Kansas State University Athletics
Friday, February 14
Conway, S.C.
10:05 a.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Washington
K-State Baseball Opens Season at Baseball at the Beach
Feb 13, 2025 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – The 125th season of K-State baseball and seventh under head coach Pete Hughes gets underway Friday at the Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C., with a four-game opening weekend against Washington, Coastal Carolina, and Saint Joseph's at Springs Brooks Stadium.
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The 2024 Fayetteville Regional Champions will face off with Washington Friday at 10 a.m. CT as redshirt senior Ty Ruhl will make his first career Opening Day start. Saturday, K-State will take on tournament host Coastal Carolina at 2:30 p.m. with graduate left-hander JJ Slack getting the nod. The Wildcats face Saint Joseph's at 10 a.m. on Sunday with lefty Michael Quevedo starting on the mound, while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield will get Monday's start against CCU at 2:30 p.m. Â
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Tickets are available through the CCU athletic ticket office. Both contests against Coastal Carolina will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio streamed free online at kstatesports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
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A live stream and audio will not be provided for the season opener against Washington or against Saint Joseph's. Fans can follow all K-State baseball games online via live stats or social media (@KStateBSB).
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K-State is coming off its first run in the NCAA Tournament and Super Regional appearance since 2013. The Wildcats return 14 letterwinners to the field, including everyday starters Nick English and David Bishop, who both earned starting positions in their first seasons at K-State. English earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season while Bishop led the Wildcats defense with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. A total of 23 newcomers were added to the 2025 roster in the offseason, that includes 17 transfers and 6 freshmen.
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Following the opening weekend in South Carolina, K-State will take on sixth-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, February 19 at 3 p.m. CT at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network on ESPN+.
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Season tickets are now available. To purchase season tickets, fans can visit KStateSports.com, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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GAME #1
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Washington (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Friday, February 14 // 10 a.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: RHP Ty Ruhl (0-0) v. RHP Max Banks (0-0)
Tickets
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GAME #2
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Saturday, February 15 // 2:30 p.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP JJ Slack (0-0) v. RHP Cullen McKay (0-0)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Tickets
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GAME #3
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Saint Joseph's (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Sunday, February 16 // 10 a.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP Michael Quevedo (0-0) v. RHP Justin Sweeney (0-0)
Tickets
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GAME #4
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Monday, February 17 // 2:30 p.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (0-0) v. RHP Jacob Morrison (0-0)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Tickets
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THE MATCHUPS
The 125th season of K-State baseball and seventh under head coach Pete Hughes gets underway with an 11-game road trip starting Friday at the Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C., with a four-game opening weekend against Washington, Coastal Carolina, and Saint Joseph's at Spring Brooks Stadium … The 2024 Fayetteville Regional Champions will face off with Washington Friday at 10 a.m. CT as redshirt senior Ty Ruhl will make his first career Opening Day start. Saturday, K-State will take on tournament host Coastal Carolina at 2:30 with graduate left-hander JJ Slack getting the nod. The Wildcats face Saint Joseph's at 10 a.m. on Sunday with lefty Michael Quevedo starting on the mound, while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield will get Monday's start against CCU at 2:30 p.m.
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A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State is coming off its first run in the NCAA Tournament and Super Regional appearance since 2013 ... The Wildcats return 14 letterwinners to the field, including everyday starters Nick English and David Bishop, who both earned starting positions in their first seasons at K-State …English earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season while Bishop led the Wildcats defense with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage … A total of 23 newcomers were added to the 2025 roster in the offseason, that includes 17 transfers and 6 freshmen … Three everyday starters were drafted in 2024 (Kaelen Culpepper, Brendan Jones, Brady Day), taking away a hefty portion of the Wildcats offense … The pitching staff returned over 50 percent of its wins from last year (20-of-35), along with 40 percent of the Cats' 590 strikeouts … K-State was picked eighth in the Big 12's preseason coaches' poll.
