Cats Lead Off Homestand Against #24 West Virginia Friday

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State begins a four-game homestand Friday night against No. 24 West Virginia in a three-game Big 12 series at Tointon Family Stadium starting at 6 p.m.

The Wildcats (18-9, 4-2) will open the conference series with the Mountaineer's (19-6, 0-0) on Friday followed by game two at 4 p.m. on Saturday with the series finale scheduled for 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon. Following the series with WVU, the Cats will take a break from Big 12 action with a single-game against Nebraska on Tuesday, April 4 inside Tointon Family Stadium.

Left-hander Owen Boerema (4-0) will make his seventh start of the season in the series opener on Friday going against the Mountaineer's Ben Hampton (0-1). German Fajardo (0-1) is projected to start on Saturday while Collin Rothermel will make his season debut in the series finale on Sunday. WVU will send Blaine Traxel (5-1) to the mound on Saturday and Grant Siegel (2-2) on Sunday.

The Cats and Mountaineers meet for the first time since the 2022 Phillips 66 Big 12 Championships where K-State defeated WVU, 8-5, to advance to the quarterfinal round. Friday marks the 29^th meeting in program history with WVU leading the all-time series 16-12 while K-State leads 8-7 in Manhattan.

The weekend series will be streamed on the 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 available for the three-game series at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

With construction ongoing on the new Morgan Family Arena, parking for baseball games at Tointon Family Stadium will be impacted during the 2023 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 2023 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.

BSB Excuse Our Mess

Tickets are on sale for the entire 2023 season, starting 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.

GAME #28
K-STATE (18-9, 4-2 Big 12) vs. #24 WEST VIRGINIA (19-6, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, March 30 | 6 p.m. | Tointon Family Stadium (2,331)
Projected Starters: LHP Owen Boerema vs. LHP Ben Hampton
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: 1350AM/93.3/93.7FM
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats| Tickets

GAME #29
K-STATE (18-9, 4-2 Big 12) vs. #24 WEST VIRGINIA (19-6, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, April 1 | 4 p.m. | Tointon Family Stadium (2,331)
Projected Starters: RHP German Fajardo vs. RHP Blaine Traxel
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: 1350AM/93.3/93.7FM
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats| Tickets

GAME #30
K-STATE (18-9, 4-2 Big 12) vs. #24 WEST VIRGINIA (19-6, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, April 2 | 1 p.m. | Tointon Family Stadium (2,331)
Projected Starters: RHP Collin Rothermel vs. RHP Grant Siegel
Watch: Big 12 Now on ESPN+
Radio: 1350AM/93.3/93.7FM
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats| Tickets

A LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats head into the weekend 18-9 and 4-2 in Big 12 action after splitting a non-conference two-game set with Air Force … K-State is slashing .276/.354/.448 as a team including 51 doubles, five triples and 36 home runs with three starters batting over .300 … K-State leads the nation in walks with 195 … Senior Cash Rugely is hitting .341 to lead the Cats offense to go alongside a .486 on-base percentage and .610 slug … Brady Day is second on the team in batting average at .310 followed by Nick Goodwin at .305 … Goodwin and Cole Johnson have each sent out six homers this season … Goodwin and Brendan Jones have started in all 27 games for K-State at shortstop and center field… Jones ranks second in the league with 19 stolen bases which ranks fifth in the nation … Goodwin ranks third in the Big 12 with 33 RBI followed by Johnson in fourth with 33 … As a team, the Wildcats are dangerous on the base path with 70 total stolen bases which ranks eighth among Division I programs and second in the Big 12 … K-State has rolled 18 double plays this season which ranks third in the Big 12 … The Wildcats have a 4.67 team ERA with 242 strikeouts compared to 96 walks … K-State ranks second in the league and ranks 40^th in DI with a 2.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Fifteen pitchers have made appearances on the mound with four making over 10 outings this year while German Fajardo has a team-high seven starts… Owen Boerema is one of five pitchers from the Big 12 this season to record four victories and is one of four with 39+ strike outs … The Litchfield, Minn., product has a 2.61 ERA and has allowed just 11 runs (nine earned) through 31.0 innings … Boerema will get his seventh start of the season in Friday's series opener … Fajardo will start on the mound on Saturday while Collin Rothermel will make his season debut on Sunday in the series finale …

