Tointon Magic Shines Through on Senior Day
May 16, 2022 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
In a game that Kansas State had no business winning for seven innings, the Wildcats put on a Senior Day show that nobody will soon forget. Nick Goodwin hit a grand slam. Then Cash Rugley hit a homer. Then Dylan Phillips, the all-time home run king, rolled up his sleeves and finished off Baylor — not with his bat, but instead with his arm in throwing the game's final three outs in a 7-5 victory during his last appearance at Tointon Family Stadium.
In the final two innings, the Wildcats went from Clark Kent to Superman. And it was awesome. It was breathtaking. Tointon came alive and people yelled "WOOOO-WOOOO!" and Goodwin rounded the bases and people yelled "WOOOO-WOOOO!" as Rugely ran the bases. And then at the end, before Phillips issued the final pitch in his final game in Manhattan, the crowd began to slow clap. And it grew louder and faster and louder and faster. Boom.
And then it was over.
K-State baseball took an important step toward being in the conversation for a NCAA Regional.
Just as important, K-State fans graduated to being perhaps the best fan base in the Big 12 Conference.
There are bigger stadiums and there are more people inside those stadiums, but you want to know what K-State head coach Pete Hughes and his players wanted to talk about after their final home game?
They wanted to talk about K-State fans.
"It's like a rock concert," Hughes said.
"The energy in the eighth inning was big time for us," Phillips said.
"The energy from the fans," Goodwin said, "I mean, they're awesome. It's the atmosphere here. It's 100 times better than anywhere else I've played. The passion and the drive that everybody has here is awesome. It's a lot of fun to play here — a lot a lot of fun."
K-State, 27-23 overall and 8-13 in the Big 12, needed this series against Baylor, 24-2 and 6-15. The Wildcats lost on Friday. They battled back on Saturday. They fought and fought on Sunday — but it just didn't show up offensively until late. Ty Ruhl was the man on the mound. He gave up one earned run in five innings of relief. He also received the game ball.
But, man, Hughes made a statement after the game before saying a single word. Usually, he takes a moment while sitting in the coaches meeting room to examine the final box score. This time, he didn't need to study the box score. Emotion poured out of him like we hadn't seen in a postgame this season. And you know what he wanted to talk about?
K-State fans.
"It's the people," Hughes said. "It's our fan experience personnel. If you go to other parks in this league, all of them, it's not like this. Just long pauses of silence. Baseball is inherently a boring sport. That's your challenge as fan experience. Our crowd shows up. They're getting educated on certain parts of the game to get involved. They've come a long way since I've been here, and this is my fourth season.
"Our kids love it. They play with a different level of play. We're very privileged, believe me, and we understand the advantage and we know where it comes from. It comes from the people in this town."
And it comes from the people out of town as well. Take the cheering section from Omaha, Nebraska, for example. Dave Phillips and Molly Luedtke-Phillips led fans in the stands in the ninth inning. Phillips' parents have been to about 90% of his baseball games over his four-year career. They'd been at K-State since the beginning of the Hughes era. At the Senior Day ceremony, Molly hugged Hughes' neck. She wouldn't let him go.
"I was crying, too," Hughes said. "That's 44 home runs leaving my program. He's bringing me to tears every day of the week. Just good people. It's such an emotional game, college baseball, the wins, and losses, but those people are all about our program and support and loyalty. They're just great people.
"That's what it's all about — when you have those relationships that last forever. It's more than a great win at home. That's what I told our guys. That's what they're going to take out of this, is people and relationships for a lifetime."
Hughes, usually not emotional, grew emotional.
"That's the gift of our team and our program."
The gift, too, came in the bat of Goodwin, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas, who continues to grow up before our eyes. Goodwin entered the series seventh on the team in batting average (.265), tied for first in doubles (16) and third in home runs (eight). When he sent a two-strike, outside fastball over the right field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving K-State the monster, go-ahead 6-5 lead, he showed that he can hit game-altering homers, a virtue that'll shape the Wildcats' offense for years to come.
"That was probably my biggest hit so far," Goodwin said, somewhat shyly.
"It's awesome," he continued. "I don't even know how to describe it, to be honest."
But really, when it came down to it, it was incredible to see Phillips one last time. Phillips, the home run king with 44 homers in his decorated career, took the mound with it all on the line. Phillips was no stranger to late-game pitching situations.
Phillips, adoringly nicknamed "Whammer," was nails.
"Obviously, Whammer is known for his hits and home runs, so for him to be on the mound and strike out the last hitter of his home career at Kansas State was pretty cool," Goodwin said. "It's different, but he's come into some pretty tough situations before as a pitcher and he's been our go-to closer."
Afterward, after his final home postgame celebration with his teammates, Whammer greeted us still wearing a wet white uniform with a purple No. 24 sticked in the lower left. He might still be wearing his uniform right now. So many thoughts, so many emotions, far too much to digest after a final home game.
"A bittersweet day," he said, finally. "Last game in the Toint. Once the game started, I tried not to think too much about that and just went about it business as usual."
