Kansas State University Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Baseball Coach
- Phone:
- (785) 370-9416
Born: September 2, 1988 in Seattle, Wash.
High School: St. Christopher’s School, Richmond, Va.
College: Virginia Tech, Bachelor of Science in Sociology, 2017
Family: Wife: Christine; Children: Grace, Carter, Walker
Playing Career
Virginia Tech, 2007-10
Third-round selection (No. 90 overall) of Houston Astros in 2010 MLB Draft
Houston Astros and Miami Marlins organizations (2010-15)
Coaching Career
K-State, Associate Head Coach, 2024-pres.
K-State, Assistant Coach, 2019-2023
Austin Wates, who has established himself as one of the best offensive minds in college baseball and a tireless recruiter, was elevated to the Associate Head Coach on August 29, 2023.
Wates was hired by head coach Pete Hughes as assistant baseball coach on June 22, 2018. In his role, Wates’ primary focus is on the Wildcat hitters, outfielders, and baserunners in addition to recruiting responsibilities.
In six seasons under the guidance of Wates, K-State's offense has turned in four of the top five seasons in terms of total home runs in program history, including a single-season record 89 in 2021. The 89 bombs ranked 11th in the nation and shattered the previous record of 75 set in 1997.
Eight position players have been taken in the MLB Draft since Wates joined the coaching staff, including All-American Kaelen Culpepper, who went on to become the second first-rounder in school history. A three-time All-Big 12 honoree, Culpepper was selected 21st overall by the Minnesota Twins in the 2024 MLB Draft.
In his first season as the Wildcats associate head coach, Wates orchestrated an offense that finished in the Top 25 nationally in total stolen bases (137), stolen bases per game (2.25), triples (18), and walks (321). K-State’s 137 stolen bases finished ninth in the nation, while it was second in the single-season school records.
Culpepper, the Wildcats top slugger from last season, capped his collegiate career leading K-State in hits (80), batting average (.328), slugging percentage (.574), home runs (11), and triples (6).In the regional opener, Culpepper became just the fourth player in K-State history to hit for the cycle, joining Ross Kivett (2014), Heath Schesser (1997), and Craig Wilson (1992). The junior from Memphis, Tenn., tripled in the second, singled in the sixth, doubled in the seventh, and homered in his fifth at-bat, to complete the cycle.
In addition to Culpepper, second baseman Brady Day and centerfielder Brendan Jones were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. Day was chosen by the Philadelphia Phillies with the 312th overall pick, while Jones was selected in the 12th round (No. 361 overall) by the New York Yankees on the final day of the 2024 MLB Draft.
The emergence of Day and Jones also highlighted the 2024 season, as they were just two of three players to play and start in all 61 games. Day, who produced a team-best and career-high 18-game hitting streak, was named to the 2024 Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List. Jones was named a 2024 ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove Finalist, as the junior turned in a .994 fielding percentage with 156 putouts and just one error on the year. The duo finished first and eighth in the Big 12 in total walks with Jones’ conference-leading 55 walks tied the single-season program record.
In his fifth season with the Cats, Wates helped K-State turn in in a 35-24 mark, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013, including a program record 14 road victories. Wates' offense generated top 10 performances in five K-State offensive categories: home runs (77 – 3rd), stolen bases (114 – 5th), walks (340 – 3rd), sacrifice flies (34 – T-4th), and runs batted in (379 – 9th).The 2023 team was one of just three teams in the country that walked over 300 times, hit over 75 home runs, and stole over 100 bases. The Wildcats batted .270 as a team and averaged just under seven runs per game and hit 77 home runs.
The Wildcats 340 walks ranked 13th in the final Division I standings, including five straight weeks as the national leader from March 22 to April 24, while finishing 19th in stolen bases.
In the past three seasons, the Cats have registered the top three home run marks in school history – 89 (2021), 84 (2022), and 77 (2023). Three players had double figure home runs led by Roberto Pena, who tied second in the single-season records with 15, followed by Nick Goodwin (12) and Kaelen Culpepper (10). The Cats discipline at the plate generated 340 walks which marked the first 300-plus season since 1997.
