Cats Battle Shox in Wichita Tuesday
Apr 17, 2006 | Baseball
Kansas State (23-9-1)
at Wichita State (27-13)
Eck Stadium, Wichita, Kan.
Tuesday, April 18, 7 p.m.
Short Hops
RADIO: Tuesday’s game will be a K-State Sports Network broadcast with Wyatt Thompson, Matt Walters and Brian Smoller calling the action.
INTERNET: Live stats will be available at k-statesports.com.
SERIES: The Shockers lead the all-times series with the Wildcats, 43-24, but K-State has won three in a row in the series after sweeping both games last season, 6-5 and 4-2, and then 6-3 this season in Manhattan. The Shockers had won nine in a row in the series until last year and K-State has not won consecutive games in the series in Wichita since the 1978 season.
RANKINGS: Kansas State and Wichita State are not ranked in any of the three major college baseball polls this week.
COACH BRAD HILL: K-State’s Brad Hill is 79-64-1 in his third season in Manhattan. In 11-plus years, Hill has a career head coaching record of 497-155-1 record, which includes nine seasons at Central Missouri State and two-plus at Kansas State.
Noteworthy
K-State will play its fifth straight game on the road Tuesday at Wichita State... Joe Roundy has hit safely in 28 of 33 games this season and has 14 multi-RBI games this season... Barrett Rice has hit safely in 26 of his last 28 games, which includes 16 multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games in that span... Brandon Farr has caught fire at the plate recently, hitting safely in each of his last 16 games with a .462 average over that span... Rice is currently the leading hitter in the Big 12 Conference at .434 and is currently riding a 12-game hit streak ... K-State has had four players with 10-game hitting streaks this season, inlcuding two with 2006 Big-12 best 16-game hit streaks... Kansas State is currently second in the Big 12 in hitting at .326, while also checking in at No. 4 in the league with a 3.84 team ERA... Also, the Wildcat pitching staff is sixth in the league with 7.22 K/9 innings and have the fewest BB/9 at 2.20... So far this season, K-State is 50-of-57 in stolen bases with 12 different players recording bags... Under Brad Hill, K-State is 68-4 when leading after seven innings, 48-26 when its starting pitcher goes six-plus innings, 58-17-1 when hammering out 10 or more hits and 63-6 when out-hitting its opponent... This season, the Wildcats are 13-3 in 5-plus run games, 21-1 when leading after seven innings, 4-0 when hitting two or more homers and 12-2 when committing no errors defensively... Also, K-State has outscored its opponent, 252-151, including 100-59 in the first three innings.
About the Opponent
Wichita State enters the game on Tuesday with a 27-13 overall record and is coming off a three-game sweep of Missouri State in Missouri Valley Conference play. The Shockers are 2-2 against the Big 12 this season with wins over Oklahoma and Kansas, while both the Jayhawks and Wildcats have beaten the Shox. Wichita State will throw lefty Kris Johnson Tuesday against the Wildcats. Johnson is 3-0 with a 4.58 ERA on the season and has struck out 17 and walked eight in 19.2 innings. Offensively, Wichita State is led by Damon Sublett’s .381 average and seven homers, while Matt Brown has driven in a team-high 35 runs. WSU is hitting .296 as a team and has four players who are hitting .300 or better.
Last Time Out
Kansas State finished 1-1-1 in Lubbock, Texas, last weekend after dropping game one, 4-2, drubbing Tech in game two, 16-5, and then tying 11 in the finale. Kansas State out-hit Texas Tech 11-7 in game one, but the Wildcats stranded 10 men on base and Miles Morgan settled in late as the Red Raiders took game one from K-State, 4-2. Then, Kansas State erupted for nine runs in the second inning, highlighted by a two-out grand slam from Joe Roundy, and never looked back as the Wildcats evened the series with Texas Tech after a 16-5 win Friday night in game two. In the finale, K-State broke a 7-7 tie in the ninth with three runs but Tech answered with three of its own in the bottom half, and the two teams battled to an 11-11 tie in 10 innings. No inning was allowed to start past 5 p.m. as the Cats’ travel plans on getaway day were already set.
Last Time vs. the Shockers
Barrett Rice’s monster three-run homer capped a four-run sixth inning and the Wildcat pitching staff held Wichita State to just three runs as the 29th-ranked Wildcats knocked off the 19th-ranked Shockers, 6-3, at Tointon Stadium. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the sixth, K-State answered with four runs to take the lead for good as Jared Goedert and Joe Roundy each drew walks. Then, with one out, Rice sent a 1-1 fastball from Aaron Shafer over the trees in left field for his second homer of the season to give K-State a 4-3 lead. Freshman Tyler Link added a two-out, pinch hit RBI-single to left to up the lead to 5-3. Kansas State starter Brad Hutt pitched 6.2 solid innings to earn his third straight win, scattering eight hits and giving up three earned runs. Hutt also struck out five without yielding a walk. With two outs in the seventh inning, freshmen Ben Hornbeck pitched his way out of a bases-loaded jam to keep the lead at 5-3 heading into the eighth. Hornbeck then threw a perfect eighth before giving way to closer Bryan Peterson, who earned his third save of the season
All Square??