But, alas, K-State had no business winning this game for seven innings. Hughes knew it. Goodwin knew it. And Whammer knew it as well. It's a crazy thing, college baseball. That's what Hughes said at last. He said that after he paused to put Whammer's career into perspective.
"Kid is special," Hughes said. "He's a special kid. No matter what happens in the ninth inning, when I give him the ball, I'm completely satisfied I've done my job. My job is to put our team in the best position to have success. When it's in his hands it's our best situation to have success. He's going to come at you. No moment is too big for that kid. He's going to execute the best he can."
Even if it's not with the bat.
"Yeah, it's ironic," Hughes said, "but not only is he home run king but it's going to go down in the conversation of being one of the best players to ever play here with his versatility. There's no question about it. That's one of the best players I've ever coached. That's a lot of years and a lot of good players."
Phillips joined his fellow seniors in receiving their framed jerseys prior to first pitch. Parents hugged. They cried. Players went into the dugout. And then for seven innings, things went south.
Then K-State roared back.
Then came Tointon Magic.
And K-State fans turned their tassel to graduate to perhaps the best fan base in Big 12 baseball.
"I say it all the time," Hughes said. "We play in front of the best fan base and community. Our kids know it, and I know it, and we appreciate it. It's a gift to them, a gift to our seniors."
K-State fans now likely have 10 months to bottle up their baseball energy until the Wildcats play their first home game next season, until the stadium lights flicker, and high-energy music fills the air following home runs, until fans yell "WOOOO!-WOOOO!" and until the smell of popcorn and hot dogs waft around the ballpark. K-State fans are smart. They'll tell their neighbors and friends. They'll tell them about this special place and this special team that just won't quit.
Meanwhile, K-State finds itself preparing for one final non-conference road game at No. 5 Virginia Tech, and a final Big 12 series at West Virginia. And it won't be easy. But they received a shot in the arm Sunday. And this is a mature team. And they mean business. And as they showed us, anything is possible.
"Win four-straight games and I think we're in the (NCAA) conversation with not much of a margin to spare," Hughes said. "We've got to win four games. We've got to win Tuesday to do that.
"It's right there."
As K-State showed us on Senior Day, there's nothing like its magic.
In a game that Kansas State had no business winning for seven innings, the Wildcats put on a Senior Day show that nobody will soon forget. Nick Goodwin hit a grand slam. Then Cash Rugley hit a homer. Then Dylan Phillips, the all-time home run king, rolled up his sleeves and finished off Baylor — not with his bat, but instead with his arm in throwing the game's final three outs in a 7-5 victory during his last appearance at Tointon Family Stadium.
In the final two innings, the Wildcats went from Clark Kent to Superman. And it was awesome. It was breathtaking. Tointon came alive and people yelled "WOOOO-WOOOO!" and Goodwin rounded the bases and people yelled "WOOOO-WOOOO!" as Rugely ran the bases. And then at the end, before Phillips issued the final pitch in his final game in Manhattan, the crowd began to slow clap. And it grew louder and faster and louder and faster. Boom.
And then it was over.
During the final two innings of K-State's final home game, it was like watching Pearl Jam perform in your garage. It was fireworks while docked in the Boston Harbor in July. It was unwrapping Christmas gifts in pajamas. It was May 15. It was graduation weekend.Tointon Magic#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/2EfOYze1K0
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 15, 2022
K-State baseball took an important step toward being in the conversation for a NCAA Regional.
Just as important, K-State fans graduated to being perhaps the best fan base in the Big 12 Conference.
There are bigger stadiums and there are more people inside those stadiums, but you want to know what K-State head coach Pete Hughes and his players wanted to talk about after their final home game?
They wanted to talk about K-State fans.
"It's like a rock concert," Hughes said.
"The energy in the eighth inning was big time for us," Phillips said.
"The energy from the fans," Goodwin said, "I mean, they're awesome. It's the atmosphere here. It's 100 times better than anywhere else I've played. The passion and the drive that everybody has here is awesome. It's a lot of fun to play here — a lot a lot of fun."
K-State, 27-23 overall and 8-13 in the Big 12, needed this series against Baylor, 24-2 and 6-15. The Wildcats lost on Friday. They battled back on Saturday. They fought and fought on Sunday — but it just didn't show up offensively until late. Ty Ruhl was the man on the mound. He gave up one earned run in five innings of relief. He also received the game ball.
But, man, Hughes made a statement after the game before saying a single word. Usually, he takes a moment while sitting in the coaches meeting room to examine the final box score. This time, he didn't need to study the box score. Emotion poured out of him like we hadn't seen in a postgame this season. And you know what he wanted to talk about?
K-State fans.
"It's the people," Hughes said. "It's our fan experience personnel. If you go to other parks in this league, all of them, it's not like this. Just long pauses of silence. Baseball is inherently a boring sport. That's your challenge as fan experience. Our crowd shows up. They're getting educated on certain parts of the game to get involved. They've come a long way since I've been here, and this is my fourth season.
"Our kids love it. They play with a different level of play. We're very privileged, believe me, and we understand the advantage and we know where it comes from. It comes from the people in this town."
