Proving Them Wrong

By: D. Scott Fritchen

Welcome to Kansas State baseball, one of the toughest programs in the Big 12 Conference and one of the most deserving teams of a NCAA Regional bid. For so many weeks, we've heard about rating-percentage index numbers and how the Wildcats were on the postseason bubble – among the first four out or among the next four out.

The Wildcats, 28-17, emphatically answered some questions over the weekend with a series win over No. 14 Texas Tech, pushing them to a second-place tie with Oklahoma State at 11-7 with two league series left to go — at the Cowboys on May 12-14 and against TCU on May 18-20 ahead of the Big 12 Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.

"My message to our guys every day is, 'Prove them right, or prove them wrong,'" K-State head coach Pete Hughes says. "We were ranked ahead of Texas Tech in the RPI before the weekend and we were ranked ahead of them in our conference and they were ranked No. 14 and K-State doesn't receive any votes. So instead of talking about all those scenarios, what a better way than to play a series against them and then you can prove people wrong.

"Our kids are absolutely good enough and our team is absolutely good enough to play in the national tournament and play to go to Omaha."

Hughes' comments came after K-State and Texas Tech staged one of the better games in the Big 12 this season — a 10-8 victory by the Wildcats in front of a second-consecutive sellout crowd at Tointon Family Stadium. K-State beat Texas Tech, 3-2, on Friday, then suffered a 5-2 loss on Saturday.

A crowd of 2,344 was hootin' and hollerin' and the wind was howling and fans were cheering and clapping and All-America candidate closer Tyson Neighbors was fist-pumping on the mound after Texas Tech first-baseman Gavin Kash struck out swinging to end the three-hour marathon that featured five lead changes in Manhattan.

"That was one of the best games I've been a part of in my career," says Hughes, whose 778 career victories are the most of any coach in the Big 12.

At least one leading college baseball expert is impressed by the Wildcats' win over the 14^th-ranked Red Raiders. Kendall Rodgers of DIBaseball.com called it a "massive series win," adding that "in addition to moving two full games ahead of Tech in the conference series, K-State also improved to 58 in the RPI (+10 spots)."

Massive series win for @KStateBSB over Texas Tech this weekend. In addition to moving two full games ahead of Tech in the conference standings, #KState also improved to 58 in the RPI (+10 spots). https://t.co/LjoahABTZF
— Kendall Rogers (@KendallRogers) April 30, 2023

Heroes? There were many, but two players in particular come to mind from Sunday's classic: center fielder Brendan Jones and Neighbors. It was Jones, who entered the day batting .243 but 0-for-13 against the Red Raiders; it was Jones, who was 0-for-4 on Sunday before he tripled to center, hitting the ball off the wall, scoring Cash Rugely and Roberto Pena to take a 9-8 lead in the bottom of the eighth; and it was Jones, who knew that despite his struggles, all he needed was one pitch to change his fortune.

"It was definitely a tough series," Jones says. "Baseball is a tough game. I knew I'd get another chance. My teammates kept picking me up. Then the chance came. I was just looking for a fastball and kept battling him and fouling pitches off, and then I got the swing I'd been looking for all day.

"It felt good."

When Nick Goodwin grounded to second base to score Jones for a 10-8 lead, there was something in the air that the Wildcats wouldn't be defeated.

Enter Neighbors. Prior to Jones' heroics, Neighbors, who leads the Big 12 with eight saves, took the mound. He pitched the final 2 2/3 innings, throwing 32 strikes on 48 pitches. A shot instantly quieted the stadium when Austin Green belted a three-run home run down the rightfield wall. Neighbors didn't mope about the fact that the Red Raiders took an 8-6 lead in the top of the seventh. The sophomore right-hander from Royse City, Texas, who once was told that he wasn't good enough to play big-time baseball for Texas teams, was nails the rest of the way, throwing 95- to 98-mile-per-hour fastballs, just throwing gas at Texas Tech batters. He struck out six of nine batters, including Kash for the final out.

Then arrived Neighbors' fist pumps.

"Huge for our program," Neighbors says. "Just a battle from start to finish. A great baseball game from both sides battling back and forth and back and forth and battling adversity on offense and defense.

"It was emotional to get that last pitch and last out to seal the deal on the series."

And the fans, yes, the fans, too were a big part of the series victory. Two straight sellouts. Tons of energy. Tons of love for the Wildcats.

"That game (Saturday) was like the opening night atmosphere for a Regional with the amount of people," Hughes says. "I said, 'You guys brought them here. They're not showing up to see mediocre, they're showing up to see great play and great players.'

"That's what we didn't give them (Saturday), so I told our guys, 'It's time to be great.' We can't show them mediocrity."

Later, Hughes adds: "Just the back and forth and the fight, the resiliency and kids coming back, getting big bits, making big pitches — that was college baseball at its best."

Now K-State prepares to travel to Wichita State on Tuesday, then it plays a three game non-conference series against Southeast Missouri State on Friday through Sunday.

Then it's time to face the Cowboys in Stillwater, which Hughes calls "perfect." K-State's 13 road wins are second most in the Big 12 this season.

"It's perfect because at the end of the weekend, it's definitive, and our kids have played great and have worked really hard to put themselves into that situation to control our own destiny," Hughes says. "Yeah, I'm proud of our guys and that's a huge weekend. Again, that's something we can control. We're in it to be the first-place team in the Big 12, and that's the step to get there."

Against Texas Tech, K-State appeared to take a step closer to the NCAA Regional berth as well.

"We proved," Neighbors says, "that we're a national program."

Kansas State University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Nick Goodwin

Brendan Jones

Tyson Neighbors

Roberto Pena

Cash Rugely

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