LAWRENCE — As Jennifer McFalls spoke Thursday, her focus remained clear.

On Friday, Kansas softball opens a home series against No. 1 Texas. McFalls, the Jayhawks’ head coach, was looking forward to a chance to better position her side in the Big 12 Conference standings. Ahead of first pitch Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) in Lawrence, Kansas (27-14-1, 11-7 in Big 12) is fourth in the league and Texas (35-6, 14-4 in Big 12) is second.

But given the spot the Jayhawks are in, as a program that’s in line to reach its first NCAA tournament since 2015, the conversation also provided an opportunity to look at the big picture. McFalls, who took over ahead of the 2019 season, is enjoying a breakthrough season at Kansas. Propelled in some respects by a contract extension KU announced after last season, this season McFalls and company are showcasing why keeping faith in their process was the right move.

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“I just love the group of women that I’ve been able to recruit and bring in here as athletes,” said McFalls, who could finish with a winning record for the first time with the Jayhawks. “I think we’re on the right track to continuing to build a really solid program.”

McFalls acknowledged it’s probably taken a little more time to get to this point than she originally thought. But think about the nature of her arrival, in the fall of 2018. She had one full season at Kansas before the pandemic, which brought on various challenges in recruiting and program development that took time to overcome.

Travis Goff, KU’s director of athletics, said Friday he doesn’t think there can be much tougher of a process for a coach to manage as they take over a program — especially one in need of a rebuild. He even went as far as to say there couldn’t have been a fair evaluation of those initial years. From his perspective the conversation about an extension wasn’t about McFalls selling him on her vision, but understanding the journey to that point and learning more about just how well she fits into what the department as a whole is attempting to accomplish.

It was the 2023 season that Goff certainly saw the trajectory the team was on, how it was on the cusp of what they all wanted for it. It had a culture and identity, with athletes who clearly enjoyed playing the game. There were moments in Big 12 play, not to mention an upset win against Oklahoma State in the conference tournament, that foreshadowed what this season has been so far.

McFalls saw it, too. Toward the end of last season she continued to see improvement, and a group of players who finally had that belief in themselves and each other. And so much of that group is back this season.

“When you started to see them come out of the COVID stretch, start to get some stability in the recruitment and the roster, and then you start to feel and hear and understand that the culture is healthy, vibrant — a group that’s having fun playing the game,” said Goff, who assumed his role in 2021. “They’re ahead of where I thought they’d be this year, honestly, from a year ago, but I’m not shocked by any stretch of the imagination because we believe in (McFalls) and her staff and that group of young women.”

This season has already included some highlights in non-conference play, such as a win against now-No. 11 Texas A&M during an invitational in College Station, Texas. In Big 12 play, Kansas has swept an opponent three times — Baylor (home), Houston (away) and Iowa State (away). Senior Kasey Hamilton and junior Katie Brooks have been two standout pitchers.

McFalls praised her team’s chemistry. She highlighted a group of seniors, who’ve worked hard to make this turnaround possible, who want to leave things at KU better than they’ve found it. All year they’ve been driven by the goal of reaching the postseason.

Of course, that doesn’t mean McFalls has spent much time worrying about NCAA tournament projections — D1Softball had Kansas in the field this week. She just knows her team’s RPI, currently 36, is in a good spot. But the momentum is building.

Goff noted they’ve long aspired to have fall postseasons, winter postseasons and spring postseasons be the norm for the Jayhawks. They’d had conversations as a department about looking for more momentum in the spring. So, it appears the softball team is answering the call.

“For softball to have this opportunity to cement itself this season as a NCAA tournament program, I think it extends beyond just impact for softball,” Goff said. “I think it’s another reminder that we should all aspire for — postseason, NCAA championship caliber programs in all of our sports, Big 12 contenders in all of our sports. And I think they’ll help serve as a catalyst for other programs as well by achieving that.”

Jordan Guskey covers University of Kansas Athletics at The Topeka Capital-Journal. He is the National Sports Media Association’s sportswriter of the year for the state of Kansas for 2022. Contact him at jmguskey@gannett.com or on Twitter at @JordanGuskey.

This article originally appeared on Topeka Capital-Journal: Coach Jennifer McFalls has Kansas softball headed for NCAA tournament