Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, May 14
Lawrence, KS
3 p.m.
Kansas State University
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Kansas
K-State, KU Collide in Dillons Sunflower Showdown
May 13, 2021 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State will travel east on I-70 for the 2021 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas, as the three-game series kicks off Friday at 6 p.m. at Hoglund Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas.
Game two of the series is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, with the series set to conclude Sunday at 2 p.m.
K-State (28-18, 7-11 Big 12) has won seven of its last 10 games after winning one of two games at Baylor last weekend. In the series against the Bears, the Wildcats tied the program's single-season record with their 75th home run.
KU (26-23, 5-13 Big 12) dropped two of three games to Oklahoma State over the weekend and has split its last 10 games overall. The Cats own a 180-174-1 edge in the all-time series but seek to snap a four-game losing skid to the Jayhawks.
All three games will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with Saturday's contest carried on the K-State Sports Radio Network. Free, streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch.
GAME #47
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Friday, May 14 // 6 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
LHP Jordan Wicks (5-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Cole Larsen (4-5, 3.79 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #48
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Saturday, May 15 // 2 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
RHP Kasey Ford (4-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. LHP Eli Davis (5-5, 5.71 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: K-State Sports Radio Network // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #49
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Sunday, May 16 // 2 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
TBA vs. RHP Everhett Hazelwood (2-2, 6.61 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State finishes off a six-game roadtrip with the 2021 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas ... The Wildcats are 7-3 in their last 10 contests after winning one of three games at Baylor over the weekend ... In taking the middle game of the series, 10-3, the Cats launched three home runs as part of a seven-run ninth inning ... Dylan Caplinger homered twice in the game, including a three-run shot in the ninth ... Chris Ceballos also homered in the ninth inning Saturday, notching a home run in six consecutive games ... Sunday's rubber game saw Dom Hughes lift his first career home run, upping K-State's season total to 75 and tying the single-season program record set in 1997 ... The Cats dropped the series finale 23-3 after Baylor totaled 17 runs in the fifth inning - a Big 12 record for runs in an inning ... Additionally, Zach Kokoska's career-long 41-game on-base streak ended Sunday after finishing 0-for-2 ... Kokoska had seven straight multi-hit games after he turned in his first four-hit game, going 4-for-5 in Saturday's contest ... Jordan Wicks struck out four over 5 1/3 innings in game two, pushing his conference-leading strikeout total to 96.
SCOUTING KU
Kansas (26-23, 5-13 Big 12) sits in ninth place in the conference standings after dropping two of three games to Oklahoma State at Hoglund Ballpark last weekend ... KU is 5-5 in its last 10 games but has not won back-to-back games since April 13-14 against Air Force ... The Jayhawks, who have lost all six Big 12 series this season, are 14-10 at home while going 2-7 during league games ... Tavian Josenberger paced KU's offense with his .325 average while Skyler Messinger is the team leader with 19 doubles and 30 runs batted in ... Messinger is hitting .320 with two homers and a team-best .459 slugging percentage ... On the mound, Cole Larsen ranks fifth in the conference with 76 strikeouts while boasting an ERA of 3.79 over 78 1/3 innings ... As a team, the Jayhawks own the Big 12's highest earned run average at 5.50.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State leads the all-time series 180-174-1 (40-28 Big 12), dating back to 1897 ... K-State's 180 victories in the series is its highest win total against any single opponent ... All-time in Lawrence, the Wildcats own a 70-90 record after losing all three games in 2019 ... Overall, the Cats have dropped the last four meetings in the series after a 15-14, 11-inning defeat in the 2019 Big 12 Tournament ... Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by two runs or fewer, with four of the last seven being one-run decisions ... 2015 marked the Wildcats' last road series victory while the last road sweep came in 2013 ... K-State last won a series against its in-state rival in 2018.
GIMME A BREAK, SCHEDULEMAKERS
K-State began its Big 12 schedule with three straight top-13 opponents - marking the toughest three-week stretch to start the league schedule in Big 12 history for any team (past or present Big 12 members) ... It has happened only three times in which a team has faced three straight top-13 teams to begin league play - and neither faced two top-five teams as the Wildcats did against No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 3 Texas in consecutive weekends ... Additionally, two of the Cats' first three conference series were on the road ... KU marks K-State's fourth straight league opponent to not be ranked in at least one poll, as the Wildcats claimed series victories over Oklahoma and West Virginia before last week's series at Baylor.
