Baseball opens Big 12 play on the road against Missouri
Mar 25, 2004 | Baseball
No. 35 Kansas State (17-6) at
No. 26 Missouri (19-4-1)
March 26, 6:30 p.m., Taylor Stadium, Columbia, Mo.
March 27, 2 p.m., Taylor Stadium, Columbia, Mo.
March 28, 1 p.m., Taylor Stadium, Columbia, Mo.
Quick Facts
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: All three games with Missouri will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1350 KMAN and online at k-statesports.com. Matt Walters and Kenny Lannou will call all of the action.
INTERNET: Live stats of all three games will be available at k-statesports.com.
SERIES: The Tigers lead the all-time series with the Wildcats, 149-94-1. K-State is 39-68-1 all-time against Missouri on the road and 10-15 in Big 12 games. In 2002, the Wildcats swept a two-game series with the Tigers in Columbia, Mo., while Mizzou traveled to Manhattan last season and swept K-State in three games. K-Sate has won six of the past nine meetings.
RANKINGS: Kansas State heads into the weekend ranked 35th in the NCBWA poll, while Missouri is ranked 26th in the same poll.
COACHES: K-State’s Brad Hill is 17-6 in his first season in Manhattan after compiling a 418-91 record in nine seasons at Central Missouri, while Missouri’s Tim Jamieson is 305-220-1 in his 10th season.
Shorthops
Kansas State checked in at No. 35 in this week’s NCBWA national poll... The Wildcats have won three games in a row and 14 out of its last 16... The winning streak of 11 was the longest since 1912 when the Cats won 14 in a row... The Wildcats have outscored their opponent, 31-18, in the first inning and 13-7 in the second inning this season and are 12-3 when scoring first... K-State is 11-0 when its starting pitcher goes seven-plus innings and 16-0 when leading after seven innings... The Cats are 2-3 against ranked teams this season... K-State is 1-21 all-time in Big 12 series openers and are 0-15 when beginning Big 12 play on the road... Josh Dent and Steve Murphy both enter the weekend on five-game hitting streaks.
Noteworthy
About the Opponent
u Missouri heads into the weekend with a 19-4-1 record and is ranked 26th in this week’s NCBWA poll. The Tigers are led offensively by James Boone (.382), Cody Ehlers (.364), and Lee Laskowski (.360). The Tigers are hitting .303 as a team and have four players with five or more homers. On the mound, Mizzou is led by Erik Dessau, who is tied with Carlos Torres of KSU for the Big 12 lead in wins with five. The Tigers are expected to throw Danny Hill (2-1, 4.58) on Friday, Dessau (5-1, 1.53) on Saturday and Garrett Broshuis (5-0, 2.19) on Sunday. Missouri pitching has sported a team ERA of 2.84 so far through 24 games this season.
K-State Cracks NCBWA Poll
The Kansas State baseball team, fresh off a three-game sweep of Michigan State, cracked the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association national poll that was released this week. The Wildcats, 17-6, checked in at No. 35 and are one of six Big 12 schools to be ranked in this week’s poll. The Wildcats are off to their best start since 1997, when the Cats began the season 20-7. Current K-State records do not show when the last time a Wildcat baseball team was ranked
Cats Get Back on Track With Sweep of MSU
After dropping two close games to No. 9 Wichita State, the Wildcats bounced back to sweep Michigan State in a three-game series at Tointon Stadium. Josh Dent led the offense by going 9-for-13 in the series while Steve Murphy was 8-for-14. On the mound, Carlos Torres improved to 5-0 on the season and Jim Ripley picked up his third straight win as the Wildcats once again got strong outings from their starting pitchers in the series. B.J. Kissel and Matt Petersen were strong out of the bullpen as Kissel picked up his second win of the season and Petersen earned his Big-12 leading fourth save on the weekend.
