A pair of former Cowley standouts help lead KU to record-setting season, berth in super-regional
Helping guide the University of Kansas baseball team to new heights, Cowley College alums Cade Baldridge and Tyler Hancock will look to keep the Jayhawks’ dream season continuing when they play in the super regional for the first time in program history. Baldridge is a second baseman for the Jayhawks, and Hancock is the team's hitting coach.
The duo helped KU (45-16) secure its first regular-season conference title since 1949 and subsequently claim its first Big 12 Tournament championship since 2006. KU became only the fourth team in conference history (along with Texas, Texas, and Nebraska) to win both the regular-season and conference tournament titles in the same season
After falling behind Arkansas 5-0 on Sunday, the Kansas offense exploded for 11 unanswered runs in the middle innings, propelling its way to a 13-10 win and the right to play in the super-regional.
At Cowley, Baldridge was a two-time all-conference selection, while also being named a Gold Glove infielder. Baldridge has been a key piece in the Jayhawks' success, earning Second Team All-Conference honors by batting .320 with seven home runs, 14 doubles, and 43 runs batted in during the 2026 season. Baldridge also has an on-base percentage of .408 and has scored 47 runs in 60 games.
Hancock played at Cowley during the 2009 and 2010 seasons. As a freshman, Hancock hit .311 with 23 RBIs as the Tigers appeared in the Junior College World Series that year. Hancock followed with a strong sophomore year, hitting .370 in 50 games while adding 44 RBIs.
He went on to spend his junior year at Central Oklahoma before finishing his career as a first-team All-Heartland Conference selection after hitting .322 with six home runs and 40 RBIs while playing for Newman University.
Hancock returned to Cowley as an assistant coach during the 2014 season and helped the Tigers finish 38-17.
Hancock joined the Kansas baseball staff as an assistant coach/hitting coach in 2022. This season, he helped Kansas reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014, leading the offense to a truly historic season in Lawrence. The Jayhawks set program records in Big 12 wins (20), conference wins (20), conference series wins (seven), conference series sweeps (five), road wins (20), come-from-behind wins (26), and home runs (104).
Kansas will play in a best-of-three series next weekend against the winner of Monday's game between Georgia Tech and Oklahoma. If Georgia Tech wins, Kansas will travel to Atlanta. If Oklahoma wins, the Jayhawks will host the Sooners next weekend in Lawrence.