Kansas State Plays Host to No. 9 Texas
Apr 19, 2002 | Baseball
April 19, 2002
14/11/9 TEXAS LONGHORNS (31-10, 9-6 Big 12)
AT KANSAS STATE WILDCATS (20-16, 6-6 Big 12)
April 19-20-21, 2002
Tointon Family Stadium (2,331)
Manhattan, Kan.
Game Times: 3 p.m., 2 p.m., 1 p.m.
PROBABLE STARTING PITCHERS
April 19 * Texas * 3 p.m.
KS - Sr. RHP Ross Hawley (1-3, 4.73 ERA)
UT - Jr. LHP Brad Halsey (4-1, 2.73 ERA)
NOTE: Leads the staff in starts (10) and is tied in innings (51.1), while he is second in strikeouts (42)... Allowed 3 earned runs (7 total) on 5 hits in 4.2 innings with 4 K's and 7 walks in loss at #16 Texas A&M (4/12)... Had a complete game shutout vs. WIU (3/11).
April 20 * Texas * 2 p.m.
KS - Sr. LHP Brock Smith (2-4, 6.10 ERA)
UT - Jr. LHP Justin Simmons (10-0, 1.95 ERA)
NOTE: Broke out of his struggles with a good performance against Texas A&M... Allowed 4 runs (all earned) on 6 hits in 6.2 innings with 3 K's in 7-6 win... The win snapped a four-game losing streak.
April 21 * Texas * 1 p.m.
KS - Jr. RHP Kevin Melcher (5-2, 2.98 ERA)
UT - TBA
NOTE: Leads all starters in ERA, wins, innings pitched (51.1) and strikeouts (43)... Has allowed just seven walks in 10 appearances... Had a rough outing at Texas A&M, allowing 2 earned runs (3 total) on 6 hits with 2 K's in 6-5 loss to Aggies (4/14).
SERIES HISTORY
Texas leads 16-5 (series dates to 1985)
In Manhattan: Texas leads 3-2
In Big 12 play: Texas leads 9-5
Last K-State win: 8-4 in Austin, March 13, 1999
Last K-State home win: 5-3, March 22, 1998
Last Meeting(s): Texas swept the three-game series in Austin last season by scores of 6-1, 3-0 and 13-3.
Notes: Texas has won 8 of last 10 meetings in the series, including six in a row dating back to 1999.
COACHES
Kansas State - Mike Clark (Missouri Western, '75) is in his 16th season at K-State with a career record of 410-443 (.480). He is 703-579 (.548) in his 23rd season as a head coach. He owns a 5-12 record vs. Texas, including a 2-3 mark at home vs. the Longhorns.
Texas - Augie Garrido (Fresno State, '61) is in his 6th season at Texas with a record of 201-137-1 (.595). The winningest active coach in the NCAA, Garrido has a 1,354-661-8 (.672) mark in 34 years as a head coach at five schools. He owns a 10-5 mark against K-State, including a 3-2 record on the road.
RANKINGS
Texas is a consensus Top 15 team, ranking 9th in Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' poll, 11th in Baseball America and 14th in Collegiate Baseball... Kansas State is not ranked in any of these three polls.
LAST TIME OUT
K-State pounded out 15 hits, including five extra-base hits, in a 14-6 win over Bethany on Wednesday.Texas did not play a mid-week game... Took 2 of 3 from #24 Oklahoma in Norman over the weekend.
TELEVISION
Tape Delayed on Metro Sports on Saturday - Ben Boyle/Matt Walters call the action... Will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 21 at 12 p.m. and Tuesday, April 23 at 7 p.m. in the Kansas City area.
RADIO/INTERNET
Live on KMAN-1350 AM on Friday - Matt Walters/ Brian Smoller call the action. Live on WIBW-580 AM on Saturday and tape delayed on Sunday - Bruce Steinbrock/Eric Peterson call the action... Live stats can be obtained at www.kstatesports.com.
K-STATE RETURNS HOME TO FACE TEXAS IN BIG 12 SERIES
Kansas State (20-16, 6-6 Big 12) continues its brutal trek through the rugged Big 12 Conference this weekend, as the Wildcats host perenniel power and No. 9 Texas (31-10, 9-6 Big 12) for a three-game series at Frank Myers Field at Tointon Family Stadium.
It will be Kansas State's ninth ranked foe in the last 12 series and fifth straight ranked opponent to start conference play. Of the Wildcats' last 19 games, 14 have been against teams ranked in one of three major polls.
