Kansas State’s Dee Kennedy (player), TCU’s Noah Franco (pitcher) and Baylor’s Tyce Armstrong (newcomer) garnered the Big 12 baseball weekly awards for the opening week of the 2026 season.
 
Kennedy powered the Wildcats to an undefeated opening weekend, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with five extra-base hits, including three home runs with two grand slams, while driving in 13 runs. The junior shortstop posted a .625 on-base percentage, 1.385 slugging percentage and a 2.010 OPS, while also going 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts. Against Iowa, Kennedy blasted a 106-mph first-pitch grand slam for his first of the season before capping the weekend with another grand slam and career-high seven RBI in a 24-5 win against Penn State. After Sunday’s games, he sits tied for the second-most total bases (18), RBI (13), runs (9), and home runs (3) in the country. He leads the Conference in runs (9), runs per game (3.00) and is tied for the Conference lead in hits (7), hits per game (2.33), home runs (3), home runs per game (1), stolen bases (4) and stolen bases per game (1.33).
 
Franco earned Pitcher of the Week honors after delivering a clutch relief appearance against No. 7 Arkansas, securing his first career save. The sophomore lefty took over in the seventh inning of a one-run game and retired nine of the 10 batters he faced against then-No. 7 Arkansas, tossing three scoreless innings with four strikeouts and no hits allowed. After a leadoff walk in the eighth, he retired the final six batters, all from the top of the Razorbacks’ lineup, to preserve TCU’s 5-4 victory and the second over a top 25 opponent on the weekend.
 
Armstrong made a historic Baylor debut, becoming just the second player in NCAA history to hit three grand slams in a single game. The redshirt senior transfer from UT Arlington drove in a school-record 12 runs and tied the Baylor record with three home runs in the Bears’ 15-2 Opening Day win over New Mexico State, ending the game with a walk-off grand slam in the seventh inning. Armstrong finished the weekend with three home runs and a nation-leading 14 RBI. The first baseman sits tied for the most home runs (3), home runs per game (1.00), RBI (14) and RBI per game in the Conference (4.67) and the second-most total bases (12).
 
Big 12 Players of the Week
Player:
Feb. 16: Dee Kennedy, TCU, INF, Jr.

Pitcher:
Feb. 16: Noah Franco, TCU, LHP, So.
 
Newcomer:
Feb. 16: Tyce Armstrong, Baylor, 1B, R-Sr.