In 2022, the Wildcats knocked out the second-most home runs in school history with 84 which ranked third in the league and 39th nationally. K-State hit 36 home runs in the final 25 games of the season while 14 different players went yard at least once on the year. Twenty-seven of K-States 84 homers were game-tying or go-ahead home runs, led by Nick Goodwin with six.
On April 2, 2022, Dylan Phillips launched two home runs against Oklahoma State to become K-State’s all-time home run leader, breaking the previous mark that stood since 1997. Phillips hit 13 home runs in his senior campaign to mark his third double-digit home run season, totaling 44 in his career. Phillips was one-of-three players last season selected in the MLB First-Year Player Draft and was picked in the eighth round of by the Los Angeles Angels.
In his fourth season with K-state, Phillips equaled the single-season record with 16 home runs while Zach Kokoska was one behind with 15, as four Wildcats reached double-digit homers. Freshman Nick Goodwin’s 10 home runs tied Phillips for the freshman single-season mark.
The long ball was a major reason K-State was able to claim series victories over No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 5 TCU on their way to picking up six top-10 wins during the 2021 season. The Cats finished with a 34-23 record, their highest win total since the 2013 Big 12 championship season.
Kokoska was one of four Wildcats chosen in the 2021 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, as the outfielder was selected by the Colorado Rockies in the 10th round.
Over 17 games in a pandemic-shortened 2020 season, K-State hit 13 home runs, led by five from Phillips. Phillips, along with Terrence Spurlin, led the club with 18 RBI. Over the final nine games, K-State averaged 8.7 runs per game while launching nine home runs with a team average of .327.
K-State won seven of its final nine games in 2020, including taking three of four games at perennial power Stanford.
In Wates’ initial campaign at K-State, the Wildcats earned their first bid to the Big 12 Baseball Championship since 2016 after an eight-place finish in the Big 12 standings (25-33, 8-16 Big 12).
Under the guidance of Wates, the K-State offense registered 54 home runs in 58 games in 2019 - its highest single-season output since 2009. Six Wildcats hit at least five home runs, led by Chris Ceballos and Phillips each with 10. Phillips’ 10 homers set a K-State record for a freshman, breaking the previous mark of seven homers set by Brian Culp (1990) and Todd Fereday (1994).
Wates’ first season also saw junior Will Brennan drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the eighth round (No. 250 overall) of the 2019 MLB Draft. Brennan was the nation’s toughest hitter to strike out in 2019 at 18.6 at-bats per strikeout. Brennan led the Big 12 in the statistical category for three straight seasons and finished his career with a .332 batting average.
Wates, who played under Hughes at Virginia Tech from 2007-10, spent the previous two seasons working for the Seattle Mariners as an area scout in South Texas. Wates has built strong relationships in the region that will have an instant impact on recruiting.
With the Mariners, Wates was responsible for identifying and evaluating prospective players at both the collegiate and high school levels in the South Texas region. In the 2018 MLB Draft, Seattle selected two players from his area, including right-handed pitcher Nolan Hoffman (5th round) from Texas A&M and Rice outfielder Cody Staab (30th round).
Wates was a third-round selection (No. 90 overall) by the Houston Astros in the 2010 First-Year Player Draft following his junior year. In three seasons for the Hokies, Wates had a career average of .367 while leading the team in steals all three seasons, totaling 49 career steals.
The 6-foot-1 utility player hit 15 home runs and drove in 129 runs in his time with VT and was a preseason all-America selection in 2010 by both Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, helping the Hokies to an NCAA Regional berth in 2010 – their first since 2000.
In six seasons in the minor leagues, Wates had a career slash line of .288/.362/.391 to go with 19 homers and 199 RBI. He quickly climbed the minor-league ladder, as he spent his last three professional seasons at the Triple-A level, both in the Astros (Oklahoma City) and Miami Marlins (New Orleans) organizations. In 2014, he was named the Pacific Coast League’s Best Baserunner after leading the league with 37 stolen bases. Wates was also named a Class-AA All-Star in 2012 while with Corpus Christi.
Additionally, Wates was the head coach for the 14U Austin Horns Baseball Club in Austin, Texas, from 2016-18.
A native of Richmond, Virginia, Wates completed his Bachelor of Science in Sociology from Virginia Tech in December of 2017. Watts and his wife, Christine, have one daughter, Grace, and two sons, Carter and Walker.
