SE: Right Mentality Leads K-State Baseball to Success
Apr 16, 2019 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Last weekend, K-State baseball head coach Pete Hughes started to see a "play-to-win" mentality become more than a talking point before and after games or practices. He saw it come to fruition on the field and lead to a series win at No. 14 Texas.
"I think we're finally there," Hughes said on Monday.
There, being a mindset more than anything tangible. Specifically, Hughes felt like his team was focused on what it can control every time it takes the field: Energy and competitiveness. Not the other team's ranking, not the name on the other team's jerseys, not what the scoreboard reads.
In last Thursday's practice in Austin, Texas, he reminded his team not to get caught up in all the history and prestige of the Texas baseball program, with recognizable names like Roger Clemens plastered all over.
"If you're completely focused on trying to be the best team you can be, then things like who the opponent is or their ranking or where you're playing are not even in the picture. That's been my challenge, and I think we're getting there. We have a long way to go, but they're thinking in the right terms, I do know that," Hughes said. "It's a mature approach. A mature program approaches it that way, and I think these guys are getting there."
For example, in K-State's 6-4 win on Friday, the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first but did not let up. They stretched their advantage to 4-1 in the top of the sixth on a Chris Ceballos homer. When Texas responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Wildcats plated a run in the next inning on a two-out single by Hughes' son, Thomas. K-State added one more run in the eighth off another two-out RBI hit, this time from Caleb Littlejim.
"We kept building and separating the lead, even when they answered," Hughes said. "That was a play-to-win mentality, no doubt."
On Sunday, K-State freshman Jordan Wicks blanked the Longhorns with his first collegiate complete game in a 2-0 victory. The southpaw, who earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors,did so through some pressure early.
Texas had a man in scoring position in four of the five first innings but was unable to plate any of them. After a K-State error with one out in the fifth, Wicks set down the next 11 Longhorns in a row. After he gave up a hit to start the bottom of the ninth, he retired the next three that included two of his six strikeouts.
"We made pitch after pitch and play after play," Hughes said. "Whether it was (Terrence) Spurlin making great plays at first or Wicks making countless pitches — big pitches — or Rainer Ausmus getting a bunt down to score a run in a squeeze situation, I don't know if those things would have happened a couple of weeks ago…probably not, but it's the growth of a team. To get to that level of winning mentality, it's difficult."
It's difficult, Hughes added, because it often requires failure to occur first. From there, a lot has to come together. There must be a culture of healthy reflection on why those failures occurred, followed by a group of players mature enough to make the necessary adjustments. Even then, in a game built on a low-success rate at the plate, success need to take place to foster confidence.
"You have to see a positive result, which we saw this weekend," Hughes said, with a road battle at Nebraska on Tuesday night and a three-game home series against TCU set to start on Thursday. "Then, you have to keep building on it."
K-State's season has followed that path.
The Wildcats dropped their first five Big 12 games, with a midweek non-conference loss at Wichita State during this stretch to up their losing skid to six straight games. Then, they won their series finale with No. 10 Texas Tech. K-State dropped its next three, however, by a 28-2 margin.
Still, the Wildcats kept their nose to the grindstone and their work ethic up. Now, they have won four of their last six, capped by the program's second-ever series win over a ranked team on the road. After going 0-8 against ranked teams last season, they have won three of their last four against top-25 teams this season.
The surge has included solid defense, what Hughes described as "the foundation of our program." The same Wildcats who had a seven-error game earlier this season have committed only three over their last 11 games.
At the plate, K-State has developed more balance. At least six Wildcats recorded one or more hits in each game against Texas. Hughes said it's the product of a lineup that, before this season, included two players with full-time experience at the Division I level, is "starting to feel more comfortable."
The starting point for all the improvement, Hughes added, has been how his team has handled its day-to-day business, regardless of how the previous game, series or week went. This made the losing stretches even harder on him, he said, because he knew they deserved success. It just takes time.
And the right mindset.
"When you go through losing ruts, it's constant communication. You find out who you have in your clubhouse and your dugout…you find out who you are," he said. "We lost six in a row, and I told them, 'Don't get sucked into that losing mentality. You guys are really good baseball players. Get caught up in your preparation. Get caught up in being a great worker. Get caught up in having a great attitude. Get caught up in the process and you'll see the results.'"
