Kansas State University Athletics
Wednesday, March 7
Manhattan, Kan.
12 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Incarnate Word
K-State, Incarnate Word Set for Midweek Clash
Mar 05, 2018 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State baseball continues a 14-game home stretch as Incarnate Word will visit Tointon Family Stadium for a two-game, midweek series beginning Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Both games of the series between the Wildcats (7-4) and Cardinals (8-5) will be streamed live on the ESPN app with live audio also streaming at k-statesports.com. Fans in the Manhattan area can also listen to action on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM).
The series finale is set for a 12 p.m., first pitch on Wednesday.
GAME #12
K-STATE (7-4, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. INCARNATE WORD (8-5, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 // 3 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Quinton Potter (0-0, 6.23 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN app // ESPN3 // Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Mike Clark (analyst)
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #13
K-STATE (7-4, 0-0 BIG12) vs. INCARNATE WORD (8-5, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 // 12 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Caleb Littlejim (1-0, 4.91 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN app // ESPN3 // Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Craig Wilson (analyst)
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
Kansas State welcomes Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference for a midweek two-game series at Tointon Family Stadium ... K-State opened its 2018 home schedule with a three-game sweep of La Salle over the weekend and have won seven of its last eight games overall... K-State recorded a series sweep in its home opening series for the sixth straight season ... The Cats picked up their first walk-off win and first extra-inning win of the season in the second game of the series Saturday, an 11-10 win in 11 innings, as Trent McMaster delivered a walk-off double to score Brett Owen from first base ... Rainer Ausmus hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs to send the game to extra innings after La Salle scored three in the top half of the ninth for a one-run lead ... Starter Justin Heskett pitched the Wildcats to a sweep of the Explorers with a career-long outing of 7 2/3 innings and did not allow an earned run in a 5-1 win.
A LOOK AT INCARNATE WORD
Incarnate Word (8-5) comes to Manhattan having won three of four games over the weekend against Northern Illinois at home ... The games will be the Cardinals' first games outside the state of Texas and UIW has yet to lose back-to-back games through the first 13 games ... UIW was voted to finish in a tie for 12th (last) in the Southland Conference preseason poll ... Freshman outfielder Ridge Rogers leads the Cardinals with a .417 average ... Sophomore Kyle Bergeron is also hitting over .400 (.408) and leads UIW with 15 runs batted in, two home runs and a .612 slugging percentage ... On the bump, junior right-hander Tyler Miller boasts a 2-0 record in three starts to go with a 1.08 ERA ... Miller has tallied 14 strikeouts against just two walks over 16 2/3 innings and has tossed a complete-game shutout earlier this season.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State and Incarnate Word will meet for the first time Tuesday ... Last season, K-State played five games against teams from the Southland Conference, posting a combined 5-0 mark against Abilene Christian and Northwestern State ... The Cats own a 20-7 (.741) against current members of the Southland and are 8-1 at home.
HOME COOKIN'
K-State swept its home-opening series for the sixth straight season ... In each of those six seasons, the Wildcats have gone one to win at least the first four games played at home and won their first nine home games in 2014 ... Under 15th-year head coach Brad Hill, K-State is 12-3 in home openers.
MOUNT CRUSHMORE
For the second consecutive week, K-State junior-transfer Drew Mount took home Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference office announced Monday ... He is the first Wildcat to earn the distinction in back-to-back weeks since the award's inception in 2011 ... In the three-game sweep of La Salle, he posted a slash line of .545/600/1.455 with five of his six hits going for extra bases ... He posted two triples and a home run in Friday's 9-3 win, becoming the first Wildcat to record a multi-triple game since 2013 (Ross Kivett) ... The Santa Clara, California, native leads the Big 12 in runs batted and is tied for second with four homers and ranks third in slugging at .795 ... His three triples, which all came in the La Salle series, and nine stolen bases rank him tops in the conference and third and fourth nationally, respectively, in the categories.
