Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, March 8
Manhattan, Kan.
6 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Old Dominion
K-State Opens Home Slate vs. Old Dominion
Mar 07, 2019 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – After 11 games away from home to open the 2019 season, K-State will begin its home slate with a three-game series against Old Dominion starting on Friday at 6 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium.
The home opener, which was originally slated for a 3 p.m. start, was pushed back to a 6 p.m. first pitch. The second game of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. with the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. As a reminder, fans will now enter through a gate near the left field bullpen with the regular entrance on College Avenue closed due to continued renovations of Tointon Family Stadium.
The Wildcats (5-6) will send junior Tyler Eckberg to the mound for the series opener for the fourth straight weekend, while freshman lefty Jordan Wicks will get the nod on Saturday. Junior Will Brennan is scheduled to start the series finale.
Fans in attendance in the home-opening series will receive a K-State baseball schedule magnet. Tickets can be purchased for $3 all weekend as part of a Wildcat Weekend with a men's basketball ticket for Saturday's Oklahoma game.
The entire series will stream free on K-StateHD.TV along with the K-State Sports Roku app and Apple TV. Friday's and Sunday's games will also stream live via Facebook Live. Coverage is also available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with streaming audio at K-StateSports.com/watch.
GAME #12
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Friday, March 8 // 6 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Tyler Eckberg (0-2, 8.36 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pantos (2-0, 0.55 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Facebook Live
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Promotion: Dollar Dog Friday | Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #13
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Saturday, March 9 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Jordan Wicks (1-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. RHP Morgan Maguire (2-0, 6.57 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: 1350kman.com // Matt Walters and Mitch Fortner
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch
Promotion: Wildcat Weekend/Schedule Magnet Giveaway | Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #14
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Sunday, March 10 // 1 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Will Brennan (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ryne Moore (2-0, 2.81 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Facebook Live
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Promotion: Sunday Family 4-Pack/Kids Run the Bases| Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (5-6), after its home-opening series against San Francisco was forced to move to Fort Worth, Texas, begins its home slate with a three-game series against Old Dominion ... The Wildcats enter the weekend after taking the final two games of the three-game set against the Dons to claim their first series victory of the season ... In the series, K-State received quality starts from Tyler Eckberg (6.0 IP, 2 ER) and Will Brennan (7.0 IP, 3 ER) as the Wildcat pitching staff posted a 2.33 earned run average against USF ... In Game 2, freshman Jordan Wicks held San Francisco scoreless over four innings while picking up eight strikeouts ... Relievers Joey Martin, Jaxon Passino and Mitch Zubradt combined to complete a 7-0 shutout over the game's final five innings, allowing four hits with five strikeouts ... Offensively, Zach Kokoska and Dylan Phillips each homered in the series and Brennan recorded a career-high four RBI in the series finale.
A LOOK AT OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion heads to Manhattan for the Monarchs' first road series of the season ... ODU enters the weekend having won its last eight games overall, including series sweeps of Binghamton and Rutgers ... The Monarchs are led offensively by junior infielder Matt Burch and his Conference USA-best average of .436 ... Burch's on-base percentage is third in C-USA at .522 while teammate Bryce Windham leads the league in the category at .575 ... ODU's team average of .318 leads C-USA and ranks 16th nationally entering the weekend ... On the mound, Old Dominion's 2.80 team ERA is second-lowest in its conference with an opposing batting average of .228 as the league low ... ODU was picked ninth in the C-USA preseason poll out of 12 teams.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State won two of three games last season at Bud Metheny Baseball Complex in Norfolk, Va., in the team's only other meeting ... The Wildcats took the series opener 11-3 before an 11-5 win in Game 2 ... ODU salvaged the series finale 11-8 ... In the series a year ago, Will Brennan hit .533 (8-for-15) with two doubles, a triple, two RBI and five runs scored ... Tyler Eckberg tossed two scoreless innings of relief in the series.
FUN WITH TWO
In the last two games against San Francisco, K-State combined to go 15-for-27 (.556) with two outs ... Through the season's first nine games, the Wildcats had a team average of just .200 (19-for-95) with two outs ... Additionally, the Cats hit .579 (11-for-19) with runners in scoring position in the last two games after having a season average of .258 (25-for-97) in the same situation.
FROM THE PEN
In the Wildcats' first series victory of the season over San Francisco, the K-State bullpen was nearly flawless ... In the three-game set, the Wildcat pen turned in a 1.80 ERA (2 ER, 10.0 IP) with a .216 batting average against ... Of the five relievers to appear, four of them (Passino, Hassall, Martin, Zubradt) did not allow a run ... Entering the series with the Dons, the K-State pen owned a 6.67 ERA (22 ER, 29.2 IP) and opponents hit .276 against them ... Wildcat relievers did not allow an inherited runner to score in the series (3 inherited).
