Tyler Hancock - Assistant Coach/Hitting Coach - Baseball Coaches

Tyler Hancock

Title:
Assistant Coach/Hitting Coach
Email:
hancockt@ku.edu

Tyler Hancock joined the Kansas baseball staff as an Assistant Coach/Hitting Coach in June 2022. Hancock completed his fourth season with the Jayhawks in 2026.

With Hancock's assistance, Kansas won 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. KU was the only team in the country who finished the 2026 season with at least 45 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 road wins.

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.

Kansas qualified for a second consecutive NCAA Tournament in 2026 for only the second time in program history. KU tied the school record with 45 wins and hosted the first ever Lawrence Regional and Lawrence Super Regional.

In back-to-back seasons, Kansas had at least 20 conference wins for the first time ever. Kansas was 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.

KU set new school records in conference wins (22), road/neutral wins (24), conference series wins (eight), home runs (112), slugging percentage (.507) and pitching strikeouts (610) in 2026.

Kansas was also one of five teams nationally to have multiple double-digit winning streaks. 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.

Hancock helped with the development of shortstop Tyson LeBlanc in 2026, who set a new school record with 25 home runs. LeBlanc started every game at shortstop and earned First Team All-American and All-Big 12 First Team honors. LeBlanc was the sixth First Team All-American in Kansas history and the first in 20 years since Don Czyz in 2006.

LeBlanc was one of four Jayhawks selected in the 2026 MLB Draft and became the highest drafted position player in Kansas history after being chosen 61st overall. Dominic Voegele, Brady Ballinger and Mathis Nayral also heard their names called. Voegele's selection in the third round at 82nd overall marked the third highest draft pick in program history. He is the highest draft right-handed pitcher to ever come out of Kansas.

Kansas had one of its best seasons in school history in 2025, including a program record 42 regular season wins. Hancock assisted Kansas to its first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2014, while leading the offense for a truly historic season in Lawrence. The Jayhawks set program records in Big 12 wins (20), conference wins (20), conference series wins (seven), conference series sweeps (five), road wins (20), come-from-behind wins (26) and home runs (104).

Entering the NCAA Tournament, Kansas was the only team in the country with at least 43 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 true road wins. The Jayhawks also had more overall wins (43) and conference wins (20) than any team in the Big 12 at the beginning of the tournament.

Hancock led the development for Brady Ballinger and Jackson Hauge who developed into All-Americans in 2025. The last Kansas All-American, before Ballinger and Hauge, was in 2009 and the Jayhawks did not have two All-Americans in a season since 1996.

KU finished the 2025 season at the top of the Big 12 with 367 walks (fourth nationally) and 104 home runs (tied for 15th nationally).

The Jayhawks had eight players from the 2025 roster move on to professional baseball, including Brady Counsell and Derek Cerda being selected in the MLB Draft. In three years at Kansas, KU has produced 18 professional baseball players, with two in 2023, eight in 2024 and eight in 2025.

Hancock and his offense took significant strides forward in 2024 as the Jayhawks posted its highest team batting average since 2010 with a mark of .297. Offensively, KU also produced its most doubles since 2006 (129), most walks since 2005 (276), most extra-base hits since 2009 (203) and most runs since 2010 (391).

Five position players received All-Big 12 honors in 2024, including Jake English who was voted as the best catcher in the Big 12. Hancock, who is also responsible for coaching the catchers, oversaw the development of English the last two seasons when English blasted double-digit home runs in both years. Ben Hartl, who was recruited to Kansas as a catcher and also played first base in 2024, received All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.

Kansas had six players selected in the 2024 MLB Draft, the most by Kansas in the top 20 rounds of an MLB Draft in program history. Kodey Shojinaga and Hartl were each picked in the draft. Shojinaga marked the fifth highest position player ever drafted out of Kansas.

Hancock’s impact was immediately felt in 2023 as Kansas had a huge year offensively. Kansas tied the program record with 75 home runs in 2023, with four players hitting at least 10 home runs for the first time since 2003. The Jayhawks also posted their highest batting average and most hits since 2014, while they also tallied their most doubles, runs and RBIs since 2010. Four Jayhawks received offensive All-Big 12 selections in 2023.