And it comes from the people out of town as well. Take the cheering section from Omaha, Nebraska, for example. Dave Phillips and Molly Luedtke-Phillips led fans in the stands in the ninth inning. Phillips' parents have been to about 90% of his baseball games over his four-year career. They'd been at K-State since the beginning of the Hughes era. At the Senior Day ceremony, Molly hugged Hughes' neck. She wouldn't let him go.
"I was crying, too," Hughes said. "That's 44 home runs leaving my program. He's bringing me to tears every day of the week. Just good people. It's such an emotional game, college baseball, the wins, and losses, but those people are all about our program and support and loyalty. They're just great people.
"That's what it's all about — when you have those relationships that last forever. It's more than a great win at home. That's what I told our guys. That's what they're going to take out of this, is people and relationships for a lifetime."
Hughes, usually not emotional, grew emotional.
"That's the gift of our team and our program."
The gift, too, came in the bat of Goodwin, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kansas, who continues to grow up before our eyes. Goodwin entered the series seventh on the team in batting average (.265), tied for first in doubles (16) and third in home runs (eight). When he sent a two-strike, outside fastball over the right field wall in the bottom of the eighth inning, giving K-State the monster, go-ahead 6-5 lead, he showed that he can hit game-altering homers, a virtue that'll shape the Wildcats' offense for years to come.
"That was probably my biggest hit so far," Goodwin said, somewhat shyly.
Goodwin sat in the coaches meeting room after the game in a sweat-stained purple ballcap, a purple K-State baseball t-shirt, white shorts, dirty purple socks, and white Nike slides. He looked about like you'd expect a hero to look like after a big game.GOOONNNEE#KStateBSB pic.twitter.com/MEs2vP6NtN
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) May 15, 2022
"It's awesome," he continued. "I don't even know how to describe it, to be honest."
But really, when it came down to it, it was incredible to see Phillips one last time. Phillips, the home run king with 44 homers in his decorated career, took the mound with it all on the line. Phillips was no stranger to late-game pitching situations.
Phillips, adoringly nicknamed "Whammer," was nails.
"Obviously, Whammer is known for his hits and home runs, so for him to be on the mound and strike out the last hitter of his home career at Kansas State was pretty cool," Goodwin said. "It's different, but he's come into some pretty tough situations before as a pitcher and he's been our go-to closer."
Afterward, after his final home postgame celebration with his teammates, Whammer greeted us still wearing a wet white uniform with a purple No. 24 sticked in the lower left. He might still be wearing his uniform right now. So many thoughts, so many emotions, far too much to digest after a final home game.
"A bittersweet day," he said, finally. "Last game in the Toint. Once the game started, I tried not to think too much about that and just went about it business as usual."
But, alas, K-State had no business winning this game for seven innings. Hughes knew it. Goodwin knew it. And Whammer knew it as well. It's a crazy thing, college baseball. That's what Hughes said at last. He said that after he paused to put Whammer's career into perspective.
"Kid is special," Hughes said. "He's a special kid. No matter what happens in the ninth inning, when I give him the ball, I'm completely satisfied I've done my job. My job is to put our team in the best position to have success. When it's in his hands it's our best situation to have success. He's going to come at you. No moment is too big for that kid. He's going to execute the best he can."
Even if it's not with the bat.
"Yeah, it's ironic," Hughes said, "but not only is he home run king but it's going to go down in the conversation of being one of the best players to ever play here with his versatility. There's no question about it. That's one of the best players I've ever coached. That's a lot of years and a lot of good players."
Phillips joined his fellow seniors in receiving their framed jerseys prior to first pitch. Parents hugged. They cried. Players went into the dugout. And then for seven innings, things went south.
Then K-State roared back.
Then came Tointon Magic.
And K-State fans turned their tassel to graduate to perhaps the best fan base in Big 12 baseball.
"I say it all the time," Hughes said. "We play in front of the best fan base and community. Our kids know it, and I know it, and we appreciate it. It's a gift to them, a gift to our seniors."
K-State fans now likely have 10 months to bottle up their baseball energy until the Wildcats play their first home game next season, until the stadium lights flicker, and high-energy music fills the air following home runs, until fans yell "WOOOO!-WOOOO!" and until the smell of popcorn and hot dogs waft around the ballpark. K-State fans are smart. They'll tell their neighbors and friends. They'll tell them about this special place and this special team that just won't quit.
Meanwhile, K-State finds itself preparing for one final non-conference road game at No. 5 Virginia Tech, and a final Big 12 series at West Virginia. And it won't be easy. But they received a shot in the arm Sunday. And this is a mature team. And they mean business. And as they showed us, anything is possible.
"Win four-straight games and I think we're in the (NCAA) conversation with not much of a margin to spare," Hughes said. "We've got to win four games. We've got to win Tuesday to do that.
"It's right there."
As K-State showed us on Senior Day, there's nothing like its magic.
Players Mentioned
K-State Men's Basketball | Postgame Press Conference at Colorado
Thursday, February 26
K-State Rowing | Media Day
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Rowing | Weights Practice
Tuesday, February 24
K-State Tennis | Weekend Recap vs Old Dominion & Minnesota
Tuesday, February 24
