​LAWRENCE — KU Athletics’ men’s basketball and football programs might not be the only teams to welcome an athlete to campus who’s involved in an eligibility court case against the NCAA.As Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald shared a fall update on his team recently, he left the door open to potentially adding someone to his roster as well who has received more eligibility. While Fitzgerald is glad to be in the midst of the team’s fall process and getting into discovering what the team will look like in the spring of 2027, if there’s a way to make the team better, he’ll explore it. His Jayhawks are coming off winning both the Big 12 Conference’s regular-season and tournament titles, not to mention winning an NCAA tournament regional hosted in Lawrence in 2026.“We’re in the middle of it right now of still trying to figure that out and what that looks like for the spring, and thankfully we’ve got some time,” Fitzgerald said. “These fall sports have — they’re just, they’re up against it. We’ve got time, but certainly we are always looking for every avenue to always improve our roster. So, stuff we’re looking at right now.”RELATED: Kansas football vs Middle Tennessee | Odds, prediction, storylinesHere are some more takeaways from what Fitzgerald had to say:What it’s like to bring back a sizable group of returning talentFitzgerald called it a significant deal for the team to bring back as much talent from last year’s team as KU has. In addition to what guys like catcher Augusto Mungarrieta, infielder Dylan Schlotterback, infielder/outfielder Cade Baldridge, outfielder/catcher Tyson Owens and a number of pitchers can provide in that way, there’s a leadership element to it, too. It’s not that a newcomer won’t emerge as a leader, it’s just that the coaches won’t have to be as involved in helping someone acclimate because there are enough returning athletes who can do that.It’s an example of not just how the success Kansas has enjoyed has helped lead to quality recruiting, but quality retention as well. Fitzgerald saw a group of guys who were committed to the program and were coming back to see what was possible next. The process of bringing them back happened quickly after the season and wasn’t something Fitzgerald had considered during the season because everyone was so focused on winning games.Keep an eye on this Kansas pitcherHow the timing of the transfer portal and the MLB draft play out can complicate things when it comes to building a roster. There are a lot of projections that are being made. But considering Fitzgerald had an idea of what the team would lose pitching-wise, including eventual draft picks in right-handers Dominic Voegele and Mathis Nayral, pitching was the main priority in the offseason.Keep an eye on returning left-handed pitcher Emerson McKnight, though. McKnight may not have had a significant role for the Jayhawks in 2026, but he’s building on a fantastic summer with a g