BIG BAT CATS
After going without a home run in the season's opening weekend (four games), the Wildcats have erupted for 75 home runs over the last 42 games ... Junior Zach Kokoska leads the way with 13 homers while sophomore Dylan Phillips and senior Cameron Thompson each have 11 ... Senior Chris Ceballos has 10, as all four rank in the Big 12's top 10 with no other club having more than two ... Kokoska ranks third in the league with his 13 homers, which is tied for fourth-most in a single season in K-State history ... As a team, K-State has homered in 23 of the last 24 contests and has launched multiple home runs 16 times ... 16 different Cats have homered this season, with seven players turning in a multi-homer game ... The 16 different players with a homer are a program single-season high and is the most of any team in the country this season ... K-State's 75 home runs are tied for its highest total ever in a season (1997).
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKING
Over the weekend, Zach Kokoska saw his career-long on-base streak end at 41 games ... The streak was K-State's second-longest in the Big 12 era (Nick Martini, 93) and was the conference's second-longest this season ... Kokoska also had his string of seven straight multi-hit games snapped Sunday ... Earlier, this season, Dylan Phillips put together a 32-game on base streak that went back to last season and ended on March 27 at Oklahoma State ... K-State has homered in each of its last 12 games, the second-longest in the country this season behind 13 by Mercer (active) ... K-State homered in 11 straight earlier this season ... Chris Ceballos homered in six straight games from April 27-May 8, the longest by a Wildcat in the Big 12 era.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
K-State, who just finished a season-long 12-game homestand, is 22-6 this year at Tointon Family Stadium ... The 22 wins are the most since 27 in 2013 ... The Cats have won 14 of their last 16 home games and 20 of 24 overall ... At home, the Wildcat offense is hitting .321 while launching 60 home runs ... K-State has homered in 26 of its last 28 games at home ... K-State averages 8.8 runs per game and 11.0 hit a game at Tointon Family Stadium as opposed to 3.7 runs a game (7.0 hits/game) in road and neutral contests ... In true road games, the Cats average 3.5 runs a game with an average of .217 ... The K-State pitching staff boasts an ERA of 3.30 at home while the bullpen is even lower at 2.62.
KOKO BE LOCO
Junior outfielder Zach Kokoska is hitting .397 in Big 12 games this season, the second-highest average in the league, while his overall average of .385 is fourth in the conference ... His 1.189 is tops among the Big 12's top four hitters as he ranks in the league's top 10 in all three slash categories ... Kokoska's career-high four-hit day Saturday capped seven straight games with multiple hits ... He has hit safely in 22 of his last 24 games, recording multiple hits 14 times in that stretch ... In the last 10 games he is 19-for-35 (.543) with eight extra-base hits ... His 13 homers rank third in the conference and are tied for fourth-most in a single season in K-State history (record 16 set in 1997).
WICKY WICKY YEAH
K-State lefty Jordan Wicks 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 on Opening Day, Wicks was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and National Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA ... Wicks leads the Big 12 with his 96 strikeouts and has reached double-digit strikeouts four times after a career-best 11 vs. WVU ... He is just four strikeouts away from tying K-State's single-season record and 16 away from becoming the program's all-time strikeout king ... In the last two seasons, Wicks is 8-2 with a 2.65 ERA (29 ER, 98.1 IP) with 122 strikeouts.
FROM THE PEN
The K-State bullpen owns an ERA of 5.44 while starters have a 4.23 earned run average ... In league play, starters have posted an ERA of 6.85 while the pen owns an 8.19 ERA ... At home, the K-State bullpen has a 2.62 ERA (34 ER, 116.2 IP) while posting an earned run average of 10.89 (73 ER, 60.1 IP) in road and neutral contests ... The Cats' pen has a 15.51 earned run average in road Big 12 contests ... Tyler Eckberg has allowed two earned runs over 13 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and one walk over his last seven outings ... Eric Torres logged a career-long 3 2/3 innings in Saturday's win at Baylor ... Torres extended his scoreless streak to 12 2/3 innings and has yielded just three earned runs in his last 13 appearances (22 IP) ... Torres owned a 15.75 ERA through his first five outings (7 ER, 4 IP) and has lowered that number to 3.46.
BY TH3 NUM8ER5
K-State has a season run differential of +44 ... K-State is 19-5 when scoring the game's first run and has outscored opponents by 38 runs in the game's first two innings (81-43) ... K-State is 15-1 when hitting multiple home runs but 13-17 when hitting one or no homers ... When scoring at least six runs, K-State is 22-2 and 25-5 when limiting their opponent to five runs or fewer ... 72 of K-State's 83 two-out RBI have come in victories ... Just 29 percent (83 of 282) of the team's RBIs have come with two outs ... The Cats are hitting .299 with two outs in 28 wins and just .179 in 18 losses ... K-State's strikeout rate of 9.96 per nine innings would be tops in program history, ahead of the current record of 8.6 K/9 set in 1969 ... This season's strikeout total of 441 is the fourth-most in a season and just 12 shy of the program record.
Game two of the series is scheduled for a 2 p.m. first pitch on Saturday, with the series set to conclude Sunday at 2 p.m.
