Completed Event: Baseball at BYU on May 15, 2026 , Win , 7, to, 6
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Baseball
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at BYU
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Dan Fitzgerald Named Perfect Game’s National Coach of the Year
6/9/2026 1:05:00 PM | Baseball
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas Baseball head coach Dan Fitzgerald was named the 2026 Perfect Game College Coach of the Year on Tuesday. Fitzgerald is the first National Coach of the Year in Kansas history.
Fitzgerald, the back-to-back Big 12 Coach of the Year, led Kansas to three championships in 2026, including the Big 12 regular season title, the Big 12 Tournament title and the Lawrence Regional title. The Jayhawks were one of two teams nationally to win its conference's regular season title outright, conference tournament title and advance to Super Regionals.
Kansas qualified for a second consecutive NCAA Tournament this season for only the second time in program history. KU tied the school record with 45 wins this year and hosted the first ever Lawrence Regional and Lawrence Super Regional.
The Jayhawks became the first team to win the Big 12 regular season title outright and the Big 12 Tournament title since 2009. Kansas claimed the Big 12 regular season title outright with 22 league wins. It was the first regular season conference championship for Kansas since 1949 as a member of the Big Seven, and only the fourth in school history.
In back-to-back seasons, Fitzgerald has guided Kansas to at least 20 conference wins for the first time ever. Kansas is the first Big 12 team with 20 conference wins in consecutive seasons since Nebraska in 2000 and 2001. The Jayhawks also won seven consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in program history this season.
The Jayhawks set new school records this year in conference wins (22), road/neutral wins (24), conference series wins (eight), home runs (112), slugging percentage (.507) and pitching strikeouts (610).
Kansas was also one of five teams nationally to have multiple double-digit winning streaks this season. Both of those winning streaks came during a 30-game stretch from March 15-May 3 where Kansas posted a 27-3 record, including a nation's best .937 winning percentage in the month of April.
KU is the only team in the country who will finish the 2026 season with at least 45 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 road wins.
Fitzgerald oversaw the development of shortstop Tyson LeBlanc this season, who set a new school record with 25 home runs. LeBlanc started every game at shortstop and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, along with being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Tournament and Lawrence Regional.
Since Fitzgerald was hired at Kansas on June 15, 2022, Kansas has posted a 144-90 (.615) overall record. Fitzgerald took over a last place team and has transformed the program into a national contender in four seasons. Over the last two years, Kansas has accumulated 81 regular season victories. That is the most regular season wins of any Big 12 team and is one of eight Division I programs to compile that many victories.
Under Fitzgerald's tutelage, 19 Jayhawks moved on to play professional baseball in his first three seasons. That number will continue to grow with several players from the 2026 roster expected to have an opportunity to continue their baseball careers professionally.
Fitzgerald, the back-to-back Big 12 Coach of the Year, led Kansas to three championships in 2026, including the Big 12 regular season title, the Big 12 Tournament title and the Lawrence Regional title. The Jayhawks were one of two teams nationally to win its conference's regular season title outright, conference tournament title and advance to Super Regionals.
Kansas qualified for a second consecutive NCAA Tournament this season for only the second time in program history. KU tied the school record with 45 wins this year and hosted the first ever Lawrence Regional and Lawrence Super Regional.
The Jayhawks became the first team to win the Big 12 regular season title outright and the Big 12 Tournament title since 2009. Kansas claimed the Big 12 regular season title outright with 22 league wins. It was the first regular season conference championship for Kansas since 1949 as a member of the Big Seven, and only the fourth in school history.
In back-to-back seasons, Fitzgerald has guided Kansas to at least 20 conference wins for the first time ever. Kansas is the first Big 12 team with 20 conference wins in consecutive seasons since Nebraska in 2000 and 2001. The Jayhawks also won seven consecutive Big 12 series for the first time in program history this season.
The Jayhawks set new school records this year in conference wins (22), road/neutral wins (24), conference series wins (eight), home runs (112), slugging percentage (.507) and pitching strikeouts (610).
Kansas was also one of five teams nationally to have multiple double-digit winning streaks this season. Both of those winning streaks came during a 30-game stretch from March 15-May 3 where Kansas posted a 27-3 record, including a nation's best .937 winning percentage in the month of April.
KU is the only team in the country who will finish the 2026 season with at least 45 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 road wins.
Fitzgerald oversaw the development of shortstop Tyson LeBlanc this season, who set a new school record with 25 home runs. LeBlanc started every game at shortstop and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors, along with being named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Tournament and Lawrence Regional.
Since Fitzgerald was hired at Kansas on June 15, 2022, Kansas has posted a 144-90 (.615) overall record. Fitzgerald took over a last place team and has transformed the program into a national contender in four seasons. Over the last two years, Kansas has accumulated 81 regular season victories. That is the most regular season wins of any Big 12 team and is one of eight Division I programs to compile that many victories.
Under Fitzgerald's tutelage, 19 Jayhawks moved on to play professional baseball in his first three seasons. That number will continue to grow with several players from the 2026 roster expected to have an opportunity to continue their baseball careers professionally.
Players Mentioned
INF/OF
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