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SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Washington went 19-31-1 with a 10-20 record in its final season in the Pac 12, finishing ninth in the league ... Three Huskies were named Big Ten Players to Watch – transfer righty Max Banks, along with returners Isaac Yeager and AJ Guerrero were each named among the Big Ten's most notable players for the 2025 season … Banks, a Division III senior transfer from Chapman, was named to the DIII ABCA All-Region Third Team selection his sophomore year … Last season the California native logged 18 innings and earned a 3.00 ERA, allowing 12 hits with 32 strikeouts … Yeager made 21 relief appearances in 2024, with the right-hander posting a 6.34 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings … Last season, Guerrero moved into a tie for fifth all-time in career home runs (33), with a career-high 15 in 2024 while driving in 50 RBI … Friday marks the eighth meeting in the all-time series, with Washington leading 6-1 with a four-game winning streak.
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SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
Coastal Carolina made its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2024, finishing with a runner-up performance at the Clemson Regional … The Chants finished 36-25 and seventh in the Sun Belt Conference with a 16-14 league record in the final season under Gary Gilmore … Gilmore finished with over 1,000 victories at CCU and led the Chants to the 2016 National Championship ... Former CCU catcher and associate head coach Kevin Schnall was named the school's sixth head baseball coach in June 2024 … Catcher Caden Bodine was named a 2025 Preseason All-American by four organizations and was selected to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List as he comes off a sophomore season in which he hit .328, slugged .523 and accumulated a .411 on-base percentage … The Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year allowed only 11 runners to steal a base of the 27 total attempts …  Right-hander Cullen McKay will get the nod for Saturday's matchup … McKay appeared in 13 games with seven starts for Virginia last season, finishing 2-1 with 39 strikeouts … Morrison will make his first appearance since 2023 after redshirting last season … Saturday is the first matchup between K-State and CCU since 2018, where the Chants claimed a 4-3 10-inning victory … CCU leads the all-time series 2-1 with a two-game win streak.
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SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's went 29-26 with a 13-11 Atlantic 10 record, finishing eighth in the league ... The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the conference preseason poll … The Hawks returned their top slugger from last year's roster with Owen Petrich … The junior led the Atlantic 10 in RBI (60) in 2024 and slashed .317/.355/.517 with 11 doubles, one triple and 11 home runs … Infielder Tim Dickinson returns for her sophomore campaign after making 47 appearances with 40 starts and earning All-Rookie Team recognition … The Glen Mills, Pennsylvania product put together a .305/.422/.391 slash line his freshman season with 25 RBI … Fritz Hamburg enters his 17th season as the Hawks Skipper, leading SJU to an overall 368-399-2 record … In 2024, four players were selected on the final day of the MLB Draft … Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between the two squads on the diamond.
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BEEF IT UP
The 2025 slate features eight teams that reached last season's regional round of the NCAA Tournament, including matchups against College World Series participant North Carolina and Super Regional squad West Virginia … In addition to a three-game series against WVU, four other home contests are against teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament with Nebraska and UCF. A total of 10 opponents – 20 games – finished with an RPI of 45 or higher in 2024, while four were ranked in the final D1Baseball Top 25 poll … Six 2025 opponents were ranked in the preseason national polls, with the Cats facing five of them in the first 11 games of the year.
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BIG 12 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
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COACH HUGHES FILE
Pete Hughes, the winningest active Big 12 coach, is in 28th season as a head coach and sixth at the helm of K-State baseball … Hughes has led four squads to the tournament (Virginia Tech [2010, 2013], Oklahoma [2017], K-State [2024]) … In 27 seasons, Hughes has compiled a career record of 820-634-3 (.564) as a head coach … His 820 career wins are the most by any active Big 12 head coaches … In six seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Hughes has put together a 168-142 (.542) record … K-State has put together back-to-back 35-win seasons, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013 … Hughes has overseen 89 former student-athletes selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including 25 taken in the first 10 rounds after four players were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. In total, Hughes has recruited 143 players who were drafted and/or played professionally, including eight first-rounders … He has developed and/or recruited 22 Major Leaguers during his collegiate coaching career, most recently left-hander Jordan Wicks of the Chicago Cubs, who made his MLB debut in August of 2023.
