Kansas State University Athletics
Saturday, March 12
Manhattan, Kan.
2 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Central Connecticut State
K-State Continues Homestand Against Central Connecticut State
Mar 11, 2022 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – With an altered weekend schedule, K-State continues its homestand with a three-game series against Central Connecticut State beginning Saturday at 2 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium.
The three-game set will conclude Sunday with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. Game 2 of the doubleheader will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
The Wildcats will send right-hander Blake Adams, who is tied for the Big 12 lead in strikeouts, to the hill Saturday. Redshirt sophomore Connor McCullough will get the call in the second game of the series.
With construction ongoing on the new Morgan Family Arena, parking for baseball games at Tointon Family Stadium will be impacted during the 2022 season.
Fans are advised to park in the west parking lot of Bill Snyder Stadium and do so by entering through Gate 3 via College Avenue across from Ascension Via Christi Hospital. Gate 1 and Gate 2 will be closed for the duration of the 2022 baseball season.
When proceeding to the stadium on foot, fans are advised to exit the west parking lot along the pedestrian path between Gate 1 and Gate 2 and then proceed to the stadium via the sidewalk along College Avenue.
Tickets are now on sale for the entire 2022 season and start at just $5 when purchased in advance at K-StateSports.com/Tickets, by calling 800-221-CATS or visiting the K-State Athletics Ticket Office.
The entire series will be carried on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
GAME #12
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Saturday, March 12 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Blake Adams (1-1, 2.75 EA) vs. LHP Dominic Niman (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Evan Marshall
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #13
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Sunday, March 13 // 1 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Connor McCullough (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Neuman (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Justin Tadtman
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #14
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Sunday, March 13 // 4 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: TBA vs. LHP Anthony Mozzicato (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Justin Tadtman
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State continues its homestand with a three-game series against Central Connecticut State ... The Wildcats opened their home schedule with Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over longtime rival Nebraska ... In the win, Griffin Hassall logged four innings of one-hit baseball in his first start since 2019 to earn the win ... Nick Goodwin homered as part of a five-run fourth inning and Collin Rothermel tossed five relief innings to pick up his first career save ... Prior to the home opener, the Wildcats finished a seven-game road trip through California with a 3-4 record, taking two of three games at Loyola Marymount to conclude the two-week excursion ... in the Cats' first series win of the year, K-State earned an 11-0 win Friday in the opener before a 10-5 win Saturday clinched the series ... Going for the sweep, LMU responded with a 14-7 victory after K-State jumped out to a 3-0 lead ... Cole Johnson and Dominic Johnson led K-State's offense with seven hits each, while Dominic Johnson had a team-high five RBI ... The Cats totaled 16 doubles and three home runs over three games, getting three doubles each from Cole Johnson and Nick Goodwin ... Josh Nicoloff, Dylan Phillips and Orlando Salinas, Jr. each homered for the Wildcats, as the team has homered in four of their last five games ... K-State's offense averaged 9.3 runs a game and 14.7 hits per game in the series after averaging 3.7 runs a game and 7.9 hits a game entering the series ... Blake Adams logged six scoreless innings Friday night, turning in his second straight quality start .. Adams struck out seven and scattered five hits ... Connor McCullough earned his first victory of the season after yielding three hits over 5 2/3 innings and equaling his season high of seven strikeouts.
SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Central Connecticut State, the reigning Northeast Conference champion and NCAA Eugene Regional participant, is 3-1 through four games this season after a 7-6 win over Albany in its home opener on Tuesday ... The Blue Devils are led by Dan Covino, who is hitting .600 (9-for-15) with a double, two home runs and six RBI ... Noah Martinez also has two home runs and leads CCSU with seven runs batted in ... As a team, Central Connecticut State boasts a .304 average ... On the mound, the Blue Devils have a team ERA of 3.55 with 26 strikeouts and 17 walks over 33 innings ... Both Anthony Mozzicato and Jake Neuman did not allow an earned run in their first start of the year over five innings ... Mozzicato will get the call in the series opener while Neuman will start the second game of the series ... Dominic Niman, who is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA) will take the hill for the finale.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State and Central Connecticut State have met just once previously, with the Wildcats taking a 17-7 neutral-site contest in Homestead, Florida, on March 23, 2000 ... All-time, the Wildcats are 16-2 against current teams from the Northeast Conference ... K-State last played a team from the NEC in 2020 when the Cats swept a three-game home series with Fairleigh Dickinson.
