BSB's Travis Sanders Earns Preseason All-Big 12 Praise
2/5/2026 1:00:00 PM | Baseball
Redshirt junior shortstop hit .335 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs in 2025
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders has been named to the 2026 Preseason All-Big 12 Team, as announced Thursday by the conference office.
Sanders is one of five infielders, regardless of position, named to the preseason team, as selected in a vote by the league's head coaches.
In his first season with the Bears, Sanders hit .335 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs on his way to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2025. He racked up 55 total hits, including nine doubles and one triple, slugging .549 on the year. Sanders also stole eight bases and recorded 16 multi-hit games, including five three-hit and a four-hit performance. During conference play, Sanders batted .318, hit five home runs and drove in 17 runs.
After playing in 47 games with 41 starts at second base and two at third base, Sanders is slotted to slide over to shortstop for the Bears in 2026. He fielded at a .948 clip with 10 errors a year ago. Last season, Sanders broke out in April after hitting a walk-off home run against HCU on the first day of the month, then tore it up in a weekend series at Texas Tech with eight knocks and five RBIs. He also homered twice against Utah on April 19 and again against the Huskies on April 23 to finish the month with a .431 average (28-for-65) and .754 slugging percentage (four doubles, one triple, five home runs).
This is Sanders' fourth All-Big 12 honor of the preseason, as already The Diamond Report, Just Baseball, and Perfect Game have tabbed him as the league's top shortstop ahead of the 2026 campaign. His selection by the Big 12 head coaches marks the second Preseason All-Big 12 honoree of the Thompson era, joining Wesley Jordan's 2025 selection as a designated hitter.
TCU leads the Big 12 with four of the 19 student-athletes on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Arizona State and Kansas received three selections, Arizona, Cincinnati and Texas Tech each had two members, while Baylor, UCF and West Virginia were each represented by one player.
The league's preseason favorite, TCU took home three of the four individual awards, as Sawyer Strosnider was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Tommy LaPour was tabbed the Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Lucas Franco collected Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year honors. ASU's Dean Toigo was voted as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year to round out the awards.
TCU was followed by Arizona and West Virginia in the league's preseason poll. Arizona State was picked to finish fourth, ahead of Kansas and Oklahoma State who tied for fifth. Kansas State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech and UCF rounded out the top 10, while Baylor was predicted to finish 11th. Houston, BYU and Utah closed out the poll.
BU opens its 2026 campaign with a four-game homestand, highlighted by a three-game series against New Mexico State on Feb. 13-15. Opening Day at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, against the Aggies. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
2026 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
C – Jack Natili, Cincinnati
IF – Landon Hairston, Arizona State
IF – Austen Roellig, Arizona State
IF – Travis Sanders, Baylor
IF – Brady Ballinger, Kansas*
IF – Robin Villeneuve, Texas Tech
OF – Andrew Williamson, UCF
OF – Chase Brunson, TCU
OF – Sawyer Strosnider, TCU*
OF – Logan Hughes, Texas Tech
DH – Dariel Osoria, Kansas
UTL – Noah Franco, TCU
SP – Owen Kramkowski, Arizona
SP – Nathan Taylor, Arizona
SP – Dominic Voegele, Kansas
SP – Tommy LaPour, TCU*
RP – Tony Pluta, Arizona
RP – Cole Carlon, Arizona State
RP – Chase Meyer, West Virginia
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Tommy LaPour, TCU
PRESEASON NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Dean Toigo, Arizona State
PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Lucas Franco, TCU
*Unanimous selection
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players
2026 BIG 12 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. TCU (13) – 169
2. Arizona (1) – 157
3. West Virginia – 137
4. Arizona State – 128
T5. Kansas – 112
T5. Oklahoma State – 112
7. Kansas State – 87
8. Cincinnati – 85
9. Texas Tech – 78
10. UCF – 66
11. Baylor – 54
12. Houston – 42
13. BYU – 29
14. Utah – 18
Sanders is one of five infielders, regardless of position, named to the preseason team, as selected in a vote by the league's head coaches.