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OPENING DAY
Friday marks the 21st straight season K-State opens its season on the road … K-State last opened the season in 2003 with a doubleheader against Western Illinois … The Wildcats is 2-4 in season openers under Hughes after dropping a 3-6 decision to Cal at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona last season ... The Cats are 4-6 over their last 10 season openers and 15-10 going back to the year 2000.
NEW FACES
The 2024 roster is comprised of 23 new faces with 17 transfers and six freshmen... Eight of the Wildcats' 17 transfers come from four-year universities, including infielders Dee Kennedy (Texas), and Maximus Martin (Georgia State), right-hander Carson Liggett (Louisville), and catcher Bear Madliak (Jacksonville State) ... Bear was ranked No. 42 in the preseason catcher rankings by D1Baseball after producing a .327/.405/.495 slash line with 26 RBI … Liggett was a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist in 2023, an award is given to the top college baseball player, after finishing 7-2 on the mound with 64 strikeouts in 71 innings.
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2024 RECAP
Last season, head coach Pete Hughes directed K-State to its sixth straight winning season with a 35-26 overall mark and the program's first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 2013 ... Hughes led the Wildcats to the 2024 NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional after their sweep of the Fayetteville Regional, which included a 7-6 triumph over top-seeded and nationally-ranked fifth Arkansas ... A record-tying nine Wildcats were named to the All-Big 12 Teams … The 2024 squad also appeared in all four final NCAA Division I baseball rankings: D1Baseball (14th), National College Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) (16th), USA Today (21st), and Baseball America (22nd).
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REGIONAL CHAMPS
K-State swept the Fayetteville Regional, highlighted by the play of Regional Most Outstanding Player and first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper, who hit .583 in the three games that included hitting for the cycle in the 19-4 win over Louisiana Tech to open play ... The Wildcats beat No. 5 and top-seeded Arkansas – a team that had only recorded three losses at home all season – 7-6 in the winners' bracket game, then clinched the berth with a 7-2 victory over Southeast Missouri State ... Five Wildcats were named to the Fayetteville Regional all-tournament team with Culpepper, who went 7-for-12 (.583) with two home runs and seven RBI, was named the Fayetteville Regional's MVP ... Culpepper was joined by Jaden Parsons (third base), Chuck Ingram (outfield), Jackson Wentworth (starting pitcher), and Tyson Neighbors (relief pitcher) on the regional's all-tournament team.
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2024 MLB DRAFT
A total of five K-State players were chosen in the 2024 MLB Draft, including four taken in the first 10 rounds ... In addition to Culpepper, the Cats draft picks included All-American right-hander Tyson Neighbors (fourth-round, No. 118 overall), and All-Big 12 honorees right-hander Jackson Wentworth (fifth-round), second baseman Brady Day (10th-round), and outfielder Brendan Jones (12th-round).
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AT THE PLATE
Offensively, the Wildcats finished in the Top 25 nationally in total stolen bases (137), stolen bases per game (2.25), triples (18), and walks (321) ... K-State's 137 stolen bases finished ninth in the nation, while it was second in the single-season school records … In the past four seasons, the Cats have registered four of the top five home run marks in school history – 89 (2021), 84 (2022), 77 (2023), 69 (2024).
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FROM THE PEN
The 2024 K-State pitching staff, paced by fifth-round draft selection Jackson Wentworth, ended the season with a record-breaking 590 total strikeouts ... With 115 strikeouts on the year, the righty finished 18th in the nation in total punchouts followed by left-hander Owen Boerema, who finished seven spots behind nationally with 110 ... Jacob Frost and Wentworth combined for the K-State's first no-hitter since 1991, blanking Cincinnati 4-0 in the 2024 Big 12 opener.
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UP NEXT
K-State will take on sixth-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, February 19 at 3 p.m. CT at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network on ESPN+.
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The 2024 Fayetteville Regional Champions will face off with Washington Friday at 10 a.m. CT as redshirt senior Ty Ruhl will make his first career Opening Day start. Saturday, K-State will take on tournament host Coastal Carolina at 2:30 p.m. with graduate left-hander JJ Slack getting the nod. The Wildcats face Saint Joseph's at 10 a.m. on Sunday with lefty Michael Quevedo starting on the mound, while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield will get Monday's start against CCU at 2:30 p.m. Â
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Tickets are available through the CCU athletic ticket office. Both contests against Coastal Carolina will be broadcast on ESPN+ with audio streamed free online at kstatesports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
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A live stream and audio will not be provided for the season opener against Washington or against Saint Joseph's. Fans can follow all K-State baseball games online via live stats or social media (@KStateBSB).
