Ten Things to Know for the 2022 K-State Baseball Season

By: D. Scott Fritchen

It all starts on Friday. That's when Kansas State baseball officially opens year four of the Pete Hughes era by taking on 2021 College World Series participant Arizona in the 2022 State Farm College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

K-State returns 11 letterwinners, including third team preseason All-American Dylan Phillips, and welcomes 25 newcomers, including 13 freshmen, four junior college transfers and eight Division I transfers to a program that has amassed a 69-63 record under Hughes and that has made four NCAA Tournament appearances in its history.

The Wildcats, picked seventh in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll, have set up a challenging non-conference slate, and its schedule features 18 games against teams that earned a berth in the 2021 NCAA Tournament.

Here are 10 things to know about K-State baseball as it enters the season:

K-State embarks on the State Farm College Baseball Showdown to open the 2022 season

K-State is a part of a prestigious six-team tournament as the second annual 2022 State Farm College Baseball Showdown is set to take place Friday through Sunday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The tournament features teams from four different conferences.

The Wildcats begin their season against Arizona at 3 p.m. Friday, then face Michigan at 11 a.m. Saturday and Auburn at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.

Arizona (45-18 in 2021) was the Pac-12 Conference champion and advanced to the College World Series last season. Michigan (27-19 in 2021) also qualified for the NCAA Tournament. Auburn (25-27 in 2021) represents the SEC. The tournament also includes Texas Tech (39-17 in 2021) and Oklahoma (27-28 in 2021).

Arizona is ranked No. 13 in the preseason rankings by Baseball America.

K-State last played Arizona in 1993 (6-1 loss) and Michigan in 1997 (9-6 win) and will face Auburn for the first time.

"If we want to go to Omaha, we have to play good in tournaments," Hughes said. "It's a great way to start the season, and it's going to be an indication of the growth of our program and how far we've come in the three years that we've been here. I love it. What a great opportunity for our program. Couldn't happen at a better time to play the caliber of opponents we're playing. Arizona played for the national championship last year and they're in the mix. Michigan was in the national championship game three years ago. We want to play against those people, and we need to play at that level. That's how we go about our business, but it'll be a really good opportunity."

K-State was picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Conference preseason poll

There will be ample opportunity for K-State to prove the doubters wrong this season. The Wildcats were picked to finish seventh in the Big 12 Conference by a vote of the league's coaches. The Wildcats finished seventh in the Big 12 last season with a 10-14 record.

K-State's seventh-place finish was its best since it finished sixth in 2015. K-State will look to finish in the upper half of the league standings for the first time since it won the 2013 Big 12 Championship.

Texas is picked to win the Big 12 after it won the league title and advanced to the College World Series last season. The Longhorns (64 points) received eight of nine first-place votes. Oklahoma State (52 points) received the other first-place vote and is picked second in the league followed by Texas Tech (49 points), TCU (48), Baylor (33), Oklahoma (25), K-State (23), West Virginia (20) and Kansas (10).

K-State faces a challenging home opener against No. 20 Nebraska on March 8

The Wildcats will seek a little bit of revenge when they open their home season against Nebraska (currently ranked No. 20 in the Baseball America poll) on Tuesday, March 8 at Tointon Family Stadium. The former Big Eight Conference rivals will meet for the 288^th time. Nebraska leads the all-time series 173-114 and used an inside-the-park grand slam to help shutout the Wildcats 7-0 the last time the teams met on April 2, 2019. K-State is 71-79 at home against the Cornhuskers and have lost five of the last six meetings in the series.

The Cornhuskers finished 34-14 and advanced to the NCAA Regionals last season.

"There's so much going back and forth with scheduling, and you're limited a little bit in region with home-and-homes with Nebraska and Wichita State, Creighton and Omaha, so you get the same guys and we're all trying to get variety in our schedule," Hughes said. "So, there was no intent behind that, but you do want to play Wichita State and Nebraska with good weather so you can get good crowds and really promote the sport in region, and that's a good home opener for us. Hopefully we'll get a good crowd and play good at home against Nebraska."

A challenging non-conference season awaits K-State in 2022

K-State's schedule features seven teams ranked in at least one preseason poll, including four in the top 10 (No. 1 Texas, No. 4 Texas Tech, No. 7 Oklahoma State, and No. 10 Arizona). The Wildcats will play 18 games against preseason top-25 teams, including 10 games in Manhattan. Additionally, the schedule features 18 games against teams that earned a 2021 NCAA Tournament bid.

What's interesting, too, is how the Wildcats have lined up their non-conference schedule in facing six non-conference teams that finished in the top 100 of RPI last season. That includes (9) Arizona, (24) UC Irvine, (32) Nebraska, (56) Air Force, (66) Virginia Tech, (94) Michigan, and (99) Wichita State.