Kansas State, which has split its last 12 games, is coming off an impressive all-around performance in the 14-6 victory over Bethany College, a NAIA school from Lindsborg, Kan, on Wednesday. The Wildcats used 15 hits, including five extra-base hits, to plate 14 runs, while the pitching staff allowed just one run on two hits through seven innings before allowing five runs on three hits in the last two innings.
K-State scored four runs in the first, five in the fourth and one in the fifth for a convincing 10-1 lead then extended it to 14-1 on junior catcher Ryan Baldwin's first career grand slam in the seventh. In all, four Wildcats had multiple-hit games led by 1B Brett Williams, who collected his second four-hit game of the season with three RBIs and three runs scored. OF Gabe Luttrell earned his first triple of the season to highlight a 2-for-5 day with three runs scored and two RBIs.
DEDICATING THE NEW TOINTON FAMILY STADIUM
Kansas State will dedicate its newly-renovated home - Frank Myers Field at Tointon Family Stadium - before Saturday's game with Texas. The day will start of with an open house to tour all parts of the new stadium from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. Members of the baseball team and coaching staff will be on-hand to serve as tour guides and sign autographs. There is a VIP reception in the Legends Room of Bramlage Coliseum for invited guests. The day will be capped with the official dedication ceremony 15 minutes prior to first pitch. The principle benefactors, Bob and Betty Tointon, will be on-hand as well as K-State President Dr. Jon Wefald, Athletics Director Tim Weiser and former Athletics Director Max Urick. Both Dr. Wefald and Mr. Tointon will throw out the first pitch prior to start of the game with the Longhorns.
PREVIEWING TEXAS
Texas (31-10, 9-6 Big 12) has been ranked in all three major polls for most of the season and currently sits at No. 9 in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Top 25 Coaches' poll, No. 11 in Baseball America and No. 14 in Collegiate Baseball. The Longhorns are the highest ranked team of the five Big 12 squads ranked in all three polls, including Baylor, Texas A&M, Nebraska and Oklahoma State. Ironically, K-State has played or will play all five of these teams in its first six conference series.
Texas enters the weekend well-rested after taking the week off. UT cancelled its mid-week game with UT-Pan American in accordance with the NCAA-maximum 56-game limit. The Longhorns are coming off a doubleheader sweep of No. 24 Oklahoma last weekend in Norman, Okla. The team lost the first game, 6-5.
Texas has won 15 of its last 19 contests, including five of its last six, since losing two of three at Texas Tech on March 8-10. Of the Longhorns' four losses in that span, two came at the hands of then-top-ranked Stanford in Palo Alto, Calif.
Texas has played five conference series so far this season and stand in a tie with archrival Texas A&M for second place in the Big 12 at 9-6. The 'Horns lost the series to Baylor and Texas Tech, swept Missouri and won two of three against Kansas and Oklahoma.
WHO TO WATCH FOR TEXAS
Texas might have the best combination of hitting and pitching in the Big 12 Conference this season, ranking first in team ERA with 2.56 average and fourth in team batting average with a .314 average.
The Longhorns have scored 320 runs (7.8/game) on the season on 445 hits (10.9/game), including 152 extra-base hits (3.7/game), in 41 games this season. The team has 65 stolen bases in 78 attempts.
SS Omar Quintanilla leads the nine Longhorns hitting over .300 with a .381 batting average in 20 games. 2B Tim Moss, who along with teammate Justin Simmons was named a Mid-Season All-American by Baseball America earlier this week, boasts a .378 average and leads the team in runs scored (47), hits (62) and stolen bases (26). C Ryan Hubele paces the team in RBIs (37) and doubles (14), while 1B Jeff Ontiveros leads the team with 10 home runs.
The pitching staff has a paltry 2.53 ERA in 366.1 innings pitched this season with a 3:1 strikeout-walk ratio (307/103). Opposing batters are hitting just .224.LHP Justin Simmons leads the staff with a 10-0 record and 1.95 ERA in 73.2 innings pitched with three complete games this season. LHP Brad Halsey paces the staff with 57 strikeouts to go with his 4-1 record and 2.73 ERA, while RHP Alan Bomer, a transfer from Iowa State, is second with 45 strikeouts to go along with a 5-2 record and 4.08 ERA.
SERIES VERSUS TEXAS
In a series that began in 1985, Texas has a commanding 16-5 advantage in the all-time meetings with Kansas State. The Longhorns won the first eight games in the series before the Wildcats ran off three in a row beginning with their inaugural win in a 5-4 victory on March 22, 1997 in Austin, Texas. Beginning with that three-game winning streak, K-State won five of the next seven meetings with Texas. However, the Longhorns have rebounded to win the last six in a row.