A Tale of Two Games With No. 9 Shockers
Wichita State broke a 7-7 tie in the top of the 16th inning by scoring five runs as the ninth-ranked Shockers snapped Kansas State’s 11-game winning streak with a 12-7 win on 3/17 before an all-time record crowd of 3,053 at Tointon Stadium. The effectiveness of the bullpen kept Kansas State in the game as B.J. Kissel, Brett Bagley, Carlos Torres and Matt Petersen combined to shut out the Shockers for 10 of the middle innings in the 16-inning marathon. The following night, Wichita State pitchers Steve Uhlmansiek and Derek Roach combined for a two-hitter and a three-run sixth proved to be the difference in the game as the ninth-ranked Shockers rallied to defeat Kansas State, 3-1, before 4,561 fans at Eck Stadium. About 17 hours after the two teams encountered in a five-hour, 16-inning battle in Manhattan, Thursday’s game was one for the pitchers as the contest lasted just 1-hour and 59-minutes.
Sweep of Buffalo Made it 11 in a Row
After a three-game sweep of Buffalo on 3/12 and 3/13, the Wildcats ran their winning streak to 11 games, the longest since 1912. K-State took the opener, 11-8, and game two, 10-6. The third game, which started on 3/13, was suspended until the following day due to rain. The Wildcats hung on for a 7-2 win and swept the visiting Bulls. All three starting pitchers, Brett Bagley, Carlos Torres and Jim Ripley, picked up wins on the mound while Chris Carlson finished the weekend 6-for-10 with four doubles to pace the offense.
Ripley Rolls Tide, Believe it or Not
Senior Jim Ripley was named one of four Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week by Collegiate Baseball this week after his no-hit bid on Sunday in a 2-1 win over Alabama. Ripley also was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week, NCBWA Pitcher of the Week and CollegeBaseballInsider.com’s West Region Pitcher of the Week. The Ajax, Ontario, native took a no-hitter into the seventh inning and struck out a career-high 10 batters in the 2-1 win over the Crimson Tide. Ripley, 1-0 on the season, retired 18 of the first 19 batters he faced in just his second start of the season, including 17 in a row. He finished with seven innings pitched and gave up one run on one hit while walking just one batter and retired 21 of the 24 batters he faced. The senior also was added to the 2004 Roger Clemens Award Watch List after being honored by the NCBWA.
Small Ball
This season, the Wildcats have successfully sacrificed 26 runners in 23 games this season, while K-State opponents have just moved five runners. New head coach Brad Hill has shown that he believes in “small ball” and the Wildcats are on pace to set a new school record in that category. The current mark is 46, set back in 2001. Individually, Jason Long has bunted nine runners over and tied the school record for a season as Chad Tabor had nine back in 1998.
Blunt Among the Big 12’s Best Offensively
Junior Terry Blunt has come on strong offensively in the lead-off spot for the Wildcats this season. Blunt currently leads the team in seven offensive categories and is hitting .330, third-best on the team. In the Big 12, Blunt is second in runs with 31, first in walks with 22 (1.00 wpg), ninth in stolen bases with a .41 per game average and ninth in on-base percentage (.482).
Prime Time Petey
Sophomore Matt Petersen has become a go-to guy out of the bullpen for the Wildcats this season. So far in 13.2 innings, Petersen has a 1-0 record with a 1.32 ERA and leads the team and Big 12 in saves with four, including getting the final four outs in the combined one-hitter over Alabama in Shreveport. The sophomore has struck out 11 batters and opponents are hitting just .149 against the right hander. Petersen has inherited seven runners this season and only one has come around to score.
Putting a Dent in the Ball
Junior Josh Dent, who is tied for the team lead in homers with three, has made an immediate impact both in the field and at the plate so far in his first season at K-State. The junior from Texas has started every game this season in center and had a seven game hitting streak that ended at Centenary. Dent is leading the team in hitting at .372 through 23 games and also is second on the team in RBI with 26.
Bullpen Comes Up Big in Cajun Country
After getting a complete game win out of Carlos Torres on 2/28 against SMS, the Wildcat bullpen answered the following day with a stellar outing in a 12-3 win over Eastern Illinois. After starter Jim Ripley was relieved after four innings of work, juniors Josh Batilla and Matt Petersen came in and shut down the EIU offense for the final five innings. Batilla threw 3.1 innings and gave up no runs on just one hit and one walk. The lefty retired the first five batters he faced and 10 out of the first 11 before handing the ball to Petersen in the eighth. In 1.2 innings, Petersen gave up no runs on no hits while striking out three, all coming in the ninth to finish off the win.
