Cats Reversing Road Fortunes Early in 2023
Feb 24, 2023 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Off to its best start since 2011, Kansas State baseball captured the program's first-ever four-game road sweep in a season opener at Stephen F. Austin, compiling a plus-22 run differential while whacking 10 home runs. Although the Wildcats fell just short of a stirring comeback in a 4-3 loss at Lamar on Wednesday, the Wildcats, 4-1, have started out proving a point: They can win on the road.
"We needed to get on the road and figure out how to play better on the road," fifth-year K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. "We hadn't done that. We handled ourselves pretty good. We're still not playing clean, high-level baseball, which is somewhat expected at the beginning of the season, but the difference is we're learning some lessons and have won games at the same time. That's the whole key. It's been good."
K-State beat Stephen F. Austin 7-6, 8-4, 14-8 and 16-5 before the one-run loss to Lamar.
It's almost an exact reversal of fortune for K-State from this time last season. The Wildcats opened at 0-5 and they finished the season at 29-29, including a 6-17 mark in road games. Things already look promising for this group. And it's a welcome change.
"Last year was definitely a struggle on the road, but this year, it feels a lot different," senior Cole Johnson said. "I feel like we're tougher on the road this year. Last year, we weren't that tough on the road, which resulted in losing. We're playing good ball right now. It's all about the small things and playing all out with nothing to lose. That's how we've been playing. That's why we've been playing well so far."
Johnson became the first player to record a multi-home run game in the Big 12, driving in four RBI at Stephen F. Austin. As a team, K-State has a slash line of .287/.412/.517 with 48 runs on 50 hits including seven doubles and 11 home runs, which ranks sixth in the nation. Sophomore Brendan Jones has led off in all five games with a team-best .400 batting average. Junior shortstop Nick Goodwin is off to a five-game hit streak, while multiple Wildcats have reached base in all five games. Brendan Johnson and Kaelen Culpepper each set a new career high with three hits in a game against Stephen F. Austin.
"Our offense has been most impressive," Hughes said. "It's our approach and plate discipline. We draw a lot of walks. When you do that, it means you have some discipline, you have more opportunities to score runs, and it also drives up the pitch count and allows you to get into bullpens earlier in the games. It's about plate discipline. It's all out buying into that offensive philosophy. That's definitely been showcased here in our first five games."
K-State's pitching staff holds a 4.91 ERA, and 14 players have made their season debuts on the mound this season. Of those, four different pitchers earned victories during the opening weekend at Stephen F. Austin.
Ty Ruhl has pitched a team-high five innings out of the bullpen with a 1.80 ERA. Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts on the mound, including three true freshmen in Cole Wisenbaker, Mason Buss and Andrew Evans.
"Our bullpen has been outstanding," Hughes said. "I'm not sure what our bullpen ERA is but it's pretty darned good. That's been a pleasant surprise. We see some young kids coming into their own. We're getting these kids experience and with experience hopefully comes success. That's what I love to see when I see the young kids have success. We're trying to get their confidence as big as it can get come Big 12 play."
Another key to the Wildcats' success? Home runs.
K-State ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big 12 with 11 homers. The Wildcats were the only Big 12 team to produce double-digit bombs in the opening weekend. The Wildcats sent five out in the series finale against Stephen F. Austin — two homers shy of tying the school record. Johnson and Roberto Pena each launched a grand slam against Stephen F. Austin on Monday, marking the first time since 2010 where two K-State players hit grand slams in the same game.
"What's been working for me is just finding good pitches and staying off the high stuff," said Johnson, who has a team-high three homers. "I'm finding my pitch to hit to do some damage and drive in some runs."
It's been quite a journey for Johnson, a native of Southlake, Texas, who played at Weatherford College (2019) and TCU (did not play in 2020) before transferring to K-State as a sophomore in 2021. Last season, he started in all 55 games in the outfield and slashed .292/.355/.469 with 14 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. He finished third on the team in batting average and with six stolen bases.
So far this season, Johnson has a team-high three home runs and 11 RBI.
