Completed Event: Women's Basketball at UCF on January 4, 2026 , Win , 83, to, 68
Final
Women's Basketball
83
at UCF
68
Staff Directory
Daniel Baker
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
- Email:
Daniel Baker joined the Kansas soccer staff as an Assistant Coach in December 2023. Baker recently completed his second season with the program in 2025. In both of his seasons at Kansas, the program has made the NCAA Tournament.
The 2025 season was a historic one as the Jayhawks made it to their third Sweet 16 in school history and finished the season with a 16-6-3 overall record and a 6-4-1 mark in Big 12 play. Kansas played in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in school history and in back-to-back seasons for the third time ever. The Jayhawks set new single-season records in goals (51), corner kicks (172), and points (154), while having the second most assists in a season (52). The 172 corner kicks were fourth most in the nation, the 52 assists were tied for the 11th most in the country, the 154 points were 12th most nationally and the 51 goals were tied for 14th most around the country. The 16 wins were also the fourth most in school history.
With a total of 19 wins away from Lawrence (road or neutral) in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Kansas leads the nation in road/neutral wins over the last two years. KU had nine road/neutral wins in 2025, which was tied for the most in the country.
Kansas made another run in the Big 12 Tournament in 2025, making it all the way to the championship match. The Jayhawks have qualified for the Big 12 Tournament Championship four times in program history and in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever (2015, 2019, 2024, 2025).
Baker's second season in Lawrence featured many individual highlights, specifically by players in their second season in the system. Caroline Castans set a new school record for the most assists in a single-season with 15. Among her season honors, she was named an All-American, Scholar All-America and All-Big 12 First Team.
Baker also coached the first duo of double-digit scorers in a single season in school history, with Lexi Watts scoring 11 goals and Jillian Gregorski finding the back of the net 10 times. Watts finished her senior season by setting new career highs in goals (11) and points (27). Watts received numerous postseason awards, including All-America honors, Scholar All-America and All-Big 12 First Team.
Baker helped coach the Jayhawks to a Big 12 Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season at Kansas. The coaching staff was named Midwest Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches following the season after the team finished 2024 with an overall record of 13-6-4 and 6-4-1 in conference play. The staff became the first in Big 12 soccer history to win the tournament championship in their first year with a program and the third staff in conference history to direct a team to the NCAA Tournament in their first year.
The 13Â wins were the third most by a first-year coaching staff in Big 12 soccer history. Ten of the 13 wins came on the road or at a neutral site. Kansas was one of five Division I programs with at least 10 road/neutral victories in 2024.
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Kansas had a 5-5-4 record and was fighting to qualify for the Big 12 Championship that was being held in Kansas City at CPKC Stadium. Baker helped spark the Jayhawks to tie a program record with eight consecutive wins. That included four victories in the conference tournament, three of which came against the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, en route to winning the title.
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Jayhawks earned their first ranking of the season at No. 16 by TopDrawerSoccer. The ranking was the first for Kansas since the 2020-21 season.
Many players saw individual success in Baker's first season as Kansas had four student-athletes receive all-region honors, one Freshman Best XI Team recipient, three All-Big 12 selections, two national players of the week, four Big 12 weekly award winners and four Big 12 All-Tournament Team members.
Baker came to Kansas after spending the 2023 season as an assistant coach at Penn State. Baker became a member of the Penn State staff in February 2023 as a volunteer assistant coach before being promoted to a full-time assistant coach in July 2023. Baker was in charge of assisting in set piece coordination, helping with recruiting, along with scouting, game plan implementation, data tracking and assessment and analysis for the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions.
Penn State had an incredibly successful 2023 season, posting a 16-3-4 overall record and a 6-1-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play, bolstered by a 5-1-2 mark against ranked opponents during the season. The Nittany Lions advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Baker helped coach Big Ten Defender of the Year and Second Team All-American Cori Dyke, as well as four All-Big Ten performers in Eva Alonso, Katherine Asman, Kaitlyn MacBean and Kate Wiesner.
Baker helped with internal video recording and review during Penn State’s spring activities before his promotion. He was instrumental in the preparation and execution of Penn State’s spring practices while aiding in the program’s ID and summer camps.
