K-State Shortstop Dee Kennedy Achieves Historic Feat in Win Against Cincinnati

K-State shortstop Dee Kennedy has been one of the best players in the Big 12 this season, and he continued his incredible year on Sunday in a 5-2 win against Cincinnati. With the Wildcats trailing the Bearcats 2-0 in the third inning, Kennedy tied the game up with his 20th home run of the season. With that home run, he became the fifth player in Big 12 history to reach 20 home runs and stolen bases in a single season.

.@KStateBSB: Dee Kennedy becomes just the fifth player in Big 12 history to join the 20/20 club.

The Cats' single-season home run leader is one of only three Division I players to reach 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 2026. https://t.co/aBbM8hiseL
— KStateStatsInfo (@KStateStatsInfo) May 10, 2026

While that type of season happens in the MLB on a more consistent basis, it is a much more impressive feat in the collegiate game. He is only the third player to achieve that mark this season in college baseball, joining Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson and outfielder Hunter Ray of Farleigh Dickinson.

The Wildcats haven't had quite the season that they would have liked this season, but Kennedy is putting together a special season. After the game on Sunday, he is currently hit .364 with 20 home runs and 67 RBIs. He ranks in the Top 10 in the country in both of those stats, and that combination with his speed on the bases makes him one of the most elite players in college baseball.

Kennedy has taken his game to another level after a solid first year in Manhattan

During the 2025 season, he showcased some potential, finishing the year with a .279 batting average, 11 home runs, and 43 RBIs after transferring in from Texas after his freshman campaign. He also stole 12 bases last year, but the jump he has taken this season is more than even coach Pete Hughes could have hoped for. He already set the single-season home run record earlier in the year when he hit his 18th home run, breaking the previous record of 17 held by former teammate Keegan O'Connor, who set the record in 2025.

After the game against Kansas when Kennedy broke the record, his manager Hughes had nothing but high praise and said that the shortstop is going to go down as one of the best players in the history of K-State baseball.

"He's going to go down as one of the best players to play here, obviously, with the records he's broken," Hughes said. "He's broken records, and he can do so many things to beat you, that's for sure. He's one home run from being a 20-20 guy, which in college baseball is rare air.

It is going to take a special run in the end of the season for the WIldcats to play in the postseason, but if there is one guy in the sport who could do just that, it is Kennedy.

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