Tyce Armstrong Leads BSB's Six All-Big 12 Honors
5/19/2026 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
Armstrong named Newcomer of the Year, first-team infielder while Sanders, Bunch, Janusek and Davenport also earn conference praise
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Baylor baseball redshirt senior first baseman Tyce Armstrong has been named the 2026 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and has earned a spot on the All-Big 12 First Team to lead BU's six conference honors as announced by the league office on Tuesday.
Redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders and fifth-year senior right-handed reliever Caleb Bunch secured spots on the All-Big 12 Second Team, while freshman right fielder Brady Janusek was tabbed to the All-Freshman Team. Redshirt junior right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Davenport rounded out the Bears' selections as an honorable mention pick.
In his first and only year with the Bears after transferring from UT Arlington, Armstrong became BU's single-season home run king after breaking the program record with 24 homers on the season. The redshirt senior slugger batted .338 on the year with a .770 slugging percentage behind 69 hits, 39 of which went for extra bases. Armstrong posted a 1.218 OPS, the highest among Big 12 infielders, and ranked fourth overall in the league with 24 home runs. His 64 RBIs on the season slot him 10th all-time in Baylor's single-season record book.
Armstrong is Baylor's third Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in program history and first since Montana Parsons won the award in 2017. He is the third All-Big 12 First Team selection under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, joining Gabe Craig and Tyriq Kemp's 2025 recognitions.
A dynamic leadoff man from nearby Copperas Cove, Texas, Sanders picks up his second-career All-Big 12 honor after being named to the league's honorable mention a year ago. In 2026, Sanders paced the Bears with 80 hits, the most by a BU player since 2021 and third-most in the Big 12 this season, and a .376 average that included 14 doubles, three triples and a career-high nine home runs. Sanders drove in 41 runs primarily out of the leadoff spot and scored 46 of his own. He also stole 24 bases, the most by any Baylor player since Brooks Pinckard swiped 36 in 2011 and fourth-most in the conference this year.
Making the move from second base over to shortstop was no problem for Sanders, who finished the regular season with just six errors and a stellar .972 fielding percentage. No primary shortstop (min. 45 games) has posted a fielding percentage above .966 for the Bears in the modern era (since 2003) or made less than eight errors at the position. This marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons, excluding the shortened 2020 season in which All-Big 12 awards were not presented, that BU's shortstop has earned all-conference recognition.
Bunch, Baylor's fifth-year senior closer, posted a 3.26 ERA and collected seven saves in the best season of his career. The native of Keller, Texas, finished 13 games and tied for the team lead with five wins, the second-most by any primary reliever in the Big 12 this year. He tossed two or more innings in 10 of his 21 appearances this year, leading BU with 38.2 innings of relief work. Bunch logged 14 scoreless outings in 2026, including a nine-game stretch from March 15 to April 17, and racked up multiple strikeouts in 11 appearances this season. His seven saves are tied for the third-most by a Bear since 2019.
This marks the third-consecutive season that a Baylor relief pitcher has earned all-conference praise, as Bunch joins Craig (2025) and Ethan Calder (2024) as all-league relievers.
Freshman standout Janusek broke Baylor's rookie record for home runs in a single season by crushing 13 round-trippers, breaking the standard previously held by Max Muncy (11, 2010). Janusek became just the second Baylor freshman to start every regular-season game for BU during the Thompson Era, slashing .291/.369/.550 for the season as the everyday right fielder. Janusek racked up 64 hits, including 27 for extra bases, drove in 48 runs, scored 45, and stole 17 bases, the most by any freshman in the league this year. He is BU's third All-Freshman Team selection since 2019 and second-consecutive, following Pearson Riebock's 2025 distinction.
In 12 starts as the team's Friday guy, Davenport racked up five wins and led BU to a 9-5 record in series openers this season with a 5.61 ERA and impressive 68-to-14 strikeout to walk ratio. He threw 61 innings on the regular season, highlighted by a complete-game effort against Texas Tech on May 2. Davenport fanned at least five batters in nine of his 12 starts this season and reached double figures twice, including a career-high 12 K's on April 2 against BYU. This is Davenport's first-career All-Big 12 honor, becoming the first starting pitcher under Thompson to earn all-league recognition.
With this year's honors, Baylor baseball continues its streak of having at least one All-Big 12 representative in each year since the league's inception and has had at least one all-conference member in every season dating back to 1995.
The eighth-seeded Bears open up their run at the 2026 Big 12 Tournament presented by Allstate on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 9-seed BYU and No. 12-seed Texas Tech. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ from Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
2026 ALL-BIG 12 AWARDS
Newcomer of the Year
Tyce Armstrong, 1B
First Team
Tyce Armstrong, INF
Second Team
Travis Sanders, INF
Caleb Bunch, RP
Honorable Mention
Lucas Davenport, SP
All-Freshman Team
Brady Janusek, OF
Redshirt junior shortstop Travis Sanders and fifth-year senior right-handed reliever Caleb Bunch secured spots on the All-Big 12 Second Team, while freshman right fielder Brady Janusek was tabbed to the All-Freshman Team. Redshirt junior right-handed starting pitcher Lucas Davenport rounded out the Bears' selections as an honorable mention pick.