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 ... He is tied for the Big 12 lead with 24 base hits, which ranks third in the nation ... Brennan's .462 average places him second on the conference charts, only behind teammate TK McWhertor's .464 clip ... The sophomore left fielder ended 2017 on a 23-game on-base streak and has hit safely in all 11 games of 2018, extending his career-long on-base streak to 34 games ... In 52 at-bats, Brennan has struck out just twice, making him the most difficult hitter to strike out in the conference ... Last season, Brennan led the conference in the category, going 15.3 at-bats per strikeout.
SPEED KILLS
Through the season's first 11 games, K-State has swiped 32 bases on 34 attempts to rank No. 4 in the nation and first in the Big 12 - 12 more than Texas who is second with 20 steals ... Four of the top seven on the league leaderboard for stolen bases are Wildcats, with Drew Mount leading the way with nine ... Will Brennan has eight (t-2nd), Cameron Thompson has five (6th) and Kyle Barfield has four steals (7th) ... Through 11 games in 2017, K-State had just seven steals (12 attempts) ... The 32 stolen bases are the Cats' highest total through 11 games since 2009 when they had 29 steals ... K-State went on to steal a program-record 149 bags that season.
HOT STRETCH
After beginning the season 0-3, K-State has won seven of its last eight games ... In the Cats' 7-1 stretch, they are averaging 8.6 runs per game on 11.6 hits and have recorded double-digit hits in seven consecutive games ... Wildcat hitters have combined to hit 11 home runs in that span and have at least one dinger and stolen at least one base in eight straight contests ... McWhertor has a team-high .524 batting average over the last eight games while Mount is slugging 1.033.
DOLLA BILLS
K-State senior infielder and Manhattan native Jake Biller is having a breakout senior campaign ... After just three starts last season, the Manhattan product has started all 11 games in 2018 and leads the team in doubles (6) while his nine extra-base hits are tied for best on the team ... Biller has started at both second and third base and has worked himself up to the No. 2 spot in the order, hitting .354, and has reached base safely in all 11 contests ... Biller hit his first career home runs in back-to-back games (at ODU, La Salle) and has already surpassed his career hit and RBI totals.
Both games of the series between the Wildcats (7-4) and Cardinals (8-5) will be streamed live on the ESPN app with live audio also streaming at k-statesports.com. Fans in the Manhattan area can also listen to action on KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM).
The series finale is set for a 12 p.m., first pitch on Wednesday.
GAME #12
K-STATE (7-4, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. INCARNATE WORD (8-5, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 // 3 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Quinton Potter (0-0, 6.23 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN app // ESPN3 // Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Mike Clark (analyst)
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #13
K-STATE (7-4, 0-0 BIG12) vs. INCARNATE WORD (8-5, 0-0 SOUTHLAND)
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 // 12 p.m. CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,331) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Caleb Littlejim (1-0, 4.91 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN app // ESPN3 // Brian Smoller (play-by-play) and Craig Wilson (analyst)
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // John Kurtz
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
Kansas State welcomes Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference for a midweek two-game series at Tointon Family Stadium ... K-State opened its 2018 home schedule with a three-game sweep of La Salle over the weekend and have won seven of its last eight games overall... K-State recorded a series sweep in its home opening series for the sixth straight season ... The Cats picked up their first walk-off win and first extra-inning win of the season in the second game of the series Saturday, an 11-10 win in 11 innings, as Trent McMaster delivered a walk-off double to score Brett Owen from first base ... Rainer Ausmus hit a game-tying solo homer in the bottom of the ninth inning with two outs to send the game to extra innings after La Salle scored three in the top half of the ninth for a one-run lead ... Starter Justin Heskett pitched the Wildcats to a sweep of the Explorers with a career-long outing of 7 2/3 innings and did not allow an earned run in a 5-1 win.
