Wildcats Host Cowboys in Key Baseball Series
Apr 27, 2006 | Baseball
Kansas State (24-13-1, 4-10-1)
vs Oklahoma State (28-13, 7-8)
Friday April 28 6:30 p.m.
Saturday April 29 2 p.m.
Sunday April 30 1 p.m.
Tointon Stadium
Short Hops
RADIO: Friday night’s game will be a K-State Sports Network broadcast with Wyatt Thompson, Brian Smoller and Matt Walters calling the game. Saturday and Sunday’s games will be broadcast live on SportsRadio 1350 in Manhattan and online at k-statesports.com with Matt Walters and Brian Smoller calling the action.
INTERNET: Live stats and a live webcast of all three games will be available at k-statesports.com.
SERIES: Kansas State trails 47-142 in the all-time series with Oklahoma State and is 10-25 in Big 12 play. In Manhattan, K-State is 35-56 against OSU and last year’s 9-5 Sunday win in Stillwater snapped an eight-game win streak for the Cowboys in the series. The Wildcats last won a series against the Cowboys back in 2000 when they took two-of-three in Manhattan.
RANKINGS: Kansas State and Oklahoma State are not ranked in any of the three major college baseball polls this week.
COACH BRAD HILL: K-State’s Brad Hill is 80-68-1 in his third season in Manhattan. In 11-plus years, Hill has a career head coaching record of 498-159-1 record, which includes nine seasons at Central Missouri State and two-plus at Kansas State.
Noteworthy
Joe Roundy has hit safely in 32 of 38 games this season and has 13 multi-RBI games this season... Barrett Rice has hit safely in 28 of his last 33 games, which includes 18 multi-hit and seven multi-RBI games in that span... Brandon Farr has caught fire at the plate recently, hitting safely in 19 of his last 21 games with a .414 average over that span... Roundy is currently the leading hitter in the Big 12 Conference and 24th nationally at .407... K-State has had four players with 10-game hitting streaks this season, inlcuding Farr’s Big 12 season-best 18-game streak... The Wildcat pitching staff is fifth in the league with 7.10 K/9 innings and have the fewest BB/9 at 2.37... So far this season, K-State is 57-of-64 in stolen bases with 12 different players recording bags... Under Brad Hill, K-State is 69-4 when leading after seven innings, 49-26 when its starting pitcher goes six-plus innings, 58-18-1 when hammering out 10 or more hits and 63-7 when out-hitting its opponent... This season, the Wildcats are 13-3 in 5-plus run games, 22-1 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, 273-183, including 106-74 in the first three innings... Kansas State’s .316 team batting average is fourth in the Big 12, while its 3.94 team ERA is fifth... K-State’s .970 fielding percentage ranks fourth in the league.
About the Opponent
Oklahoma State is 28-13 after winning a pair of mid-week doubleheaders against Arkansas-Pine Bluff to extend its current winning streak to six games. OSU outscored UAPB, 54-9, and looks to carry that momentum to Manhattan, this weekend at Tointon Stadium. At 7-8, OSU is in sixth place in the Big 12 Conference standings and has won its last two league series. The Cowboys boast two of the league’s top two hitters in Tyler Mach and Deik Scram. Mach is hitting .417 with 15 homers and 57 RBI while Scram is at .414 with five homers and 26 RBI. On the mound, OSU is led by lefty starter Brae Wright and sophomore Charles Benoit. Benoit is currently 19th in the league in ERA at 3.88, while Wright is 16th in ERA in Big 12-only games at 4.11
Last Time Out
Kansas State rallied for two runs in the eighth and another in the ninth but Joe Roundy was thrown out at the plate after a Drew Biery single to end the game as Missouri State held off the Wildcats, 7-6, Wednesday at Community America Ballpark. Byron Wiley, who had three hits, brought the Cats within two at 7-5 in the eighth as he blasted his third homer of the season, a two-run shot to right, after a Barrett Rice double. In the ninth, Cris Tapia drew a one-out walk in the ninth and gave way to pinch-runner Andrew Giambrone. Barrett Rice followed with a single through the right side. After a Joe Roundy fielder’s choice, Wiley laced a single to left to plate Giambrone to cut the margin to 7-6. Then, in his first at-bat of the game, Biery laced a single to left and leftfielder Nolan Keane threw home to just get a sliding Roundy at the plate to end the game.
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 .278 in conference play, seventh-best in the league, and has three players in the Top 15.
In the Still of the Night
In 12 night games this season, K-State is 8-4 and his hitting .333 as a team with a 3.50 team ERA. Individually, Joe Roundy is 18-for-46 (.391) in night games with two homers and 15 RBI, while Brandon Farr is hitting .400 (18-for-45). Eleven different Cats are hitting .300 or better in night games with 16 different players recording hits.
TGIF
Kansas State is 8-2 so far this season on Friday’s, which also includes three big Friday night wins in Big 12 play. The Cats are hitting .352 as a team on Friday’s and have pounded out 10 hits and/or 10 runs in each of the seven wins on Friday’s this season. Individually, Jared Goedert is 15-for-36 (.417) on Friday’s with two homers. while Joe Roundy is hitting .368 with 20 runs driven in. Brandon Farr is hitting .419 (18-for-43) on Friday’s while Barrett Rice is hitting .359 (14-for-39). On the mound, Brad Hutt is 2-1 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.
