K-State Baseball Previews 2025 Season at Media Day
Feb 03, 2025 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State head baseball coach Pete Hughes along with returners David Bishop, Nick English, Kyan Lodice and Ty Ruhl met with members of the media Monday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium in preparation of 2025 season.
With 14 returning letterwinners from the 2024 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Championship roster, K-State will officially begin its 2025 campaign on Friday, February 14 in Conway, S.C., at Baseball at the Beach hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Wildcats will open the four-day event against Washington at Springs Brooks Stadium before facing CCU (Feb. 15 and 17) and Saint Joseph's (Feb. 16).
The 2025 slate features six programs ranked in the preseason Top 25 national poll by D1Baseball, that includes No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 23 TCU and No. 24 Nebraska. K-State will face eight teams that reached last season's regional round of the NCAA Tournament, while playing a total of 10 opponents (20 games) finished with an RPI of 45 or higher.
K-State capped a historical 2024 season with the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The Cats captured the second regional title in school history with a sweep of the Fayetteville Regional, that included a 7-6 triumph over regional host Arkansas.
PETE HUGHES, HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
"I think we set the standard for our program and where we want to be. Our next step is sustaining success, and that's what really good programs do year in and year out. They survive drafts, they reload, and they continue to elevate their standard. That's our goal this year. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of new guys compete when the lights come on. We'll find out soon enough how that looks, but I'm excited for it."
On K-State's 2025 schedule…
"You've heard me talk about the RPI many times—you have to play good teams, and you have to play on the road. At Kansas State, you need to find those quality opponents outside the region, which means getting on a plane. I've always believed that a tough non-conference schedule prepares you for Big 12 play. Travel makes your team resilient. Playing in uncomfortable environments toughens your players. I don't think we would have approached the Fayetteville Regional the same way if we hadn't scheduled aggressively last year.
"This year is no different. We start in a tournament at Coastal Carolina, facing Washington, Coastal Carolina twice, and Saint Joseph's. Then we get on a bus, head to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina, go to Globe Life Field to face Arkansas, TCU, and Michigan, and then head to Frisco to play LSU, Nebraska, and Sam Houston. That's a challenging stretch, but I want the toughest team possible heading into the Big 12 and the postseason. The only way to achieve that is by scheduling this way."
On losing key players this year…
"As I said in my opening statement, sustainability is our goal. We want to be really good year after year. Our recruiting coordinator, Ryan Connolly, and our staff are as talented as anyone in the country when it comes to reloading—whether it's on the recruiting trail or in the transfer portal. Our standard isn't going to change. Sustaining success is the next step for our program, and I'm excited to watch our guys make that leap."
On his mindset in the transfer portal during the offseason…
"We lost a lot on the mound, including a first-rounder in the middle of our field. So every year, we'll see if the portal works for us. If there's a player who makes us better, we're going to go after him—regardless of position. The key this offseason was building pitching depth. Our staff was outstanding last season, and while we lost some great arms, I believe the depth of this year's staff is our biggest strength."
NICK ENGLISH, SOPHOMORE, OF/C
On what he learned as a freshman last year…
"Well, I'd say the biggest lesson was just kind of playing on those big stages, learning how those older guys kind of handled them, their leadership, and I think that can be carried into this year and showing younger guys and our transfers just how we play and how we play as a family, because that's how we operate here at Kansas State."
TY RUHL, REDSHIRT SENIOR, RHP
On what it means for him to be back…
"It means a lot just to go out there one last time, go out there, play with the boys and win every day with the team, and just compete and stay injury free."
On his return to K-State…
"It was not a hard decision at all. Why go somewhere else and question how I'm going to get treated and it's like leaving home like, this is my home. I've been here. Coaches are what I feel like, are my family, and I'm just excited to be back and get another opportunity to play baseball for Kansas State."
On the past eight months for him…
"The mental side of the injury was probably the worst part I had to go through just in my head, questioning if I'm hurt or I'm not hurt. But once I got through that, life's been great, just day by day, getting better, getting my body right, getting closer with my teammates, growing my faith in God and just enjoying baseball."
On what he has learned about himself with his time at K-State…
"I think coming in here to K State, it was just thinking about myself a lot, thinking about what I can do to help me, and now I feel like I'm very selfless, and just want my teammates to succeed, because their success helps me and just pushing my teammates to be the best that they can be. "
DAVID BISHOP, SENIOR, IF
On how he has grown at K-State…
"I think that coming into the program last year Coach Hughes had called me out on it. I was more selfish than I should have been, you know, I think that I was kind of trying to prove myself here and prove that I should be in the starting lineup every day. I had a moment with him last year, and it's kind of eye opening where if I am team first and make sure whatever the team needs to do to win, then that helps me to be a better player. And that's what happened last year. So, I think that's kind of how I've grown into the team first approach, and kind of just try to lead the guys, instead of focusing on how I played."
KYAN LODICE, REDSHIRT JUNIOR, INF/OF
On who stepped up on and off the field for Kaelen Culpepper…
"Like coach said, we've had a bunch of new guys coming into the program, and it's really competitive still in the infield. There's multiple people in the infield that can step in and fill his role. It's almost like KC's kind of, I want to say, a generational player. It's really lucky that we got to have him on and off the field. He was a true character, and I'm thankful that I got to get to know him, and I know everyone here is thankful. There's still a really strong relationship with him, but we have a lot of guys that are going to fill his spot, and we're looking forward to it."