"It's time," Hughes said. "We all sat around here last June and complained about not getting into the national tournament. The bottom line is we gave people enough reason to keep us out, so let's go ahead and play a real formidable schedule here and let's go on the road, and let's not leave it in question. We want to play with the best at the end of the year and you have to do it throughout your season."

K-State is seeking better success on the road in 2022

Although K-State posted a 24-7 record at home and a 7-4 mark at neutral-site games, the Wildcats went just 3-12 in true road games last season. K-State will look to shore up their road record to improve their RPI for better chances at a NCAA Tournament berth in 2022.

"To address a couple of our goals from last year, we need to play better on the road," Hughes said. "I thought we did play really well at the Big 12 Tournament last year, but nonetheless we need to play better on the road as a program right out of the gates. The only way to figure it out is to get that 55-game schedule going and see how these kids play in the heat of the battle away from Tointon."

Eight players join the Wildcats from the NCAA transfer portal

To enhance the roster and add immediate help, Hughes went out and landed eight players from the NCAA transfer portal. "They're outstanding players who are outstanding kids and have the same values as our program," Hughes said. "It was a seamless transition."

Sophomore outfielder Dominic Johnson (5-9, 185) made five starts in the outfield and appeared in 10 games during his freshman season at Oklahoma State. He hit .154 (2-for-13) with 3 walks, 1 stolen base and 5 runs scored.

Sophomore infielder Orlando Salinas, Jr., (5-11, 185) appeared in 10 games with one start at Oklahoma State. He hit .154 (2-for-13) with 1 home run, 3 RBI and 1 walk.

Senior infielder Jeff Heinrich (6-0, 190) turned in a slash line of .231/.272/.340 with 8 doubles, 1 triple, 2 home runs and 24 RBI over 44 games with 37 starts in two seasons at South Carolina.

Junior right-hander Blake Adams (6-2, 215) went 1-0 with 10.80 ERA (14 ER, 11.2 IP) and totaled 11 strikeouts against 9 walks in 8 appearances with two starts in two seasons at Arkansas.

Redshirt senior catcher Justin Mitchell (6-0, 215) played four seasons at Oklahoma and had a career slash line of .261/.352/.348 in 116 games with 87 starts. He recorded 15 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs and 38 RBI.

Senior infielder Josh Nicoloff (6-0, 210) posted a career slash line of .293/.348/.397 with 11 doubles, 2 triples, 3 homers and 30 RBI in 69 games with 57 starts over three seasons at Columbia.

Sophomore right-hander Christian Ruebeck (6-0, 185) went 0-1 with a 9.37 ERA (17 ER, 16.1 IP) with 20 strikeouts and 11 walks over 16 career appearances with one start in two seasons at Oklahoma.

Sophomore right-hander German Fajardo (5-11, 165) went 3-0 with a 2.07 ERA (6 ER, 26 IP) with 36 strikeouts and 11 walks while playing for the Alaska Goldpanners of the Alaska League. He spent two seasons at Arizona with one appearance in 2021.

"We've already had a background with evaluating these guys and know what kind of players they are," Hughes said. "The biggest question mark for me in the fall — we spent two and a half years around here changing culture and developing according to who we are as a coaching staff and how I want things as a head coach, and it's really good, so when you bring in that many new people from many backgrounds, you don't know if the culture is going to hit a couple speed bumps or they just kind of fall in line, and the culture is going to be strong enough to handle the variety coming in. That's certainly has been the case.

"I didn't have to worry too long because these kids that come from different backgrounds, they're really consumed with being great and being great at Kansas State. A lot of them got a second lease on life, so they're taking advantage of that second lease in their baseball life, and they certainly take advantage of that. They fit right into our culture and our values and our goals and our work ethic and the pace at which we do things. They jumped right in, and they've all been a great additions."

Dylan Phillips is poised to become K-State's all-time home run king

A third team preseason All-American by Collegiate Baseball and preseason First Team All-Big 12 selection, junior Dylan Phillips currently leads all active players in the league with 31 home runs and needs just six more to pass Scott Poepard's school-record 37 home runs between 1994-97.

Phillips, a 6-foot, 220-pound Omaha native, can play outfield, first base and pitch. Last season, he ranked sixth in the Big 12 in batting average (.338), 14^th in on-base percentage (.423) and fifth in slugging percentage (.652). He also ranked second in home runs (16) — a total that tied for the most home runs ever by a K-State player in a single season — and ranked sixth in the Big 12 with 58 RBI.