IMPACT LEFTY
Freshman left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks has made three straight Saturday starts to open the season, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER, 16.0 IP) while picking up 21 strikeouts to pace the Wildcats ... Against San Francisco, Wicks struck out a career-high eight batters over four innings while holding the Dons scoreless ... Wicks turned in his first quality start against Utah the week prior as he went seven innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts ... In his season debut, Wicks did not surrender a walk and struck out seven ... The Cats are 3-0 in games Wicks starts and he is slated to start Saturday vs. Old Dominion.
LITTLEJIM, BIG BAT
Junior two-way player Caleb Littlejim is tied for the team lead with two home runs, with his second coming in a 6-4 win over Utah on Saturday ... In his first season playing in the field, Littlejim is slugging .465 slugging percentage with an OBP of .347 ... His eight RBI rank second on the team ... In his first two seasons, Littlejim was exclusively a pitcher but did appear as a pinch runner ... In 2019, he has started every game and has moved into the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
THROW UP THE Z
Senior Mitch Zubradt has thrown the final out in each of K-State's first four wins this season ... Zubradt entered the game with runners on base and struck out the only batter he faced to collect his first career save and preserve a 6-5 win over CSUN on Feb. 16 ... In the finale at CSUN, Zubradt tossed three innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit while picking up five strikeouts in earning the win ... Of his 44 pitches in the victory, 32 of them went for strikes ... Zubradt recorded a five-out save, without yielding a hit, in a 6-4 win over Utah in San Diego ... In four outings (6.0 IP), Zubradt has yet to surrender a run while allowing just one hit and collecting eight strikeouts.
ROAD WARRIORS
K-State's first 11 games of the 2019 season were away from Tointon Family Stadium after last weekend's series against San Francisco, which was originally slated to be played in Manhattan, was moved to a neutral site in Fort Worth, Texas ... The 11 games away from home match the longest such streak to begin a season since 2000 (last in 2015) ... The Wildcats and Dons played at Lupton Stadium, home of the TCU Horned Frogs, after beginning the season with an eight-game swing through Southern California to start the year.
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST
K-State has scored more runs in the ninth inning (13) than any other inning ... Conversely, the Cats have only allowed two runs in the ninth inning for a +11 run differential - best of any single inning this season ... Of the team's seven home runs, three have come in the ninth (most of any single inning).
The home opener, which was originally slated for a 3 p.m. start, was pushed back to a 6 p.m. first pitch. The second game of the series is set for Saturday at 2 p.m. with the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m. As a reminder, fans will now enter through a gate near the left field bullpen with the regular entrance on College Avenue closed due to continued renovations of Tointon Family Stadium.
The Wildcats (5-6) will send junior Tyler Eckberg to the mound for the series opener for the fourth straight weekend, while freshman lefty Jordan Wicks will get the nod on Saturday. Junior Will Brennan is scheduled to start the series finale.
Fans in attendance in the home-opening series will receive a K-State baseball schedule magnet. Tickets can be purchased for $3 all weekend as part of a Wildcat Weekend with a men's basketball ticket for Saturday's Oklahoma game.
The entire series will stream free on K-StateHD.TV along with the K-State Sports Roku app and Apple TV. Friday's and Sunday's games will also stream live via Facebook Live. Coverage is also available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with streaming audio at K-StateSports.com/watch.
GAME #12
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Friday, March 8 // 6 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Tyler Eckberg (0-2, 8.36 ERA) vs. RHP Nick Pantos (2-0, 0.55 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Facebook Live
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Promotion: Dollar Dog Friday | Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #13
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Saturday, March 9 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Jordan Wicks (1-0, 1.69 ERA) vs. RHP Morgan Maguire (2-0, 6.57 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV
Radio: 1350kman.com // Matt Walters and Mitch Fortner
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch
Promotion: Wildcat Weekend/Schedule Magnet Giveaway | Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
GAME #14
K-STATE (5-6) vs. OLD DOMINION (9-2)
Sunday, March 10 // 1 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Will Brennan (1-2, 6.00 ERA) vs. RHP Ryne Moore (2-0, 2.81 ERA)
Watch: K-StateHD.TV // Facebook Live
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters and John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Promotion: Sunday Family 4-Pack/Kids Run the Bases| Buy Tickets
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (5-6), after its home-opening series against San Francisco was forced to move to Fort Worth, Texas, begins its home slate with a three-game series against Old Dominion ... The Wildcats enter the weekend after taking the final two games of the three-game set against the Dons to claim their first series victory of the season ... In the series, K-State received quality starts from Tyler Eckberg (6.0 IP, 2 ER) and Will Brennan (7.0 IP, 3 ER) as the Wildcat pitching staff posted a 2.33 earned run average against USF ... In Game 2, freshman Jordan Wicks held San Francisco scoreless over four innings while picking up eight strikeouts ... Relievers Joey Martin, Jaxon Passino and Mitch Zubradt combined to complete a 7-0 shutout over the game's final five innings, allowing four hits with five strikeouts ... Offensively, Zach Kokoska and Dylan Phillips each homered in the series and Brennan recorded a career-high four RBI in the series finale.
