Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, February 26
Manhattan, KS
3 p.m.
Kansas State University
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Western Michigan
K-State Primed for Home-Opening Weekend vs. WMU
Feb 25, 2021 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State is prepped for its home-opening weekend, as the Wildcats welcome Western Michigan to Tointon Family Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday at 3 p.m.
The series, which will continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude Sunday at noon, will kick off an eight-game homestand at the recently renovated home of the Wildcats (2-2).
Reigning NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week Jordan Wicks will take the hill on Friday, while right-hander Carson Seymour will start Saturday's game. Connor McCullough will start in the series finale on Sunday.
True freshman Nick Goodwin led the Cats' offense at the Sanderson Ford College Classic, posting a .417/.611/.500 slash line while driving in four runs and swiping a pair of bases.
All three games of the series this weekend will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Radio coverage will be available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with live streaming audio at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.
Single-game tickets are now available through the K-State Ticket Office at K-StateSports.com/tickets or by calling (800) 221-CATS.
All fans in attendance will be required to wear a face covering and maintain social distance from other pods of fans. Due to health and safety guidelines, players will not be available for autographs before or after each game.
GAME #5
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Friday, February 26 // 3 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Jordan Wicks (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Easton Sikorski (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
GAME #6
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Saturday, February 27 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Carson Seymour (0-0, 12.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brady Miller (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
GAME #7
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Sunday, February 28 // 12 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Connor McCullough (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Huisman (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State is prepped for its home-opening weekend against Western Michigan starting Friday ... The Cats split four games at the Sanderson Ford College Classic in Surprise, Arizona, to begin the 2021 season ... K-State won on Opening Day for the first time since 2016 with a 3-2 victory over 2018 national champion Oregon State ... In the win, Jordan Wicks matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings, earning him national and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors ... K-State rebounded from back-to-back losses to finish out the four-day tournament with a 6-1 win over Gonzaga ... Kasey Ford logged 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the win while freshman Nick Goodwin registered three hits and two RBI ... Goodwin led the Wildcats with a slash line of .417/.611/.500 with six walks and two steals ... The Cats' 2020 season ended after just 17 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... The Wildcats finished the season 10-7 after winning seven of their final nine games, including taking three of four games at Stanford ... K-State brings back all nine position starters as well as four starting pitchers from 2020, including the team leader in every statistical category ... In total, K-State retains 27 letterwinners while losing just four from a year ago ... The Cats welcome in 12 newcomers (eight freshmen) to their 2021 roster.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Friday's game will mark the season opener for Western Michigan ... WMU went 9-6 in 2020, winning four of its last five games before the season was cut short ... The Broncos return leading hitter Ethan Hajdukovic and his .316 average ... Hajdukovic registered six extra-base hits while driving in 10 runs last season ... The WMU offense also retains RBI leaders Blake Dunn and Sean O'Keefe, who each posted 17 RBI ... The pitching staff is headlined by Easton Sikorski, who went 3-1 in four starts while posting a 2.13 ERA and a team-high 20 strikeouts.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State has won both meetings all-time against Western Michigan ... The Cats defeated WMU 27-8 in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2010 and claimed the series' first meeting, 5-3, in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1999.
RETURN AISLE
The Wildcats bring back every statistical leader from 2020 along with its entire starting lineup and pitching rotation ... Among K-State's four lost letterwinners are Luke Bay and Brett Lockwood ... Bay is currently a graduate assistant on Coach Hughes' coaching staff while Lockwood signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds following the five-round 2020 MLB Draft.
WICKY WICKY YEAH
K-State lefty Jordan Wicks has racked up the preseason honors, including being named the 2021 Big 12 Co-Preseason Pitcher of the Year ... Wicks was tabbed a preseason all-American by D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA ... The Conway, Ark., product is K-State's first preseason all-America nod since 2014 and the first Big 12 preseason of-the-year award winner ... Wicks was also one of 55 named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Watch List, which recognizes the nation's premier amateur player ... Following his 10-strikeout, seven scoreless innings against Oregon State, Wicks was named Big 12 Pitcher of the week and National Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA ... Dating back to last season, Wicks has allowed one earned run over 33 innings (0.27 ERA) with 36 strikeouts.
