Jon Coyne crowned 2026 D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year
Jon Coyne, the Kansas baseball assistant coach, was honored as the 2026 D1Baseball Assistant Coach of the Year, becoming the first assistant from the program to receive the national award.
His recognition follows a season in which Kansas captured three championships, highlighted by a Big 12 regular‑season title and a tournament victory, marking the first regular‑season conference championship for the program since 1949 and its second Big 12 Tournament crown.
A record‑breaking campaign
The 2026 roster featured 35 student‑athletes, of whom 26 were newcomers and nine returned, and only six had prior Division I experience. Over four seasons the staff brought in 51 transfers from outside Division I, fueling a depth that helped the team set new school records for conference wins, road victories, home runs, slugging percentage and pitching strikeouts.
Kansas stood alone as the only Division I program to finish with at least 45 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 road wins, underscoring the breadth of the team’s success.
Coyne’s recruiting acumen shone through as he helped assemble the nation’s top junior‑college class for three consecutive years, a talent pipeline that produced 19 professional signings in his first three seasons.
The Jayhawks also earned a second straight NCAA Tournament berth, a testament to the sustained excellence cultivated by Coyne and his staff.
Looking ahead
With a foundation built on record performances and a steady flow of talent, the program is poised to remain a dominant force in the Big 12 and beyond, promising continued excitement for fans and aspiring players alike.