Kansas baseball coach Dan Fitzgerald was named the Big 12’s coach of the year in a poll of his fellow head coaches, the league announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Fitzgerald, who is in his third year helming the program, led the Jayhawks to their best regular season in school history, featuring records for regular-season wins, conference wins and road wins. KU finished second in the Big 12 Conference during the regular season with a 42-14 overall record, including 20-10 in league play.
“It’s a great honor for my entire coaching staff,” Fitzgerald said in a press release. “Individual awards always point to the awesome accomplishments of a team. My assistants are elite baseball coaches but even better men. I’m very proud of the work we have all done together.”
The Jayhawks, who were picked to finish ninth in the Big 12’s preseason poll, are also on the verge of their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2014.
Five KU players, four of whom arrived as newcomers during the 2024 offseason, also received all-league honors, headlined by first-team all-conference selection Brady Ballinger, a sophomore first baseman who joined KU from the College of Southern Nevada.
“Brady is very deserving of the award,” Fitzgerald said. “He is one of the top hitters in the country. More impressively, he is one of the best teammates in the country. He’s a really special Jayhawk.”
Ballinger has been the most dangerous presence in the Jayhawks’ strong offensive lineup. He is batting .365 with a 1.197 OPS, including 20 doubles, 15 home runs and 52 RBIs. His 54 walks lead the team and the conference. Ballinger is also a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy that goes to the nation’s best player, the first Jayhawk to ever receive such recognition since the award’s creation in 1987.
Also honored on Tuesday were right fielder Jackson Hauge, designated hitter Dariel Osoria and pitcher Cooper Moore, who were all second-team selections, as well as honorable mention infielder Brady Counsell.
“Moore, Hauge, Counsell, and Osoria all had great years and very much earned this recognition,” Fitzgerald said. “They performed at a really high level and are huge pieces to this year’s success.”
Hauge hit 17 home runs in the Jayhawks’ first 39 games. After beginning his career at Division II Minnesota State Mankato and then sitting out the 2024 season due to a severe concussion, he has tallied 18 home runs and 67 RBIs for the Jayhawks, both team-high totals, and none bigger than a late-game three-run go-ahead home run against Kansas State on April 18.
Osoria had a similarly memorable homer of his own when he hit a walk-off grand slam to beat Omaha in KU’s home opener way back on Feb. 27. The Western Oklahoma State College transfer has been dependable throughout the season and is batting .337 with a .987 OPS as KU’s designated hitter.
Moore, the lone returnee among KU’s honorees and one of just a dozen on the roster overall to start the season, has moved smoothly from his pivotal relief role as a freshman to serving as the Saturday night starter as a junior. He ranks among the league leaders in innings pitched (which Fitzgerald frequently calls the most valuable stat for a pitcher), and Moore has accrued a 3.48 ERA while walking just 16 batters in 77 2/3 innings on the season.
Counsell, the honorable mention, joined KU from Minnesota in the offseason. Primarily starting at third base for the Jayhawks, he has posted 12 home runs and 57 RBIs on the year.
The Jayhawks will look to extend their memorable campaign into the postseason when they open Big 12 Championship play on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Emma Crouch/Kansas Athletics
