The Kansas Jayhawks’ aggressive transfer portal tactics paid off in spades last season. Kansas won the Big 12 baseball title in Arizona and hosted a Regional in 2026. Unfortunately, after a 3-0 run in the Regional, Kansas was shut down by eventual College World Series winner Oklahoma in the Super Regionals. For 2027, the roster will look different. But the strategy for roster construction did not change.
The Returnees
While, as expected, there are plenty of new faces on the 2027 Kansas roster, some familiar names from the ’26 club returned for another shot at Omaha.
Catcher Augusto Mungarrieta played a pivotal role in Kansas’ triumph in the Regional stage, as he hit two home runs in the three games played during that round after belting two in Surprise the week earlier. Overall, Mungarrieta hit 17 home runs, second-most on the club behind Tyson LeBlanc.
Infielder Cade Baldridge was one of many Kansas hitters to succeed during his junior campaign. Baldridge slashed .320/.408/.458 with seven home runs and 21 extra-base hits. He also reached 25 times via the walk and 13 times via HBP. Combined, Baldridge and Mungarrieta were hit 28 times.
Also returning for his senior season is Dylan Schlotterback. Dylan played in all 63 games last season for the Jayhawks, slashing .269/.374/.389 with 19 extra-base hits, 15 of which were doubles.
Tyson Owens is back for his junior season. Owens hit 14 home runs and walked 37 times last season. He was one of four hitters to have at least 10+ home runs in 2026.
As for the pitching staff, the most notable returning pitcher was senior Boede Rahe. Rahe was one of the relievers in all of DI last season, as the 6’6” right-hander struck out 80 over 59 innings for the Jayhawks. Rahe’s fastball sat in the low-90s, although he could reach up to 94-95 MPH with carry. Plus, he also showcased a changeup and curveball.
Junior right-hander Riane Ritter is another of those notable relievers from the 2026 Jayhawks back. Ritter punched out 74 over 61 innings, thanks to a mid-90s fastball and slider.
Kansas was also able to retain one of their three weekend starters from 2026, as Dominic Voegele and Mathis Nayral both went pro. Mason Cook, a heavy groundball pitcher thanks to his sinker, also punched out 66 over 67 innings.
Other notable pitchers coming back to Lawrence are Manning West, Madden Seidl, and Emerson McKnight.
The Newcomers
As the school that’s heavily invested in the JC/CC transfer market, it shouldn’t be a shock that there are so many new faces from those non-four-year schools on Kansas’ 2027 roster.
Joey Nicholson, from Gaston College in North Carolina, hit .403 last season with 16 home runs, 25 stolen bases, and 36 extra-base hits in 2026.
Walt Jones came from Weatherford CC in Texas, a school that’s produced MLB talent (ex., Reds pitcher TeJay Antone). Jones hit .382 with 10 home runs and 24 extra-base hits as a freshman.
Jones will be joined by junior catcher Jake Overstreet, who hit 14 home runs and 32 extra-base hits for Weatherford last season.
Carson Zagryn hit .399 with 14 home runs and 30 extra-base hits, the latter of which was tied for most on Gulf Coast State. Aiden Zagryn, who played with Carson, will join him at Kansas.
Chris Tavarez hit 11 home runs for El Paso CC last year.
As for the pitching staff, the Jayhawks grabbed the top two strikeout pitchers from Cowley CC. Reliever Riley Lile struck out 46 over 31 innings, while starting pitcher Grady Hoke led the school with 70 over 62 innings.
Keaton Finn, a junior from Southeastern CC, struck out 74 over 61 innings.
As for the freshmen, catcher Luke Larson redshirted to protect his eligibility. Pitchers Logan Honikel, Chase Rhodes, and Grey Sanders are the only true freshmen on the 2027 Kansas roster.
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