SE: Brad Hill Leaves K-State Baseball Appreciated, with Strong Core Intact for Promising Future
May 17, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Brad Hill isn't on Twitter, so he didn't see all the positive replies and quote tweets to last week's news that he, the winningest coach in K-State baseball history, would be stepping down after this season.
Hill didn't get to read the numerous posts, from fans, media members, former players, coaches and others who worked with him, praising his 15-year K-State career and the impact he had on so many.
He missed the repetitive themes shared by these people, boasting about his class, hard work and commitment in taking K-State to unprecedented heights during his tenure. This included four NCAA Regional appearances, starting with the program's first in 2009 and a Super Regional run in 2013 that followed the program's first Big 12 Championship ever.
He never saw the tweets from former players that said they were "forever grateful" for lessons he taught them and the chance he took on them when many other programs did not.
Hill didn't need social media to feel the love, however. His phone was buzzing constantly in the days that followed his announcement from those same people and plenty of others.
"There's been an unbelievable amount of people reaching out. I truly appreciate that. There have been a lot of people local, former players, coaches around the country. It's been really touching just to know that there are people out there who are supportive and care about you," Hill said. "Some people have been very appreciative of things we've accomplished as a program and some people have reached out and appreciated me and some of the things I did for them."
As his resume shows, Hill did a lot for K-State baseball in his decade and a half leading the program. His tenure in K-State's dugout will end this week, however, with a season-closing, three-game series at San Francisco starting Thursday.
It will be the end of an impressive era, one filled with memories Hill plans to hold onto.
Of the many moments he can look back on, Hill pointed to two in particular. The first was when the program started "turning the corner" by reaching the 2008 Big 12 Championship title game. The second is the Big 12-clinching celebration in 2013 after beating Oklahoma on a Friday night in Tointon Family Stadium.
"The thing I remember is the guys celebrating over by the net, and two or three fans jumping up on the net just trying to be a part of that thing, jumping in the net trying to touch our kids — anything to be a part of that," Hill said of the 2013 moment. "Just the thrill, not only that it brought those kids, but the fan base and the university, that was an unbelievable feeling."
Hill got another memorable performance in his last game at Tointon Family Stadium on Sunday.
His team trailed 4-0 at one point in the rubber match against rival Kansas and went on to win in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 11th. Hill, who finished 29-19 against the Jayhawks in his Wildcat career, was doused in water while doing a postgame interview on the national television broadcast.
The game and the way the Wildcats played closely resembled the characteristics Hill's best teams played with, grit and fight, a fitting home finale for their head coach.
"The kids' fight, that's what I wanted to remember going out of this program," Hill said after the win. "That's how it's supposed to be played right there, those are the expectations of how we fight and not quit."
While Hill said he's not sure what the future holds for him, he's confident it's bright for K-State's baseball program.
Much of his confidence derives from the young core of experienced talent on K-State's roster and the new facility being built for next season.
On the field, the Wildcats return their three sophomore captains in Will Brennan, Cameron Thompson and Kasey Ford.
"You look at those guys," Hill said, "and you know the leadership part will be there next year."
Brennan ranks in the top 10 of the Big 12 in hits per game (2nd), batting average (3rd), on-base percentage (4th), stolen bases per game (6th) and runs scored per game (8th). He also proved to be a valuable weekend pitcher for the Wildcats, recording a 3.84 ERA in 20 1/3 innings in his last four starts.
Thompson, a Freshman All-American in 2017 in center field, started every game at shortstop for K-State this season. He ranks second on the team with 31 RBI to go with 16 stolen bases.
Ford, when healthy, provided K-State a legitimate Friday-night arm. In three-consecutive starts against TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-6 Wildcat posted a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings.
Aside from those three, K-State has more than a handful of experienced and proven players coming back.
One of them is junior center fielder Drew Mount, a community-college transfer in only his second season completely focused on baseball. He leads the Wildcats in home runs (9), RBI (46), triples (7), slugging percentage (.543) and stolen bases (20).