GOODWIN'S GOOD START
K-State true freshman Nick Goodwin did it all in his collegiate debut last weekend, leading the Wildcats in all three slash categories (.417/.611/.500) ... Goodwin produced a team-best five base hits, six walks and two steals while driving in four ... He roped a two-RBI double to break a scoreless tie against Oregon State in the season opener while he reached base four times (three walks) ... The Overland Park native followed that up with a 3-for-5, 2-RBI effort in the weekend's finale against Gonzaga ... Goodwin reached base in all four games while recording a base hit in three of the four games in Surprise, Arizona.
PROMISING PROSPECTS
K-State's Jordan Wicks and Carson Seymour both cracked D1Baseball's top 100 collegiate prospects list ahead of the 2021 MLB Draft ... Wicks came in at No. 10 while Seymour was rated at No. 83 ... K-State was one of just three Big 12 teams with multiple selections on the top-100 list (TCU, Texas) ... Seymour checked in as the 56th-best prospect ahead of the 2020 MLB Draft by D1Baseball and No. 95 by MLB Pipeline.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Including the 2020 season, K-State starting pitchers have turned in 10 quality starts in 21 games ... Connor McCullough and Jordan Wicks have each logged four quality outings in their five starts while Carson Seymour posted back-to-back efforts to end 2020 ... Wicks has logged seven innings in four of his last five starts.
IRON MAN, CAM
Cameron Thompson has started every game during his Wildcat career and is now 10th in program history at 188 career starts ... Thompson is two hits shy of cracking the all-time hits list, sitting at 216 base hits ... Thompson, a five-year senior and team captain, has started games in center field, third base, second base and shortstop ... Now slotted as the everyday third baseman, Thompson has led the Cats in hits in two of the last three seasons ... If the Pasadena, Texas, product starts all 52 scheduled regular-season games in 2021, he would tie Craig Wilson for the K-State record in career starts with 236 ... Thompson is also on the brink of K-State's career top-10 list in career singles, doubles, triples and games played.
LATE-INNING WOES
In the opening weekend, opponents combined to out-score K-State 11-1 in the eighth and ninth innings ... The Wildcats owned a 3-1 lead over New Mexico Saturday, only to see the Lobos rally for three runs over the final two frames for a walk-off victory ... Offensively, K-State combined to go 4-for-26 (.154) in the eighth and ninth innings ... The Cats pitching staff walked nine batters in the game's last two innings while striking out just three to go with an 11.05 ERA.
FROM THE PEN
Entering the 2021 season on a scoreless stretch that spanned 22 innings, the K-State bullpen combined to allow 16 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings (11.37 ERA) over four games to start the year ... A dozen Wildcat relievers walked 13 hitters while striking out just six ... The pen did pick up a pair of saves, as Tyler Eckberg and Nico Rodriguez helped K-State go 2-2 ... Eckberg suffered the loss while blowing a save opportunity against New Mexico ... In contrast, the K-State starting rotation boasted an ERA of 1.33 while going 2-0 with 24 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
BOSS HOGS
The Cats' three starting pitchers from the state of Arkansas - Kasey Ford, Connor McCullough and Jordan Wicks - allowed just one earned run over 19 2/3 innings (0.45 ERA) while going 2-0 wit22 strikeouts ... The trio combined to pitch six quality outings in 11 starts over 17 games in 2020 ... They were 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA (11 ER, 63.2 IP) with 69 strikeouts ... Four of McCullough's first four starts have produced quality efforts while Wicks has allowed one earned run in his last 33 innings ... Ford's 5 2/3 scoreless innings Monday marked his longest start since the 2018 season.
The series, which will continue Saturday at 2 p.m. and conclude Sunday at noon, will kick off an eight-game homestand at the recently renovated home of the Wildcats (2-2).