A LOOK AT OLD DOMINION
Old Dominion heads to Manhattan for the Monarchs' first road series of the season ... ODU enters the weekend having won its last eight games overall, including series sweeps of Binghamton and Rutgers ... The Monarchs are led offensively by junior infielder Matt Burch and his Conference USA-best average of .436 ... Burch's on-base percentage is third in C-USA at .522 while teammate Bryce Windham leads the league in the category at .575 ... ODU's team average of .318 leads C-USA and ranks 16th nationally entering the weekend ... On the mound, Old Dominion's 2.80 team ERA is second-lowest in its conference with an opposing batting average of .228 as the league low ... ODU was picked ninth in the C-USA preseason poll out of 12 teams.
A LOOK AT THE SERIES
K-State won two of three games last season at Bud Metheny Baseball Complex in Norfolk, Va., in the team's only other meeting ... The Wildcats took the series opener 11-3 before an 11-5 win in Game 2 ... ODU salvaged the series finale 11-8 ... In the series a year ago, Will Brennan hit .533 (8-for-15) with two doubles, a triple, two RBI and five runs scored ... Tyler Eckberg tossed two scoreless innings of relief in the series.
FUN WITH TWO
In the last two games against San Francisco, K-State combined to go 15-for-27 (.556) with two outs ... Through the season's first nine games, the Wildcats had a team average of just .200 (19-for-95) with two outs ... Additionally, the Cats hit .579 (11-for-19) with runners in scoring position in the last two games after having a season average of .258 (25-for-97) in the same situation.
FROM THE PEN
In the Wildcats' first series victory of the season over San Francisco, the K-State bullpen was nearly flawless ... In the three-game set, the Wildcat pen turned in a 1.80 ERA (2 ER, 10.0 IP) with a .216 batting average against ... Of the five relievers to appear, four of them (Passino, Hassall, Martin, Zubradt) did not allow a run ... Entering the series with the Dons, the K-State pen owned a 6.67 ERA (22 ER, 29.2 IP) and opponents hit .276 against them ... Wildcat relievers did not allow an inherited runner to score in the series (3 inherited).
IMPACT LEFTY
Freshman left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks has made three straight Saturday starts to open the season, going 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA (3 ER, 16.0 IP) while picking up 21 strikeouts to pace the Wildcats ... Against San Francisco, Wicks struck out a career-high eight batters over four innings while holding the Dons scoreless ... Wicks turned in his first quality start against Utah the week prior as he went seven innings and gave up two earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts ... In his season debut, Wicks did not surrender a walk and struck out seven ... The Cats are 3-0 in games Wicks starts and he is slated to start Saturday vs. Old Dominion.
LITTLEJIM, BIG BAT
Junior two-way player Caleb Littlejim is tied for the team lead with two home runs, with his second coming in a 6-4 win over Utah on Saturday ... In his first season playing in the field, Littlejim is slugging .465 slugging percentage with an OBP of .347 ... His eight RBI rank second on the team ... In his first two seasons, Littlejim was exclusively a pitcher but did appear as a pinch runner ... In 2019, he has started every game and has moved into the No. 2 spot in the lineup.
THROW UP THE Z
Senior Mitch Zubradt has thrown the final out in each of K-State's first four wins this season ... Zubradt entered the game with runners on base and struck out the only batter he faced to collect his first career save and preserve a 6-5 win over CSUN on Feb. 16 ... In the finale at CSUN, Zubradt tossed three innings of shutout baseball, allowing just one hit while picking up five strikeouts in earning the win ... Of his 44 pitches in the victory, 32 of them went for strikes ... Zubradt recorded a five-out save, without yielding a hit, in a 6-4 win over Utah in San Diego ... In four outings (6.0 IP), Zubradt has yet to surrender a run while allowing just one hit and collecting eight strikeouts.
ROAD WARRIORS
K-State's first 11 games of the 2019 season were away from Tointon Family Stadium after last weekend's series against San Francisco, which was originally slated to be played in Manhattan, was moved to a neutral site in Fort Worth, Texas ... The 11 games away from home match the longest such streak to begin a season since 2000 (last in 2015) ... The Wildcats and Dons played at Lupton Stadium, home of the TCU Horned Frogs, after beginning the season with an eight-game swing through Southern California to start the year.
SAVE THE BEST FOR LAST
K-State has scored more runs in the ninth inning (13) than any other inning ... Conversely, the Cats have only allowed two runs in the ninth inning for a +11 run differential - best of any single inning this season ... Of the team's seven home runs, three have come in the ninth (most of any single inning).
Players Mentioned
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