Kansas State University Athletics
Tuesday, March 22
Manhattan, Kan.
6 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Air Force
K-State Closes Homestand Against Air Force
Mar 21, 2022 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Riding an eight-game winning streak and entering its final midweek series before conference play, K-State closes a five-game homestand by hosting Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday at Tointon Family Stadium.
Tuesday's contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start while Wednesday finale is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
The Wildcats and Falcons will meet for the first time since 2014, as K-State owns a 13-3 edge in the series. The Cats are 6-0 at home against AFA and have won the last four meetings overall.
K-State has won eight straight games and 10 of its last 11 following its three-game sweep of Morehead State over the Weekend. Senior Josh Nicoloff, who homered twice last week with a go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning Sunday, claimed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors Monday.
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 #19
K-STATE (11-7) vs. AIR FORCE (6-12)
Tuesday, March 22 // 6 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Collin Rothermel (0-0, 4.70 EA) vs. RHP Ryan Stohr (0-1, 1.88 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM)
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #20
K-STATE (11-7) vs. AIR FORCE (6-12)
Wednesday, March 23 // 4 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: TBA vs. TBA
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM)
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State concludes its five-game homestand with a two-game midweek set against Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday at Tointon Family Stadium ... The Wildcats have won eight straight games, and 10 of 11, after a three-game sweep of Morehead State ... The Cats cruised in the series' first two games, winning 10-2 and 15-2, respectively, before needing a come-from-behind effort Sunday ... Seven different Wildcats homered during the weekend series, with three coming in Sunday's 9-6 victory ... Josh Nicoloff hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, giving K-State its first lead at 7-5, before Dylan Phillips tacked on a two-run shot in the eighth ... Dominic Johnson paced the offense but hitting .692 in the series, including six doubles ... His three-double performance Saturday tied the program's single-game record, last happening in 2009 ... As a team, K-State hit .377 over the three games with the Eagles and pushed its season average to .308 - tops in the Big 12 and 30th in the nation ... Nicoloff earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor after slashing .467/.556/1.067 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI over the week ... Nicoloff extended his hitting streak to a dozen games ... On the mound, the Cats got quality starts from both Blake Adams and Connor McCullough ... Adams, who carded his fourth straight quality outing, gave up just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven in earning his second win ... McCullough held MSU to just one hit over the first six innings of his start, as he finished with a season-high seven frames and eight strikeouts ... Griffin Hassall collected his third win in as many appearances after tossing the final three innings Sunday, striking out four.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
Air Force makes the trek to Manhattan having lost its last six games and sits at 6-12 (1-4 Mountain West) ... AFA was swept by UNLV in Las Vegas in its second conference series ... The Falcons have allowed 56 runs in their six-game slide (9.3 per game) while scoring 33 (5.5 per game) ... Offensively, Air Force offense has hit 19 home runs, with four coming from both Braydon Altorfer and Jay Thomason ... Sam Kulasingam boasts a team-leading .348 average and four doubles ... The Falcons will turn to right-hander Ryan Stohr in the series opener ... Stohr has made five appearances (three starts) and is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA (3 ER, 14.1 IP).
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State and Air Force will face off for the first time since 2014, as the Wildcats own a 13-3 edge in the series' history ... The Wildcats have won the last four in the series and are 6-0 at Tointon Family Stadium against AFA ... The Falcons last won in 1998, claiming a 9-8 win in El Dorado ... K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series ... The Cats are 34-21-1 against teams from the Mountain West Conference, last facing both New Mexico last season.
THE IDES OF MARCH
After a 1-5 February, K-State has won 10 of 12 games in the month of March and is on a season-long eight-game winning streak after a 9-6 victory Sunday against Morehead State ... The Wildcat offense is hitting at a .348 clip in the month and averaging 8.1 runs a game with 12.5 hits a game ... In February, the Cats hit just .223 as a team with 3.5 runs per game on 7.5 hits a contest ... Additionally, K-State is hitting .303 with two outs in March after just .233 in February ... Six Cats are hitting north of .350 in the month of March, with three over the .400 mark ... Dominic Johnson has a team-leading .528 batting average while Cole Johnson is hitting .426 ... Justin Mitchell is at an even .400 while Josh Nicoloff has homered four times this month ... K-State has 19 homers in that stretch compared to three last month.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
K-State's dynamic outfield duo of Dominic Johnson and Cole Johnson have helped spearhead the Wildcat offense during its eight-game winning streak ... Dominic Johnson leads the way with his .606 average during the streak while Cole Johnson is next at .433 ... Cole Johnson turned in K-State's first four-hit effort of the season on March 13 against Central Connecticut State, including a go-ahead solo homer, and finished the weekend series with three extra-base hits ... Dominic Johnson is riding a 13-game hitting streak, a stretch that includes multiple hits in each of his last nine outings ... Cole Johnson has recorded a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, with five multi-hit games in that span ... Over the last five games, Dominic Johnson has a slash line of .609/.625/1.043 and Cole Johnson is slashing .368/.478/.632, while each has a home run.