SCOUTING #24 WEST VIRGINIA
West Virginia enters the weekend as one of four teams from the Big 12 ranked in the national polls ranked as high as No. 24 by D1Baseball … The Mountaineers lead off their Big 12 schedule in Manhattan with a 19-6 overall record … WVU is coming off a 9-7 victory over in-state rival Marshall on Tuesday night led by three-RBI from Landon Wallace … The Mountaineers finished 14-10 in Big 12 play last season before falling in the Phillips Big 12 Championship quarterfinals … Randy Mazey is in his 11^th season at the helm of the Mountaineers baseball program… The Clemson alum has guided WVU to a 315-236 (.572) record and is 501-396-2 (.558) overall with stints at East Carolina and Charleston Southern … The Mountaineers are slashing .298/.422/.484 on the year with 94 extra-base hits including 56 doubles which ranks third in the league … WV averages 8.1 runs on 10.3 hits per contest … The Mountaineers are 74-83 on the base path averaging 2.96 a game … Five starters are batting over .300 led by JJ Wetherholt … The sophomore infielder ranks sixth in the nation with a .462 batting average which leads the league … Wetherholt is slugging .769 with a .536 on-base percentage to go along with 24 steals … WVU has a team 3.70 ERA which ranks second in the Big 12 and 22^nd in Division I … 19 pitchers have made outings this season with 10 appearances from junior right-hander Carlson Reed who has a 1.23 ERA … Blaine Traxel, Ben Hampton and Grant Seigel will each get their seventh starts when they face the Cats this weekend … Traxel, a right-hander from California, has earned a team-high five victories tossing four complete games with a 2.02 ERA … Hampton (1-0, 3.47 ERA) will get the start in the series opener followed by Traxel on Saturday and Seigel (2-2, 6.38 ERA) on Sunday.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday marks the 29^th meeting between West Virginia and K-State with the Mountaineers leading the all-time series 16-12 while the Cats are 8-7 while playing in Manhattan since the series start in 2013 … WVU swept past the Cats to claim the regular-season series but the Cats won the last head-to-head matchup with an 8-5 victory in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship tournament last season … Former Wildcat Blake Adams struck out nine Mountaineers while Dylan Phillips and Cash Rugely each registered a pair of RBI … K-State is 4-6 in the last 10 meetings between the two programs including 4-6 under Pete Hughes … The Cats are 2-3 in the last five matchups with the Mountaineers posting a +18 run differential …

W, 9-4 – April 21, 2021 (Manhattan)
L, 4-15 – May 19, 2022 (Morgantown)
L, 4-15 – May 20, 2022 (Morgantown)
L, 1-5 – May 21, 2022 (Morgantown)
W, 8-5 – May 26, 2022 (Arlington)

AROUND THE LEAGUE
Texas took the reins of the Big 12 standings after sweeping nationally-ranked Texas Tech in their first conference outing of the season … The Longhorns lead the league with a 3-0 conference record and are 19-7 overall … Three teams tie second in the league standings starting off 4-2 in Big 12 play with Oklahoma State (20-6), Kansas State (18-9) and TCU (16-9) … Texas Tech (18-8, 2-4) stands fourth followed by Oklahoma (13-12, 2-4), Baylor (9-16, 2-4), West Virginia (19-6, 0-0) and Kansas (9-14, 0-3) … West Virginia will open their Big 12 schedule at Kansas State this weekend …