In his first season with the Bears, Sanders hit .335 with eight home runs and 25 RBIs on his way to All-Big 12 Honorable Mention honors in 2025. He racked up 55 total hits, including nine doubles and one triple, slugging .549 on the year. Sanders also stole eight bases and recorded 16 multi-hit games, including five three-hit and a four-hit performance. During conference play, Sanders batted .318, hit five home runs and drove in 17 runs.
After playing in 47 games with 41 starts at second base and two at third base, Sanders is slotted to slide over to shortstop for the Bears in 2026. He fielded at a .948 clip with 10 errors a year ago. Last season, Sanders broke out in April after hitting a walk-off home run against HCU on the first day of the month, then tore it up in a weekend series at Texas Tech with eight knocks and five RBIs. He also homered twice against Utah on April 19 and again against the Huskies on April 23 to finish the month with a .431 average (28-for-65) and .754 slugging percentage (four doubles, one triple, five home runs).
This is Sanders' fourth All-Big 12 honor of the preseason, as already The Diamond Report, Just Baseball, and Perfect Game have tabbed him as the league's top shortstop ahead of the 2026 campaign. His selection by the Big 12 head coaches marks the second Preseason All-Big 12 honoree of the Thompson era, joining Wesley Jordan's 2025 selection as a designated hitter.
TCU leads the Big 12 with four of the 19 student-athletes on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team. Arizona State and Kansas received three selections, Arizona, Cincinnati and Texas Tech each had two members, while Baylor, UCF and West Virginia were each represented by one player.
The league's preseason favorite, TCU took home three of the four individual awards, as Sawyer Strosnider was named the Big 12 Preseason Player of the Year, Tommy LaPour was tabbed the Big 12 Preseason Pitcher of the Year and Lucas Franco collected Big 12 Preseason Freshman of the Year honors. ASU's Dean Toigo was voted as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Year to round out the awards.
TCU was followed by Arizona and West Virginia in the league's preseason poll. Arizona State was picked to finish fourth, ahead of Kansas and Oklahoma State who tied for fifth. Kansas State, Cincinnati, Texas Tech and UCF rounded out the top 10, while Baylor was predicted to finish 11th. Houston, BYU and Utah closed out the poll.
BU opens its 2026 campaign with a four-game homestand, highlighted by a three-game series against New Mexico State on Feb. 13-15. Opening Day at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark is set for 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, against the Aggies. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased here.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
2026 PRESEASON ALL-BIG 12 TEAM
C – Jack Natili, Cincinnati
IF – Landon Hairston, Arizona State
IF – Austen Roellig, Arizona State
IF – Travis Sanders, Baylor
IF – Brady Ballinger, Kansas*
IF – Robin Villeneuve, Texas Tech
OF – Andrew Williamson, UCF
OF – Chase Brunson, TCU
OF – Sawyer Strosnider, TCU*
OF – Logan Hughes, Texas Tech
DH – Dariel Osoria, Kansas
UTL – Noah Franco, TCU
SP – Owen Kramkowski, Arizona
SP – Nathan Taylor, Arizona
SP – Dominic Voegele, Kansas
SP – Tommy LaPour, TCU*
RP – Tony Pluta, Arizona
RP – Cole Carlon, Arizona State
RP – Chase Meyer, West Virginia
PRESEASON PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Sawyer Strosnider, TCU
PRESEASON PITCHER OF THE YEAR
Tommy LaPour, TCU
PRESEASON NEWCOMER OF THE YEAR
Dean Toigo, Arizona State
PRESEASON FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Lucas Franco, TCU
*Unanimous selection
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own players
2026 BIG 12 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. TCU (13) – 169
2. Arizona (1) – 157
3. West Virginia – 137
4. Arizona State – 128
T5. Kansas – 112
T5. Oklahoma State – 112
7. Kansas State – 87
8. Cincinnati – 85
9. Texas Tech – 78
10. UCF – 66
11. Baylor – 54
12. Houston – 42
13. BYU – 29
14. Utah – 18
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