Torres Terrific Heading Into Big 12 Action
Carlos Torres, a senior transfer from San Jose State who leads the Big 12 with five wins, was one of the bright spots at Minute Maid Park on the pitching staff as he threw six innings and picked up the win against Ohio State in his KSU debut on 2/14. Torres struck out five batters while walking no Buckeye hitters in his debut as a Wildcat. The senior followed that performance with a solid outing against Western Illinois where he threw 7.0 innings and struck out five in a no-decision. In a 3-2 win over SMS, on 2/28, Torres fired a complete game, finishing with four strikeouts while giving up just three hits, all of which were singles. Torres picked up his third win of the season in Shreveport as he threw 5.1 innings in the 7-4 win over Louisiana Tech.
Dent, Saunders Pick Up Offense
Junior Josh Dent and senior Zack Saunders both were big parts of the success at the ULM Classic in Monroe, La., where the Cats finished 2-1. Both played big roles in the win over SMS, a 2003 College World Series participant, as Dent gave the Cats a 2-1 lead in the sixth with a two-run homer to left. With the game tied at 2 in the bottom of the ninth, Saunders launched a 3-2 offering over the wall in right-center for his second career walk-off homer as K-State won over the Bears, 3-2.
Carlson Leads Home Run Charge
Heading into the Western Illinois series, Chris Carlson had not hit a home run during his college career. In just two games, the sophomore hit three round-trippers, including two in one game against Western Illinois. Carlson was on the front and back end of two series of back-to-back homers on Sunday, which marked the first time in school history that a Wildcat team hit back-to-back jacks twice in the same game. In all, the Wildcats blasted five homers in the Sunday game against the Leathernecks.
Heinrich All-Tourney In Houston
Senior Josh Heinrich, who came into the season with a hit in his last game of the 2003 season, upped his hitting streak to four games with a 4-for-9 weekend in Houston. Heinrich scored two runs, drove in another and was 2-for-2 in stolen bases en route to becoming K-State’s only representative on the Minute Maid Classic All-Tournament team.
No Free Passes
In losses to Houston and Rice in Houston, Wildcat pitching gave up a total of 18 walks in two games against Houston (7) and No. 1 Rice (11). But, in the Cats win over Ohio State, Wildcat pitchers were in a groove and gave up just two walks in the entire game, led by Carlos Torres’ no walks in his six innings on the mound. In the Cats’ 17 wins this season, the pitching staff has walked just a combined 54 batters but has given up 32 free passes in the team’s six losses.
Hill Picks Up Wins No. 1 and 10
New head coach Brad Hill picked up the monumental win No. 1 as skipper of the Wildcats on 2/14 in a 12-6 win over 26th-ranked Ohio State. Hill and the K-State Wildcats finished the Minute Maid College Classic 1-2 against three of the nation’s top teams in Houston, the Buckeyes and Rice. On March 9, the Wildcats knocked off Northern Colorado, 6-3, at Tointon Stadium, giving Hill is 10th win as head coach of the Wildcats.
New Faces On Board in 2004
This year’s Wildcat roster will be full of new faces for K-State fans as 21 of the 35 players on the team are entering their first season on the diamond in Manhattan, while only two players have earned more than one letter in baseball for K-State. Those two players are pitchers Eric Rollins and Jared Brite, both juniors, who have lettered two seasons. Of the 21 newcomers, 12 are transfers from either junior colleges or four-year schools, while the remaining nine are true freshmen. The 14 returning players have combined to earn a total of just 17 letters as a Wildcat with Brite and Rollins being the only two-year lettermen.
Rollins Keeps On Rolling
One of the few bright spots on the Wildcat pitching staff in 2003 was the right arm of junior reliever Eric Rollins, and he has picked up where he left off this season. Rollins earned his first save of 2004 against Ohio State on 2/14 by throwing 3.0 innings to preserve the 12-6 win. Last season as a sophomore, Rollins picked up seven saves, which were the third-most in single-season school history. The current school record is 11 in a season (David Johnson, 1997) and 18 for a career (Johnson, 94-97). Rollins eight career saves moves him into a tie for third place all-time with Marty Darnell and Andy Silva. He needs two more to move into a tie for second place with Brett Brock.
