BSB's Brady Janusek Named Freshman All-American
6/11/2026 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Janusek earns second-team praise from Perfect Game after breaking BU freshman home run record
WACO, Texas – Baylor baseball freshman outfielder Brady Janusek has been named a Second Team Freshman All-American by Perfect Game, as announced Thursday by the organization.
Janusek, who was previously named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and earned first-team Midseason Freshman All-America honors from Perfect Game, becomes the first Bear in program history to be named to PG's end-of-year Freshman All-America team. He is the 18th different Bear all-time to earn a total of 28 Freshman All-America honors across all publications, and first since 2023.
A product of Argyle, Texas, Janusek broke Baylor's rookie record for home runs in a single season by crushing 14 round-trippers, passing Max Muncy's previous program standard (11, 2010). Janusek became just the second BU freshman to start every game for the Bears during the Thompson Era and slashed .297/.375/.563 as the everyday right fielder. He racked up 68 hits, including 29 for extra bases, drove in 53 runs, scored 48 times and stole 17 bases, the most by any freshman in the Big 12 this season.
Additionally, Janusek tied Muncy's freshman RBI record (53) and matched Logan Vick's rookie extra-base hit standard (29, 2010). Janusek logged 18 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI efforts in 2026, reaching safely in 50 of 56 games this year, including each of the first 18 games to begin his collegiate career. His first-career hit came in the form of a solo home run on Feb. 14 against New Mexico State, igniting what amounted to be a record-setting season of long balls for the freshman phenom.
Janusek surpassed Muncy's freshman home run record on May 14 at Utah in the midst of a five-game span in which he went deep four times. Five of his 14 home runs this year came in a two-strike count, while four of them were go-ahead blasts. Perhaps his most memorable home run was his final one of the season, a three-run shot against BYU in the Big 12 Tournament that put the Bears in front, 9-8, in a game they'd go on to win 13-9.
For the year, Janusek's homers traveled an average of 406 feet and came off the bat at an average 105 miles per hour.
Janusek also dazzled defensively with recurring SportsCenter Top 10 home run robberies, coming in at No. 1 on the show after a leaping grab on May 8 against UCF, his second robbery of the week following a May 4 gem against Texas Tech that was featured on Scott Van Pelt's "Good Things That Happened" segment. Janusek finished the season with a .976 fielding percentage and added three outfield assists.
He also turned heads on the basepaths with 17 steals, being caught just five times in his 22 attempts. Janusek swiped second base 14 times, took third twice, and stole home against SFA on Feb. 24.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICANS
Baseball America
1996 – Jeremy Dodson, OF (Honorable Mention)
1996 – Jon Topolski, OF (Honorable Mention)
1997 – Jason Jennings, P (First Team)
2000 – Zane Carlson, P (First Team)
2010 – Logan Vick, OF (First Team)
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
2018 – Nick Loftin, SS (First Team)
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
1996 – Jeremy Dodson, OF (Honorable Mention)
1996 – Jon Topolski, OF (Honorable Mention)
1998 – Josh Scott, P (Honorable Mention)
2000 – Zane Carlson, P (First Team)
2000 – Mike Huggins, 1B (Honorable Mention)
2002 – Michael Griffin, 3B (Honorable Mention)
2003 – Ryan LaMotta, P (First Team)
2003 – Abe Woody, P (First Team)
2006 – Beamer Weems, SS
2007 – Raynor Campbell, 3B
2010 – Logan Vick, OF
2010 – Max Muncy, 1B
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C
2018 – Nick Loftin, SS
2020 – Jared McKenzie, OF
2023 – Kolby Branch, SS
D1Baseball
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
NCBWA
2010 – Max Muncy, 1B (Second Team)
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
2021 – Jared McKenzie, OF (Second Team)
Perfect Game
2026 – Brady Janusek, OF (Second Team)
Janusek, who was previously named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and earned first-team Midseason Freshman All-America honors from Perfect Game, becomes the first Bear in program history to be named to PG's end-of-year Freshman All-America team. He is the 18th different Bear all-time to earn a total of 28 Freshman All-America honors across all publications, and first since 2023.
A product of Argyle, Texas, Janusek broke Baylor's rookie record for home runs in a single season by crushing 14 round-trippers, passing Max Muncy's previous program standard (11, 2010). Janusek became just the second BU freshman to start every game for the Bears during the Thompson Era and slashed .297/.375/.563 as the everyday right fielder. He racked up 68 hits, including 29 for extra bases, drove in 53 runs, scored 48 times and stole 17 bases, the most by any freshman in the Big 12 this season.
Additionally, Janusek tied Muncy's freshman RBI record (53) and matched Logan Vick's rookie extra-base hit standard (29, 2010). Janusek logged 18 multi-hit games and 12 multi-RBI efforts in 2026, reaching safely in 50 of 56 games this year, including each of the first 18 games to begin his collegiate career. His first-career hit came in the form of a solo home run on Feb. 14 against New Mexico State, igniting what amounted to be a record-setting season of long balls for the freshman phenom.
Janusek surpassed Muncy's freshman home run record on May 14 at Utah in the midst of a five-game span in which he went deep four times. Five of his 14 home runs this year came in a two-strike count, while four of them were go-ahead blasts. Perhaps his most memorable home run was his final one of the season, a three-run shot against BYU in the Big 12 Tournament that put the Bears in front, 9-8, in a game they'd go on to win 13-9.
For the year, Janusek's homers traveled an average of 406 feet and came off the bat at an average 105 miles per hour.
Janusek also dazzled defensively with recurring SportsCenter Top 10 home run robberies, coming in at No. 1 on the show after a leaping grab on May 8 against UCF, his second robbery of the week following a May 4 gem against Texas Tech that was featured on Scott Van Pelt's "Good Things That Happened" segment. Janusek finished the season with a .976 fielding percentage and added three outfield assists.
He also turned heads on the basepaths with 17 steals, being caught just five times in his 22 attempts. Janusek swiped second base 14 times, took third twice, and stole home against SFA on Feb. 24.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
BAYLOR'S ALL-TIME FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICANS
Baseball America
1996 – Jeremy Dodson, OF (Honorable Mention)
1996 – Jon Topolski, OF (Honorable Mention)
1997 – Jason Jennings, P (First Team)
2000 – Zane Carlson, P (First Team)
2010 – Logan Vick, OF (First Team)
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
2018 – Nick Loftin, SS (First Team)
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper
1996 – Jeremy Dodson, OF (Honorable Mention)
1996 – Jon Topolski, OF (Honorable Mention)
1998 – Josh Scott, P (Honorable Mention)
2000 – Zane Carlson, P (First Team)
2000 – Mike Huggins, 1B (Honorable Mention)
2002 – Michael Griffin, 3B (Honorable Mention)
2003 – Ryan LaMotta, P (First Team)
2003 – Abe Woody, P (First Team)
2006 – Beamer Weems, SS
2007 – Raynor Campbell, 3B
2010 – Logan Vick, OF
2010 – Max Muncy, 1B
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C
2018 – Nick Loftin, SS
2020 – Jared McKenzie, OF
2023 – Kolby Branch, SS
D1Baseball
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
NCBWA
2010 – Max Muncy, 1B (Second Team)
2017 – Shea Langeliers, C (First Team)
2021 – Jared McKenzie, OF (Second Team)
Perfect Game
2026 – Brady Janusek, OF (Second Team)
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Players Mentioned
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