Prior to Penn State, Baker served as the Director of Player Analysis at Xavier for the 2022 season. He assisted with video analytics, travel coordination, opponent scouting and social outreach. Xavier published an unbeaten 2022 season in BIG EAST play with a 6-0-4 record, and went on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
While a student at his alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan, Baker assisted as a student coach. During his time with the Wildcats, Baker was responsible for developing and training the team’s goalkeepers, including 2021 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Hope Stacker. Baker also has experience as both a staff coach and soccer trainer with KingsHammer SC and X Factor Futbol, aiding young athletes in technical soccer development.
A native of Sparta, New Jersey, Baker graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in April 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in sports management and a Bachelor of Arts in humanities at the institution’s honors college. While at Indiana Wesleyan, Baker also earned an associate degree in business administration. He holds a C License from the United States Soccer Federation in addition to a Goalkeeping Level 1 Diploma from United Soccer Coaches.
Baker resides in Lawrence with his wife, Jessica.
Baker’s Coaching Career Highlights:
• Assisted Kansas in making its third Sweet 16 in school history (2025)
• Developed two All-Americans in Caroline Castans and Lexi Watts (2025)
• Helped Kansas win the Big 12 Tournament Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament in his first season (2024)
• Received Midwest Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches in his first season at Kansas (2024)
• Helped Penn State advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2023, the program’s first since 2018
• Assisted Penn State in being ranked the No. 1 RPI team during the 2023 season and finished the year at No. 4 in RPI
• Advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 while at Xavier
• Helped Indiana Wesleyan qualify for three national tournaments and two Crossroads League Championships
• Developed one All-American goalkeeper at Indiana Wesleyan
The 2025 season was a historic one as the Jayhawks made it to their third Sweet 16 in school history and finished the season with a 16-6-3 overall record and a 6-4-1 mark in Big 12 play. Kansas played in the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in school history and in back-to-back seasons for the third time ever. The Jayhawks set new single-season records in goals (51), corner kicks (172), and points (154), while having the second most assists in a season (52). The 172 corner kicks were fourth most in the nation, the 52 assists were tied for the 11th most in the country, the 154 points were 12th most nationally and the 51 goals were tied for 14th most around the country. The 16 wins were also the fourth most in school history.
With a total of 19 wins away from Lawrence (road or neutral) in the 2024 and 2025 seasons, Kansas leads the nation in road/neutral wins over the last two years. KU had nine road/neutral wins in 2025, which was tied for the most in the country.
Kansas made another run in the Big 12 Tournament in 2025, making it all the way to the championship match. The Jayhawks have qualified for the Big 12 Tournament Championship four times in program history and in back-to-back seasons for the first time ever (2015, 2019, 2024, 2025).
Baker's second season in Lawrence featured many individual highlights, specifically by players in their second season in the system. Caroline Castans set a new school record for the most assists in a single-season with 15. Among her season honors, she was named an All-American, Scholar All-America and All-Big 12 First Team.
Baker also coached the first duo of double-digit scorers in a single season in school history, with Lexi Watts scoring 11 goals and Jillian Gregorski finding the back of the net 10 times. Watts finished her senior season by setting new career highs in goals (11) and points (27). Watts received numerous postseason awards, including All-America honors, Scholar All-America and All-Big 12 First Team.
Baker helped coach the Jayhawks to a Big 12 Tournament Championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in his first season at Kansas. The coaching staff was named Midwest Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches following the season after the team finished 2024 with an overall record of 13-6-4 and 6-4-1 in conference play. The staff became the first in Big 12 soccer history to win the tournament championship in their first year with a program and the third staff in conference history to direct a team to the NCAA Tournament in their first year.
The 13Â wins were the third most by a first-year coaching staff in Big 12 soccer history. Ten of the 13 wins came on the road or at a neutral site. Kansas was one of five Division I programs with at least 10 road/neutral victories in 2024.
With only two weeks remaining in the regular season, Kansas had a 5-5-4 record and was fighting to qualify for the Big 12 Championship that was being held in Kansas City at CPKC Stadium. Baker helped spark the Jayhawks to tie a program record with eight consecutive wins. That included four victories in the conference tournament, three of which came against the No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 seeds, en route to winning the title.