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K-State is coming off its first run in the NCAA Tournament and Super Regional appearance since 2013. The Wildcats return 14 letterwinners to the field, including everyday starters Nick English and David Bishop, who both earned starting positions in their first seasons at K-State. English earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season while Bishop led the Wildcats defense with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. A total of 23 newcomers were added to the 2025 roster in the offseason, that includes 17 transfers and 6 freshmen.
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Following the opening weekend in South Carolina, K-State will take on sixth-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, February 19 at 3 p.m. CT at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network on ESPN+.
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Season tickets are now available. To purchase season tickets, fans can visit KStateSports.com, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
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How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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GAME #1
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Washington (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Friday, February 14 // 10 a.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: RHP Ty Ruhl (0-0) v. RHP Max Banks (0-0)
Tickets
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GAME #2
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Saturday, February 15 // 2:30 p.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP JJ Slack (0-0) v. RHP Cullen McKay (0-0)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Tickets
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GAME #3
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Saint Joseph's (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Sunday, February 16 // 10 a.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP Michael Quevedo (0-0) v. RHP Justin Sweeney (0-0)
Tickets
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GAME #4
K-STATE (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) at Coastal Carolina (0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt)
Baseball at the Beach // Hosted by Coastal Carolina
Monday, February 17 // 2:30 p.m. CT // Springs Brooks Stadium (2,200)
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (0-0) v. RHP Jacob Morrison (0-0)
Watch: ESPN+
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Tickets
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THE MATCHUPS
The 125th season of K-State baseball and seventh under head coach Pete Hughes gets underway with an 11-game road trip starting Friday at the Baseball at the Beach in Conway, S.C., with a four-game opening weekend against Washington, Coastal Carolina, and Saint Joseph's at Spring Brooks Stadium … The 2024 Fayetteville Regional Champions will face off with Washington Friday at 10 a.m. CT as redshirt senior Ty Ruhl will make his first career Opening Day start. Saturday, K-State will take on tournament host Coastal Carolina at 2:30 with graduate left-hander JJ Slack getting the nod. The Wildcats face Saint Joseph's at 10 a.m. on Sunday with lefty Michael Quevedo starting on the mound, while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield will get Monday's start against CCU at 2:30 p.m.
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A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State is coming off its first run in the NCAA Tournament and Super Regional appearance since 2013 ... The Wildcats return 14 letterwinners to the field, including everyday starters Nick English and David Bishop, who both earned starting positions in their first seasons at K-State …English earned All-Big 12 honorable mention honors last season while Bishop led the Wildcats defense with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage … A total of 23 newcomers were added to the 2025 roster in the offseason, that includes 17 transfers and 6 freshmen … Three everyday starters were drafted in 2024 (Kaelen Culpepper, Brendan Jones, Brady Day), taking away a hefty portion of the Wildcats offense … The pitching staff returned over 50 percent of its wins from last year (20-of-35), along with 40 percent of the Cats' 590 strikeouts … K-State was picked eighth in the Big 12's preseason coaches' poll.
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SCOUTING WASHINGTON
Washington went 19-31-1 with a 10-20 record in its final season in the Pac 12, finishing ninth in the league ... Three Huskies were named Big Ten Players to Watch – transfer righty Max Banks, along with returners Isaac Yeager and AJ Guerrero were each named among the Big Ten's most notable players for the 2025 season … Banks, a Division III senior transfer from Chapman, was named to the DIII ABCA All-Region Third Team selection his sophomore year … Last season the California native logged 18 innings and earned a 3.00 ERA, allowing 12 hits with 32 strikeouts … Yeager made 21 relief appearances in 2024, with the right-hander posting a 6.34 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 38 1/3 innings … Last season, Guerrero moved into a tie for fifth all-time in career home runs (33), with a career-high 15 in 2024 while driving in 50 RBI … Friday marks the eighth meeting in the all-time series, with Washington leading 6-1 with a four-game winning streak.