"Cole's a kid who's really matured as a teammate and player since he's come to us," Hughes said. "He's been through the whole landscape of college baseball — junior college and then he went to TCU and they didn't have room for him, and that can be a blow to your confidence. Our culture provides kids an opportunity and atmosphere where they become the best version of themselves. That's exactly what's happened with Cole. There's more in there, too. We expect great things from him this year. Offensively he's a power threat, and he's a pretty dynamic player."
That offensive threat title also applies to Culpepper, who was voted to the Big 12's All-Freshman Team last season. He started 48 games at third base and slashed .283/.356/.428 with nine doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI.
Culpepper ranks third on the team with a .316 batting average and two home runs and 10 RBI this season.
"He's kind of a quiet kid and he's really coming into his own as an elite player at this level," Hughes said. "He's working at that every day. When you get that tag and teams focus on you, that'll be his challenge – how they attack him because he's a target now. He's a really good player, and he can handle it. He's an even-keeled kid and his work ethic is phenomenal. He also has a chance to be a premiere defender at third base. It's a real tough position to do that at."
K-State's schedule faces an uptick as it embarks on the 2023 Karbach Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas. K-State meets No. 1 LSU at 2 p.m. Friday, faces Sam Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday, and Iowa at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Owen Boerema will make his second start of the season against LSU after throwing three innings on Opening Day against Stephen F. Austin. Jackson Wentworth will start against Sam Houston and German Fajardo, who leads the Wildcats with two starts, will start Sunday against Iowa. Fajardo has thrown a team-high six innings, while Tyson Neighbors leads with seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
"I'm very excited," Culpepper said. "We're playing against a team like LSU and Sam Houston and Iowa, some big-name schools. We're ready to play the best of the best. We'll see how it goes. It's about executing plays and making big pitches and seeing who can score runs the fastest. This team has a lot of confidence, especially after winning four straight games. The team is feeling pretty good going into this weekend."
As for the objective for this tournament?
Simple.
"We want to win every game," Hughes said. "We're capable of doing that, that's for sure. We play in a great league and we've had success in our league. I just want our kids to play super-fast and have fun and play with some urgency. When our guys do that, they're really good. Obviously, we come here to win every game, but I want to watch our kids play really fast and play to win."
Off to its best start since 2011, Kansas State baseball captured the program's first-ever four-game road sweep in a season opener at Stephen F. Austin, compiling a plus-22 run differential while whacking 10 home runs. Although the Wildcats fell just short of a stirring comeback in a 4-3 loss at Lamar on Wednesday, the Wildcats, 4-1, have started out proving a point: They can win on the road.
"We needed to get on the road and figure out how to play better on the road," fifth-year K-State head coach Pete Hughes said. "We hadn't done that. We handled ourselves pretty good. We're still not playing clean, high-level baseball, which is somewhat expected at the beginning of the season, but the difference is we're learning some lessons and have won games at the same time. That's the whole key. It's been good."
K-State beat Stephen F. Austin 7-6, 8-4, 14-8 and 16-5 before the one-run loss to Lamar.
It's almost an exact reversal of fortune for K-State from this time last season. The Wildcats opened at 0-5 and they finished the season at 29-29, including a 6-17 mark in road games. Things already look promising for this group. And it's a welcome change.
"Last year was definitely a struggle on the road, but this year, it feels a lot different," senior Cole Johnson said. "I feel like we're tougher on the road this year. Last year, we weren't that tough on the road, which resulted in losing. We're playing good ball right now. It's all about the small things and playing all out with nothing to lose. That's how we've been playing. That's why we've been playing well so far."
Johnson became the first player to record a multi-home run game in the Big 12, driving in four RBI at Stephen F. Austin. As a team, K-State has a slash line of .287/.412/.517 with 48 runs on 50 hits including seven doubles and 11 home runs, which ranks sixth in the nation. Sophomore Brendan Jones has led off in all five games with a team-best .400 batting average. Junior shortstop Nick Goodwin is off to a five-game hit streak, while multiple Wildcats have reached base in all five games. Brendan Johnson and Kaelen Culpepper each set a new career high with three hits in a game against Stephen F. Austin.
"Our offense has been most impressive," Hughes said. "It's our approach and plate discipline. We draw a lot of walks. When you do that, it means you have some discipline, you have more opportunities to score runs, and it also drives up the pitch count and allows you to get into bullpens earlier in the games. It's about plate discipline. It's all out buying into that offensive philosophy. That's definitely been showcased here in our first five games."
