 150-victory plateaus at Kansas faster than all of his predecessors. His .546 winning percentage at Kansas is the highest among Jayhawk coaches with at least 100 games coached.

When he wins his 250th game at Kansas, he will move into second place on Kansas’ all-time wins list. Floyd Temple holds the all-time record with 438 victories at Kansas.

“I hope I’m here long enough to get that accomplishment — second place or that first-place spot — but with an accomplishment like this, it’s something I owe to my players,” Price said.

With the help of his players, Price’s victory against Oklahoma on Sunday was significant for another reason. It clinched Kansas’ first Big 12 Conference series victory of the season as the Jayhawks (22-26, 8-13) climbed out of last place in the conference standings and inched closer to claiming a spot in the Big 12 Tournament.

With 10 baseball schools in the Big 12, the top eight qualify for the conference tournament. Although it took the Jayhawks seven tries to win their first Big 12 series, their ability to avoid being swept during conference play has them in a tie for eighth place and thousandths of percentage points out of seventh.

To be one of the top eight teams in the Big 12, Kansas needs to finish ahead of two of three other teams battling to reach the tournament — Texas Tech (7-13), Baylor (8-13) and Kansas State (7-11).

The Red Raiders, Bears and Wildcats did the Jayhawks a few favors this weekend. Texas Tech was swept and Baylor and Kansas State lost their series. The remaining series for these three schools won’t get much easier, either.

Texas Tech has two more Big 12 series remaining with No. 12 Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. However, Texas Tech benefited from the cancellation of one of its games with Texas A&M earlier this season. The Red Raiders likely would have lost that game and they’re just behind Kansas and Baylor in Big 12 winning percentage as a result.

Baylor also has two more Big 12 series left with Nebraska and Kansas State. The Bears’ series with the Wildcats will be pivotal in deciding who makes the tournament.

With three series remaining, Kansas State can cement its place in the tournament or fall by the wayside. Kansas State will play Kansas this weekend, then No. 18 Texas A&M before taking on Baylor.

It’d be surprising if Texas Tech, Baylor and Kansas State navigated those remaining games with winning records to separate themselves from Kansas, but Kansas can’t leave its tournament hopes in their hands.

Kansas must follow its series victory against Oklahoma with another one against Kansas State. Then if Kansas can avoid a sweep at home against Nebraska and finish its Big 12 slate with, at worst, an 11-16 record, it could finish as high as seventh in the conference.

If the Jayhawks solidify a spot in the Big 12 Tournament with a late-season rally, it will speak even louder to what Price can do at Kansas than his record.

Shroyer is a Mound City junior in journalism.

— Edited by Ryan Schneider