In his first and only year with the Bears after transferring from UT Arlington, Armstrong became BU's single-season home run king after breaking the program record with 24 homers on the season. The redshirt senior slugger batted .338 on the year with a .770 slugging percentage behind 69 hits, 39 of which went for extra bases. Armstrong posted a 1.218 OPS, the highest among Big 12 infielders, and ranked fourth overall in the league with 24 home runs. His 64 RBIs on the season slot him 10th all-time in Baylor's single-season record book.
Armstrong is Baylor's third Big 12 Newcomer of the Year in program history and first since Montana Parsons won the award in 2017. He is the third All-Big 12 First Team selection under fourth-year head coach Mitch Thompson, joining Gabe Craig and Tyriq Kemp's 2025 recognitions.
A dynamic leadoff man from nearby Copperas Cove, Texas, Sanders picks up his second-career All-Big 12 honor after being named to the league's honorable mention a year ago. In 2026, Sanders paced the Bears with 80 hits, the most by a BU player since 2021 and third-most in the Big 12 this season, and a .376 average that included 14 doubles, three triples and a career-high nine home runs. Sanders drove in 41 runs primarily out of the leadoff spot and scored 46 of his own. He also stole 24 bases, the most by any Baylor player since Brooks Pinckard swiped 36 in 2011 and fourth-most in the conference this year.
Making the move from second base over to shortstop was no problem for Sanders, who finished the regular season with just six errors and a stellar .972 fielding percentage. No primary shortstop (min. 45 games) has posted a fielding percentage above .966 for the Bears in the modern era (since 2003) or made less than eight errors at the position. This marks the eighth time in the last nine seasons, excluding the shortened 2020 season in which All-Big 12 awards were not presented, that BU's shortstop has earned all-conference recognition.
Bunch, Baylor's fifth-year senior closer, posted a 3.26 ERA and collected seven saves in the best season of his career. The native of Keller, Texas, finished 13 games and tied for the team lead with five wins, the second-most by any primary reliever in the Big 12 this year. He tossed two or more innings in 10 of his 21 appearances this year, leading BU with 38.2 innings of relief work. Bunch logged 14 scoreless outings in 2026, including a nine-game stretch from March 15 to April 17, and racked up multiple strikeouts in 11 appearances this season. His seven saves are tied for the third-most by a Bear since 2019.
This marks the third-consecutive season that a Baylor relief pitcher has earned all-conference praise, as Bunch joins Craig (2025) and Ethan Calder (2024) as all-league relievers.
Freshman standout Janusek broke Baylor's rookie record for home runs in a single season by crushing 13 round-trippers, breaking the standard previously held by Max Muncy (11, 2010). Janusek became just the second Baylor freshman to start every regular-season game for BU during the Thompson Era, slashing .291/.369/.550 for the season as the everyday right fielder. Janusek racked up 64 hits, including 27 for extra bases, drove in 48 runs, scored 45, and stole 17 bases, the most by any freshman in the league this year. He is BU's third All-Freshman Team selection since 2019 and second-consecutive, following Pearson Riebock's 2025 distinction.
In 12 starts as the team's Friday guy, Davenport racked up five wins and led BU to a 9-5 record in series openers this season with a 5.61 ERA and impressive 68-to-14 strikeout to walk ratio. He threw 61 innings on the regular season, highlighted by a complete-game effort against Texas Tech on May 2. Davenport fanned at least five batters in nine of his 12 starts this season and reached double figures twice, including a career-high 12 K's on April 2 against BYU. This is Davenport's first-career All-Big 12 honor, becoming the first starting pitcher under Thompson to earn all-league recognition.
With this year's honors, Baylor baseball continues its streak of having at least one All-Big 12 representative in each year since the league's inception and has had at least one all-conference member in every season dating back to 1995.
The eighth-seeded Bears open up their run at the 2026 Big 12 Tournament presented by Allstate on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. against the winner of No. 9-seed BYU and No. 12-seed Texas Tech. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ from Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Ariz.
To stay up to date on all things Baylor baseball, follow the team on its official Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts: @BaylorBaseball.
2026 ALL-BIG 12 AWARDS
Newcomer of the Year
Tyce Armstrong, 1B
First Team
Tyce Armstrong, INF
Second Team
Travis Sanders, INF
Caleb Bunch, RP
Honorable Mention
Lucas Davenport, SP
All-Freshman Team
Brady Janusek, OF
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