The Kansas baseball team, starring soon at a ballfield near where they sleep, will host one of 16 NCAA Regionals this weekend at Hoglund Ballpark.
And with it, they’ll bring some of the best players in the Big 12 this season to the ballpark with them.
In case you’re not aware — how could you have missed it? — the Jayhawks (42-16) are riding high after winning both the Big 12 regular season crown and last weekend’s Big 12 tournament in Surprise, Arizona.
As the No. 15 overall national seed and top seed in Lawrence, they’ll host a regional that includes second-seeded Arkansas, No. 3 Missouri State and No. 4 Northeastern. And when they do, you’ll probably recognize some of the better-known names on this roster even if you haven’t been paying super-close attention all season.
Shortstop Tyson LeBlanc, the reigning Big 12 tourney MOP, is one home run away from moving into first place all by himself on the Jayhawks’ single-season home run list. His next blast will be his 22nd of the season and will push him past Tony Thompson, who set the mark back in 2009.
Staff ace Dom Voegele is within reach of snagging the top spot on the Jayhawks’ all-time strikeouts list. He needs 31 to pass T.J. Walz for first place and enters this week in second place on the list with 277.
And then there’s 2025 All-American Brady Ballinger; Big 12 quarterfinal hero Savion Flowers, who helped KU advance to the semis with a walk-off home run in extra innings on just his 11th at-bat of the season at that time; and starting pitchers Mason Cook, the constant competitor, and Mathis Nayral, the Frenchman, who have given Kansas a rock-solid three-man rotation over the past several weeks.
Most of the reasons listed above have to do with their stats and achievements. But have you ever wondered who these guys really are?
If so, and even if not, please allow first baseman Josh Dykhoff (we’ll have his story for you tomorrow morning) to take you through a fabulous list of superlatives and picture-perfect personality descriptors for nearly half of his teammates.
Team Comedian
“I’m gonna go with a trio called The Helix Boys,” Dykhoff said of Riane Ritter, a sophomore pitcher, Dane Ebel, a junior righty and starting shortstop Tyson LeBlanc. “Those three, if you get ‘em together, they’re class comedians for sure. They’ve just kind of got the best one-liners and are always dropping one-liners here and there.”
The group name, Dykhoff said, comes from their place of residence, Helix 24, an apartment complex a little southwest of KU’s campus.
Smartest Teammate
No hesitation from Dykhoff on this one.
“Boede Rahe, engineering for sure,” he said of the KU closer. “There’s no doubt about that one. He just grinds school. He’s always at class. Like, always.”
Rahe’s bio on the KU website lists his major as Civil Engineering.
Gamers
Dykhoff’s not a huge video game player himself these days, but he knows who is on this team.
“I’m gonna go with Maddox Burkitt and Caleb Deer,” he said of the junior pitchers, one righty and one southpaw.
What do they play?
“Everything. It’s The Show, all that stuff, it’s Fortnite, I’m pretty sure they play Rocket League. I don’t really know all the games now but those two do.”
Movie Quote guy
Every team or friend group’s got one. KU’s, according to Dykhoff, just happens to start in right field for the Jayhawks.
“I’d go with Jordan Bach,” he said. “I’ve heard the most movie lines out of him.”
His favorite movie to quote? It might be the Disney film, “Miracle” that chronicled Team USA’s improbable run to Olympic hockey gold in 1980.
“He does that one well. The coach’s locker room speech.”
Makes sense. Bach hails from British Columbia, Canada.
Best Jayhawk in another sport
Speaking of hockey, Dykhoff gave a shout-out here to head coach Dan Fitzgerald, who grew up in Edina, Minnesota.
“Coach Fitz in hockey. The way he talks about it, he’s a big hockey guy.”
Given his love of the game, Fitz no doubt appreciates when Bach goes full Herb Brooks in practice.
“I want you to be a hockey player,” Dykhoff began, picking out one of Bach’s favorite Brooks lines that inspired the following response from Team USA captain Mike Eruzione: “I am a hockey player!”
Party animal
Dykhoff thought for a bit on this one, perhaps not wanting to out any of his teammates too completely and then settled on arguably his best answer of the whole exercise.
“I’m gonna go with Grant Rutkowski, our manager. I’m pretty sure he was the frat brother of the month one time. That’s the guy right there.”