Heading into the NCAA Tournament, the Jayhawks earned their first ranking of the season at No. 16 by TopDrawerSoccer. The ranking was the first for Kansas since the 2020-21 season.
Many players saw individual success in Baker's first season as Kansas had four student-athletes receive all-region honors, one Freshman Best XI Team recipient, three All-Big 12 selections, two national players of the week, four Big 12 weekly award winners and four Big 12 All-Tournament Team members.
Baker came to Kansas after spending the 2023 season as an assistant coach at Penn State. Baker became a member of the Penn State staff in February 2023 as a volunteer assistant coach before being promoted to a full-time assistant coach in July 2023. Baker was in charge of assisting in set piece coordination, helping with recruiting, along with scouting, game plan implementation, data tracking and assessment and analysis for the nationally-ranked Nittany Lions.
Penn State had an incredibly successful 2023 season, posting a 16-3-4 overall record and a 6-1-3 mark in Big Ten Conference play, bolstered by a 5-1-2 mark against ranked opponents during the season. The Nittany Lions advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. Baker helped coach Big Ten Defender of the Year and Second Team All-American Cori Dyke, as well as four All-Big Ten performers in Eva Alonso, Katherine Asman, Kaitlyn MacBean and Kate Wiesner.
Baker helped with internal video recording and review during Penn State’s spring activities before his promotion. He was instrumental in the preparation and execution of Penn State’s spring practices while aiding in the program’s ID and summer camps.
Prior to Penn State, Baker served as the Director of Player Analysis at Xavier for the 2022 season. He assisted with video analytics, travel coordination, opponent scouting and social outreach. Xavier published an unbeaten 2022 season in BIG EAST play with a 6-0-4 record, and went on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
While a student at his alma mater, Indiana Wesleyan, Baker assisted as a student coach. During his time with the Wildcats, Baker was responsible for developing and training the team’s goalkeepers, including 2021 NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Hope Stacker. Baker also has experience as both a staff coach and soccer trainer with KingsHammer SC and X Factor Futbol, aiding young athletes in technical soccer development.
A native of Sparta, New Jersey, Baker graduated from Indiana Wesleyan University in April 2022 with a Bachelor of Science in sports management and a Bachelor of Arts in humanities at the institution’s honors college. While at Indiana Wesleyan, Baker also earned an associate degree in business administration. He holds a C License from the United States Soccer Federation in addition to a Goalkeeping Level 1 Diploma from United Soccer Coaches.
Baker resides in Lawrence with his wife, Jessica.
Baker’s Coaching Career Highlights:
• Assisted Kansas in making its third Sweet 16 in school history (2025)
• Developed two All-Americans in Caroline Castans and Lexi Watts (2025)
• Helped Kansas win the Big 12 Tournament Championship and qualify for the NCAA Tournament in his first season (2024)
• Received Midwest Region Staff of the Year by United Soccer Coaches in his first season at Kansas (2024)
• Helped Penn State advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament in 2023, the program’s first since 2018
• Assisted Penn State in being ranked the No. 1 RPI team during the 2023 season and finished the year at No. 4 in RPI
• Advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament in 2022 while at Xavier
• Helped Indiana Wesleyan qualify for three national tournaments and two Crossroads League Championships
• Developed one All-American goalkeeper at Indiana Wesleyan
| The Baker File | |
|---|---|
| Alma Mater: | Indiana Wesleyan, 2022, B.S. in sports management, B.A in humanities, A.S. in business administration |
| Wife: | Jessica |
| Hometown: | Sparta, New Jersey |
| Coaching Experience | ||
|---|---|---|
| Years | School | Role |
| 2023-Present | Kansas | Assistant Coach |
| 2023 | Penn State | Assistant Coach |
| 2023 | Penn State | Volunteer Assistant Coach |
| 2022-23 | Xavier | Director of Player Analysis |
| 2021-22 | Indiana Wesleyan | Assistant Coach |
Men's Basketball Media Availability
Friday, January 09
Men's Basketball Postgame Press Conference vs TCU
Wednesday, January 07
Men's Basketball Highlights vs. TCU
Wednesday, January 07
Hawk Talk with Bill Self
Tuesday, January 06