Individually, Hancock mentored true freshman Kodey Shojinaga into a Freshman All-American, the Big 12 Co-Freshman of the Year, an All-Big 12 Second Team infielder and a unanimous selection to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. He also set a Kansas freshman record with a .378 batting average. Janson Reeder was another who reaped the benefits of learning under Hancock in 2023. The designated hitter was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings All-Central Region Second Team and was an All-Big 12 First Team selection.

In November 2022, less than five months after being hired, Hancock assisted in assembling the No. 1 JUCO recruiting class. The No. 1 ranking by Perfect Game was the Jayhawks’ first-ever top ranked recruiting class. The coaching staff followed that up by earning the No. 1 JUCO recruiting class for a second consecutive year in November 2023 and a third straight year in November 2024. An aggressive approach to the transfer portal also earned Kansas the No. 9-ranked transfer class and the best in the Big 12 by D1Baseball in January 2024.

Hancock came to Kansas after two seasons as an Assistant Coach at California Baptist University where he served as the recruiting coordinator and worked with catchers, infielders and outfielders. During his two years at CBU, the program went 76-36 with a 47-19 mark in conference. They also won a share of the 2021 Western Athletic Conference regular season title with a 29-7 league record.

Fourteen CBU players earned All-WAC honors over the past two seasons under Hancock’s tutelage, including Damon Keith being named the WAC Player of the Year in 2021 and Harrison Spohn receiving WAC Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, while also leading the conference in doubles. During Hancock’s tenure as hitting coach, the 2022 Lancers led the WAC in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage. The Lancers’ batting average ranked third in the nation.

Before CBU, Hancock was a Volunteer Assistant Coach at Dallas Baptist for one season (2020), an Assistant Coach for three seasons at Southern Illinois-Edwardsville (2017-19), a Volunteer Assistant Coach at Southern Illinois for two seasons (2015-16), an Assistant Coach for one season at Cowley County Community College (2014) and a student coach at Newman University (2013). During the summer of 2015, Hancock also worked on the staff of the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League, a team which included 19 players that were drafted by Major League organizations.

A native of Washington, Oklahoma, Hancock earned an associate’s degree from Cowley County Community College in 2010 before graduating with a bachelor of arts in sports communication and a minor in pre-law from Newman University in 2013. In 2016, Hancock received a master’s of education in sport management from Southwestern Oklahoma State University. Tyler, and his wife, Natalie, have one son, Tucker, and one daughter, Josie.

Hancock’s Coaching Career Highlights
• 2 All-Americans at Kansas in 2025 (Brady Ballinger and Jackson Hauge)
• 19 players selected in the MLB Draft from the Bourne Braves when he served as an assistant coach
• Helped California Baptist to a 76-36 record, with a 47-19 mark in conference over two seasons
• California Baptist won a share of the 2021 WAC regular season title
• Coached the 2021 WAC Player of the Year and 2022 WAC Defensive Player of the Year
• California Baptist led the WAC in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage in 2022
• 14 student-athletes received All-WAC honors, including two outfielders and two catchers

The Hancock File
Alma Mater:	Cowley County Community College, 2010, Associate's; Newman University, 2013, B.A. in Sports Communication (minor in pre-law); Southwestern Oklahoma State University, 2016, Masters of Education in Sports Management
Wife:	Natalie
Children:	Tucker and Josie

Coaching Experience
2022-Present	Kansas	Assistant Coach/Hitting Coach
2020-22	California Baptist	Assistant Coach
2019-20	Dallas Baptist	Volunteer Assistant Coach
2016-19	Southern Illinois - Edwardsville	Assistant Coach
2014-16	Southern Illinois	Volunteer Assistant Coach
2015	Bourne Braves	Assistant Coach
2013-14	Cowley County Community College	Assistant Coach
2012-13	Newman University	Student Assistant Coach