Sophomore pitcher Jared Marolf moved from the bullpen to a starting role late in the season and has thrived in it. The Lenexa native went the distance in his last two outings, both Saturday starts that included a complete-game shutout of Kansas to earn him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.
Additionally, freshmen Brett Owen, Jordan Maxson and Dylan Watts have all played in more than 30 games, while their classmate Jaxon Passino has been one of K-State's best arms out of the bullpen this season.
"The sky's the limit, honestly, for this team," Ford said. "We have some very talented players and we have a hard-working core here."
K-State's players will also be treated to a facility upgrade next season, part of the $15 million baseball and soccer facility project. On top of Tointon Family Stadium receiving aesthetic exterior upgrades to the facility, the Wildcats will be welcomed to an expansive new clubhouse that will include a spacious lounge, locker room and team meeting room, among many other features.
"It's obviously going to help," Hill said of the facility upgrade. "You always say the baseball facility needs to be a second home for your players and a place they want to be on a regular basis. Our kids have done that, even with the facility that we have, but I think this will just add to it once the facility gets developed and finished."
"It is our second home," Ford agreed. "A lot of us really look forward to coming here every day and working, but just having those upgrades and having them available to us is just going to create an even better atmosphere for us and help us come out here, want to work every day and try to win some games."
Right now, even with the potentially promising future ahead, that's all K-State is focused on, winning games for one person in particular.
"The future can be really bright. It just depends on how hard we work in the offseason and how we finish this season, honestly," Brennan said. "We're trying to send Coach Hill out with a bang and win a few more ballgames and then move on from there, but we're still going to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time and continue to work as hard as we can."
Brad Hill isn't on Twitter, so he didn't see all the positive replies and quote tweets to last week's news that he, the winningest coach in K-State baseball history, would be stepping down after this season.
Hill didn't get to read the numerous posts, from fans, media members, former players, coaches and others who worked with him, praising his 15-year K-State career and the impact he had on so many.
This weekend will be the last with Coach Hill at the helm of #KStateBSB
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 17, 2018
Thank you for 15 great years, Coach pic.twitter.com/VYnIs9TmhE
He missed the repetitive themes shared by these people, boasting about his class, hard work and commitment in taking K-State to unprecedented heights during his tenure. This included four NCAA Regional appearances, starting with the program's first in 2009 and a Super Regional run in 2013 that followed the program's first Big 12 Championship ever.
He never saw the tweets from former players that said they were "forever grateful" for lessons he taught them and the chance he took on them when many other programs did not.
Hill didn't need social media to feel the love, however. His phone was buzzing constantly in the days that followed his announcement from those same people and plenty of others.
"There's been an unbelievable amount of people reaching out. I truly appreciate that. There have been a lot of people local, former players, coaches around the country. It's been really touching just to know that there are people out there who are supportive and care about you," Hill said. "Some people have been very appreciative of things we've accomplished as a program and some people have reached out and appreciated me and some of the things I did for them."
As his resume shows, Hill did a lot for K-State baseball in his decade and a half leading the program. His tenure in K-State's dugout will end this week, however, with a season-closing, three-game series at San Francisco starting Thursday.
It will be the end of an impressive era, one filled with memories Hill plans to hold onto.
Of the many moments he can look back on, Hill pointed to two in particular. The first was when the program started "turning the corner" by reaching the 2008 Big 12 Championship title game. The second is the Big 12-clinching celebration in 2013 after beating Oklahoma on a Friday night in Tointon Family Stadium.
"The thing I remember is the guys celebrating over by the net, and two or three fans jumping up on the net just trying to be a part of that thing, jumping in the net trying to touch our kids — anything to be a part of that," Hill said of the 2013 moment. "Just the thrill, not only that it brought those kids, but the fan base and the university, that was an unbelievable feeling."
Hill got another memorable performance in his last game at Tointon Family Stadium on Sunday.