Reigning NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week Jordan Wicks will take the hill on Friday, while right-hander Carson Seymour will start Saturday's game. Connor McCullough will start in the series finale on Sunday.
True freshman Nick Goodwin led the Cats' offense at the Sanderson Ford College Classic, posting a .417/.611/.500 slash line while driving in four runs and swiping a pair of bases.
All three games of the series this weekend will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+. Radio coverage will be available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with live streaming audio at K-StateSports.com/watch and the K-State Sports app.
Single-game tickets are now available through the K-State Ticket Office at K-StateSports.com/tickets or by calling (800) 221-CATS.
All fans in attendance will be required to wear a face covering and maintain social distance from other pods of fans. Due to health and safety guidelines, players will not be available for autographs before or after each game.
GAME #5
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Friday, February 26 // 3 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: LHP Jordan Wicks (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. RHP Easton Sikorski (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
GAME #6
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Saturday, February 27 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Carson Seymour (0-0, 12.00 ERA) vs. RHP Brady Miller (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
GAME #7
K-STATE (2-2) vs. WESTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Sunday, February 28 // 12 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,344) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Connor McCullough (0-0, 1.29 ERA) vs. RHP Jack Huisman (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, John Kurtz
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Buy Tickets | Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State is prepped for its home-opening weekend against Western Michigan starting Friday ... The Cats split four games at the Sanderson Ford College Classic in Surprise, Arizona, to begin the 2021 season ... K-State won on Opening Day for the first time since 2016 with a 3-2 victory over 2018 national champion Oregon State ... In the win, Jordan Wicks matched his career high with 10 strikeouts over seven shutout innings, earning him national and Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors ... K-State rebounded from back-to-back losses to finish out the four-day tournament with a 6-1 win over Gonzaga ... Kasey Ford logged 5 2/3 scoreless innings in the win while freshman Nick Goodwin registered three hits and two RBI ... Goodwin led the Wildcats with a slash line of .417/.611/.500 with six walks and two steals ... The Cats' 2020 season ended after just 17 games due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... The Wildcats finished the season 10-7 after winning seven of their final nine games, including taking three of four games at Stanford ... K-State brings back all nine position starters as well as four starting pitchers from 2020, including the team leader in every statistical category ... In total, K-State retains 27 letterwinners while losing just four from a year ago ... The Cats welcome in 12 newcomers (eight freshmen) to their 2021 roster.
SCOUTING WESTERN MICHIGAN
Friday's game will mark the season opener for Western Michigan ... WMU went 9-6 in 2020, winning four of its last five games before the season was cut short ... The Broncos return leading hitter Ethan Hajdukovic and his .316 average ... Hajdukovic registered six extra-base hits while driving in 10 runs last season ... The WMU offense also retains RBI leaders Blake Dunn and Sean O'Keefe, who each posted 17 RBI ... The pitching staff is headlined by Easton Sikorski, who went 3-1 in four starts while posting a 2.13 ERA and a team-high 20 strikeouts.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State has won both meetings all-time against Western Michigan ... The Cats defeated WMU 27-8 in Winter Haven, Florida, in 2010 and claimed the series' first meeting, 5-3, in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1999.
RETURN AISLE
The Wildcats bring back every statistical leader from 2020 along with its entire starting lineup and pitching rotation ... Among K-State's four lost letterwinners are Luke Bay and Brett Lockwood ... Bay is currently a graduate assistant on Coach Hughes' coaching staff while Lockwood signed an undrafted free-agent contract with the Cincinnati Reds following the five-round 2020 MLB Draft.
WICKY WICKY YEAH
K-State lefty Jordan Wicks has racked up the preseason honors, including being named the 2021 Big 12 Co-Preseason Pitcher of the Year ... Wicks was tabbed a preseason all-American by D1Baseball, Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball and NCBWA ... The Conway, Ark., product is K-State's first preseason all-America nod since 2014 and the first Big 12 preseason of-the-year award winner ... Wicks was also one of 55 named to USA Baseball's Golden Spikes Award Watch List, which recognizes the nation's premier amateur player ... Following his 10-strikeout, seven scoreless innings against Oregon State, Wicks was named Big 12 Pitcher of the week and National Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA ... Dating back to last season, Wicks has allowed one earned run over 33 innings (0.27 ERA) with 36 strikeouts.