Who is Back
With 21 newcomers on the 2004 squad, the remainder of the team is made up of 14 returnees, who have combined to only accumulate 17 letters. Players returning in 2004 who saw ample playing time last season are seniors Zack Saunders (.250, 5 HR), Josh Heinrich (.286), Marc Chabot (.265), Brett Bagley (2-2, 5.87), Jim Ripley (4-7, 6.28) and junior Eric Rollins (3-2, 7 saves).
Captains Selected for 2004 Season
The 2004 team captains were selected before the start of the season and seniors Brett Bagley, Josh Heinrich and Zack Saunders were chosen by their teammates as captains. Bagley looks to be a weekend starter on the mound for the Wildcats and is joined as a captain by fellow battery-mate Josh Heinrich, who will get the nod this season as the starting catcher. Senior Zack Saunders heads into the 2004 season as perhaps the most versatile Wildcat as the switch-hitting infielder could see time at third, first, designated hitter or behind the plate.
Wildcats Face Tough Slate in 2004
The 2004 schedule for the Wildcats includes 22 games against teams that advanced to 2003 NCAA Regional play, including six games against Super Regional qualifiers and five games against 2003 College World Series participants.The Wildcats will be tested right out of the gate in 2004 as K-State heads to Houston, Texas, to face Super Regional qualifiers Houston and Ohio State and defending national-champion Rice in the Minute Maid Classic at Minute Maid Park, February 13-15. The Wildcats then head back to Manhattan to host Western Illinois for three games February 21 and 22 in the 2004 home-opening series. The 2004 Big 12 schedule opens March 26-28 when the Wildcats travel to Columbia, Mo., to battle the Tigers. Nebraska heads to Tointon Family Stadium on April 2-4 for the first home conference series, while Texas (April 9-11), Oklahoma State (April 23-25), Baylor (April 30-May 2) and Kansas (May 22-23) round out the home conference matchups. In all, the Wildcats will play a school-record 32 home games, face 11 teams that advanced to the postseason last year, six teams that advanced to the Super Regionals and three teams that participated in the 2003 College World Series, including the defending national-champion Rice Owls.
Wildcats sign 11 During Early Signing Period
Head coach Brad Hill announced in November the signing of 11 student-athletes to letters of intent to play for the Cats in 2005. Signing to play for Kansas State were right-handed pitcher Brett Ames (Central Arizona CC), catcher David Baker (Chandler-Gilbert CC), left-handed pitcher Chase Bayuk (Hurst, Texas), infielder Kyle Byler (Chesapeake, Va.), infielder Nick Carlson (Topeka), right-handed pitcher Adam Cowart (Alvin CC), right-handed pitcher Brad Hutt (Paillion, Neb.), right-handed pitcher Bryan Peterson (Shawnee), infielder Barrett Rice (El Paso CC) and right-handed pitchers Luther Sanders (Blinn JC) and Eric Smith (Wichita).
2004 Kansas State Baseball Signees
Name Po. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Last School)
Brett Ames RHP 6-4 200 Tucson, Ariz. (Central Arizona CC)
David Baker C 6-1 185 Chandler, Ariz. (Chandler-Gilbert CC)
Chase Bayuk LHP 5-10 170 Hurst, Texas (L.D. Bell)
Kyle Byler IF 6-3 165 Chesapeake, Va. (Hickory)
Nick Carlson IF 5-9 170 Topeka, Kan. (Seaman)
Adam Cowart RHP 6-1 185 Pearland, Texas (Alvin CC)
Brad Hutt RHP 6-4 190 Papillion, Ne. (Papillion-LaVista)
Bryan Peterson RHP 6-1 185 Shawnee, Kan. (Hutchinson CC)
Barrett Rice IF 6-2 195 Sugarland, Texas (El Paso CC)
Luther Sanders RHP 5-10 170 Bridge City, Texas (Blinn College)
Eric Smith RHP 6-2 200 Wichita, Kan. (Maize)