Kansas State and Texas Tech battled to an 11-11 tie in the rubber game of the two teams’ three-game series in Lubbock last weekend. The tie marked just the second time in Big 12 history that two teams played to a tie in conference play. Texas Tech and Oklahoma tied, 7-7, back in April of 2001 in the league’s only other tie. Also, it was the first time since 1982 that a K-State team played to a tie. The Cats and Northwest Missouri State tied, 5-5.
Cats Becoming Offensive
Kansas State, in three seasons under head coach Brad Hill, has made a drastic improvement at the plate, including numbers during Big 12 play. In 2004, Hill’s first season, K-State hit just .214 as a team, while the Cats improved to a .264 clip in 2005. That .264 mark was sixth-best in the league. This season, K-State is hitting .285 in conference play, fifth-best in the league, and has three players in the Top 15.
Friday Night Lights
Kansas State is 8-1 so far this season on Friday’s, which also includes three big Friday night wins in Big 12 play. The Cats are hitting .359 as a team on Friday’s and have pounded out 10 hits and/or 10 runs in each of the eight wins on Friday’s this season. Individually, Jared Goedert is 14-for-31 (.452) on Friday’s with two homers. while Joe Roundy is hitting .364 with 20 runs driven in. Brandon Farr is hitting .447 (17-for-38) on Friday’s while Barrett Rice is hitting .382 (13-for-34). On the mound, Brad Hutt is 2-0 and has lasted at least 7.0 innings in wins over Missouri and No. 3 Nebraska, while Adam Cowart and Chase Mitchell are also 2-0.
Nocturnal Cats
In nine night games this season, K-State is 8-1 and his hitting .358 as a team with a 2.65 team ERA. Individually, Joe Roundy is 15-for-32 (.469) in night games with two homers and 15 RBI, while Brandon Farr is hitting .444 (16-for-36). Eleven different Cats are hitting .300 or better in night games with 16 different players recording hits.
At Home And On The road
Kansas State is 17-5 this season at home, is hitting .334 as a team and has compiled a 3.72 ERA during that stretch. Individually, Joe Roundy is hitting .468 (37-for-79) at Tointon Stadium this season, while Barrett Rice (.494, 38-for-77) is the team’s top hitter at home. Nine players are hitting .300 or better at home this season. On the mound, K-State pitchers have struck out 177 batters to just 46 walks at home this season, led by Adam Cowart’s 32 strikeouts and just three walks. Opponents are hitting just .261 against the Wildcats at home this season. On the flip side, K-State is 4-3-1 on the road and is hitting .325 as a team. Freshman Byron Wiley is 11-for-24 (.458) with two homers and eight RBI on the road to lead the Cats this season.
Defense Wins
So far in 2006, Kansas State is fourth in the Big 12 in team defense with a .972 fielding percentage and has committed 36 errors this season. Also, K-State is 13-1 this season when not committing a fielding error and is 18-4 when committing one or no errors. On the reverse side of things, four the Wildcats’ nine losses have come when they have committed two or more errors, including two at Missouri. Individually, 14 players have gone through the first 33 games with committing two or less errors on the season. Brandon Farr has a perfect 1.00 fielding mark in 179 total chances to lead the way.
Don’t Get Me Started
K-State’s starting pitchers are 19-7 with a 3.80 ERA so far this season, but more impressively, they have struck out 142 batters in 192.0 innings while walking just 35. Starters Adam Cowart and Chase Bayuk have each thrown shutouts in 11-0 and 9-0 wins over North Dakota State, while opponents are hitting .283 against all six different pitchers who have started games for the Cats this season.
No Walk Zone
K-State’s starting pitchers are 19-7 this season and have all gone with the philosophy of filling up the strike zone, attacking hitters and letting their defense play behind them. Wildcat starters have walked just 35 batters in 192.0 innings this season, while the entire staff has walked just 75 in 293.0 innings. In 33 games this season, Wildcat pitchers have walked no one in nine games, while allowing more than three walks in just three games.
Smooth Criminals
K-State has been very efficient on the bases so far in 2006 as the Wildcats are 50-of-56 in stolen bases through 33 games. Thirteen different Wildcats have stolen bags this season with Brandon Farr leading the way with eight steals in nine tries. Joe Roundy is close behind with seven. On the reverse side, K-State opponents this season are 40-of-50 on the bases.
Cats in the Clutch
So far in 2006, Kansas State has come up with the clutch hit en route to its 23-9-1 start this season. Through 33 games, the Wildcats have driven in 82 runs and collected 115 hits this season as a team with two outs. Seventeen different Wildcats have driven in runs with two outs in 33 games this season, led by Barrett Rice and Joe Roundy.
Hill Approaching 500 Wins
K-State head coach Brad Hill is 79-64-1 in his third season with the Wildcats. Overall, Hill has a career head coaching record of 497-155-1 in 11-plus seasons, which includes his first two-plus seasons in Manhattan and nine years at Central Missouri. He needs just three more wins to reach 500 victories in his career. And, assuming that mark comes this season, Hill will have averaged over 40 wins a season in each of his 12 years as a head coach.