GOODWIN'S GOOD START
K-State true freshman Nick Goodwin did it all in his collegiate debut last weekend, leading the Wildcats in all three slash categories (.417/.611/.500) ... Goodwin produced a team-best five base hits, six walks and two steals while driving in four ... He roped a two-RBI double to break a scoreless tie against Oregon State in the season opener while he reached base four times (three walks) ... The Overland Park native followed that up with a 3-for-5, 2-RBI effort in the weekend's finale against Gonzaga ... Goodwin reached base in all four games while recording a base hit in three of the four games in Surprise, Arizona.
PROMISING PROSPECTS
K-State's Jordan Wicks and Carson Seymour both cracked D1Baseball's top 100 collegiate prospects list ahead of the 2021 MLB Draft ... Wicks came in at No. 10 while Seymour was rated at No. 83 ... K-State was one of just three Big 12 teams with multiple selections on the top-100 list (TCU, Texas) ... Seymour checked in as the 56th-best prospect ahead of the 2020 MLB Draft by D1Baseball and No. 95 by MLB Pipeline.
QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
Including the 2020 season, K-State starting pitchers have turned in 10 quality starts in 21 games ... Connor McCullough and Jordan Wicks have each logged four quality outings in their five starts while Carson Seymour posted back-to-back efforts to end 2020 ... Wicks has logged seven innings in four of his last five starts.
IRON MAN, CAM
Cameron Thompson has started every game during his Wildcat career and is now 10th in program history at 188 career starts ... Thompson is two hits shy of cracking the all-time hits list, sitting at 216 base hits ... Thompson, a five-year senior and team captain, has started games in center field, third base, second base and shortstop ... Now slotted as the everyday third baseman, Thompson has led the Cats in hits in two of the last three seasons ... If the Pasadena, Texas, product starts all 52 scheduled regular-season games in 2021, he would tie Craig Wilson for the K-State record in career starts with 236 ... Thompson is also on the brink of K-State's career top-10 list in career singles, doubles, triples and games played.
LATE-INNING WOES
In the opening weekend, opponents combined to out-score K-State 11-1 in the eighth and ninth innings ... The Wildcats owned a 3-1 lead over New Mexico Saturday, only to see the Lobos rally for three runs over the final two frames for a walk-off victory ... Offensively, K-State combined to go 4-for-26 (.154) in the eighth and ninth innings ... The Cats pitching staff walked nine batters in the game's last two innings while striking out just three to go with an 11.05 ERA.
FROM THE PEN
Entering the 2021 season on a scoreless stretch that spanned 22 innings, the K-State bullpen combined to allow 16 earned runs in 12 2/3 innings (11.37 ERA) over four games to start the year ... A dozen Wildcat relievers walked 13 hitters while striking out just six ... The pen did pick up a pair of saves, as Tyler Eckberg and Nico Rodriguez helped K-State go 2-2 ... Eckberg suffered the loss while blowing a save opportunity against New Mexico ... In contrast, the K-State starting rotation boasted an ERA of 1.33 while going 2-0 with 24 strikeouts over 22 2/3 innings.
BOSS HOGS
The Cats' three starting pitchers from the state of Arkansas - Kasey Ford, Connor McCullough and Jordan Wicks - allowed just one earned run over 19 2/3 innings (0.45 ERA) while going 2-0 wit22 strikeouts ... The trio combined to pitch six quality outings in 11 starts over 17 games in 2020 ... They were 6-2 with a 1.57 ERA (11 ER, 63.2 IP) with 69 strikeouts ... Four of McCullough's first four starts have produced quality efforts while Wicks has allowed one earned run in his last 33 innings ... Ford's 5 2/3 scoreless innings Monday marked his longest start since the 2018 season.
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