A LOOK AT INCARNATE WORD
Incarnate Word (8-5) comes to Manhattan having won three of four games over the weekend against Northern Illinois at home ... The games will be the Cardinals' first games outside the state of Texas and UIW has yet to lose back-to-back games through the first 13 games ... UIW was voted to finish in a tie for 12th (last) in the Southland Conference preseason poll ... Freshman outfielder Ridge Rogers leads the Cardinals with a .417 average ... Sophomore Kyle Bergeron is also hitting over .400 (.408) and leads UIW with 15 runs batted in, two home runs and a .612 slugging percentage ... On the bump, junior right-hander Tyler Miller boasts a 2-0 record in three starts to go with a 1.08 ERA ... Miller has tallied 14 strikeouts against just two walks over 16 2/3 innings and has tossed a complete-game shutout earlier this season.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State and Incarnate Word will meet for the first time Tuesday ... Last season, K-State played five games against teams from the Southland Conference, posting a combined 5-0 mark against Abilene Christian and Northwestern State ... The Cats own a 20-7 (.741) against current members of the Southland and are 8-1 at home.
HOME COOKIN'
K-State swept its home-opening series for the sixth straight season ... In each of those six seasons, the Wildcats have gone one to win at least the first four games played at home and won their first nine home games in 2014 ... Under 15th-year head coach Brad Hill, K-State is 12-3 in home openers.
MOUNT CRUSHMORE
For the second consecutive week, K-State junior-transfer Drew Mount took home Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, the conference office announced Monday ... He is the first Wildcat to earn the distinction in back-to-back weeks since the award's inception in 2011 ... In the three-game sweep of La Salle, he posted a slash line of .545/600/1.455 with five of his six hits going for extra bases ... He posted two triples and a home run in Friday's 9-3 win, becoming the first Wildcat to record a multi-triple game since 2013 (Ross Kivett) ... The Santa Clara, California, native leads the Big 12 in runs batted and is tied for second with four homers and ranks third in slugging at .795 ... His three triples, which all came in the La Salle series, and nine stolen bases rank him tops in the conference and third and fourth nationally, respectively, in the categories.
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 ... He is tied for the Big 12 lead with 24 base hits, which ranks third in the nation ... Brennan's .462 average places him second on the conference charts, only behind teammate TK McWhertor's .464 clip ... The sophomore left fielder ended 2017 on a 23-game on-base streak and has hit safely in all 11 games of 2018, extending his career-long on-base streak to 34 games ... In 52 at-bats, Brennan has struck out just twice, making him the most difficult hitter to strike out in the conference ... Last season, Brennan led the conference in the category, going 15.3 at-bats per strikeout.
SPEED KILLS
Through the season's first 11 games, K-State has swiped 32 bases on 34 attempts to rank No. 4 in the nation and first in the Big 12 - 12 more than Texas who is second with 20 steals ... Four of the top seven on the league leaderboard for stolen bases are Wildcats, with Drew Mount leading the way with nine ... Will Brennan has eight (t-2nd), Cameron Thompson has five (6th) and Kyle Barfield has four steals (7th) ... Through 11 games in 2017, K-State had just seven steals (12 attempts) ... The 32 stolen bases are the Cats' highest total through 11 games since 2009 when they had 29 steals ... K-State went on to steal a program-record 149 bags that season.
HOT STRETCH
After beginning the season 0-3, K-State has won seven of its last eight games ... In the Cats' 7-1 stretch, they are averaging 8.6 runs per game on 11.6 hits and have recorded double-digit hits in seven consecutive games ... Wildcat hitters have combined to hit 11 home runs in that span and have at least one dinger and stolen at least one base in eight straight contests ... McWhertor has a team-high .524 batting average over the last eight games while Mount is slugging 1.033.
DOLLA BILLS
K-State senior infielder and Manhattan native Jake Biller is having a breakout senior campaign ... After just three starts last season, the Manhattan product has started all 11 games in 2018 and leads the team in doubles (6) while his nine extra-base hits are tied for best on the team ... Biller has started at both second and third base and has worked himself up to the No. 2 spot in the order, hitting .354, and has reached base safely in all 11 contests ... Biller hit his first career home runs in back-to-back games (at ODU, La Salle) and has already surpassed his career hit and RBI totals.
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