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SCOUTING COASTAL CAROLINA
Coastal Carolina made its 20th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament in 2024, finishing with a runner-up performance at the Clemson Regional … The Chants finished 36-25 and seventh in the Sun Belt Conference with a 16-14 league record in the final season under Gary Gilmore … Gilmore finished with over 1,000 victories at CCU and led the Chants to the 2016 National Championship ... Former CCU catcher and associate head coach Kevin Schnall was named the school's sixth head baseball coach in June 2024 … Catcher Caden Bodine was named a 2025 Preseason All-American by four organizations and was selected to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List as he comes off a sophomore season in which he hit .328, slugged .523 and accumulated a .411 on-base percentage … The Sun Belt Preseason Player of the Year allowed only 11 runners to steal a base of the 27 total attempts …  Right-hander Cullen McKay will get the nod for Saturday's matchup … McKay appeared in 13 games with seven starts for Virginia last season, finishing 2-1 with 39 strikeouts … Morrison will make his first appearance since 2023 after redshirting last season … Saturday is the first matchup between K-State and CCU since 2018, where the Chants claimed a 4-3 10-inning victory … CCU leads the all-time series 2-1 with a two-game win streak.
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SCOUTING SAINT JOSEPH'S
Saint Joseph's went 29-26 with a 13-11 Atlantic 10 record, finishing eighth in the league ... The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the conference preseason poll … The Hawks returned their top slugger from last year's roster with Owen Petrich … The junior led the Atlantic 10 in RBI (60) in 2024 and slashed .317/.355/.517 with 11 doubles, one triple and 11 home runs … Infielder Tim Dickinson returns for her sophomore campaign after making 47 appearances with 40 starts and earning All-Rookie Team recognition … The Glen Mills, Pennsylvania product put together a .305/.422/.391 slash line his freshman season with 25 RBI … Fritz Hamburg enters his 17th season as the Hawks Skipper, leading SJU to an overall 368-399-2 record … In 2024, four players were selected on the final day of the MLB Draft … Sunday marks the first-ever meeting between the two squads on the diamond.
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BEEF IT UP
The 2025 slate features eight teams that reached last season's regional round of the NCAA Tournament, including matchups against College World Series participant North Carolina and Super Regional squad West Virginia … In addition to a three-game series against WVU, four other home contests are against teams that competed in the NCAA Tournament with Nebraska and UCF. A total of 10 opponents – 20 games – finished with an RPI of 45 or higher in 2024, while four were ranked in the final D1Baseball Top 25 poll … Six 2025 opponents were ranked in the preseason national polls, with the Cats facing five of them in the first 11 games of the year.
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BIG 12 BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
| 1. | Oklahoma State (9) | 163 |
| 2. | Arizona (4) | 152 |
| 3. | TCU (1) | 149 |
| 4. | West Virginia | 115 |
| 5. | Texas Tech | 111 |
| 6. | Arizona State | 96 |
| 7. | UCF | 93 |
| 8. | Kansas State | 88 |
| 9. | Kansas | 85 |
| 10. | Cincinnati | 73 |
| 11. | Houston | 45 |
| 12. | Utah | 44 |
| 13. | Baylor | 39 |
| 14. | BYU | 21 |
COACH HUGHES FILE
Pete Hughes, the winningest active Big 12 coach, is in 28th season as a head coach and sixth at the helm of K-State baseball … Hughes has led four squads to the tournament (Virginia Tech [2010, 2013], Oklahoma [2017], K-State [2024]) … In 27 seasons, Hughes has compiled a career record of 820-634-3 (.564) as a head coach … His 820 career wins are the most by any active Big 12 head coaches … In six seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Hughes has put together a 168-142 (.542) record … K-State has put together back-to-back 35-win seasons, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013 … Hughes has overseen 89 former student-athletes selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, including 25 taken in the first 10 rounds after four players were selected in the 2024 MLB Draft. In total, Hughes has recruited 143 players who were drafted and/or played professionally, including eight first-rounders … He has developed and/or recruited 22 Major Leaguers during his collegiate coaching career, most recently left-hander Jordan Wicks of the Chicago Cubs, who made his MLB debut in August of 2023.