THE DOMINATOR
Dominic Johnson, who has hit leadoff and started in left field every game this season for the Wildcats, leads the team in average, on-base percentage, slugging, doubles, extra-base hits and stolen bases ... The Oklahoma State transfer has registered multiple hits in each of his last nine games and is the team leader with 13 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI efforts ... Over his 13-game hitting streak, the sophomore is hitting .517 (30-for-58) with 11 doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored ... He has been held hitless in just one game this season (0-for-4 at CSU Bakersfield on February 26) ... Johnson also leads the team in hitting with runners in scoring position at .647 (11-for-17) and seven two-out RBI ... Currently, he is the Big 12's leader in hitting (.468) and doubles (13) while raking second in total hits (46) ... Johnson's 13 doubles ranks second in the country while his average is fifth.
STREAKS FOR WEEKS
Four Wildcats are currently riding on-base streaks of at least seven games, including Dominic Johnson (13), Josh Nicoloff (13) and Justin Mitchell (7) ... Nicoloff is also on a 12-game hitting streak ... As a team, K-State has homered in 10 of its last 11 games, with a stretch of eight straight games from March 4-14 ... The Cats did not hit a home run in the season's first three games at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas ... K-State eight-game winning streak is the longest such streak under Hughes and is the program's longest winning stretch since winning 12 in a row in 2014 ... The eight-game streak is tied for the sixth-longest since 1910 and is the two away from becoming just the sixth double-digit win streak in program history.
NICOL-OFF AND RUNNING
Senior infielder Josh Nicoloff, a graduate transfer from Columbia, is hitting .364 over his last 12 games, including six doubles, four home runs and 14 runs batted in ... Nicoloff did not play in 2021 and appeared in just eight games after the Ivy League cancelled the last two seasons due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic ... The Ladera Ranch, California, native began the season going 1-for-21 over the season's first six games, but has hit safely in each of his last 12 contests, including a season-high three hits and four RBI at Omaha last Tuesday ... Nicoloff has four home runs over his last nine games and is tied for the team lead in the category ... Nicoloff was tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after slashing .467/.556/1.067 with three doubles, two homers and eight RBI last week.
Tuesday's contest is scheduled for a 6 p.m. start while Wednesday finale is set for a 4 p.m. first pitch.
The Wildcats and Falcons will meet for the first time since 2014, as K-State owns a 13-3 edge in the series. The Cats are 6-0 at home against AFA and have won the last four meetings overall.
K-State has won eight straight games and 10 of its last 11 following its three-game sweep of Morehead State over the Weekend. Senior Josh Nicoloff, who homered twice last week with a go-ahead, three-run home run in the seventh inning Sunday, claimed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honors Monday.
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 #19
K-STATE (11-7) vs. AIR FORCE (6-12)
Tuesday, March 22 // 6 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: RHP Collin Rothermel (0-0, 4.70 EA) vs. RHP Ryan Stohr (0-1, 1.88 ERA)
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM)
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #20
K-STATE (11-7) vs. AIR FORCE (6-12)
Wednesday, March 23 // 4 p.m. // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334) // Manhattan, Kan.
Projected Starters: TBA vs. TBA
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM)
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats | Tickets
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State concludes its five-game homestand with a two-game midweek set against Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday at Tointon Family Stadium ... The Wildcats have won eight straight games, and 10 of 11, after a three-game sweep of Morehead State ... The Cats cruised in the series' first two games, winning 10-2 and 15-2, respectively, before needing a come-from-behind effort Sunday ... Seven different Wildcats homered during the weekend series, with three coming in Sunday's 9-6 victory ... Josh Nicoloff hit a go-ahead three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, giving K-State its first lead at 7-5, before Dylan Phillips tacked on a two-run shot in the eighth ... Dominic Johnson paced the offense but hitting .692 in the series, including six doubles ... His three-double performance Saturday tied the program's single-game record, last happening in 2009 ... As a team, K-State hit .377 over the three games with the Eagles and pushed its season average to .308 - tops in the Big 12 and 30th in the nation ... Nicoloff earned Big 12 Newcomer of the Week honor after slashing .467/.556/1.067 with three doubles, two home runs and eight RBI over the week ... Nicoloff extended his hitting streak to a dozen games ... On the mound, the Cats got quality starts from both Blake Adams and Connor McCullough ... Adams, who carded his fourth straight quality outing, gave up just one earned run over 6 1/3 innings while striking out seven in earning his second win ... McCullough held MSU to just one hit over the first six innings of his start, as he finished with a season-high seven frames and eight strikeouts ... Griffin Hassall collected his third win in as many appearances after tossing the final three innings Sunday, striking out four.
