The Kansas baseball team has is first Big 12 Freshman of the Year in program history.
Standout infielder Kodey Shojinaga was named Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year by the conference on Tuesday after ending the season as one of the best hitting freshmen in the entire country.
Shojinaga led KU with a .380 batting average, which was the second highest in the Big 12 Conference. That average was the seventh highest of any true freshman in the country, according to KU.
Shojinaga — who was recruited from Honolulu, Hawaii, as a catcher but was converted to an infielder — led the Jayhawks in hits (70), multi-hit games (19), on-base percentage (.424) and OPS (.962).
Shojinaga shared the award with Oklahoma State slugger Nolan Schubart.
First-year KU coach Dan Fitzgerald said Shojinaga has excelled in multiple ways for the Jayhawks during his first season.
“Kodey has worked hard and played at a very high level since day one on campus,” Fitzgerald said in a release. “He’s a winner in every way – a 4.0 student, a great teammate, and an elite worker. His success is not surprising, and I could not be more proud of Kodey.”
Shojinaga was one of five Jayhawks to pick up conference honors on Tuesday. Junior Janson Reeder was named to the All-Big 12 First Team for his play as a designated hitter. Reeder, who transferred from Cowley Community College, hit 11 home runs for the Jayhawks and led the team in slugging percentage and doubles. He came up big in conference play, posting a .614 slugging percentage in Big 12 games.
Four players, including Shojinaga, were selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team. In addition to Shojinaga, senior pitcher Collin Baumgartner, senior infielder Cole Elvis, and sophomore outfielder Chase Jans were named to the second team squad.
The awards come as KU is preparing to take on the Big 12’s top team, Texas, in the Big 12 Championships. KU qualified for the double-elimination championship tournament for the first time since 2021 and is seeking to get in a win in the tournament for the first time since 2019.
First pitch against Texas, which is ranked No. 13 in the country, is at 12:30 p.m. at Globe Life Field in Arlington. The game will be broadcast on the ESPN+ streaming service.
Chance Parker/Journal-World Photo