WALK THE WALK
The Cats have walked a nation-leading 195 times this season, averaging 7.2 per contest … K-State has two players ranked in the Top 25 in season walks … Brendan Jones leads the offense with 29 season walks which stands third among all Division I players followed by Nick Goodwin with 24 in 23^rd … K-state has registered double figure walks in eight games this season … The Cats had 16 walks against Youngstown State (March 10) which was nine short of matching the Division I all-time record … K-State is on pace to break the single-season Top 10 leaderboard with just 81 left to match the 10^th top performance of 276 set in 1982 … The Wildcats all-time single-season walks record was set in 1995 with 382 …

GOTTA BE QUICKER THAN THAT
K-State has caused troubles on the base path for opponents, stealing a league-high 70 bases which ranks eighth in all Division I while sitting 13^th with 2.59 per game … The Cats nearly matched the program record with 11 stolen bases against Youngstown State (March 10) and were just one base shy of matching the record … Brendan Jones has been the speedster for the Cats lineup with 19 stolen bases which is second in the Big 12 and fifth among all Division I players … The Cats 70 stolen bases surpasses the 2022 season total by 28 … The K-State single-season record is 149 set in 2009 thru 62 games …

R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Raphael Pelletier continues to be a threat behind the plate as the redshirt-sophomore catcher from Mascouche, Quebec, Canada has thrown out a league-high 10 runners this season after tossing out two Sooners in last weekend's series … Pelletier matched his career-high in the series opener against Baylor (March 17) …

THE LONG BALL
K-State has produced 36 home runs this season which ranks third among the Big 12 … Nick Goodwin and Cole Johnson lead the pack with six homers each while Goodwin leads the current career leaderboard with 27 … Cole Johnson hit his second career and season grand slam in the Wildcats 12-9 comeback victory over Air Force (March 28) … The Cats have produced 80+ home runs the past two seasons … K-State hit back-to-back home runs for the first time since April 19, 2022 against Omaha with Jeff Heinrich and Raphael Pelletier with homers by Cole Johnson and Pelletier … Three Wildcats have hit three grand slams this season with the last coming at Air Force (March 28) by Johnson … Johnson and Roberto Pena each launched a grand slam against SFA (Feb. 20) to mark the first time since 2010 where two Wildcats posted grand slams in the same game … Eight players are posting a multi-home run season … 252 homers were against right-handed pitchers, 14 were solo shots while 16 came with one-out … The Wildcats were the only team to produce double digit bombs in the opening weekend (10) … The Wildcats sent five deep and out in the series finale against Stephen F. Austin marking the third time in the Hughes era … The five home runs were just short two of matching a program record seven …

LAST TIME OUT
K-state moved to 18-9 overall after splitting a two-game series with Air Force … The Cats came back from a 9-4 deficit to defeat the Falcons 12-9 in the series opener before falling in a midweek slug fest, 18-13 … The Cats lead the all-time series 14-5 and improved to 5-3 in true road games against the Falcons … K-State hit .364 in the series with 28 hits and 24 RBI … Three Cats hit over .500 in the series … Roberto Pena went 4-for-7 (.571) against AF with two runs, two doubles, a three-run homer, and seven RBI … Kaelen Culpepper hit .500 with four hits in his first outing since suffering an injury against LSU (Feb. 24) … Kyler Heyne earned his first victory with the Cats while Tyson Neighbors collected his fourth save of the season …

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +90 run differential through 27 games averaging 8.8 runs on 9.1 hits ... The Wildcats have outscored opponents 38-18 in the fourth inning alone and 85-31 (+54) from the seventh and on … Cats are 13-2 when leading after the sixth and 2-0 when tied after six ... K-State is 7-4 when committing no errors in a game … Conversely, K-State has won 11 games when one or more errors are committed,11-5 overall ... The Wildcats are 13-4 when scoring first and 7-3 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents on 13 occasions this season and is 5-9 when being outhit … The Cats are 11-2 when limiting opponents to five or less runs and are 4-4 in one-run games… K-State is 14-6 when playing afternoon games and 4-3 when playing under the lights … The Cats have won 14 games against right-handed starters while going 4-3 against lefties …

