SE: We’re Back in the Race – K-State Baseball Keeps Climbing Against WVU
Apr 26, 2021 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: Austin Siegel
1 - It seems like at least once every weekend, Pete Hughes refers to a player or a moment as "the story of the game" for K-State Baseball.
Last week, in the series-clinching win over Oklahoma, it was Tyler Eckberg and his four scoreless innings in relief against the Sooners.
On Sunday, Hughes went back to the bullpen.
"For me, the storyline of the day was Kasey Ford coming in and just being ready to execute and perform," Hughes said. "The kid's been ready every single day for the three years I've coached him."
2 - They call the senior Big Country. As nicknames go, for a guy who's 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds from Arkansas, it fits like a glove.
But when the Wildcats need quality innings from their bullpen, there isn't a pitcher on the roster who's come up as big in high leverage situations
as Ford.
3 - In a 9-4 win over West Virginia on Sunday, that meant 6 1/3 innings in relief with just three hits and one unearned run. To close out the game, Ford set down 11 of 12 Mountaineers.
"He'll take any role you throw at him," Hughes said. "The only thing he cares about is the purple and white winning baseball games."
4 - Ford has been in Manhattan even longer than his head coach, starting 17 games as an underclassman in 2017 and 2018.
With Hughes on board, Ford has moved into a bullpen role, with a couple of midweek starts scattered throughout the season. If that sounds like a demotion, consider that in 2021, Ford is on pace for the most innings pitched and the lowest ERA of his career, a sterling 1.56.
That's the lowest ERA of any pitcher on the team. And out of all the arms on this K-State team, only the three members of the weekend rotation have pitched more often than Ford.
5 - With Big Country in rhythm on Sunday, the K-State bats had time to rally for another massive Big 12 series win.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Kamron Willman hit a moonshot to left center field, a ball that K-State commentator Mike Clark said "rode the jet stream" out of Tointon Family Stadium.
Whether or not his third home run of the season reached a safe enough cruising altitude to operate electronic devices, Willman tied things up against West Virginia on Sunday.
6 - "The at-bat before I struck out on an off-speed pitch low in the dirt and I was just trying to make sure I was seeing something up," Willman said. "I got one that I was looking for on the ball that I put out. I was just ready to go."
West Virginia regained the lead in the middle innings, but that was no problem for Willman.
His two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth would square things up once again, before Dylan Caplinger gave the 'Cats the lead for good later in the inning with his third RBI of the season.
"It's just what coach preaches," Willman said. "It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. We know as a ballclub we're never out of the game no matter what, who's on the other side, what the score is, anything like that."
7 - For Willman, that mindset is a personal one this season. The redshirt junior has battled injuries throughout conference play, missing the Oklahoma State and Texas Tech series.
Since returning to the lineup, all the California native has done is raise his batting average to .301 and offer some much-needed pop at the bottom of the K-State lineup.
8 - Willman wasn't the only oft-injured Wildcat to make an impact against West Virginia.
On Saturday, with K-State looking to rebound from an extra-inning loss in the series opener, Terrence Spurlin went out and changed the game. The infielder had appeared in just two conference games before the West Virginia series and wasn't even fully healthy this weekend.
"He's a pretty tough kid," Hughes said. "It's just great to have him back in our lineup because he's such a security blanket for us defensively, and it gets (Dylan) Phillips back in the outfield. Adds another quality player to our lineup. He's a veteran guy who gives you really mature, veteran at-bats, and that's awesome for that kid."
9 - With K-State up 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday, Spurlin uncorked a three-run opposite field blast to give the 'Cats some breathing room.
It was all the offense K-State would need on Saturday, part of a huge Big 12 series victory delivered in part by two guys who have battled injuries throughout the 2021 season.
"It's great. Spur is my guy. That's where we were all summer and it's a position that I've been with him for a minute," Willman said. "It's just fun to get back going and get on the field and help us win ball games."
10 - The Wildcats, with nine straight games against top-13 opponents, endured the toughest start to Big 12 play in the history of the conference this season.
Since then, K-State has taken a pair of weekend series from Oklahoma and West Virginia, climbing to sixth in the Big 12 and just one game back from a top-four spot in the conference.
"We're back in the race and back in the hunt," Hughes said. "I'm unbelievably proud of our guys and how resilient they are. You could've gone south really quick after losing with your best pitcher [on Friday]. Our guys showed up on Saturday and played great and then showed up on Sunday and won a series. Pretty mature group. Pretty confident group."
1 - It seems like at least once every weekend, Pete Hughes refers to a player or a moment as "the story of the game" for K-State Baseball.
Last week, in the series-clinching win over Oklahoma, it was Tyler Eckberg and his four scoreless innings in relief against the Sooners.