His team trailed 4-0 at one point in the rubber match against rival Kansas and went on to win in walk-off fashion in the bottom of the 11th. Hill, who finished 29-19 against the Jayhawks in his Wildcat career, was doused in water while doing a postgame interview on the national television broadcast.
The game and the way the Wildcats played closely resembled the characteristics Hill's best teams played with, grit and fight, a fitting home finale for their head coach.
"The kids' fight, that's what I wanted to remember going out of this program," Hill said after the win. "That's how it's supposed to be played right there, those are the expectations of how we fight and not quit."
While Hill said he's not sure what the future holds for him, he's confident it's bright for K-State's baseball program.
Much of his confidence derives from the young core of experienced talent on K-State's roster and the new facility being built for next season.
On the field, the Wildcats return their three sophomore captains in Will Brennan, Cameron Thompson and Kasey Ford.
"You look at those guys," Hill said, "and you know the leadership part will be there next year."
Brennan ranks in the top 10 of the Big 12 in hits per game (2nd), batting average (3rd), on-base percentage (4th), stolen bases per game (6th) and runs scored per game (8th). He also proved to be a valuable weekend pitcher for the Wildcats, recording a 3.84 ERA in 20 1/3 innings in his last four starts.
Thompson, a Freshman All-American in 2017 in center field, started every game at shortstop for K-State this season. He ranks second on the team with 31 RBI to go with 16 stolen bases.
Ford, when healthy, provided K-State a legitimate Friday-night arm. In three-consecutive starts against TCU, Texas and Oklahoma State, the 6-foot-6 Wildcat posted a 2.00 ERA in 18 innings.
Aside from those three, K-State has more than a handful of experienced and proven players coming back.
One of them is junior center fielder Drew Mount, a community-college transfer in only his second season completely focused on baseball. He leads the Wildcats in home runs (9), RBI (46), triples (7), slugging percentage (.543) and stolen bases (20).
Sophomore pitcher Jared Marolf moved from the bullpen to a starting role late in the season and has thrived in it. The Lenexa native went the distance in his last two outings, both Saturday starts that included a complete-game shutout of Kansas to earn him Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors on Monday.
Additionally, freshmen Brett Owen, Jordan Maxson and Dylan Watts have all played in more than 30 games, while their classmate Jaxon Passino has been one of K-State's best arms out of the bullpen this season.
"The sky's the limit, honestly, for this team," Ford said. "We have some very talented players and we have a hard-working core here."
K-State's players will also be treated to a facility upgrade next season, part of the $15 million baseball and soccer facility project. On top of Tointon Family Stadium receiving aesthetic exterior upgrades to the facility, the Wildcats will be welcomed to an expansive new clubhouse that will include a spacious lounge, locker room and team meeting room, among many other features.
"It's obviously going to help," Hill said of the facility upgrade. "You always say the baseball facility needs to be a second home for your players and a place they want to be on a regular basis. Our kids have done that, even with the facility that we have, but I think this will just add to it once the facility gets developed and finished."
"It is our second home," Ford agreed. "A lot of us really look forward to coming here every day and working, but just having those upgrades and having them available to us is just going to create an even better atmosphere for us and help us come out here, want to work every day and try to win some games."
Right now, even with the potentially promising future ahead, that's all K-State is focused on, winning games for one person in particular.
"The future can be really bright. It just depends on how hard we work in the offseason and how we finish this season, honestly," Brennan said. "We're trying to send Coach Hill out with a bang and win a few more ballgames and then move on from there, but we're still going to take it one game at a time, one practice at a time and continue to work as hard as we can."
Players Mentioned
OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
OF
/ Baseball
OF
/ BaseballK-State Baseball | Highlights vs Michigan - Feb. 22, 2026
Monday, February 23
K-State Baseball | Batcat Bash Recap
Tuesday, February 10
K-State Baseball | First Look - New Bats
Thursday, February 05
K-State Baseball | Media Day Press Conference - February 4, 2026
Wednesday, February 04