The two teams first met in a four-game series in Austin on March 8-9, 1985 with the Longhorns sweeping the series en route to a runner-up finish at the College World Series.
Texas holds a slight 3-2 edge in games played in Manhattan. In their last visit, the Longhorns swept an abbreviated series in the Little Apple on March 17-19, 2000, winning a pair of run-ruled games, 14-2 and 15-3.
SERIES HISTORY
3/8/85Texas4-1Austin, Texas
3/8/85Texas14-5Austin, Texas
3/9/85Texas9-1Austin, Texas
3/9/85Texas11-0Austin, Texas
3/14/87Texas14-3Austin, Texas
3/15/87Texas11-1Austin, Texas
3/15/87Texas11-8Austin, Texas
3/21/97Texas11-6Austin, Texas
3/22/97Kansas State5-4Austin, Texas
3/23/97Kansas State14-11Austin, Texas
3/20/98Kansas State11-10Manhattan, Kan.
3/21/98Texas10-6Manhattan, Kan.
3/22/98Kansas State5-3Manhattan, Kan.
3/13/99Texas8-1Austin, Texas
3/13/99Kansas State8-4Austin, Texas
3/14/99Texas12-2Austin, Texas
3/17/00Texas14-2Manhattan, Kan.
3/19/00Texas15-3Manhattan, Kan.
2/23/01Texas6-1Austin, Texas
2/24/01Texas3-0Austin, Texas
2/25/01Texas13-3Austin, Texas
WILDCAT PLAYERS VERSUS TEXAS
This will be the first appearance for many Wildcat players against Texas, as just four Wildcats - Nick Sorensen, Pat Maloney, Osmar Castillo and Ty Soto - have seen action against the Longhorns. Sorensen was the most successful last year, going 4-for-8 (.500) in the three-game series with a home run, two runs and two RBIs. In fact, he missed hitting for the cycle by just a double in Sunday's finale. Two of the Wildcats' weekend starters, Brock Smith and Kevin Melcher, faced the 'Horns last year, combining to give up four runs on three hits with three walks and no strikeouts in 0.2 innings.
PAT THE BAT
After a stellar sophomore season, in which, he was named first team All-Big 12 by the league coaches, OF Pat Maloney has continued where we left off in 2001. The Overland Park, Kan., native, continues to lead the Big 12 Conference in hitting for the fifth consecutive week with a .410 average in 36 games this season. He also ranks among the conference's Top 10 in nine offensive categories, including ranking in the top 5 in hits (59), home runs (9), RBIs (39), total bases (100), on-base percentage (.486) and slugging percentage (.694). He is one of two league players to tally 100 total bases this season.
Maloney leads the team in nearly every offensive category (16 in all), including games played and started (36), at-bats (144), multiple-hit games (18) and multiple-RBI games. Already this season, he has had a 10-game, an eight-game and a seven-game hitting streak. He has had a hit in 30 of the Wildcats' 36 games. Last season, he tallied the third longest hitting streak in school history at 20 games.
Even in the midst of just of his junior season, he is within striking distance of the K-State career top 10 in nearly every offensive category. His .368 career batting average would rank sixth all-time, while his 24 career home runs ties him with Cary Colbert (1982-84) for seventh all-time.
FOUR WILDCATS IN TOP 20 IN BIG 12 HITTING
For just the second time this season, four Wildcats - Pat Maloney, Tim Doty, Ty Soto and Osmar Castillo rank among the top 20 in hitting in the Big 12 Conference.It marks the fifth straight week that the trio of Maloney, Doty and Soto rank among the Big 12's top 20 in hitting.
Kansas State is lone league school to have four player rank among the top 20 in hitting.Maloney leads the conference for the fifth straight week, while Castillo places 11th, Soto 15th and Doty 17th. Aside from Maloney ranking in the top 10 in eight categories, Doty ranks 10th in on-base percentage (.486).
As a team, K-State ties Baylor for second in Big 12 in team batting with a .318 average, while the pitching staff places eighth among the league schools with a 5.04 team ERA.
OKAY IT'S .500 BUT IT'S STILL IMPRESSIVE
Kansas State's 6-6 record in Big 12 Conference play may not seem impressive, but once you look at history and strength of schedule, you might change your mind. The Wildcats have been above .500 just twice in the six-year history of the Big 12 with both coming this season (4-3 after the first Texas Tech win and 5-4 after the second win over the Red Raiders) and have been at .500 just twice as well (3-3 after the season series win over Nebraska and now).