"He's multi-faceted and super talented," Hughes says. "His greatest asset is he's arguably the smartest baseball player I've ever coached in 25 years as a head coach. He thinks about baseball all the time and keeps you on your toes. He breaks down the practice plan and the scout, and he's always thinking about the game. That's where his true edge is albeit he's a phenomenally talented kid and a fiercely loyal kid, a great teammate, and super talented. His baseball IQ is through the roof."

Terrence Spurlin could be the most underrated player on the team

Senior first baseman Terrence Spurlin posted a slash line of .339/.406/.496 with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs and 24 RBI while playing in 37 games with 36 starts last season. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound native of Cypress, Texas recorded 13 multi-hit games and six multiple-RBI efforts, and delivered five multi-hit games over the final eight games of the season, including back-to-back 3-hit performances against TCU. While Phillips receives a wealth of attention – and rightfully so – Spurlin has been steady all three years of his career and has also emerged as a leader.

"Terry Spurlin is one of the most underrated guys in our program," Hughes said. "Every time he picks a throw from one of our infielders, it's seven to 10 pitches he saves on our pitch count during the game. Every base hit he steals defensively, it's seven to 10 pitches that he saves us. Over the course of the year, it's huge. He's just been the steady leadership voice in our program the last four years from his defensive standpoint, from his ability to get clutch hits, his toughness, and he's super smart.

"Very rarely do you have your first baseman run your whole infield defensively in all your communications with cuts and relays, and Terry's that guy for us."

Nick Goodwin continues to take steps following his Freshman All-America season

Named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball in addition to earning a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team and being named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection, Nick Goodwin was stellar in his first season. Indications suggest that he's improved even more. That's because the 6-foot, 190-pound Overland Park native gained valuable experience during a 25-game stint with the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League.

Goodwin started all 57 games at shortstop, second base and designated hitter last season and posted a slash line of .277/.355/.482 with 13 doubles, 1 triple, 10 home runs and 33 RBI while leading the team with 14 stolen bases. As a member of the Bourne Braves, Goodwin slashed .221/.293/.279 with 1 double, 1 home run and 5 RBI. Goodwin recorded four multi-hit games, including a 4-hit performance in one game.

"Like all freshmen, they're not used to playing that volume of games during the season, so I saw that take its toll on him near the end and thought he managed it pretty well," Hughes said. "I look for him to be accustomed to that this year so there's no lulls later in the season. He went and played in the Cape League this summer, which is great for a player's development. It's the highest level of amateur baseball, so he's been around it for quite some time now over the last calendar year.

"He has improved defensively, he's made tremendous strides, he's a pretty reliable guy over there and for me to ask him to play shortstop for us last year as a freshman, that's a pretty big ask, and he did a great job. He really improved defensively over the summertime and over the fall. He's matured as a hitter."

Five pitchers appear poised for possible work in the weekend rotation

While redshirt sophomore Connor McCullough has virtually cemented a spot in the weekend rotation, three transfers — Blake Adams (Arkansas), German Fajardo (Arizona) and Christian Rueback (Oklahoma) — along with freshman Jackson Wentworth all stand the possibility of earning weekend assignments this season as well. Hughes said that McCullough "since day one of the fall has taken over that leadership role on the pitching staff and our whole program," which is big given the departure of Jordan Wicks, who was taken with the 21^st pick overall in the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft.

McCullough, a 6-foot-1, 200-pound right hander from Maumelle, Arkansas, made 15 weekend starts with one relief appearance last season, going 5-4 with a 4.77 ERA. He allowed 4 earned runs in 77.1 innings with 69 strikeouts and 30 walks. He went a season-long seven innings on three occasions and earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week last April. McCullough earned Freshman All-America honors by Collegiate Baseball in 2020.

"Blake Adams will be a weekend guy for us out of the gate and he's a transfer from Arkansas," Hughes said. "Christian Ruebeck, a transfer from Oklahoma, he'll factor in that first weekend. German Fajardo, a transfer from Arizona, will pitch significant innings. Connor McCullough will be a weekend guy for us. I don't know the exact order that rotation is going to go, but Jackson Wentworth is a freshman that we're super high on from Des Moines, Iowa.

"(Wentworth) had a little setback in his build up as a starting pitcher, so probably will not be available that first weekend for us, but he will be available for the rest of the year, which bodes well because he's a very talented arm. Those are pretty much the five or six names that can be thrown in for starting roles right out of the gate."

Kansas State University Athletics

Ten Things to Know for the 2022 K-State Baseball Season

Players Mentioned

Blake Adams

German Fajardo

Nick Goodwin

Jeff Heinrich

Dominic Johnson

Connor McCullough

Justin Mitchell

Josh Nicoloff

Dylan Phillips

Christian Ruebeck

Orlando Salinas, Jr.

Terrence Spurlin

Jackson Wentworth

Jordan Wicks

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