TWO-HIT MITCH
K-State senior catcher Justin Mitchell has hit safely in eight of 10 games in which he has played this season, including a five-game hitting streak from Feb. 19-March 1 ... Mitchell has produced five two-hit games this season, with four coming over his last six outings ... Mitchell was 7-for-20 over his last five games in California with four doubles, a home run and three RBI ... Mitchell is second on the team in average (.382) and is the team leader in on-base percentage (.462) and slugging (.588) ... Mitchell, voted one of four team captains before the season, has scored seven runs over his last eight games ... In four seasons at Oklahoma, Mitchell posted a slash line of .261/.352/.348 with 15 doubles and two home runs.
CRISP WITH RISP
Starting the season 0-5, K-State was just 9-for-37 (.243) with runners in scoring position while hitting .191 (9-for-47) with two outs ... Over the last six games, the Wildcats are hitting .419 (31-for-74) with runners in scoring position and a .347 average (25-for-72) with two outs ... The Cats have won four of their last six games, recording 14 two-out RBI in that stretch after just four runs batted in with two outs in the year's first five games.
MR. FEBRUARY
K-State starting pitcher Connor McCullough has owned the month of February in now his third season at K-State ... In seven February starts, McCullough has turned in five quality starts and owns 3-1 record, with a sparkling ERA of 1.28 (6 ER, 42.1 IP) ... The redshirt sophomore right-hander has totaled 50 strikeouts against 10 walks in February and boasts a 0.89 WHIP ... Additionally, he has not allowed more than two earned runs and gone at least five innings in each start in the month ... In his first start of 2022, McCullough held Michigan scoreless over five innings with five strikeouts, not giving up a base hit until the fourth inning ... On February 26 at CSU Bakersfield, he yielded two earned runs over six innings with seven strikeouts ... In his last start, he tied his season high with seven strikeouts and earned the victory after going 5 2/3 innings and three hits allowed ... The Maumelle, Arkansas, product is the Wildcats' only returning weekend starter ... McCullough, who was a freshman all-America pick in 2020 by Collegiate Baseball, tied for the team lead in starts (15) and ranked second in innings pitched (77.1) and strikeouts (69) last season ... He accounts for 15 of K-State's 18 returning starts, 77 1/3 of 104 retained innings and 69 of 95 strikeouts.
FROM THE 'PEN
The K-State bullpen has an ERA of 4.55 over its last six games, rebounding from an 11.29 ERA over the season's first five games, including an ERA of 14.85 in the season's opening weekend at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown ... In winning four of their last six games, Wildcat relievers have recorded 31 strikeouts against eight walks over 31 2/3 innings ... Over three games at Loyola Marymount, relievers allowed 11 earned runs over 11 1/3 innings (8.74 ERA) with 16 strikeouts and six walks ... For the season, K-State's bullpen has a 7.02 ERA (39 ER, 50 IP) with 64 strikeouts and 28 walks ... Blake Corsentino and Griffin Hassall each have a team-high four relief outings ... Corsentino has logged 8 2/3 scoreless innings of relief while Hassall has 7 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA ... K-State's starting rotation turned in a 4.44 ERA (23 ER, 46.2 IP) with 56 strikeouts and 20 walks with opponents hitting .233 for the season.
BOSS HOGS
K-State features a pair of Arkansas transfers and natives in its weekend rotation in Blake Adams and Connor McCullough ... In six total starts, the duo has a combined ERA of 2.73 (11 ER, 36.1 IP) and 48 strikeouts with just nine walks ... Adams and McCullough each logged quality starts at CSU Bakersfield, as Adams went a career-long 7 2/3 and set a career high with 12 strikeouts ... McCullough went six innings with two earned on five hits as the duo has totaled three quality starts (only three on team) ... Adams is tied for the conference lead with 27 strikeouts while ranking third with 19 2/3 innings pitched.