Hollywood star
Dykhoff went straight to sophomore pitcher Daniel Lopez from El Paso, Texas for this one, adding, “All day!” to show just how sure he was.
“He’s got that aura about him, that Hollywood aura. He walks around like a movie star and always dresses like one, too.”
Interestingly enough, on his bio on the KU roster page, when asked the question, “What is one thing that someone wouldn’t know about you,” Lopez responded with, “I’m quiet.”
So, maybe Dykhoff is throwing
Mr. American Idol
When asked which teammate might fare best on The Voice or American Idol, Dykhoff skipped everyone on his roster and said simply, “Me. For sure.”
So, what does he sing?
“Country mainly. I’m a great singer. Awesome singer. A little bit of George Strait. I can rip some George Strait. No instruments. Just a singer.”
He lives with Brady Ballinger, who he says has the team’s best smile because “he’s always smiling,” and Caleb Deer, but neither player was available to confirm Dykhoff’s claim.
“It happens a little bit at home. But it’s mainly when I’m just out here. When they’ve got some tunes rolling on the speakers, I’ll be singing at first base.”
Cut a rug
Perhaps thankfully, Dykhoff said he hasn’t seen too many of his teammates dance. But then it hit him.
And it wasn’t a teammate at all.
“Luke Marbach. Best dancer in town,” Dykhoff said of KU’s Director of Operations, who joined the staff in 2023.
“He taught a line dancing class. In Lawrence. He’s No. 1 for sure.”
Best trash talker
Not surprisingly, given how rowdy and intense the KU dugout has been this season, Dykhoff offered up a few names for this answer.
Landen Lozier. Blake O’Brien. Max Soliz Jr. Riane Ritter, Carter Fink.
He couldn’t exactly pinpoint — or maybe say? — any specifics that make each of them great, but instead threw it back to how he picked his team comedians.
“Funny one-liners,” he said. “We’re a team full of funny one-liners. They just pull ‘em out all game long.”
Most likely to become a coach
Lawrence native and former Free State High star Maddox Burkitt got the nod here.
The reason?
“The demeanor,” Dykhoff said.
Anyone else on the team destined to join the coaching ranks when his playing career is finished?
“I want to coach someday,” Dykhoff said. “There’s a lot of leaders on this team that could definitely go be a coach someday. For sure.”
Hidden talent hero
There’s a fair amount of downtime in the game of baseball, be it on the practice field or in the dugout on game days. That’s particularly true for pitchers, many of whom sit in the bullpen for hours on end throughout the course of a season.
Rather than putting all that time to baseball, sophomore righty Aiden Cline has found a way to use it to his advantage, according to Dykhoff.
“Aiden Cline can juggle. That’s one nobody could ever see. If you saw Aiden Cline and he’s juggling, it would look different. But he can do it. And he’s good at it.”
Has Dykhoff seen it?
“Yeah. He does it in pregame every game. With baseballs. Three of ‘em.”
Outdoorsman
Finally, Dykhoff gave the title of ‘loves all things camo’ to second baseman Cade Baldridge, whom he referred to as the “team hunter.”
What kind of hunting?
“All of it,” Dykhoff said laughing. Anything that walks, besides humans, look out.”
More of our coverage of the 2026 Kansas baseball team...
• Jayhawks win outright Big 12 title - Putting KU's first ever Big 12 crown in the proper context and perspective
• Stop us if you've heard this one... - Jayhawks validate regular season title by winning school's second ever Big 12 tourney trophy
• The man behind the mask - What catcher Augie Mungarrieta has meant to KU
• From France to Friday nights - The story of KU pitcher Mathis Nayral
• Coming out of his shell - This season has been so much fun even normally-reserved KU ace Dom Voegele has allowed his emotions to show
• All he does is win - KU shortstop Tyson LeBlanc has done nothing but win in the game of baseball since he started playing and he hasn't slowed down in Lawrence
• Ready and willing - How KU's starting infield set the tone for this team's incredible work ethic
• Red-hot Jayhawks working magic recipe for another memorable run - Juco recruiting, hard work, being incredible teammates, it's all part of the magic that KU coach Dan Fitzgerald has brought to Lawrence
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kuathletics.com
