A Historic Season for Kansas Baseball
Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald has once again been recognized as the Big 12 Coach of the Year, securing the honor for the second consecutive season after guiding the Jayhawks to a 39‑16 overall record and a 22‑8 mark within the conference, which culminated in an outright Big 12 title.
The accolade comes as seven Kansas players earned All‑Big 12 honors, highlighting the depth of talent on the roster. Tyson LeBlanc and Boede Rahe received first‑team selections, while Cade Baldridge, Josh Dykhoff and Dominic Voegele were placed on the second team, and Brady Ballinger along with Mason Cook were named to the honorable‑mention list.
Fitzgerald’s back‑to‑back 39‑win seasons mark only the second time in program history that the team has achieved at least 39 victories in consecutive years, a milestone that underscores the consistency he has brought to the program since his arrival.
LeBlanc has emerged as the offensive cornerstone, leading the club in home runs, runs batted in, batting average, total bases, slugging percentage and stolen bases, and his 19 homers rank among the most ever recorded by a Jayhawk in a single season. Rahe tops the Big 12 with nine saves, while Baldridge paces the team with 74 hits and 25 multi‑hit games. Dykhoff contributes a .609 slugging percentage, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs, and Voegele has thrown a team‑high 78.1 innings with 100 strikeouts.
Additional contributions include Ballinger’s 25‑game on‑base streak from March 27 to May 8 and Cook’s emergence as a weekend starter in the latter half of the season, both of which have helped solidify the lineup’s depth.