Kansas Jayhawks left fielder Brady Ballinger is out for the Big 12 Tournament, according to College Baseball Central’s Noah Darling. Ballinger suffered a hamate injury during an at-bat against the BYU Cougars this past Saturday.
Darling also stated that Ballinger is expected to be back for the NCAA Tournament. The Jayhawks have all but locked up a spot in the tournament with a 22-8 Big 12 Conference record and won the conference’s regular season title. It is their first Big 12 regular season title since 1949.
Ballinger in 2026 with Kansas
Ballinger has been a productive player with Kansas in 2026. He has a .286 batting average with an on-base percentage of .398. He also has seven home runs, 13 doubles, and 43 RBIs this season.
Despite suffering an injury in the series versus BYU, Ballinger had a good weekend against the Cougars. He had four hits and scored two runs as Kansas beat BYU in two out of three games.
One of Ballinger’s best games this season came on February 21 against the McNeese Cowboys. He had four hits, two RBIs, and scored two runs in an 8-2 win for the Jayhawks.
Ballinger was an honorable mention for the All-Big 12 teams this season alongside his teammate, Mason Cook.
Up next for Kansas
The Kansas Jayhawks enter the 2026 Big 12 Tournament as the number one overall seed.
Their first game of the tournament is in the quarterfinals. Kansas is awaiting to play either Texas Tech, BYU, or Baylor. The Jayhawks have not played Baylor this season, but have played both BYU and Texas Tech. They went 3-3 in six games against those teams.
Kansas’s quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Tournament is on Thursday, May 21, at 3:30 p.m. ET. The game is at Surprise Stadium outside of Phoenix, Ariz., and can be watched on ESPNU.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Kansas utility Brady Ballinger (26) during an NCAA college baseball game on Thursday, March 5, 2026, in Lawrence, Kan. (AP Photo/Colin E. Braley)
