SE: K-State Baseball Loaded with Motivation Going into Sunflower Showdown to End Regular Season
May 17, 2019 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
What happens when a rivalry meets a chance to clinch a postseason opportunity? For K-State baseball (25-28, 8-13), which ends the regular season with a three-game series at Kansas (28-24, 9-12) this weekend, there's plenty of reasons to play well.
"We have a whole lot of motivation," junior Will Brennan said.
The Wildcats' motivation comes partly from the rivalry and partly from what a series win in the rivalry would mean. After Texas' loss to Oklahoma on Thursday night, K-State's magic number is down to one, meaning the Wildcats need one win against Kansas or another Texas loss this weekend to secure a spot at the Big 12 Championship next week in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
"We know what we have to do," Brennan said. "It's a rivalry, and it's new for this whole staff and a lot of players, so it should be a lot of fun."
K-State's coaching staff, with the exception of volunteer coach Shane Conlon, has never been part of a Sunflower Showdown series. Still, they understand importance of it.
"I love it," head coach Pete Hughes said. "I love inner-state rivals, number one, because it's great for baseball in our state, especially for high school baseball, amateur baseball, the places that we have to go to and fill our programs with. It's great for both our schools. We're great college communities and athletics is a vital part of both communities. To have baseball be part of that in the spring and for our teams to play on each other's campus every other year is important."
On the players' side, experience in the rivalry is also pretty sparse. Only Cameron Thompson, Kasey Ford, Tyler Eckberg (out this season with an injury) and Brennan have played in the series more than once.
This may make it easier for the Wildcats to stay focused on the task at hand, something freshman pitcher Jordan Wicks said could be key to coming out on top this weekend.
"We're treating it like every other week," said the lefty with a 6-1 record and 2.79 ERA this season. "It's a rivalry and I'm sure once you actually get there the emotions are going to kick up a little bit. It's going to be a big thing this week, keeping composure like normal, treating it like every other week.
"I think, naturally, the energy will be a little bit more, especially going there and wanting to beat them, but there's a happy medium to where you don't get too low but, then again, you don't get too high. You stay there, stay the course and maintain your game plan throughout the whole series."
Maintaining a consistent energy level, regardless of opponent or day of game, has been a theme in K-State taking a step forward as a program this season.
A five-win team in conference a year ago, K-State started 0-5 in Big 12 play this year before winning five of its next seven in the league, including back-to-back series wins over ranked opponents. K-State also won its last five non-conference midweek games.
The Wildcats have been painfully close to taking each of their last three series, too, coming up a win short in each. They lost a rubber game in extra innings to Oklahoma, dropped a 4-3 Friday night battle at Baylor and held a lead in the eighth inning of a series-deciding game against West Virginia last Sunday, only to lose, 7-4.
"It kind of hurts," Brennan said. "You're right there and if a couple series go our way, we could be in a different spot in the league, but it is what it is, we are where we are, and we're just going to keep playing, keep battling."
This attitude, Wicks said, started with Hughes and his staff. The players made it part of their DNA as the season progressed.
"They've done an outstanding job bringing in a positive, hardworking, grind-it-out type of mentality," Wicks said of the new staff. "This team, we're scrappy. We're going to go out there and we're not going to just give you anything. We're going to compete with you every out."
What happens when a rivalry meets a chance to clinch a postseason opportunity? For K-State baseball (25-28, 8-13), which ends the regular season with a three-game series at Kansas (28-24, 9-12) this weekend, there's plenty of reasons to play well.
"We have a whole lot of motivation," junior Will Brennan said.
The Wildcats' motivation comes partly from the rivalry and partly from what a series win in the rivalry would mean. After Texas' loss to Oklahoma on Thursday night, K-State's magic number is down to one, meaning the Wildcats need one win against Kansas or another Texas loss this weekend to secure a spot at the Big 12 Championship next week in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
"We know what we have to do," Brennan said. "It's a rivalry, and it's new for this whole staff and a lot of players, so it should be a lot of fun."
K-State's coaching staff, with the exception of volunteer coach Shane Conlon, has never been part of a Sunflower Showdown series. Still, they understand importance of it.
"I love it," head coach Pete Hughes said. "I love inner-state rivals, number one, because it's great for baseball in our state, especially for high school baseball, amateur baseball, the places that we have to go to and fill our programs with. It's great for both our schools. We're great college communities and athletics is a vital part of both communities. To have baseball be part of that in the spring and for our teams to play on each other's campus every other year is important."
On the players' side, experience in the rivalry is also pretty sparse. Only Cameron Thompson, Kasey Ford, Tyler Eckberg (out this season with an injury) and Brennan have played in the series more than once.
This may make it easier for the Wildcats to stay focused on the task at hand, something freshman pitcher Jordan Wicks said could be key to coming out on top this weekend.
"We're treating it like every other week," said the lefty with a 6-1 record and 2.79 ERA this season. "It's a rivalry and I'm sure once you actually get there the emotions are going to kick up a little bit. It's going to be a big thing this week, keeping composure like normal, treating it like every other week.
"I think, naturally, the energy will be a little bit more, especially going there and wanting to beat them, but there's a happy medium to where you don't get too low but, then again, you don't get too high. You stay there, stay the course and maintain your game plan throughout the whole series."
Maintaining a consistent energy level, regardless of opponent or day of game, has been a theme in K-State taking a step forward as a program this season.
A five-win team in conference a year ago, K-State started 0-5 in Big 12 play this year before winning five of its next seven in the league, including back-to-back series wins over ranked opponents. K-State also won its last five non-conference midweek games.
The Wildcats have been painfully close to taking each of their last three series, too, coming up a win short in each. They lost a rubber game in extra innings to Oklahoma, dropped a 4-3 Friday night battle at Baylor and held a lead in the eighth inning of a series-deciding game against West Virginia last Sunday, only to lose, 7-4.
"It kind of hurts," Brennan said. "You're right there and if a couple series go our way, we could be in a different spot in the league, but it is what it is, we are where we are, and we're just going to keep playing, keep battling."
This attitude, Wicks said, started with Hughes and his staff. The players made it part of their DNA as the season progressed.
"They've done an outstanding job bringing in a positive, hardworking, grind-it-out type of mentality," Wicks said of the new staff. "This team, we're scrappy. We're going to go out there and we're not going to just give you anything. We're going to compete with you every out."
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