Kennedy Named Co-District 6 Player of the Year by NCBWA
Jun 05, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State shortstop Dee Kennedy continues to add to his extensive 2026 resume, as he earned National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Co-District 6 Player of the Year honors, following the organization's 28th annual announcement of the district selections.
Kennedy was one of 15 student-athletes recognized across the NCBWA's nine districts and one of six selections from the Big 12 Conference. He shared the District 6 honor with Kansas' Tyson LeBlanc, while the Big 12 led all conferences with six District Player of the Year selections.
With the award, Kennedy becomes just the second player in school history to earn NCBWA District Player of the Year honors, joining former Wildcat AJ Morris, who received the distinction in 2009.
Kennedy adds Friday's honor to an already impressive list of accolades in 2026, including semifinalist recognition for the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy and Brooks Wallace Award, First Team All-Big 12 honors, Midseason All-America First Team recognition from D1Baseball and Perfect Game, and five player of the week awards.
After hitting .279 a season ago, Kennedy put together one of the top offensive campaigns in K-State history during his junior season. He led the Wildcats with a .357 batting average and .461 on-base percentage, while his .733 slugging percentage ranks fourth in program history for a single season.
The Fort Worth, Texas, product capped the year with 17 doubles, three triples, a school-record 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases. With his record-breaking 20th homer, Kennedy became just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. He is also one of only four players nationally to accomplish the feat in 2026.
Kennedy produced a team-high 19 multi-RBI games and ranked second on the team with 21 multi-hit performances, including four multi-home run games.
District 6 (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
Dee Kennedy, Kansas State, Jr., SS, Fort Worth, Texas
.357 BA, 57GP, 57GS, 221AB, 70R, 79H, 17 2B, 3 3B, 20HR, 69RBI, 38BB, 50K, 22/26 SB/SBA,1.194OPS, .461OB%, .733 SLUG
Tyson LeBlanc, Kansas, Jr., SS, Maurice, La.
.344 BA, 61GP, 61GS, 247AB, 63R, 85H, 12 2B, 3 3B, 24HR, 68RBI, 38BB, 49K, 11/12 SB/SBA,1.139OPS, .430OB%, .709 SLUG
– 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.
Kennedy was one of 15 student-athletes recognized across the NCBWA's nine districts and one of six selections from the Big 12 Conference. He shared the District 6 honor with Kansas' Tyson LeBlanc, while the Big 12 led all conferences with six District Player of the Year selections.
With the award, Kennedy becomes just the second player in school history to earn NCBWA District Player of the Year honors, joining former Wildcat AJ Morris, who received the distinction in 2009.
Kennedy adds Friday's honor to an already impressive list of accolades in 2026, including semifinalist recognition for the Golden Spikes Award, Dick Howser Trophy and Brooks Wallace Award, First Team All-Big 12 honors, Midseason All-America First Team recognition from D1Baseball and Perfect Game, and five player of the week awards.
After hitting .279 a season ago, Kennedy put together one of the top offensive campaigns in K-State history during his junior season. He led the Wildcats with a .357 batting average and .461 on-base percentage, while his .733 slugging percentage ranks fourth in program history for a single season.
The Fort Worth, Texas, product capped the year with 17 doubles, three triples, a school-record 20 home runs and 22 stolen bases. With his record-breaking 20th homer, Kennedy became just the fifth player in Big 12 history to record 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in the same season. He is also one of only four players nationally to accomplish the feat in 2026.
Kennedy produced a team-high 19 multi-RBI games and ranked second on the team with 21 multi-hit performances, including four multi-home run games.
District 6 (Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota)
Dee Kennedy, Kansas State, Jr., SS, Fort Worth, Texas
.357 BA, 57GP, 57GS, 221AB, 70R, 79H, 17 2B, 3 3B, 20HR, 69RBI, 38BB, 50K, 22/26 SB/SBA,1.194OPS, .461OB%, .733 SLUG
Tyson LeBlanc, Kansas, Jr., SS, Maurice, La.
.344 BA, 61GP, 61GS, 247AB, 63R, 85H, 12 2B, 3 3B, 24HR, 68RBI, 38BB, 49K, 11/12 SB/SBA,1.139OPS, .430OB%, .709 SLUG
– 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
INF
/ BaseballTuesday, May 26
Thursday, May 21
Wednesday, May 20
Monday, May 11
