Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, March 2
Manhattan, Kan.
3 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
La Salle
K-State Welcomes La Salle for Home Opener
Mar 01, 2018 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State is set for its 2018 home opener on Friday at 3 p.m., as it welcomes La Salle to Tointon Family Stadium for a three-game series that kicks off 14 consecutive home games in the month of March.
The entire series will stream free on K-StateHD.TV and the K-State Sports Roku App, with Friday's home opener also streaming live on Twitter @kstatesports. The Cats' series with the Explorers can be heard on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and streaming free at k-statesports.com/watch.
GAME #9
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Friday, March 2, 2018 // 3 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Kasey Ford (1-0, 5.73 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Holt (0-1, 3.00 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Twitter @kstatesports
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #10
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, March 3, 2018 // 4 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Gabe Littlejim (1-1, 6.55 ERA) vs. RHP Greg Paprocki (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #11
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 // 12 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Justin Heskett (0-1, 10.38 ERA) vs. RHP Colin Kennedy (0-0, 8.59 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
Kansas State heads into its home opener with a three-game set against La Salle beginning Friday, March 2 at 3 p.m. ... K-State wrapped up an eight-game road swing away from home, going 4-4 after taking two of three games at Old Dominion over the weekend and a midweek road victory at Elon ... After losing the first three games of the season, the Wildcats won four straight before dropping the series finale Sunday at ODU, 11-8 ... In the three-game in Norfolk, Virginia, the Cats' offense brought home 30 total runs (10 per game) off 39 hits (13/game) while hitting .348 and four home runs as a team.
A LOOK AT LA SALLE
La Salle (4-4) comes to Manhattan having won its last two games, a 6-4 win at the Citadel before a 12-1 win at Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday ... Offensively, the Explorers are paced by senior first baseman Chase Arnold and his .370 average, three home runs and 10 RBI ... La Salle has five players who have started all eight games to begin the season all hitting .333 or higher ... As a team, La Salle is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .377 ... On the mound, the Explorers possess a team ERA of 5.18 with 69 strikeouts against 33 walks.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State and La Salle will meet for the first time ... K-State has an all-time record of 5-2 against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, last facing George Mason and Saint Louis in 2015 ... This will be just the second A-10 team to visit Tointon Family Stadium, as Saint Louis traveled to Manhattan for a two-game set in 1989.
BREAKING ONTO THE SCENE
K-State junior-transfer Drew Mount took home Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday, the conference office announced ... The 5-foot-11 center fielder helped the Cats to a 4-1 record with his three home runs, 11 runs batted in and three stolen bases ... His clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning against Virginia Tech gave K-State a 6-5 come-from-behind victory, its first win of the season .. Mount drove in three runs two days later at Elon before hitting two more bombs at Old Dominion over the weekend ... The Santa Clara, California, native had a stretch of four straight games driving in multiple runs, including three, three-RBI games ... Mount's honor marks the eighth straight year a Wildcat has been named the league's Newcomer of the Week, as current sophomore Will Brennan took home the award twice last season.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
K-State's leadoff hitter Will Brennan has shown no signs of slowing down after his freshman all-American campaign a year ago ... Entering the weekend, he is the Big 12 leader with 17 base hits, which ranks 10th in the nation ... Brennan's .459 average places him fourth on the conference charts ... The sophomore left fielder ended 2017 on a 23-game on-base streak and has hit safely in all eight games of 2018, extending his career-long on-base streak to 31 games ... Last season, Brennan was the Big 12's most difficult player to strike out, going over 15 at-bats for every strikeout and has just one strikeout in 37 at-bats to begin 2018.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Through the season's first eight games, the K-State pitching staff has accumulated 63 strikeouts against just 23 walks (8.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9) ... Three times the staff has struck out double-digit batters and has recorded more strikeouts than walks in all eight games ... Kasey Ford and Jared Marolf have topped their single-game highs they set last season, as Ford fanned eight Friday and Marolf punched out seven in relief at Coastal Carolina.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
K-State's weekend rotation of Kasey Ford, Gabe Littlejim and Justin Heskett will start its third consecutive weekend ... Each weekend starter has contributed one quality start (at least 6 IP and 3 ER or fewer), including back-to-back quality starts by Ford and Littlejim in the Old Dominion series, helping the Cats win the first two games of the set ... Heskett turned in a quality effort in a no decision at Coastal Carolina in the season's opening weekend.