The three-game set will conclude Sunday with a doubleheader scheduled for 1 p.m. Game 2 of the doubleheader will begin approximately 45 minutes after the conclusion of the opener.
The Wildcats will send right-hander Blake Adams, who is tied for the Big 12 lead in strikeouts, to the hill Saturday. Redshirt sophomore Connor McCullough will get the call in the second game of the series.
With construction ongoing on the new Morgan Family Arena, parking for baseball games at Tointon Family Stadium will be impacted during the 2022 season.
Fans are advised to park in the west parking lot of Bill Snyder Stadium and do so by entering through Gate 3 via College Avenue across from Ascension Via Christi Hospital. Gate 1 and Gate 2 will be closed for the duration of the 2022 baseball season.
When proceeding to the stadium on foot, fans are advised to exit the west parking lot along the pedestrian path between Gate 1 and Gate 2 and then proceed to the stadium via the sidewalk along College Avenue.
Tickets are now on sale for the entire 2022 season and start at just $5 when purchased in advance at K-StateSports.com/Tickets, by calling 800-221-CATS or visiting the K-State Athletics Ticket Office.
The entire series will be carried on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
GAME #12
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Saturday, March 12 // 2 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Blake Adams (1-1, 2.75 EA) vs. LHP Dominic Niman (1-0, 3.60 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Evan Marshall
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #13
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Sunday, March 13 // 1 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Connor McCullough (1-1, 2.70 ERA) vs. LHP Jake Neuman (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Justin Tadtman
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #14
K-STATE (4-7) vs. CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE (3-1)
Sunday, March 13 // 4 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: TBA vs. LHP Anthony Mozzicato (1-0, 0.00 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+ // Matt Walters, Craig Wilson
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // James Westling, Justin Tadtman
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State continues its homestand with a three-game series against Central Connecticut State ... The Wildcats opened their home schedule with Wednesday with a 6-4 victory over longtime rival Nebraska ... In the win, Griffin Hassall logged four innings of one-hit baseball in his first start since 2019 to earn the win ... Nick Goodwin homered as part of a five-run fourth inning and Collin Rothermel tossed five relief innings to pick up his first career save ... Prior to the home opener, the Wildcats finished a seven-game road trip through California with a 3-4 record, taking two of three games at Loyola Marymount to conclude the two-week excursion ... in the Cats' first series win of the year, K-State earned an 11-0 win Friday in the opener before a 10-5 win Saturday clinched the series ... Going for the sweep, LMU responded with a 14-7 victory after K-State jumped out to a 3-0 lead ... Cole Johnson and Dominic Johnson led K-State's offense with seven hits each, while Dominic Johnson had a team-high five RBI ... The Cats totaled 16 doubles and three home runs over three games, getting three doubles each from Cole Johnson and Nick Goodwin ... Josh Nicoloff, Dylan Phillips and Orlando Salinas, Jr. each homered for the Wildcats, as the team has homered in four of their last five games ... K-State's offense averaged 9.3 runs a game and 14.7 hits per game in the series after averaging 3.7 runs a game and 7.9 hits a game entering the series ... Blake Adams logged six scoreless innings Friday night, turning in his second straight quality start .. Adams struck out seven and scattered five hits ... Connor McCullough earned his first victory of the season after yielding three hits over 5 2/3 innings and equaling his season high of seven strikeouts.
SCOUTING CENTRAL CONNECTICUT STATE
Central Connecticut State, the reigning Northeast Conference champion and NCAA Eugene Regional participant, is 3-1 through four games this season after a 7-6 win over Albany in its home opener on Tuesday ... The Blue Devils are led by Dan Covino, who is hitting .600 (9-for-15) with a double, two home runs and six RBI ... Noah Martinez also has two home runs and leads CCSU with seven runs batted in ... As a team, Central Connecticut State boasts a .304 average ... On the mound, the Blue Devils have a team ERA of 3.55 with 26 strikeouts and 17 walks over 33 innings ... Both Anthony Mozzicato and Jake Neuman did not allow an earned run in their first start of the year over five innings ... Mozzicato will get the call in the series opener while Neuman will start the second game of the series ... Dominic Niman, who is 1-0 with a 3.60 ERA) will take the hill for the finale.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State and Central Connecticut State have met just once previously, with the Wildcats taking a 17-7 neutral-site contest in Homestead, Florida, on March 23, 2000 ... All-time, the Wildcats are 16-2 against current teams from the Northeast Conference ... K-State last played a team from the NEC in 2020 when the Cats swept a three-game home series with Fairleigh Dickinson.