FROM THE 'PEN
Under the guidance first-year pitching coach Rudy Darrow, the Cats pitching staff has produced a 4.67 ERA which ranks fifth in the Big 12 with outings from 15 different players this season … Five players have earned at least two victories on the mound lead by newcomer Owen Boerema with four followed by Tyson Neighbors and Mason Buss each with three … Boerema earned his fourth straight victory in the series opener against Oklahoma limiting the Sooners to one run with seven strikeouts during his six innings … Right-hander German Fajardo has made a team-high seven starts on the mound this season … Boerema is just one of four pitchers from the Big 12 to record 39+ strike outs this season and ranks fourth overall with 39 … Four different players have earned a save this year led by sophomore Tyson Neighbors with four … The Wildcats have struck out 242 batters this season compared to 96 walks, averaging 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings which ranks fourth in the Big 12 … K-States pitching staff ranks second in the league with a 2.52 strikeout-to-walk ratio which is 40^th in Division I …

TOINTON FAMILY STADIUM
The home of K-State baseball was rededicated in 2001 before its renovation and expansion debut in 2020 … The stadium is named in honor of Bob and Betty Tointon … K-State baseball is 383-205 (.674) when playing at home … The Wildcats are 74-28 (.725) at home under Hughes and 56-15 (.789) since 2021 … The Cats had 5,355 fans in attendance during opening weekend with a season-high 2,247 against Army (March 5) … Tointon's largest crowd was on March 30, 2010 against Wichita State with 4,745 in attendance …

HOME. SWEET. HOME.
K-State is 11-1 when playing at Tointon this season ... Over the last three seasons, K-State has compiled an overall home record of 56-15 (.789) ... At home, the Wildcat offense is hitting .292 while slugging .496 with 16 home runs ... K-State averages 10.7 runs a game on 9.5 hits when playing at Tointon Family Stadium ... The Wildcat bullpen boasted a 3.48 ERA at home limiting opponents to hit just .249 compared to the Cats .292 … The Cats have struck out 110 compared to 39 walks ... K-State has homered in nine of the 12 games played at home with 17 of the 36 total home runs coming at Tointon … Four Cats are hitting over .400 at home led by Cash Rugely … The senior leads the pack at home with a .441 batting average with an incredible .765 slugging percentage and .556 on-base … Roberto Pena has recorded eight extra base hits at home while Brendan Jones and Orlando Salinas, Jr. have sent three deep and out … Owen Boerema has picked up three of the victories on the mound at Tointon followed by Mason Buss, Tyson Neighbors and Shay Hartis each with two …

COACH HUGHES FILE
Pete Hughes grabbed his 100^th victory with K-State on Feb. 18 against in game two against Stephen F. Austin … Hughes is in 26th season and fifth at the helm of K-State baseball … Hughes has compiled a career record of 768-593-3 (.564) as a head coach … His 750 career victories ranks first among active Big 12 head coaches … In five seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Hughes has put together a 116-101 (.535) record … He's led the Cats to two straight runs in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals ... In 2021, K-State turned in a 34-23 mark, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013 … Three players were selected in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft increasing Hughes' career draft total to 82, including eight while at K-State.

UP NEXT
K-State will host Nebraska on April 4 at 6 p.m. inside Tointon Family Stadium before traveling to Austin, Texas to go head-to-head with No. 21 Texas on April 6-8. The midweek matchup with the Huskers will be streamed on the Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and the ESPN with radio coverage on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is available for all games at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

How to follow the 'Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team's social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.

-- www.k-statesports.com --

Kansas State University, the nation's first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of the nation's best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence located in America's No. 1 College Town (Manhattan, KS).

Cats Lead Off Homestand Against #24 West Virginia Friday

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Blake Adams

Owen Boerema

Mason Buss

Kaelen Culpepper

Brady Day

German Fajardo

Nick Goodwin

Shay Hartis

Jeff Heinrich

Kyler Heyne

Cole Johnson

Brendan Jones

Tyson Neighbors

Raphael Pelletier

Roberto Pena

Dylan Phillips

Collin Rothermel

Cash Rugely

Orlando Salinas, Jr.

Kansas State University Athletics