NO FREE PASSES
As a team, K-State yields just 2.93 walks per nine innings, the second-lowest rate in the Big 12 this season ... Through two starts, junior Gabe Littlejim has yet to issue a walk while picking up eight strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
K-State has rocketed itself up the Big 12 offensive leaderboard after scoring 30 runs on 39 base hits in a three-game series at Old Dominion over the weekend ... The Cats' .267 team batting average ranks fifth in the conference after ranking last following the season's first weekend ... K-State is second in the league with 52 runs scored and 48 runs batted in ... While in Norfolk, K-State scored double-digit runs in two straight games and recorded 10+ hits in all three games in the series ... Over its last four games, the Cats are averaging 9.5 runs and 12.3 hits.
SPEED KILLS
In eight games to begin the season, K-State is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases ... The Cats have swiped multiple bags in five games, including a season-high five bases at Elon on Feb. 21 ... K-State leads the conference in steals while four Wildcats have multiple stolen bases, led by Brennan and Mount with four apiece ... Through eight games last year, K-State was just 6-for-11 in steal attempts.
DOLLA BILLS
K-State senior infielder Jake Biller is having a breakout senior campaign ... After just three starts last season, the Manhattan product has started all eight games in 2018 and now leads the team in doubles (4) and extra-base hits (5) ... Biller has started at both second and third base and has worked himself up to the No. 2 spot in the order, hitting .344 ... Biller hit his first career home run Sunday at Old Dominion and has already surpassed his career hit and RBI totals.
The entire series will stream free on K-StateHD.TV and the K-State Sports Roku App, with Friday's home opener also streaming live on Twitter @kstatesports. The Cats' series with the Explorers can be heard on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) and streaming free at k-statesports.com/watch.
GAME #9
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Friday, March 2, 2018 // 3 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Kasey Ford (1-0, 5.73 ERA) vs. RHP Matt Holt (0-1, 3.00 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Twitter @kstatesports
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #10
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Saturday, March 3, 2018 // 4 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Gabe Littlejim (1-1, 6.55 ERA) vs. RHP Greg Paprocki (0-0, 8.44 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #11
K-STATE (4-4, 0-0 Big 12) vs. LA SALLE (4-4, 0-0 Atlantic 10)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 // 12 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Justin Heskett (0-1, 10.38 ERA) vs. RHP Colin Kennedy (0-0, 8.59 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
Kansas State heads into its home opener with a three-game set against La Salle beginning Friday, March 2 at 3 p.m. ... K-State wrapped up an eight-game road swing away from home, going 4-4 after taking two of three games at Old Dominion over the weekend and a midweek road victory at Elon ... After losing the first three games of the season, the Wildcats won four straight before dropping the series finale Sunday at ODU, 11-8 ... In the three-game in Norfolk, Virginia, the Cats' offense brought home 30 total runs (10 per game) off 39 hits (13/game) while hitting .348 and four home runs as a team.
A LOOK AT LA SALLE
La Salle (4-4) comes to Manhattan having won its last two games, a 6-4 win at the Citadel before a 12-1 win at Maryland Eastern Shore on Tuesday ... Offensively, the Explorers are paced by senior first baseman Chase Arnold and his .370 average, three home runs and 10 RBI ... La Salle has five players who have started all eight games to begin the season all hitting .333 or higher ... As a team, La Salle is hitting .295 with an on-base percentage of .377 ... On the mound, the Explorers possess a team ERA of 5.18 with 69 strikeouts against 33 walks.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State and La Salle will meet for the first time ... K-State has an all-time record of 5-2 against current members of the Atlantic 10 Conference, last facing George Mason and Saint Louis in 2015 ... This will be just the second A-10 team to visit Tointon Family Stadium, as Saint Louis traveled to Manhattan for a two-game set in 1989.