K-State's pitching staff holds a 4.91 ERA, and 14 players have made their season debuts on the mound this season. Of those, four different pitchers earned victories during the opening weekend at Stephen F. Austin.
Ty Ruhl has pitched a team-high five innings out of the bullpen with a 1.80 ERA. Four freshmen made their collegiate debuts on the mound, including three true freshmen in Cole Wisenbaker, Mason Buss and Andrew Evans.
"Our bullpen has been outstanding," Hughes said. "I'm not sure what our bullpen ERA is but it's pretty darned good. That's been a pleasant surprise. We see some young kids coming into their own. We're getting these kids experience and with experience hopefully comes success. That's what I love to see when I see the young kids have success. We're trying to get their confidence as big as it can get come Big 12 play."
Another key to the Wildcats' success? Home runs.
K-State ranks sixth nationally and leads the Big 12 with 11 homers. The Wildcats were the only Big 12 team to produce double-digit bombs in the opening weekend. The Wildcats sent five out in the series finale against Stephen F. Austin — two homers shy of tying the school record. Johnson and Roberto Pena each launched a grand slam against Stephen F. Austin on Monday, marking the first time since 2010 where two K-State players hit grand slams in the same game.
"What's been working for me is just finding good pitches and staying off the high stuff," said Johnson, who has a team-high three homers. "I'm finding my pitch to hit to do some damage and drive in some runs."
It's been quite a journey for Johnson, a native of Southlake, Texas, who played at Weatherford College (2019) and TCU (did not play in 2020) before transferring to K-State as a sophomore in 2021. Last season, he started in all 55 games in the outfield and slashed .292/.355/.469 with 14 doubles, a triple and seven home runs. He finished third on the team in batting average and with six stolen bases.
So far this season, Johnson has a team-high three home runs and 11 RBI.
"Cole's a kid who's really matured as a teammate and player since he's come to us," Hughes said. "He's been through the whole landscape of college baseball — junior college and then he went to TCU and they didn't have room for him, and that can be a blow to your confidence. Our culture provides kids an opportunity and atmosphere where they become the best version of themselves. That's exactly what's happened with Cole. There's more in there, too. We expect great things from him this year. Offensively he's a power threat, and he's a pretty dynamic player."
That offensive threat title also applies to Culpepper, who was voted to the Big 12's All-Freshman Team last season. He started 48 games at third base and slashed .283/.356/.428 with nine doubles, five home runs and 22 RBI.
Culpepper ranks third on the team with a .316 batting average and two home runs and 10 RBI this season.
"He's kind of a quiet kid and he's really coming into his own as an elite player at this level," Hughes said. "He's working at that every day. When you get that tag and teams focus on you, that'll be his challenge – how they attack him because he's a target now. He's a really good player, and he can handle it. He's an even-keeled kid and his work ethic is phenomenal. He also has a chance to be a premiere defender at third base. It's a real tough position to do that at."
K-State's schedule faces an uptick as it embarks on the 2023 Karbach Round Rock Classic in Round Rock, Texas. K-State meets No. 1 LSU at 2 p.m. Friday, faces Sam Houston at 4 p.m. Saturday, and Iowa at 12 p.m. Sunday.
Owen Boerema will make his second start of the season against LSU after throwing three innings on Opening Day against Stephen F. Austin. Jackson Wentworth will start against Sam Houston and German Fajardo, who leads the Wildcats with two starts, will start Sunday against Iowa. Fajardo has thrown a team-high six innings, while Tyson Neighbors leads with seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings.
"I'm very excited," Culpepper said. "We're playing against a team like LSU and Sam Houston and Iowa, some big-name schools. We're ready to play the best of the best. We'll see how it goes. It's about executing plays and making big pitches and seeing who can score runs the fastest. This team has a lot of confidence, especially after winning four straight games. The team is feeling pretty good going into this weekend."
As for the objective for this tournament?
Simple.
"We want to win every game," Hughes said. "We're capable of doing that, that's for sure. We play in a great league and we've had success in our league. I just want our kids to play super-fast and have fun and play with some urgency. When our guys do that, they're really good. Obviously, we come here to win every game, but I want to watch our kids play really fast and play to win."
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