2025 Fall College Baseball Reset: Kansas

Last year was a great one for the Kansas Jayhawks baseball program, even though the program didn’t pick up a win in the Regionals. Kansas won 43 games, a significant improvement after a 31-win campaign in 2024. And, the Jayhawks return notable names from 2025, including slugger Brady Ballinger.

The Returnees

Kansas’ roster is filled with transfers. However, the two team leaders from 2025 return for the 2026 campaign.

On the offensive side, Brady Ballinger returned for his junior campaign. Ballinger, named to the USA collegiate national training camp team in June, hit .353 with 16 home runs and 38 extra-base hits across 58 games for the Jayhawks. The 20-year-old hit .236 with two home runs and four extra-base hits in the Northwoods League.

Ballinger, who made the All-Big 12 First Team in 2025, came over from the University of Southern Nevada two summers ago.

The other big name on the Jayhawks last season was pitcher Dominic Voegele, who had another impressive collegiate campaign in 2025. The right-hander struck out 89 over 96 frames, although his ERA (5.70) was elevated compared to his freshman year. Voegele gave up 15 home runs last year.

Getting back to the offense, it’ll look very different in 2026. Many of Kansas’ 2025 regulars, including Brady Counsell, Jackson Hauge, Derek Cerda, and Tommy Barth, are gone. Cerda was a 17th-round pick by the White Sox in 2025. Counsell, meanwhile, was a 10th-rounder by the Diamondbacks.

However, senior Dariel Osoria is back. Osoria batted .324 for Kansas and finished with the third-most hits on the team last year.

As for the pitching staff, Manning West and Kannon Carr are back for 2026. Carr and West both logged over 50 innings last year for the Jayhawks.

The Newcomers

The Jayhawks have only four true freshmen on their roster, along with two redshirt freshmen: Jeremy Allen and Blake O’Brien. As noted before, most of this roster is comprised of transfers, both returnees and newcomers.

Kansas picked up former PG All-American Classic participant, infielder David Hogg II, who came over from defending champion LSU. Hogg II came over to Baton Rouge as a high-end recruit with tools. However, Hogg II picked up only three plate appearances with the Tigers, a team loaded with talent.

Aside from Hogg II, there’s a large swatch of community college transfers. Pitchers Ty Thomson, Boede Rahe, Mathyis Nayral, Caleb Deer, and Dane Ebel are among the incoming pitchers headed to the University of Kansas.

Grad students Carter Fink and Jordan Bach, the latter of whom hit .309 with six home runs at Southern Illinois last season, are on the 2026 Jayhawks roster.

Dylan Schlotterback and Gavyn Schlotterback came over from Paris JC. Dylan hit .389 with 12 home runs and 32 extra-base hits last year, while Gavyn batted .365 with 26 extra-base hits.

Infielder Colin Guerra came over from juco powerhouse Chipola College. Guerra posted a .429 OBP as a freshman last year.

Summary

The Jayhawks put together a spectacular season last year. However, a new year brings new talent, and it’ll be up to the transfers brought in by Dan Fitzgerald to continue the progress made in past seasons.

Kansas’ roster has talent, including the juco transfers who performed very well before moving to Division I.