On Sunday, Hughes went back to the bullpen.
"For me, the storyline of the day was Kasey Ford coming in and just being ready to execute and perform," Hughes said. "The kid's been ready every single day for the three years I've coached him."
2 - They call the senior Big Country. As nicknames go, for a guy who's 6-foot-6 and 275 pounds from Arkansas, it fits like a glove.
But when the Wildcats need quality innings from their bullpen, there isn't a pitcher on the roster who's come up as big in high leverage situations
as Ford.
3 - In a 9-4 win over West Virginia on Sunday, that meant 6 1/3 innings in relief with just three hits and one unearned run. To close out the game, Ford set down 11 of 12 Mountaineers.
"He'll take any role you throw at him," Hughes said. "The only thing he cares about is the purple and white winning baseball games."
Game ball ➡️ Kasey Ford #KStateBSB x @kc_ford12 pic.twitter.com/KRQrTZ5LLv
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
4 - Ford has been in Manhattan even longer than his head coach, starting 17 games as an underclassman in 2017 and 2018.
With Hughes on board, Ford has moved into a bullpen role, with a couple of midweek starts scattered throughout the season. If that sounds like a demotion, consider that in 2021, Ford is on pace for the most innings pitched and the lowest ERA of his career, a sterling 1.56.
That's the lowest ERA of any pitcher on the team. And out of all the arms on this K-State team, only the three members of the weekend rotation have pitched more often than Ford.
5 - With Big Country in rhythm on Sunday, the K-State bats had time to rally for another massive Big 12 series win.
Down 3-1 in the bottom of the fourth, Kamron Willman hit a moonshot to left center field, a ball that K-State commentator Mike Clark said "rode the jet stream" out of Tointon Family Stadium.
Whether or not his third home run of the season reached a safe enough cruising altitude to operate electronic devices, Willman tied things up against West Virginia on Sunday.
Take a ride ✈️ #KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/Ey51x8J9mR
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 25, 2021
6 - "The at-bat before I struck out on an off-speed pitch low in the dirt and I was just trying to make sure I was seeing something up," Willman said. "I got one that I was looking for on the ball that I put out. I was just ready to go."
West Virginia regained the lead in the middle innings, but that was no problem for Willman.
His two-out RBI single in the bottom of the sixth would square things up once again, before Dylan Caplinger gave the 'Cats the lead for good later in the inning with his third RBI of the season.
"It's just what coach preaches," Willman said. "It's not about how you start, it's how you finish. We know as a ballclub we're never out of the game no matter what, who's on the other side, what the score is, anything like that."
7 - For Willman, that mindset is a personal one this season. The redshirt junior has battled injuries throughout conference play, missing the Oklahoma State and Texas Tech series.
Since returning to the lineup, all the California native has done is raise his batting average to .301 and offer some much-needed pop at the bottom of the K-State lineup.
8 - Willman wasn't the only oft-injured Wildcat to make an impact against West Virginia.
On Saturday, with K-State looking to rebound from an extra-inning loss in the series opener, Terrence Spurlin went out and changed the game. The infielder had appeared in just two conference games before the West Virginia series and wasn't even fully healthy this weekend.
"He's a pretty tough kid," Hughes said. "It's just great to have him back in our lineup because he's such a security blanket for us defensively, and it gets (Dylan) Phillips back in the outfield. Adds another quality player to our lineup. He's a veteran guy who gives you really mature, veteran at-bats, and that's awesome for that kid."
9 - With K-State up 1-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning on Saturday, Spurlin uncorked a three-run opposite field blast to give the 'Cats some breathing room.
Welcome back, Terry Spurlin! 🚀#KStateBSB 5 - WVU 0 | Bot 4 pic.twitter.com/2CX3d8yDEy
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 24, 2021
It was all the offense K-State would need on Saturday, part of a huge Big 12 series victory delivered in part by two guys who have battled injuries throughout the 2021 season.
"It's great. Spur is my guy. That's where we were all summer and it's a position that I've been with him for a minute," Willman said. "It's just fun to get back going and get on the field and help us win ball games."
10 - The Wildcats, with nine straight games against top-13 opponents, endured the toughest start to Big 12 play in the history of the conference this season.
Since then, K-State has taken a pair of weekend series from Oklahoma and West Virginia, climbing to sixth in the Big 12 and just one game back from a top-four spot in the conference.
"We're back in the race and back in the hunt," Hughes said. "I'm unbelievably proud of our guys and how resilient they are. You could've gone south really quick after losing with your best pitcher [on Friday]. Our guys showed up on Saturday and played great and then showed up on Sunday and won a series. Pretty mature group. Pretty confident group."
Players Mentioned
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