MANHATTAN, Kan. — Kansas State baseball celebrated another milestone on the national stage as four Wildcats heard their names called during the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft, continuing the program’s remarkable run of producing professional talent.
Shortstop Dee Kennedy, right-handed pitchers James Guyette and Tazwell Butler, along with catcher Bear Madliak, were all selected during the two-day MLB Draft, giving Kansas State at least four draft picks in a single year and marking the sixth consecutive season the Wildcats have had multiple players chosen. During that six-year stretch, K-State has now produced 20 MLB Draft selections, further cementing its reputation as one of the Big 12 Conference’s most consistent developers of professional baseball talent.
Kennedy became the first Wildcat selected when the St. Louis Cardinals chose the star shortstop in the fourth round with the 114th overall pick. He was followed by standout right-hander James Guyette, who went to the San Diego Padres in the fifth round as the 157th overall selection. Reliever Tazwell Butler was later picked by the Houston Astros in the 10th round with the 301st overall pick, while veteran catcher Bear Madliak rounded out Kansas State’s draft class after being selected by the Athletics in the 18th round with the 531st overall pick.
The four selections highlighted another successful season for head coach Pete Hughes, whose program has continued to send talent to the professional ranks while building sustained success in Manhattan.
Kennedy entered the draft after delivering one of the greatest offensive seasons in Kansas State baseball history. The dynamic infielder established himself as one of the nation’s premier hitters, leading the Wildcats in virtually every major offensive category and earning recognition as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Co-District 6 Player of the Year along with four All-America honors.
He finished the 2026 campaign with an outstanding .357 batting average, .461 on-base percentage, and .733 slugging percentage, while collecting 79 hits, 20 home runs, 69 runs batted in, and 70 runs scored. His production placed him among the elite hitters in college baseball throughout the season.
Kennedy’s 40 extra-base hits rank second-most in a single season in Kansas State history, while his 70 runs scored tied the school record originally established by All-American Heath Schesser in 1997. His combination of power, consistency, and defensive ability made him one of the most highly regarded middle infield prospects available in this year’s draft.
Guyette also enjoyed a breakout campaign that significantly boosted his professional stock. The California native finished the season with a 6-4 record and 5.56 ERA, emerging as Kansas State’s strikeout leader with 105 punchouts, including a team-best 33 called strikeouts.
His strikeout total established a new Kansas State junior-class single-season record, surpassing the previous mark set by AJ Morris in 2009, while also ranking fourth on the program’s all-time single-season strikeout list.
One of Guyette’s most memorable performances came on May 11 against Cincinnati, when he threw the first complete game of his collegiate career. The dominant outing included a career-high 13 strikeouts, earning him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors and showcasing the swing-and-miss ability that attracted the Padres’ attention.
Butler developed into one of Kansas State’s most dependable arms out of the bullpen during the 2026 season. The hard-throwing right-hander from Sandy Springs, Georgia, appeared in 17 games, providing valuable versatility by serving as both a reliever and occasional starter.
Across 55 innings, Butler struck out 58 batters while limiting opposing hitters to a team-best .239 batting average and recording three saves. He also made four starts, compiling 22 innings with a respectable 4.09 ERA, demonstrating the ability to contribute in multiple pitching roles.
Madliak completed the Wildcats’ quartet of draftees following another productive all-around season behind the plate. The senior catcher hit .310, while posting a .395 on-base percentage and .569 slugging percentage, finishing with 14 doubles and a career-high nine home runs, second-most on the Kansas State roster.
Defensively, Madliak remained one of the conference’s most reliable catchers. He recorded an outstanding .995 fielding percentage, ranking sixth in the Big 12, while throwing out 11 attempted base stealers thanks to his strong throwing arm and defensive instincts.
One of the defining moments of his season came on March 31, when he became the first player in Kansas State baseball history to earn National Catcher of the Week honors after producing a staggering 1.921 OPS and blasting three home runs during an exceptional stretch of play.
Kansas State’s success in the draft mirrored the overall strength of the Big 12 Conference, which continued to establish itself as one of college baseball’s premier talent pipelines. The Wildcats were one of eight Big 12 programs to produce four or more draft selections, while every one of the conference’s 14 member schools had at least two players drafted.
Overall, 56 Big 12 players were selected in the 2026 MLB Draft, tying the third-highest total in conference history, matching the marks achieved in 2008, 2011, and 2025.
The latest draft class also underscored the sustained success of Hughes’ program. Since taking over as head coach eight seasons ago, Hughes has guided 15 Kansas State players into the first 10 rounds of the MLB Draft. Throughout his 29-year collegiate coaching career, he has now overseen 95 MLB Draft selections, while 149 players he recruited have gone on to play professional baseball, reinforcing his reputation as one of the nation’s premier developers of talent.
The four draft selections cap another successful season for Kansas State, which finished the 2026 campaign with a 30-27 overall record, securing its fourth consecutive 30-win season. The achievement matched the longest streak of 30-win campaigns in program history and marked the Wildcats’ first such run since 1988 through 1991, providing further evidence that Kansas State has re-established itself as one of the Big 12’s rising baseball programs while continuing to produce players capable of reaching the professional ranks.
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