TWO-HIT MITCH
K-State senior catcher Justin Mitchell has hit safely in eight of 10 games in which he has played this season, including a five-game hitting streak from Feb. 19-March 1 ... Mitchell has produced five two-hit games this season, with four coming over his last six outings ... Mitchell was 7-for-20 over his last five games in California with four doubles, a home run and three RBI ... Mitchell is second on the team in average (.382) and is the team leader in on-base percentage (.462) and slugging (.588) ... Mitchell, voted one of four team captains before the season, has scored seven runs over his last eight games ... In four seasons at Oklahoma, Mitchell posted a slash line of .261/.352/.348 with 15 doubles and two home runs.
CRISP WITH RISP
Starting the season 0-5, K-State was just 9-for-37 (.243) with runners in scoring position while hitting .191 (9-for-47) with two outs ... Over the last six games, the Wildcats are hitting .419 (31-for-74) with runners in scoring position and a .347 average (25-for-72) with two outs ... The Cats have won four of their last six games, recording 14 two-out RBI in that stretch after just four runs batted in with two outs in the year's first five games.
MR. FEBRUARY
K-State starting pitcher Connor McCullough has owned the month of February in now his third season at K-State ... In seven February starts, McCullough has turned in five quality starts and owns 3-1 record, with a sparkling ERA of 1.28 (6 ER, 42.1 IP) ... The redshirt sophomore right-hander has totaled 50 strikeouts against 10 walks in February and boasts a 0.89 WHIP ... Additionally, he has not allowed more than two earned runs and gone at least five innings in each start in the month ... In his first start of 2022, McCullough held Michigan scoreless over five innings with five strikeouts, not giving up a base hit until the fourth inning ... On February 26 at CSU Bakersfield, he yielded two earned runs over six innings with seven strikeouts ... In his last start, he tied his season high with seven strikeouts and earned the victory after going 5 2/3 innings and three hits allowed ... The Maumelle, Arkansas, product is the Wildcats' only returning weekend starter ... McCullough, who was a freshman all-America pick in 2020 by Collegiate Baseball, tied for the team lead in starts (15) and ranked second in innings pitched (77.1) and strikeouts (69) last season ... He accounts for 15 of K-State's 18 returning starts, 77 1/3 of 104 retained innings and 69 of 95 strikeouts.
FROM THE 'PEN
The K-State bullpen has an ERA of 4.55 over its last six games, rebounding from an 11.29 ERA over the season's first five games, including an ERA of 14.85 in the season's opening weekend at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown ... In winning four of their last six games, Wildcat relievers have recorded 31 strikeouts against eight walks over 31 2/3 innings ... Over three games at Loyola Marymount, relievers allowed 11 earned runs over 11 1/3 innings (8.74 ERA) with 16 strikeouts and six walks ... For the season, K-State's bullpen has a 7.02 ERA (39 ER, 50 IP) with 64 strikeouts and 28 walks ... Blake Corsentino and Griffin Hassall each have a team-high four relief outings ... Corsentino has logged 8 2/3 scoreless innings of relief while Hassall has 7 1/3 innings with a 2.45 ERA ... K-State's starting rotation turned in a 4.44 ERA (23 ER, 46.2 IP) with 56 strikeouts and 20 walks with opponents hitting .233 for the season.
BOSS HOGS
K-State features a pair of Arkansas transfers and natives in its weekend rotation in Blake Adams and Connor McCullough ... In six total starts, the duo has a combined ERA of 2.73 (11 ER, 36.1 IP) and 48 strikeouts with just nine walks ... Adams and McCullough each logged quality starts at CSU Bakersfield, as Adams went a career-long 7 2/3 and set a career high with 12 strikeouts ... McCullough went six innings with two earned on five hits as the duo has totaled three quality starts (only three on team) ... Adams is tied for the conference lead with 27 strikeouts while ranking third with 19 2/3 innings pitched.
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