At Home And On The Road
Kansas State is 18-6 this season at home, is hitting .325 as a team and has compiled a 3.62 ERA during that stretch. Individually, Joe Roundy is hitting .471 (40-for-85) at Tointon Stadium this season, while Barrett Rice (.447, 38-for-85) is not far behind. Nine players are hitting .300 or better at home this season. On the mound, K-State pitchers have struck out 193 batters to just 50 walks at home this season, led by Adam Cowart’s 35 strikeouts and just four walks. Opponents are hitting just .263 against the Wildcats at home this season. On the flip side, K-State is 4-5-1 on the road and is hitting .308 as a team. Brandon Farr (18-for-45) is hitting .400 while freshman Byron Wiley is 12-for-28 (.429) 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 and 30th nationally in team defense with a .970 fielding percentage and has committed 43 errors this season. Also, K-State is 13-1 this season when not committing a fielding error and is 20-5 when committing one or no errors. On the reverse side of things, seven the Wildcats’ 12 losses have come when they have committed two or more errors, including two at Missouri.
Don’t Get Me Started
K-State’s starting pitchers are 20-10 with a 4.01 ERA so far this season, but more impressively, they have struck out 155 batters in 213.1 innings while walking just 42. 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 .292 against all six different pitchers who have started games for the Cats this season.
Relief on the Way
K-State’s bullpen has also been effective this season, especially as of late. Wildcat relievers are 4-3 on the season with a 3.82 ERA in 122.2 innings pitched. Opponents are hitting just .268 against the pen and relievers have struck out 112 batters to walking just 46 this season. Individually, freshmen Ben Hornbeck and Justin Murray have been solid additions in relief as Hornbeck has compiled a 1.59 ERA in 10 appearances. Murray has appeared in 13 games and leads all relievers with 30.1 innings pitched.
No Walk Zone
K-State’s starting pitchers are 20-10 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 42 batters in 213.1 innings this season, while the entire staff has walked just 88 in 336.0 innings. In 38 games this season, Wildcat pitchers have walked no one in 10 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 57-of-64 in stolen bases through 38 games. Thirteen different Wildcats have stolen bags this season with Brandon Farr leading the way with 11 steals in 12 tries. Joe Roundy is close behind with eight in eight tries. On the reverse side, K-State opponents this season are 45-of-56 on the bases.
Two-Out Production
So far in 2006, Kansas State has come up with the clutch hit en route to its 24-13-1 record this season. Through 38 games, the Wildcats have driven in 88 runs and collected 127 hits this season as a team with two outs. Seventeen different Wildcats have driven in runs with two outs in 38 games this season, led by Barrett Rice and Joe Roundy.
Hill Approaching 500 Wins
K-State head coach Brad Hill is 80-68-1 in his third season with the Wildcats. Overall, Hill has a career head coaching record of 498-159-1 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.
Justin the Nick of Time
Freshman pitcher Justin Murray has been a big plus for the Wildcats out of the bullpen this season. Murray, a Manhattan product, has thrown 9.0 soild innings of relief for the Wildcats in his last two weekend appearances, giving up just one run on six hits against Texas Tech and Kansas. Murray also has inherited 13 runners this season and allowed just four of them to score and has thrown over 2.0 innings in five of those appearances. Of his 13 appearances, Murray also has retired the first batter he has faced nine times.
Big Ben
Freshman reliever Ben Hornbeck joins Murray as a big freshman out of the pen in 2006. Hornbeck, a Phoenix, Ariz., native and a 48th-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in 2005, struck out five Jayhawks in 4.0 innings last weekend. On the season, Hornbeck has inherited 10 runners and allowed just three to score, while he has retired five of the nine first-batters he has faced. Ben has a 1.23 ERA on the season and a 1.59 ERA as a reliever.
Wiley’s Gone Wild
Freshman Byron Wiley has also been a newcomer that has given head coach Brad Hill and company good feelings about the future of the program. Wiley has hit .310 as a true freshman and brings a strong combination of strenght, speed and power to the baseball field. His three homers and 20 RBI rank among the best on the squad and the rookie has also shown tremendous range and speed in center. Byron has also had a lot of success on the road this season as he has hit .429 on the road and has all three homers in games away from Tointon Stadium.
Steaming Hot Rice
Senior Barrett Rice has gotten hot at the plate for Kansas State over the past month. In his last 34 games, Rice has hit .421 and has belted three homers and driven in 30 runs. On the season, Rice is hitting .401 entering this weekend’s games and also has had multiple hits in 18 of his last 33 games. Rice also is hitting .354 in his last 16 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 .318 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 and has recorded hits in 16 of his last 22 games. He also is hitting .340 (16-for-48) over his last 15 games.
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 19 of his last 21 games with a .414 average over that span to raise his season mark to .352. Farr has had 10 multi-hit games and drove in at least one run or scored a run in 18 of his last 21 games. His 18-game hitting streak that was snapped against Kansas was the longest this season in the Big 12 Conference. It also is the fifth-longest in school history.
Down, Set, Hutt
Sophomore Brad Hutt has a calm demeanor about him when he is on the mound. So far this season, Hutt is 5-3 with a 4.32 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 32 of the Wildcats’ 38 games this season, which included a career-best and then-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. 3 hitter with his .407 average. Roundy leads all Wildcats with 21 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.
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)
