Four Wildcats Selected in 2026 MLB Draft
Jul 14, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State shortstop Dee Kennedy (4th round), right-handed pitchers James Guyette (5th round) and Tazwell Butler (10th round), and catcher Bear Madliak (18th round) were each selected in the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft.
Over the two-day draft, Kennedy was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 114th overall pick while Guyette was drafted 157th overall by the San Diego Padres. Butler was chosen by the Houston Astros with the 301st overall pick and Madliak capped the Wildcats' selections with the 531st overall pick by the Athletics. It marks the sixth consecutive season K-State has had multiple players selected in the same MLB Draft, totaling 20 selections during that span.
Kennedy produced one of the most dominant offensive seasons in K-State history, leading the Wildcats in nearly every major offensive category. The NCBWA Co-District 6 Player of the Year and four-time All-American posted a team-best slash line of .357/.461/.733 while collecting 79 hits, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 70 runs scored. His 40 extra-base hits in 2026 ranks second all-time in the K-State single-season records, while his 70 runs tied the school record, originally set in 1997 by All-American Heath Schesser.
Guyette finished the season with a 6-4 record and 5.56 ERA while leading K-State with 105 strikeouts, including a team-high 33 strikeouts looking. The Newbury Park, California product's strikeout total broke the program's junior class single-season record, surpassing the previous mark established by AJ Morris in 2009, while ranking fourth in school history for a single season. Guyette threw his first career complete game on May 11 against Cincinnati, striking out a career-high 13 batters on his way to earning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Butler, a right-hander from Sandy Springs, Georgia, made 17 appearances out of the pen for the Wildcats. He recorded 58 strikeouts over 55 innings while holding opponents to a team-best .239 batting average with three saves. In his four starts, Butler logged 22 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
Madliak hit .310 for the Wildcats with a .569 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage. The senior catcher recorded 14 doubles and was second on the team with a career-high nine home runs. Defensively, the Carrollton, Georgia product ranked sixth in the Big 12 with a .995 fielding percentage and threw out 11 runners on the bases. On March 31, he became the first Wildcat in program history to earn National Catcher of the Week recognition after posting an incredible 1.921 OPS with three home runs.
K-State was one of eight Big 12 programs to have four or more selections, while all 14 conference schools had at least two players drafted. A total of 56 Big 12 players were selected, tying the third-most in conference history with the 2008, 2011 and 2025 drafts.
Under eighth-year head coach Pete Hughes, K-State has had 15 players selected within the first 10 rounds. In total, Hughes has overseen 95 players selected in the MLB Draft during his 29 seasons as a head coach, while he has recruited 149 players who have gone on to play professionally.
K-State secured its fourth consecutive 30-win season in 2026, finishing 30-27 overall. The streak matches the longest run of 30-win seasons in program history and is the Wildcats' first since 1988-91.
K-State's 2026 MLB Draft Picks
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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.
Over the two-day draft, Kennedy was selected by the St. Louis Cardinals with the 114th overall pick while Guyette was drafted 157th overall by the San Diego Padres. Butler was chosen by the Houston Astros with the 301st overall pick and Madliak capped the Wildcats' selections with the 531st overall pick by the Athletics. It marks the sixth consecutive season K-State has had multiple players selected in the same MLB Draft, totaling 20 selections during that span.
Kennedy produced one of the most dominant offensive seasons in K-State history, leading the Wildcats in nearly every major offensive category. The NCBWA Co-District 6 Player of the Year and four-time All-American posted a team-best slash line of .357/.461/.733 while collecting 79 hits, 20 home runs, 69 RBI and 70 runs scored. His 40 extra-base hits in 2026 ranks second all-time in the K-State single-season records, while his 70 runs tied the school record, originally set in 1997 by All-American Heath Schesser.
Guyette finished the season with a 6-4 record and 5.56 ERA while leading K-State with 105 strikeouts, including a team-high 33 strikeouts looking. The Newbury Park, California product's strikeout total broke the program's junior class single-season record, surpassing the previous mark established by AJ Morris in 2009, while ranking fourth in school history for a single season. Guyette threw his first career complete game on May 11 against Cincinnati, striking out a career-high 13 batters on his way to earning Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors.
Butler, a right-hander from Sandy Springs, Georgia, made 17 appearances out of the pen for the Wildcats. He recorded 58 strikeouts over 55 innings while holding opponents to a team-best .239 batting average with three saves. In his four starts, Butler logged 22 innings with a 4.09 ERA.
Madliak hit .310 for the Wildcats with a .569 slugging percentage and .395 on-base percentage. The senior catcher recorded 14 doubles and was second on the team with a career-high nine home runs. Defensively, the Carrollton, Georgia product ranked sixth in the Big 12 with a .995 fielding percentage and threw out 11 runners on the bases. On March 31, he became the first Wildcat in program history to earn National Catcher of the Week recognition after posting an incredible 1.921 OPS with three home runs.
K-State was one of eight Big 12 programs to have four or more selections, while all 14 conference schools had at least two players drafted. A total of 56 Big 12 players were selected, tying the third-most in conference history with the 2008, 2011 and 2025 drafts.
Under eighth-year head coach Pete Hughes, K-State has had 15 players selected within the first 10 rounds. In total, Hughes has overseen 95 players selected in the MLB Draft during his 29 seasons as a head coach, while he has recruited 149 players who have gone on to play professionally.
K-State secured its fourth consecutive 30-win season in 2026, finishing 30-27 overall. The streak matches the longest run of 30-win seasons in program history and is the Wildcats' first since 1988-91.
K-State's 2026 MLB Draft Picks
| Player, Position | Hometown | Round | Pick | Team |
| Dee Kennedy, SS | Fort Worth, Texas | 4 | 114 | St. Louis Cardinals |
| James Guyette, RHP | Newbury Park, Calif. | 5 | 157 | San Diego Padres |
| Tazwell Butler, RHP | Sandy Springs, Ga. | 10 | 301 | Houston Astros |
| Bear Madliak, C | Carrollton, Ga | 18 | 531 | Athletics |
– 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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