Last weekend, K-State baseball head coach Pete Hughes started to see a "play-to-win" mentality become more than a talking point before and after games or practices. He saw it come to fruition on the field and lead to a series win at No. 14 Texas.
"I think we're finally there," Hughes said on Monday.
There, being a mindset more than anything tangible. Specifically, Hughes felt like his team was focused on what it can control every time it takes the field: Energy and competitiveness. Not the other team's ranking, not the name on the other team's jerseys, not what the scoreboard reads.
In last Thursday's practice in Austin, Texas, he reminded his team not to get caught up in all the history and prestige of the Texas baseball program, with recognizable names like Roger Clemens plastered all over.
"If you're completely focused on trying to be the best team you can be, then things like who the opponent is or their ranking or where you're playing are not even in the picture. That's been my challenge, and I think we're getting there. We have a long way to go, but they're thinking in the right terms, I do know that," Hughes said. "It's a mature approach. A mature program approaches it that way, and I think these guys are getting there."
For example, in K-State's 6-4 win on Friday, the Wildcats jumped to a 2-0 lead in the first but did not let up. They stretched their advantage to 4-1 in the top of the sixth on a Chris Ceballos homer. When Texas responded with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Wildcats plated a run in the next inning on a two-out single by Hughes' son, Thomas. K-State added one more run in the eighth off another two-out RBI hit, this time from Caleb Littlejim.
"We kept building and separating the lead, even when they answered," Hughes said. "That was a play-to-win mentality, no doubt."
On Sunday, K-State freshman Jordan Wicks blanked the Longhorns with his first collegiate complete game in a 2-0 victory. The southpaw, who earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors,did so through some pressure early.
Texas had a man in scoring position in four of the five first innings but was unable to plate any of them. After a K-State error with one out in the fifth, Wicks set down the next 11 Longhorns in a row. After he gave up a hit to start the bottom of the ninth, he retired the next three that included two of his six strikeouts.
"We made pitch after pitch and play after play," Hughes said. "Whether it was (Terrence) Spurlin making great plays at first or Wicks making countless pitches — big pitches — or Rainer Ausmus getting a bunt down to score a run in a squeeze situation, I don't know if those things would have happened a couple of weeks ago…probably not, but it's the growth of a team. To get to that level of winning mentality, it's difficult."
It's difficult, Hughes added, because it often requires failure to occur first. From there, a lot has to come together. There must be a culture of healthy reflection on why those failures occurred, followed by a group of players mature enough to make the necessary adjustments. Even then, in a game built on a low-success rate at the plate, success need to take place to foster confidence.
"You have to see a positive result, which we saw this weekend," Hughes said, with a road battle at Nebraska on Tuesday night and a three-game home series against TCU set to start on Thursday. "Then, you have to keep building on it."
K-State's season has followed that path.
The Wildcats dropped their first five Big 12 games, with a midweek non-conference loss at Wichita State during this stretch to up their losing skid to six straight games. Then, they won their series finale with No. 10 Texas Tech. K-State dropped its next three, however, by a 28-2 margin.
Still, the Wildcats kept their nose to the grindstone and their work ethic up. Now, they have won four of their last six, capped by the program's second-ever series win over a ranked team on the road. After going 0-8 against ranked teams last season, they have won three of their last four against top-25 teams this season.
The surge has included solid defense, what Hughes described as "the foundation of our program." The same Wildcats who had a seven-error game earlier this season have committed only three over their last 11 games.
At the plate, K-State has developed more balance. At least six Wildcats recorded one or more hits in each game against Texas. Hughes said it's the product of a lineup that, before this season, included two players with full-time experience at the Division I level, is "starting to feel more comfortable."
The starting point for all the improvement, Hughes added, has been how his team has handled its day-to-day business, regardless of how the previous game, series or week went. This made the losing stretches even harder on him, he said, because he knew they deserved success. It just takes time.
And the right mindset.
"When you go through losing ruts, it's constant communication. You find out who you have in your clubhouse and your dugout…you find out who you are," he said. "We lost six in a row, and I told them, 'Don't get sucked into that losing mentality. You guys are really good baseball players. Get caught up in your preparation. Get caught up in being a great worker. Get caught up in having a great attitude. Get caught up in the process and you'll see the results.'"
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