K-State (28-18, 7-11 Big 12) has won seven of its last 10 games after winning one of two games at Baylor last weekend. In the series against the Bears, the Wildcats tied the program's single-season record with their 75th home run.
KU (26-23, 5-13 Big 12) dropped two of three games to Oklahoma State over the weekend and has split its last 10 games overall. The Cats own a 180-174-1 edge in the all-time series but seek to snap a four-game losing skid to the Jayhawks.
All three games will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with Saturday's contest carried on the K-State Sports Radio Network. Free, streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch.
GAME #47
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Friday, May 14 // 6 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
LHP Jordan Wicks (5-2, 3.48 ERA) vs. RHP Cole Larsen (4-5, 3.79 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #48
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Saturday, May 15 // 2 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
RHP Kasey Ford (4-1, 2.25 ERA) vs. LHP Eli Davis (5-5, 5.71 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: K-State Sports Radio Network // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #49
K-STATE (28-18, 7-11 BIG 12) at KANSAS (26-23, 5-13 Big 12)
Sunday, May 16 // 2 p.m. // Hoglund Ballpark // Lawrence, Kan.
TBA vs. RHP Everhett Hazelwood (2-2, 6.61 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // ESPN app
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State finishes off a six-game roadtrip with the 2021 edition of the Dillons Sunflower Showdown against Kansas ... The Wildcats are 7-3 in their last 10 contests after winning one of three games at Baylor over the weekend ... In taking the middle game of the series, 10-3, the Cats launched three home runs as part of a seven-run ninth inning ... Dylan Caplinger homered twice in the game, including a three-run shot in the ninth ... Chris Ceballos also homered in the ninth inning Saturday, notching a home run in six consecutive games ... Sunday's rubber game saw Dom Hughes lift his first career home run, upping K-State's season total to 75 and tying the single-season program record set in 1997 ... The Cats dropped the series finale 23-3 after Baylor totaled 17 runs in the fifth inning - a Big 12 record for runs in an inning ... Additionally, Zach Kokoska's career-long 41-game on-base streak ended Sunday after finishing 0-for-2 ... Kokoska had seven straight multi-hit games after he turned in his first four-hit game, going 4-for-5 in Saturday's contest ... Jordan Wicks struck out four over 5 1/3 innings in game two, pushing his conference-leading strikeout total to 96.
SCOUTING KU
Kansas (26-23, 5-13 Big 12) sits in ninth place in the conference standings after dropping two of three games to Oklahoma State at Hoglund Ballpark last weekend ... KU is 5-5 in its last 10 games but has not won back-to-back games since April 13-14 against Air Force ... The Jayhawks, who have lost all six Big 12 series this season, are 14-10 at home while going 2-7 during league games ... Tavian Josenberger paced KU's offense with his .325 average while Skyler Messinger is the team leader with 19 doubles and 30 runs batted in ... Messinger is hitting .320 with two homers and a team-best .459 slugging percentage ... On the mound, Cole Larsen ranks fifth in the conference with 76 strikeouts while boasting an ERA of 3.79 over 78 1/3 innings ... As a team, the Jayhawks own the Big 12's highest earned run average at 5.50.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State leads the all-time series 180-174-1 (40-28 Big 12), dating back to 1897 ... K-State's 180 victories in the series is its highest win total against any single opponent ... All-time in Lawrence, the Wildcats own a 70-90 record after losing all three games in 2019 ... Overall, the Cats have dropped the last four meetings in the series after a 15-14, 11-inning defeat in the 2019 Big 12 Tournament ... Five of the last seven meetings have been decided by two runs or fewer, with four of the last seven being one-run decisions ... 2015 marked the Wildcats' last road series victory while the last road sweep came in 2013 ... K-State last won a series against its in-state rival in 2018.
GIMME A BREAK, SCHEDULEMAKERS
K-State began its Big 12 schedule with three straight top-13 opponents - marking the toughest three-week stretch to start the league schedule in Big 12 history for any team (past or present Big 12 members) ... It has happened only three times in which a team has faced three straight top-13 teams to begin league play - and neither faced two top-five teams as the Wildcats did against No. 3 Texas Tech and No. 3 Texas in consecutive weekends ... Additionally, two of the Cats' first three conference series were on the road ... KU marks K-State's fourth straight league opponent to not be ranked in at least one poll, as the Wildcats claimed series victories over Oklahoma and West Virginia before last week's series at Baylor.
