IRVING, Tex. (KUAthletics.com) – Kansas Head Baseball Coach Dan Fitzgerald has been named the Big 12 Coach of the Year and five Jayhawks earned postseason honors, the conference office announced Tuesday.
Fitzgerald is the first Big 12 Coach of the Year in program history after leading the Jayhawks to a 42-14 record and a conference-leading 20 Big 12 wins. Fitzgerald and the Jayhawks are the only team in the nation with at least 40 overall wins, 20 conference wins and 20 road wins.
First baseman Brady Ballinger was voted to the All-Big 12 First Team, while outfielder Jackson Hauge, pitcher Cooper Moore and designated hitter Dariel Osoria were selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team. Brady Counsell, who played in the infield and outfield this season, was awarded All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
Fitzgerald, in only his third season at Kansas, directed the program to its greatest regular season in school history. After inheriting a program that finished in last place in the Big 12, Fitzgerald and his staff have brought Kansas into the national spotlight.
“It’s a great honor for my entire coaching staff,” Fitzgerald said. “Individual awards always point to the awesome accomplishments of a team. My assistants are elite baseball coaches but even better men. I’m very proud of the work we have all done together.”
A postseason lock in 2025, Fitzgerald has been at the helm for Kansas to finish with the most overall wins (42) and conference wins (20) in the Big 12 this season. The Jayhawks also posted a 20-7 record on the road, collecting conference road sweeps at UCF, Utah and conference champion West Virginia.
Under Fitzgerald’s guidance, the Jayhawks have set school records for regular season wins (42), Big 12 wins (20), conference wins (20), conference series wins (7), conference series sweeps (5), road wins (20) and home runs (98). Kansas is one of 10 Division I teams with at least 42 wins this season, including one of five Power Four teams with 42 or more wins. KU is also one of six Division I programs with at least 20 road wins, which includes one of only two Power Four teams.
Fitzgerald is only the second Kansas coach ever to win a coach of the year award, with Dave Bingham winning Big Eight and ABCA District Coach of the Year in 1993. Bingham led the Jayhawks to the College World Series that season.
Ballinger, recruited to KU by Fitzgerald and his staff, has led the way offensively for Kansas all season. The Las Vegas, Nevada, native is in his first season as a Jayhawk and leads the team in batting average (.365), walks (54) slugging percentage (.688), on-base percentage (.509), runs scored (69), hits (76), doubles (20), total bases (143) and multi-hit games (23).
A semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy, Ballinger’s 54 walks lead the Big 12 and are tied for ninth nationally, while his 69 runs scored (tied for 19th nationally) and 20 doubles are tied for first in the league. He has also posted a .509 on-base percentage which ranks 24th in the country. Ballinger’s 15 home runs are tied for the fifth most in program history and his 54 walks are third most in school history.
“Brady is very deserving of the award,” Fitzgerald said. “He is one of the top hitters in the country. More impressively, he is one of the best teammates in the country. He’s a really special Jayhawk.”
Hauge morphed into one of the biggest power threats and run producers in college baseball this season. After not playing college baseball in 2024, Hauge made the leap from Division II to Division I and has hit 18 home runs and drove in 67 runs, to go along with 13 doubles this season. The Ramsey, Minnesota, native is leading the Big 12 in RBI, is second in home runs and fifth in total bases (133). Hauge is tied for second in program history in single-season home runs and is fifth in RBI. He leads the team with 18 multi-RBI games.
Earlier this season, Hauge was named the Dick Howser Trophy National Hitter of the Week. He has also received a Big 12 Player of the Week and Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor this year.
Moore was one of only 12 returners at the beginning of the 2025 season. Transitioning from the bullpen to starting, Moore has flourished in his new role. Moore is tied for third in the Big 12 with seven wins, tied for fourth in fewest walks allowed with 16, tied for sixth with 77.2 innings pitched and is seventh with a 3.48 ERA.
A native of Bixby, Oklahoma, Moore has allowed three earned runs or less in nine of his 12 starts this season. Seven of his last eight starts have been at least six innings and seven of his last 10 starts have been at least seven innings. He has gone eight innings in back-to-back outings and has six quality starts this season.
Osoria stepped into the designated hitter role this season and developed into a consistent bat in the middle of the order. The Bronx, New York, native had 21 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI games in the regular season. Osoria had a flair for the dramatic as two of his eight home runs this season came in the bottom of the ninth inning at Hoglund Ballpark. His first was a walk-off grand slam in the home opener and the other was a game-tying three-run homer with two outs against Cincinnati.
Counsell has shown off his versatility and reliability all season as he has started every game. Rotating between playing infield and outfield, Counsell has committed only one error in 112 chances. A native of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, Counsell is sixth in the Big 12 with 57 RBIs and tied for 10th with 53 runs scored. He was a part of the NCAA record-tying five consecutive home runs that Kansas hit at Minnesota, Counsell’s former school.
“Moore, Hauge, Counsell, and Osoria all had great years and very much earned this recognition,” Fitzgerald said. “They performed at a really high level and are huge pieces to this year’s success.”
AWARDS + STATISTICS
Dan Fitzgerald, Big 12 Coach of the Year
INF Brady Ballinger, All-Big 12 First Team
Overall: .365/.509/.688, 20 2B, 1 3B, 15 HR, 52 RBI, 69 R, 53 BB, 143 TB in 54 games (all starts)
Conference: .308/.438/.615, 12 2B, 8 HR, 22 RBI, 33 R, 24 BB, 72 TB in 29 games (all starts)
OF Jackson Hauge, All-Big 12 Second Team
Overall: .292/.385/.588, 13 2B, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 44 R, 32 BB, 133 TB in 50 games (all starts)
Conference: .244/.331/.415, 6 2B, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 19 R, 16 BB, 51 TB in 30 games (all starts)
RHP Cooper Moore, All-Big 12 Second Team
Overall: 7-1, 3.48 ERA, 13 G, 12 GS, 77.2 IP, 16 BB, 73 SO
Conference: 6-1, 3.92 ERA, 8 G, 8 GS, 57.1 IP, 10 BB, 56 SO
DH Dariel Osoria, All-Big 12 Second Team
Overall: .337/.434/.553, 13 2B, 2 3B, 8 HR, 45 RBI, 43 R, 28 BB, 105 TB in 48 games (all starts)
Conference: .345/.411/.575, 8 2B, 6 HR, 25 RBI, 23 R, 10 BB, 65 TB in 28 games (all starts)
INF/OF Brady Counsell, All-Big 12 Honorable Mention
Overall: .272/.390/.500, 11 2B, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 53 R, 34 BB, 103 TB in 56 games (all starts)
Conference: .259/.351/.474, 7 2B, 6 HR, 26 RBI, 26 R, 15 BB, 55 TB in 30 games (all starts)