SCOUTING AIR FORCE
Air Force makes the trek to Manhattan having lost its last six games and sits at 6-12 (1-4 Mountain West) ... AFA was swept by UNLV in Las Vegas in its second conference series ... The Falcons have allowed 56 runs in their six-game slide (9.3 per game) while scoring 33 (5.5 per game) ... Offensively, Air Force offense has hit 19 home runs, with four coming from both Braydon Altorfer and Jay Thomason ... Sam Kulasingam boasts a team-leading .348 average and four doubles ... The Falcons will turn to right-hander Ryan Stohr in the series opener ... Stohr has made five appearances (three starts) and is 0-1 with a 1.88 ERA (3 ER, 14.1 IP).
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State and Air Force will face off for the first time since 2014, as the Wildcats own a 13-3 edge in the series' history ... The Wildcats have won the last four in the series and are 6-0 at Tointon Family Stadium against AFA ... The Falcons last won in 1998, claiming a 9-8 win in El Dorado ... K-State has won seven of the last 10 meetings in the series ... The Cats are 34-21-1 against teams from the Mountain West Conference, last facing both New Mexico last season.
THE IDES OF MARCH
After a 1-5 February, K-State has won 10 of 12 games in the month of March and is on a season-long eight-game winning streak after a 9-6 victory Sunday against Morehead State ... The Wildcat offense is hitting at a .348 clip in the month and averaging 8.1 runs a game with 12.5 hits a game ... In February, the Cats hit just .223 as a team with 3.5 runs per game on 7.5 hits a contest ... Additionally, K-State is hitting .303 with two outs in March after just .233 in February ... Six Cats are hitting north of .350 in the month of March, with three over the .400 mark ... Dominic Johnson has a team-leading .528 batting average while Cole Johnson is hitting .426 ... Justin Mitchell is at an even .400 while Josh Nicoloff has homered four times this month ... K-State has 19 homers in that stretch compared to three last month.
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
K-State's dynamic outfield duo of Dominic Johnson and Cole Johnson have helped spearhead the Wildcat offense during its eight-game winning streak ... Dominic Johnson leads the way with his .606 average during the streak while Cole Johnson is next at .433 ... Cole Johnson turned in K-State's first four-hit effort of the season on March 13 against Central Connecticut State, including a go-ahead solo homer, and finished the weekend series with three extra-base hits ... Dominic Johnson is riding a 13-game hitting streak, a stretch that includes multiple hits in each of his last nine outings ... Cole Johnson has recorded a hit in 10 of his last 11 games, with five multi-hit games in that span ... Over the last five games, Dominic Johnson has a slash line of .609/.625/1.043 and Cole Johnson is slashing .368/.478/.632, while each has a home run.
THE DOMINATOR
Dominic Johnson, who has hit leadoff and started in left field every game this season for the Wildcats, leads the team in average, on-base percentage, slugging, doubles, extra-base hits and stolen bases ... The Oklahoma State transfer has registered multiple hits in each of his last nine games and is the team leader with 13 multi-hit games and five multi-RBI efforts ... Over his 13-game hitting streak, the sophomore is hitting .517 (30-for-58) with 11 doubles, two home runs, 12 RBI and 16 runs scored ... He has been held hitless in just one game this season (0-for-4 at CSU Bakersfield on February 26) ... Johnson also leads the team in hitting with runners in scoring position at .647 (11-for-17) and seven two-out RBI ... Currently, he is the Big 12's leader in hitting (.468) and doubles (13) while raking second in total hits (46) ... Johnson's 13 doubles ranks second in the country while his average is fifth.
STREAKS FOR WEEKS
Four Wildcats are currently riding on-base streaks of at least seven games, including Dominic Johnson (13), Josh Nicoloff (13) and Justin Mitchell (7) ... Nicoloff is also on a 12-game hitting streak ... As a team, K-State has homered in 10 of its last 11 games, with a stretch of eight straight games from March 4-14 ... The Cats did not hit a home run in the season's first three games at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas ... K-State eight-game winning streak is the longest such streak under Hughes and is the program's longest winning stretch since winning 12 in a row in 2014 ... The eight-game streak is tied for the sixth-longest since 1910 and is the two away from becoming just the sixth double-digit win streak in program history.
NICOL-OFF AND RUNNING
Senior infielder Josh Nicoloff, a graduate transfer from Columbia, is hitting .364 over his last 12 games, including six doubles, four home runs and 14 runs batted in ... Nicoloff did not play in 2021 and appeared in just eight games after the Ivy League cancelled the last two seasons due to concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic ... The Ladera Ranch, California, native began the season going 1-for-21 over the season's first six games, but has hit safely in each of his last 12 contests, including a season-high three hits and four RBI at Omaha last Tuesday ... Nicoloff has four home runs over his last nine games and is tied for the team lead in the category ... Nicoloff was tabbed Big 12 Newcomer of the Week on Monday after slashing .467/.556/1.067 with three doubles, two homers and eight RBI last week.
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