The 6-6 start is also the best after four conference series since the start of the Big 12 in 1997 (the Wildcats were 5-6 in 1997 with one rainout). This year, Kansas State won a game in its opening league series - Oklahoma State - for the first time since the 1996 season. However, it helped that for the first time since the start of the Big 12, Kansas State was the (1) last team to start (March 22) and had its (2) first two league series at home. The previous four years, the Wildcats have started on the road (2001 at Texas, 2000 at Texas A&M, 1999 at Baylor, 1998 at Missouri). In fact, in 1999 and 2000, the team started the Big 12 season with back-to-back road series (1999 at Baylor and Texas and 2000 at Texas A&M and Oklahoma).
Kansas State has never made the eight-team Big 12 Tournament and has not been to the postseason since the last Big Eight Conference Tournaments in 1996. In both 1999 and 2001, the team lost the eighth and final spot on the last weekend of the regular season.
CONFERENCE RECORD AFTER 4 BIG 12 SERIES
20026-6O-State, Nebraska, @Texas Tech, @Texas A&M
20013-9@Texas, Iowa State, @Nebraska, Texas Tech
20001-10*@Texas A&M, @Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas
19995-7@Baylor, @Texas, Oklahoma, Iowa State
19983-7*@Missouri, Texas, @Texas A&M, Nebraska
19975-6*Missouri, @O-State, Nebraska, @Texas
*Includes Rainouts
CONFERENCE RECORD AFTER OPENING BIG 12 SERIES
20021-2vs. Oklahoma State
20010-3at Texas
20000-3at Texas A&M
19990-3at Baylor
19980-3at Missouri
19970-3vs. Missouri
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
RHP Kevin Melcher has quietly become the ace of the pitching staff in 2002, as he leads the team in wins (five), innings pitched (51.1), strikeouts (43) and least number of batters walked (7). The team's usual No. 3 starter has been one of the main reasons for the Wildcats' improved play in 2002. The junior, who transferred from TCU last season, had his four-game winning streak on Sunday in the Wildcats' 6-5 loss at Texas A&M. Before the loss, he had picked up wins against No. 28 Texas Tech and No. 8 Nebraska and helped the team in their victory over No. 20 Oklahoma State.With 20 games left in the season, Melcher has already surpassed most of his totals from the 2001 season. Last season, he had a 3-3 record and 5.02 ERA in 13 appearances and 10 starts with 19 walks and 26 strikeouts. This season, he has a 5-2 record and 2.98 ERA in 10 appearances and eight starts with seven walks and 43 strikeouts. In conference play, Melcher has improved his win total by just one, but has cut his ERA from 5.17 in 2001 to 2.78 in 2002 and has just five walks this season compared to 15 last year.
A TOUGH STRETCH
Kansas State continue through one of the roughest portions of the schedule with their series against nationally-ranked Texas. Eight of the team's last 12 opponents have been ranked in the Top 25. However, there has been some success for the Wildcats. Five of the Wildcats' last nine wins have come against ranked foes (No. 20 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Nebraska, No. 28 Texas Tech, No. 16 Texas A&M), while 10 of their last 11 losses have been to teams ranked in either of three major polls (Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Rutgers, OSU, Nebraska, Wichita State, Texas Tech, Texas A&M). It doesn't get any easier with No. 15 Baylor filling out the month of April.
WILL (IAMS) TO WIN
Although he saw his nine-game hitting streak end at Texas A&M last Friday, 1B Brett Williams again proved his offensive might on Wednesday against Bethany. He paced the team with his second four-hit game of the season with three runs scored and three RBIs. Williams hit an impressive .552 (16-for-29) at the plate during his nine-game hitting streak with six runs scored and three RBIs during his streak. The average is even more impressive once you consider he has spent most of that period hitting in the seventh, eighth and ninth slots of lineup. He went 8-for-14 (.571) with a pair of runs scored in the series against Texas Tech, including a key 4-for-6 evening with two runs scored and a walk in the 15-inning Wildcat win. The Wildcats' second-leading hitter at .390 (32-for-82) (and among the top 5 in the Big 12, but hasn't had enough at-bats to be placed) with 16 runs scored and 15 RBIs, is the conference's fourth-best hitter in conference-only games with a .413 (19-for-46) average in 12 games.
SMARTY PANTS
Kansas State has two strong candidates for Academic All-American distinction this season with the emergence of RHP Kevin Melcher and DH Tim Doty. Both players have been significant factors in the Wildcats' success this season and also post GPA of above 3.6. Melcher leads the pitching staff in a number of categories, including wins (five), innings pitched (51.1) and strikeouts (43). He has walked just six batters this year.