Rice Steaming Hot at the Plate
Senior Barrett Rice has gotten hot at the plate for Kansas State over the past month. In his last 29 games, Rice has hit .462 and has belted three homers and driven in 27 runs. His three-run homer in the sixth inning against Wichita State gave the Wildcats a lead they would not relinquish as the Cats knocked off the No. 19 Shockers 6-3. On the season, Rice is hitting a Big 12-best .434 entering this week’s games and also has had multiple hits in 16 of his last 28 games. Rice currently is riding a 12-game hitting streak and his hitting .449 in his last 12 games.
Eli’s Coming
Junior shortstop Eli Rumler has flashed some leather and showed off a big-time arm at short over the past two years. Now, Eli has come around offensively as of late as Rumler is currently hitting .333 in league play, third-best on the squad. Also, Rumler has stepped it up in big games as he has hit .318 against Top 25 teams this season.
Farr From Average
Senior catcher Brandon Farr has picked things up offensively over the last few weeks as the Cats have begun Big 12 play. The Humble, Texas, native has hit safely in each of his last 16 games with a .462 average over that span to raise his season mark to .356. Farr has had eight multi-hit games and drove in at least one run or scored a run in 15 of his last 16 games. His current 16-game hitting streak is a career-best and the longest this season in the Big 12 Conference.
Down, Set, Hutt
Sophomore Brad Hutt has a calm demeanor about him when he is on the mound. So far this season, Hutt is 5-2 with a 4.10 ERA and has picked up big wins over #19 Wichita State, at Missouri and No. 3 Nebraska in his last three starts. Hutt settled in over the middle innings after being down 3-1 in the fifth inning at Missouri as the sophomore kept the Wildcats in the game by holding the Tigers scoreless in his last three innings of work. Hutt gave up just one earned run and struck out two with one walk in 7.2 innings. Against Wichita State, Hutt pitched 6.2 solid innings to earn his third straight win, scattering eight hits and giving up three earned runs. He also struck out five without yielding a walk. Hutt earned his fifth straight win of the season to move to 5-0 after tossing 7.0 innings against No. 3 Nebraska and scattering 10 hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
He’s Not Your Average Joe
Joe Roundy has hit safely in 28 of the Wildcats’ 33 games this season, which included a career-best and Big 12 season-long 16-game hitting streak. Roundy is currently among the Big 12’s leaders in eight offensive categories and heads into the week as the league’s No. 2 hitter with his .423 average. Roundy leads all Wildcats with 19 multi-hit games this season and also 14 multi-RBI games. The senior is ranked in the Top 10 in nine different offensive categories in the Big 12 Conference.
Steady Jared
Jared Goedert, a 2005 First Team Summer All-America pick by Baseball America, has continued to find ways to get on base and deliver at the plate for the Wildcats. Goedert had a Big 12-best and career-long 15-game hitting streak snapped against Xavier but has hit safely in 26 of 33 games this season. He has had multiple hits in 11 games this season and currently is third in the Big 12 with his .500 on-base percentage.
Cowart Still Attacking the Zone
As a junior last season, Adam Cowart developed into not only one of the top arms on his team but also in the Big 12 Conference. Cowart won seven games with an ERA of 3.93. More amazingly, in 100.2 innings, Cowart only walked 15 batters, three of which were intentional, and struck out 70 batters. So far this season, Cowart is 5-3 with a 3.13 ERA and has lasted 6.0 innings in eight of his first nine outings. He also leads the team with 51 strikeouts in 60.1 innings and has walked just seven. His eight-inning, nine strikeout performance against Xavier landed him on the College Baseball Foundation Honor Roll for the first time this season and he followed that with a seven-inning complete-game shutout against North Dakota State.
Wildcats Ink 10 During Fall Signing Period
Kansas State head baseball coach Brad Hill announced the signing of 10 players to National Letters of Intent to play baseball for the Wildcats beginning in the spring of 2007. The class consists of eight high school players and two junior college players.
2006 Kansas State Baseball Fall Signees
Name Po. Ht. Wt. Hometown (Last School)
Justin Bloxom C 6-2 180 Phoenix, Ariz. (Goldwater HS)
Brock Floro RHP 6-0 160 Atwater, Calif. (Buhach Colony HS)
Jim Lewis RHP 6-0 175 Shawnee, Kan. (Bishop Miege HS)
Paul McCoy OF 5-11 165 Killeen, Texas (Killeen Ellison HS)
J.J. Muse OF 6-1 185 Albuquerque, NM (LaCueva HS)
Nick Phillips RHP 6-0 175 Bartlesville, Okla. (Bartlesville HS)
Austin Presley RHP 6-0 200 Austin, Texas (Westlake HS/Hutchinson CC)
Tyler Ruch LHP 5-9 155 Fountain Hills, Ariz. (Fountain Hills HS)
Ronnie Welty OF/P 6-4 195 Gilbert, Ariz. (Mesquite HS)
Trevor Whipkey RHP 6-2 170 Baxter Springs, Kan. (Coffeyville CC)