BIG BAT CATS
After going without a home run in the season's opening weekend (four games), the Wildcats have erupted for 75 home runs over the last 42 games ... Junior Zach Kokoska leads the way with 13 homers while sophomore Dylan Phillips and senior Cameron Thompson each have 11 ... Senior Chris Ceballos has 10, as all four rank in the Big 12's top 10 with no other club having more than two ... Kokoska ranks third in the league with his 13 homers, which is tied for fourth-most in a single season in K-State history ... As a team, K-State has homered in 23 of the last 24 contests and has launched multiple home runs 16 times ... 16 different Cats have homered this season, with seven players turning in a multi-homer game ... The 16 different players with a homer are a program single-season high and is the most of any team in the country this season ... K-State's 75 home runs are tied for its highest total ever in a season (1997).
WE'RE GOIN' STREAKING
Over the weekend, Zach Kokoska saw his career-long on-base streak end at 41 games ... The streak was K-State's second-longest in the Big 12 era (Nick Martini, 93) and was the conference's second-longest this season ... Kokoska also had his string of seven straight multi-hit games snapped Sunday ... Earlier, this season, Dylan Phillips put together a 32-game on base streak that went back to last season and ended on March 27 at Oklahoma State ... K-State has homered in each of its last 12 games, the second-longest in the country this season behind 13 by Mercer (active) ... K-State homered in 11 straight earlier this season ... Chris Ceballos homered in six straight games from April 27-May 8, the longest by a Wildcat in the Big 12 era.
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES
K-State, who just finished a season-long 12-game homestand, is 22-6 this year at Tointon Family Stadium ... The 22 wins are the most since 27 in 2013 ... The Cats have won 14 of their last 16 home games and 20 of 24 overall ... At home, the Wildcat offense is hitting .321 while launching 60 home runs ... K-State has homered in 26 of its last 28 games at home ... K-State averages 8.8 runs per game and 11.0 hit a game at Tointon Family Stadium as opposed to 3.7 runs a game (7.0 hits/game) in road and neutral contests ... In true road games, the Cats average 3.5 runs a game with an average of .217 ... The K-State pitching staff boasts an ERA of 3.30 at home while the bullpen is even lower at 2.62.
KOKO BE LOCO
Junior outfielder Zach Kokoska is hitting .397 in Big 12 games this season, the second-highest average in the league, while his overall average of .385 is fourth in the conference ... His 1.189 is tops among the Big 12's top four hitters as he ranks in the league's top 10 in all three slash categories ... Kokoska's career-high four-hit day Saturday capped seven straight games with multiple hits ... He has hit safely in 22 of his last 24 games, recording multiple hits 14 times in that stretch ... In the last 10 games he is 19-for-35 (.543) with eight extra-base hits ... His 13 homers rank third in the conference and are tied for fourth-most in a single season in K-State history (record 16 set in 1997).
WICKY WICKY YEAH
K-State lefty Jordan Wicks 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 on Opening Day, Wicks was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and National Pitcher of the Week by the NCBWA ... Wicks leads the Big 12 with his 96 strikeouts and has reached double-digit strikeouts four times after a career-best 11 vs. WVU ... He is just four strikeouts away from tying K-State's single-season record and 16 away from becoming the program's all-time strikeout king ... In the last two seasons, Wicks is 8-2 with a 2.65 ERA (29 ER, 98.1 IP) with 122 strikeouts.
FROM THE PEN
The K-State bullpen owns an ERA of 5.44 while starters have a 4.23 earned run average ... In league play, starters have posted an ERA of 6.85 while the pen owns an 8.19 ERA ... At home, the K-State bullpen has a 2.62 ERA (34 ER, 116.2 IP) while posting an earned run average of 10.89 (73 ER, 60.1 IP) in road and neutral contests ... The Cats' pen has a 15.51 earned run average in road Big 12 contests ... Tyler Eckberg has allowed two earned runs over 13 2/3 innings with 12 strikeouts and one walk over his last seven outings ... Eric Torres logged a career-long 3 2/3 innings in Saturday's win at Baylor ... Torres extended his scoreless streak to 12 2/3 innings and has yielded just three earned runs in his last 13 appearances (22 IP) ... Torres owned a 15.75 ERA through his first five outings (7 ER, 4 IP) and has lowered that number to 3.46.
BY TH3 NUM8ER5
K-State has a season run differential of +44 ... K-State is 19-5 when scoring the game's first run and has outscored opponents by 38 runs in the game's first two innings (81-43) ... K-State is 15-1 when hitting multiple home runs but 13-17 when hitting one or no homers ... When scoring at least six runs, K-State is 22-2 and 25-5 when limiting their opponent to five runs or fewer ... 72 of K-State's 83 two-out RBI have come in victories ... Just 29 percent (83 of 282) of the team's RBIs have come with two outs ... The Cats are hitting .299 with two outs in 28 wins and just .179 in 18 losses ... K-State's strikeout rate of 9.96 per nine innings would be tops in program history, ahead of the current record of 8.6 K/9 set in 1969 ... This season's strikeout total of 441 is the fourth-most in a season and just 12 shy of the program record.
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