After an injury-plagued career, Doty has broken out in 2002 as the Wildcats' principle designated hitter. He ranks fifth on the team and 17th in the Big 12 Conference with a .339 batting average. He is one of three players to see action in all 36 games this season. He is second on the team in home runs (five) and third in RBIs (26). He has seven multiple-RBI games and 12 multiple-hit games this season.Melcher has a 3.889 GPA in Geography and Environmental Sciences, while Doty has a 3.552 GPA in accounting.
DEVIL(S) OF A PICK-UP
Kansas State got some much needed pitching help before the start of the spring semester, as LHPs Franco Pezely and Jonathan Gutierrez transferred from Arizona State. One of the biggest reasons for the improved bullpen, Pezely holds a 4-2 record and 2.79 ERA, along two saves, in a team-tying 13 appearances this year, while Gutierrez has a 3-0 mark and 3.86 ERA in nine appearances and five starts.
Pezely was the hard-luck loser on Wednesday against Sterling, as the K-State defense let him down in the late innings. He allowed just one earned run (two total) on two hits with two strikeouts in three innings of relief. He came into the game on the week fresh off an impressive relief performance against Texas Tech on Sunday, in which, he allowed no runs or hits with a strikeout in three innings for his second save. In Big 12 play, Pezely has a 2-0 record (both wins against No.8 Nebraska and No. 20 Oklahoma State) and a 3.12 ERA in four appearances with a save.
Gutierrez has become a strong mid-week starter, pitching five strong innings against Bethany on Wednesday. He tied a season-high with six strikeouts in five innings against the Swedes with one earned run on two hits. He also pitched five impressive innings against No. 8 Wichita State last week with three strikeouts.
WALTER NAMED BIG 12 CO-PITCHER OF THE WEEK
LHP Mitch Walter was selected as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball co-Pitcher of the week, along with Texas junior RHP Jesen Merle, on April 8 after his impressive performance from the mound in helping Kansas State to its first series win over No. 28 Texas Tech on April 5.
A native of Graton, Calif., Walter pitched eight shutout innings of relief of starter Ross Hawley in the Wildcats' history-making 15-inning 7-5 win over No. 28 Texas Tech on Friday in Lubbock, Texas. Walter allowed just two hits with a season-high seven strikeouts and two walks in the longest outing of the season. His previous longest outing of the year had been 3-1/3 innings of relief against Florida Atlantic on March 16, which also represented his previous season-high in strikeouts (four). In a game with nearly 500 pitches, he threw an amazing 112, including 74 strikes.
Walter currently leads the team in both earned run average (2.45) and appearances (13). He picked up his team-leading fourth save of the season on Saturday in the Wildcats' 7-6 victory over Texas A&M, the program's first win in College Station in more than 10 years (1991). He has posted a 3-2 record this season in 29.1 innings pitched with 28 strikeouts and 10 walks. Opposing batters are hitting just .216 against him.
ONE HECK OF A BALLGAME
Kansas State made history in a number of ways in 15-inning 7-5 victory over Texas Tech on April 5.
The 15-inning affair lasted a school-record four hours and 45 minutes and finished at 11:50 p.m.
It tied for the longest game in school history, matching the 15-inning contest thrown against Creighton at home on March 23, 1986.
The win represented the 700th in the career of head coach Mike Clark in 23 seasons at Kansas State and Northeast Oklahoma A&M.
The win was the first against Texas Tech in Lubbock after seven tries.
The win was just the third in 14 meetings against the Red Raiders.
The win put K-State above .500 for the first time ever in Big 12 play.
There was nearly 500 pitches thrown in the game. Texas Tech threw 258 pitches, while Kansas State tossed 232 on the evening.
Of the 33 combined hits, only two were for extra bases (both for Texas Tech). All 22 hits for Kansas State were singles.
The Wildcats stranded 16 runners and struck out 20 times.
Kansas State set seven (7) team season-highs for at-bats (62), strikeouts (20), sacrifice hits (three), runners LOB (16), putouts (45), assists (18), innings pitched (15), while Wildcat players set highs for individuals in at-bats (eight by Doty and Taylor), strikeouts (four by Pat Maloney), fielding (20 by Brett Williams), assists (6 by Taylor).
Mitch Walter allowed just two hits with a career-best seven strikeouts in eight innings of relief to earn Big 12 co-Pitcher of the Week.
Texas Tech tied it at 5-all in the bottom of the eighth on two-run shot by SS Gera Alvarez. K-State finally broke through in the top of 15th on back-to-back singles by Brett Williams and pinch-hitter turned catcher Ryan Baldwin. After a strikeout and an intentional walk to SS Osmar Castillo, Brandon Taylor hit a ball off the glove of pitcher Steve Rowe that bounced through the legs of second baseman, allowing Williams to score the winning run.