BREAKING ONTO THE SCENE
K-State junior-transfer Drew Mount took home Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday, the conference office announced ... The 5-foot-11 center fielder helped the Cats to a 4-1 record with his three home runs, 11 runs batted in and three stolen bases ... His clutch three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning against Virginia Tech gave K-State a 6-5 come-from-behind victory, its first win of the season .. Mount drove in three runs two days later at Elon before hitting two more bombs at Old Dominion over the weekend ... The Santa Clara, California, native had a stretch of four straight games driving in multiple runs, including three, three-RBI games ... Mount's honor marks the eighth straight year a Wildcat has been named the league's Newcomer of the Week, as current sophomore Will Brennan took home the award twice last season.
NO SOPHOMORE SLUMP
K-State's leadoff hitter Will Brennan has shown no signs of slowing down after his freshman all-American campaign a year ago ... Entering the weekend, he is the Big 12 leader with 17 base hits, which ranks 10th in the nation ... Brennan's .459 average places him fourth on the conference charts ... The sophomore left fielder ended 2017 on a 23-game on-base streak and has hit safely in all eight games of 2018, extending his career-long on-base streak to 31 games ... Last season, Brennan was the Big 12's most difficult player to strike out, going over 15 at-bats for every strikeout and has just one strikeout in 37 at-bats to begin 2018.
CAN'T TOUCH THIS
Through the season's first eight games, the K-State pitching staff has accumulated 63 strikeouts against just 23 walks (8.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9) ... Three times the staff has struck out double-digit batters and has recorded more strikeouts than walks in all eight games ... Kasey Ford and Jared Marolf have topped their single-game highs they set last season, as Ford fanned eight Friday and Marolf punched out seven in relief at Coastal Carolina.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
K-State's weekend rotation of Kasey Ford, Gabe Littlejim and Justin Heskett will start its third consecutive weekend ... Each weekend starter has contributed one quality start (at least 6 IP and 3 ER or fewer), including back-to-back quality starts by Ford and Littlejim in the Old Dominion series, helping the Cats win the first two games of the set ... Heskett turned in a quality effort in a no decision at Coastal Carolina in the season's opening weekend.
NO FREE PASSES
As a team, K-State yields just 2.93 walks per nine innings, the second-lowest rate in the Big 12 this season ... Through two starts, junior Gabe Littlejim has yet to issue a walk while picking up eight strikeouts in 11 innings pitched.
OFFENSIVE ONSLAUGHT
K-State has rocketed itself up the Big 12 offensive leaderboard after scoring 30 runs on 39 base hits in a three-game series at Old Dominion over the weekend ... The Cats' .267 team batting average ranks fifth in the conference after ranking last following the season's first weekend ... K-State is second in the league with 52 runs scored and 48 runs batted in ... While in Norfolk, K-State scored double-digit runs in two straight games and recorded 10+ hits in all three games in the series ... Over its last four games, the Cats are averaging 9.5 runs and 12.3 hits.
SPEED KILLS
In eight games to begin the season, K-State is a perfect 15-for-15 in stolen bases ... The Cats have swiped multiple bags in five games, including a season-high five bases at Elon on Feb. 21 ... K-State leads the conference in steals while four Wildcats have multiple stolen bases, led by Brennan and Mount with four apiece ... Through eight games last year, K-State was just 6-for-11 in steal attempts.
DOLLA BILLS
K-State senior infielder Jake Biller is having a breakout senior campaign ... After just three starts last season, the Manhattan product has started all eight games in 2018 and now leads the team in doubles (4) and extra-base hits (5) ... Biller has started at both second and third base and has worked himself up to the No. 2 spot in the order, hitting .344 ... Biller hit his first career home run Sunday at Old Dominion and has already surpassed his career hit and RBI totals.
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