Kennedy Named All-Big 12 First Team; Madliak Honorable Mention
May 19, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State's Dee Kennedy was voted to the 2026 All-Big 12 First Team, while Bear Madliak received honorable mention recognition as the Big 12 Conference revealed its postseason awards Tuesday.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kennedy has put together one of the best offensive seasons in K-State history, slashing .359/.463/.742 with 16 doubles, two triples, a school-record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Kennedy is just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season and one of only three players nationally to accomplish the feat this year. He has compiled 20 multi-hit performances, a team-high 19 multi-RBI games, and four multi-home run contests this season.
The Wildcats' single-season home run leader is also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball to the nation's top amateur player. In addition, he is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate player, and the Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation's top shortstop.
Madliak, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, is batting .311 with 13 doubles and nine home runs, ranking second on the team in long balls. He owns a .559 slugging percentage and .413 on-base percentage, both fourth-best on the team, while driving in 43 RBI and scoring 41 runs. The Carrollton, Georgia, native has also produced 14 multi-hit games and 11 contests with multiple RBI.
Madliak has appeared in 46 games with 40 starts behind the plate for the Wildcats. Entering the week, he is one of 37 catchers nationally hitting better than .310 with at least 22 extra-base hits and 43 RBI.
K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) enters the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championships presented by Allstate as the No. 11 seed and will meet 10th-seeded Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12) in the opening round on Tuesday at 10 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage of the postseason tournament will be carried on the K-State Sports Network with free audio streaming available at kstatesports.com/watch.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, Kennedy has put together one of the best offensive seasons in K-State history, slashing .359/.463/.742 with 16 doubles, two triples, a school-record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.
Kennedy is just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season and one of only three players nationally to accomplish the feat this year. He has compiled 20 multi-hit performances, a team-high 19 multi-RBI games, and four multi-home run contests this season.
The Wildcats' single-season home run leader is also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, presented by USA Baseball to the nation's top amateur player. In addition, he is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate player, and the Brooks Wallace Award, which honors the nation's top shortstop.
Madliak, a semifinalist for the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award, is batting .311 with 13 doubles and nine home runs, ranking second on the team in long balls. He owns a .559 slugging percentage and .413 on-base percentage, both fourth-best on the team, while driving in 43 RBI and scoring 41 runs. The Carrollton, Georgia, native has also produced 14 multi-hit games and 11 contests with multiple RBI.
Madliak has appeared in 46 games with 40 starts behind the plate for the Wildcats. Entering the week, he is one of 37 catchers nationally hitting better than .310 with at least 22 extra-base hits and 43 RBI.
K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) enters the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championships presented by Allstate as the No. 11 seed and will meet 10th-seeded Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12) in the opening round on Tuesday at 10 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage of the postseason tournament will be carried on the K-State Sports Network with free audio streaming available at kstatesports.com/watch.
– 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.
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.
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