Baseball heads back to Louisiana for Centenary Gent Classic
Mar 04, 2004 | Baseball
Kansas State (6-4) vs.
Centenary (5-6), March 5, 8 p.m.
La. Tech (6-8), March 6, 5 p.m.
Alabama (9-2), March 7, 12 p.m.
Shehee Stadium, Shreveport, La.
Quick Facts
TELEVISION: None
RADIO: None
INTERNET: Live Stats will be available at k-statesports.com.
SERIES: The Wildcats lead the all-time series with Centenary, 1-0, and Louisiana Tech, 2-1, while Alabama leads the series, 2-0. K-State knocked off Centenary, 6-2, and La. Tech, 8-0, back in March of 2001 in Shreveport, La, the teams’ last meetings. Alabama took both games of a two-game series back in 1999 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
RANKINGS: K-State (6-4), Centenary (5-6) and Louisiana Tech (6-8) head into the weekend’s action unranked, while Alabama (9-2) is currently receiving votes in all major polls.
COACHES: K-State’s Brad Hill is 6-4 in his first season in Manhattan after compiling a 418-91 record in nine seasons at Central Missouri, while Centenary’s Ed McCann is 104-186-2 in his seventh season. Louisiana Tech’s Wade Simoneaux is 24-42-1 in his second year with the Bulldog’s, while Alabama’s Jim Wells is 418-178 in his 10th season in Tuscaloosa.
Noteworthy
About the Opponents
Centenary, a Division I member of the Mid-Con Conference, heads into the weekend with a 5-6 overall record. The Gents have played four games against common opponents, dropping 2-of-3 from Friends and losing to Louisiana Tech, 5-2, last week. Jesse Newell leads Centenary offensively with a .413 batting average, while Josh Hill leads the pitching in appearances (3) and ERA (3.38).
Louisiana Tech, out of the Western Athletic Conference, currently has a 6-8 record and is coming off a 5-2 win over Centenary on Tuesday. Stephen Winters leads the offense with a .386 batting average with two homers and eight RBI. On the mound, Blake Burns leads the Bulldogs with a 2-0 record with a 2.57 ERA.
Alabama, a perennial power in the SEC, heads into the weekend with a 9-2 overall record, including having won seven straight games. The Crimson Tide knocked off UAB, 5-3, Tuesday for its seventh straight win.
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 is currently riding a season-long seven game hitting streak. Dent has hit .308 during the past seven games and also is tops on the team in RBI with 13.
Pitching Carries Cats to Third Straight Win
Senior Danny Wilson picked up his first win of the season as he threw 3.0 innings on 3/2 against Friends and gave up one run on three hits while striking out three. Relievers Jared Knaub, Eric Rollins, Sean Danielson and Chris Huseman pitched the final six innings to seal the win for the Wildcats. The K-State bullpen, dating back to the win over Eastern Illinois on 2/29, has now just given up one run on three hits over the last 11 innings.
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 In First Three Starts
Carlos Torres, a senior transfer from San Jose State, 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 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.
Dent, Saunders, Murphy Pick Up Offense
Junior Josh Dent and senior Zack Saunders both extending their season-long hitting streaks to six games after 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 overthe Bears, 3-2. Saunders currently is second on the team at the plate with a .342 average while Dent leads the team in RBI with 13 and is tied for the lead in homers with three. Steve Murphy leads the team with a .343 batting average and is riding a six-game hitting streak.
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.
Home Away From Home
Due to snow covering all of Tointon Stadium, Kansas State’s home-opening series against Western Illinois was moved to Allen County Community College in Iola, Kan. The Wildcats faired pretty well away from home as K-State took two-of-three from the Leathernecks. Back in 1999, the Wildcats played their entire season away from Tointon Stadium, due to construction, and played numerous home games at other fields near Manhattan.
Kissel Money Out of the Pen
B.J. Kissel, a sophomore transfer from Central Missouri State, has been one of the Wildcats’ best relievers out of the bullpen. So far this season, Kissel has thrown 5.1 innings, struck out six, walked no one and has an ERA of 0.00. Kissel, who has appeared in three games, has given up seven hits and opponents are hitting .280 so far this season off the right-hander.
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’ six wins, the pitching staff has walked just a combined 15 batters but has given up 26 free passes in the team’s four losses.
Hill Picks Up Win No. 1
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.
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.
Central Missouri “West”
With the new staff coming to Manhattan in June to take over the baseball program, Kansas State can also take on the name of “Central Missouri West” as head coach Brad Hill brought with him Tom Myers, who served as his hitting coach in 2003, Sean McCann, who was an assistant from 1995-97, Scott Thomason, who was an assistant in 2003 as well. Hill and company also welcomed two transfer players from Central Missouri as pitcher B.J. Kissel and outfielder Steve Murphy transferred to Kansas State this season. Both are expected to make an immediate impact. Keeping with the Central Missouri ties, Wildcat basketball coach Jim Wooldridge served as the Mules head basketball coach from 1985-1990.
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)
