Baseball America Tabs Kennedy to Midseason Player of the Year Watch List
Apr 01, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State's Dee Kennedy added to his impressive 2026 resume, as he was named to the inaugural Midseason Player of the Year Watch List by Baseball America Wednesday.
The Midseason Watch List features 15 of the nation's top Division I players, including four from the Big 12 Conference – Quinton Coats (Cincinnati), Landon Hairston (Arizona State), Kennedy, and Sawyer Strosnider (TCU).
Kennedy, one of the nation's most dangerous hitters, ranks among Division I's Top 10 in seven offensive categories. In 29 games, the Wildcats' shortstop leads the team's offense, hitting an incredible .442 with a team-leading 1.529 OPS. He has produced 11 doubles, one triple and 14 home runs, that includes three multi-home run efforts.
He leads the nation in total runs scored (46) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.971), third in RBI (48), fifth in total bases (101), eighth in home runs, ninth in on-base percentage (.558) and ninth in batting average.
This season, the Fort Worth, Texas, native has earned multiple weekly honors. He was named the Golden Spikes Award x D1 Baseball and Big 12 Player of the Week (February 16), Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week – which recognizes the nation's top shortstop – and was selected to the Baseball America National Team of the Week and named the NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week (February 17).
Kennedy has turned in a team-high 14 multi-RBI performances, including four games with five or more RBI, while ranking second on the team with 13 games with two or more hits.
K-State (19-10, 4-5 Big 12) will host TCU (17-10, 5-4 Big 12) in a three-game conference set this weekend at Tointon Family Stadium. The series gets underway on Friday at 6 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
The Midseason Watch List features 15 of the nation's top Division I players, including four from the Big 12 Conference – Quinton Coats (Cincinnati), Landon Hairston (Arizona State), Kennedy, and Sawyer Strosnider (TCU).
Kennedy, one of the nation's most dangerous hitters, ranks among Division I's Top 10 in seven offensive categories. In 29 games, the Wildcats' shortstop leads the team's offense, hitting an incredible .442 with a team-leading 1.529 OPS. He has produced 11 doubles, one triple and 14 home runs, that includes three multi-home run efforts.
He leads the nation in total runs scored (46) and ranks second in slugging percentage (.971), third in RBI (48), fifth in total bases (101), eighth in home runs, ninth in on-base percentage (.558) and ninth in batting average.
This season, the Fort Worth, Texas, native has earned multiple weekly honors. He was named the Golden Spikes Award x D1 Baseball and Big 12 Player of the Week (February 16), Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week – which recognizes the nation's top shortstop – and was selected to the Baseball America National Team of the Week and named the NCBWA Co-Hitter of the Week (February 17).
Kennedy has turned in a team-high 14 multi-RBI performances, including four games with five or more RBI, while ranking second on the team with 13 games with two or more hits.
K-State (19-10, 4-5 Big 12) will host TCU (17-10, 5-4 Big 12) in a three-game conference set this weekend at Tointon Family Stadium. The series gets underway on Friday at 6 p.m., and can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
Players Mentioned
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