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OPENING DAY
Friday marks the 21st straight season K-State opens its season on the road … K-State last opened the season in 2003 with a doubleheader against Western Illinois … The Wildcats is 2-4 in season openers under Hughes after dropping a 3-6 decision to Cal at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona last season ... The Cats are 4-6 over their last 10 season openers and 15-10 going back to the year 2000.
NEW FACES
The 2024 roster is comprised of 23 new faces with 17 transfers and six freshmen... Eight of the Wildcats' 17 transfers come from four-year universities, including infielders Dee Kennedy (Texas), and Maximus Martin (Georgia State), right-hander Carson Liggett (Louisville), and catcher Bear Madliak (Jacksonville State) ... Bear was ranked No. 42 in the preseason catcher rankings by D1Baseball after producing a .327/.405/.495 slash line with 26 RBI … Liggett was a Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist in 2023, an award is given to the top college baseball player, after finishing 7-2 on the mound with 64 strikeouts in 71 innings.
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2024 RECAP
Last season, head coach Pete Hughes directed K-State to its sixth straight winning season with a 35-26 overall mark and the program's first berth to the NCAA Tournament since 2013 ... Hughes led the Wildcats to the 2024 NCAA Charlottesville Super Regional after their sweep of the Fayetteville Regional, which included a 7-6 triumph over top-seeded and nationally-ranked fifth Arkansas ... A record-tying nine Wildcats were named to the All-Big 12 Teams … The 2024 squad also appeared in all four final NCAA Division I baseball rankings: D1Baseball (14th), National College Baseball Writers' Association (NCBWA) (16th), USA Today (21st), and Baseball America (22nd).
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REGIONAL CHAMPS
K-State swept the Fayetteville Regional, highlighted by the play of Regional Most Outstanding Player and first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper, who hit .583 in the three games that included hitting for the cycle in the 19-4 win over Louisiana Tech to open play ... The Wildcats beat No. 5 and top-seeded Arkansas – a team that had only recorded three losses at home all season – 7-6 in the winners' bracket game, then clinched the berth with a 7-2 victory over Southeast Missouri State ... Five Wildcats were named to the Fayetteville Regional all-tournament team with Culpepper, who went 7-for-12 (.583) with two home runs and seven RBI, was named the Fayetteville Regional's MVP ... Culpepper was joined by Jaden Parsons (third base), Chuck Ingram (outfield), Jackson Wentworth (starting pitcher), and Tyson Neighbors (relief pitcher) on the regional's all-tournament team.
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2024 MLB DRAFT
A total of five K-State players were chosen in the 2024 MLB Draft, including four taken in the first 10 rounds ... In addition to Culpepper, the Cats draft picks included All-American right-hander Tyson Neighbors (fourth-round, No. 118 overall), and All-Big 12 honorees right-hander Jackson Wentworth (fifth-round), second baseman Brady Day (10th-round), and outfielder Brendan Jones (12th-round).
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AT THE PLATE
Offensively, the Wildcats finished in the Top 25 nationally in total stolen bases (137), stolen bases per game (2.25), triples (18), and walks (321) ... K-State's 137 stolen bases finished ninth in the nation, while it was second in the single-season school records … In the past four seasons, the Cats have registered four of the top five home run marks in school history – 89 (2021), 84 (2022), 77 (2023), 69 (2024).
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FROM THE PEN
The 2024 K-State pitching staff, paced by fifth-round draft selection Jackson Wentworth, ended the season with a record-breaking 590 total strikeouts ... With 115 strikeouts on the year, the righty finished 18th in the nation in total punchouts followed by left-hander Owen Boerema, who finished seven spots behind nationally with 110 ... Jacob Frost and Wentworth combined for the K-State's first no-hitter since 1991, blanking Cincinnati 4-0 in the 2024 Big 12 opener.
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UP NEXT
K-State will take on sixth-ranked North Carolina on Wednesday, February 19 at 3 p.m. CT at Bryson Field at Boshamer Stadium. The game will be streamed on ACC Network on ESPN+.
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