On what he thinks he has proven to get to his spot on the team…
"I think it's pretty clear that the coaches know, at least, that I'm here to win. I don't care what my role is, if it's on the bench cheering on my teammates, that's fine with me. I just want to win. I'll never stop working hard. I would say that I'm one of the hardest workers on this team, day in and day out, and I'm proud to say that. I think with this year and everything that I've learned from these last couple years, seeing really good names come through this program. I've learned a lot, and this year I can say that I'm really prepared and I'm excited for what I can do. I've been changing some things in my swing with Coach [Austin] Wates, and I think I've made a lot of progress, and I'm looking forward to putting on a show this year."
– k-statesports.com –
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.
With 14 returning letterwinners from the 2024 NCAA Fayetteville Regional Championship roster, K-State will officially begin its 2025 campaign on Friday, February 14 in Conway, S.C., at Baseball at the Beach hosted by Coastal Carolina. The Wildcats will open the four-day event against Washington at Springs Brooks Stadium before facing CCU (Feb. 15 and 17) and Saint Joseph's (Feb. 16).
The 2025 slate features six programs ranked in the preseason Top 25 national poll by D1Baseball, that includes No. 3 LSU, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 North Carolina, No. 17 Oklahoma State, No. 23 TCU and No. 24 Nebraska. K-State will face eight teams that reached last season's regional round of the NCAA Tournament, while playing a total of 10 opponents (20 games) finished with an RPI of 45 or higher.
K-State capped a historical 2024 season with the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013. The Cats captured the second regional title in school history with a sweep of the Fayetteville Regional, that included a 7-6 triumph over regional host Arkansas.
PETE HUGHES, HEAD COACH
Opening statement…
"I think we set the standard for our program and where we want to be. Our next step is sustaining success, and that's what really good programs do year in and year out. They survive drafts, they reload, and they continue to elevate their standard. That's our goal this year. I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of new guys compete when the lights come on. We'll find out soon enough how that looks, but I'm excited for it."
On K-State's 2025 schedule…
"You've heard me talk about the RPI many times—you have to play good teams, and you have to play on the road. At Kansas State, you need to find those quality opponents outside the region, which means getting on a plane. I've always believed that a tough non-conference schedule prepares you for Big 12 play. Travel makes your team resilient. Playing in uncomfortable environments toughens your players. I don't think we would have approached the Fayetteville Regional the same way if we hadn't scheduled aggressively last year.
"This year is no different. We start in a tournament at Coastal Carolina, facing Washington, Coastal Carolina twice, and Saint Joseph's. Then we get on a bus, head to Chapel Hill to play North Carolina, go to Globe Life Field to face Arkansas, TCU, and Michigan, and then head to Frisco to play LSU, Nebraska, and Sam Houston. That's a challenging stretch, but I want the toughest team possible heading into the Big 12 and the postseason. The only way to achieve that is by scheduling this way."
On losing key players this year…
"As I said in my opening statement, sustainability is our goal. We want to be really good year after year. Our recruiting coordinator, Ryan Connolly, and our staff are as talented as anyone in the country when it comes to reloading—whether it's on the recruiting trail or in the transfer portal. Our standard isn't going to change. Sustaining success is the next step for our program, and I'm excited to watch our guys make that leap."
On his mindset in the transfer portal during the offseason…
"We lost a lot on the mound, including a first-rounder in the middle of our field. So every year, we'll see if the portal works for us. If there's a player who makes us better, we're going to go after him—regardless of position. The key this offseason was building pitching depth. Our staff was outstanding last season, and while we lost some great arms, I believe the depth of this year's staff is our biggest strength."
NICK ENGLISH, SOPHOMORE, OF/C
On what he learned as a freshman last year…
"Well, I'd say the biggest lesson was just kind of playing on those big stages, learning how those older guys kind of handled them, their leadership, and I think that can be carried into this year and showing younger guys and our transfers just how we play and how we play as a family, because that's how we operate here at Kansas State."
TY RUHL, REDSHIRT SENIOR, RHP
On what it means for him to be back…
"It means a lot just to go out there one last time, go out there, play with the boys and win every day with the team, and just compete and stay injury free."
On his return to K-State…
"It was not a hard decision at all. Why go somewhere else and question how I'm going to get treated and it's like leaving home like, this is my home. I've been here. Coaches are what I feel like, are my family, and I'm just excited to be back and get another opportunity to play baseball for Kansas State."
On the past eight months for him…
"The mental side of the injury was probably the worst part I had to go through just in my head, questioning if I'm hurt or I'm not hurt. But once I got through that, life's been great, just day by day, getting better, getting my body right, getting closer with my teammates, growing my faith in God and just enjoying baseball."
On what he has learned about himself with his time at K-State…
"I think coming in here to K State, it was just thinking about myself a lot, thinking about what I can do to help me, and now I feel like I'm very selfless, and just want my teammates to succeed, because their success helps me and just pushing my teammates to be the best that they can be. "
DAVID BISHOP, SENIOR, IF
On how he has grown at K-State…
"I think that coming into the program last year Coach Hughes had called me out on it. I was more selfish than I should have been, you know, I think that I was kind of trying to prove myself here and prove that I should be in the starting lineup every day. I had a moment with him last year, and it's kind of eye opening where if I am team first and make sure whatever the team needs to do to win, then that helps me to be a better player. And that's what happened last year. So, I think that's kind of how I've grown into the team first approach, and kind of just try to lead the guys, instead of focusing on how I played."
KYAN LODICE, REDSHIRT JUNIOR, INF/OF
On who stepped up on and off the field for Kaelen Culpepper…
"Like coach said, we've had a bunch of new guys coming into the program, and it's really competitive still in the infield. There's multiple people in the infield that can step in and fill his role. It's almost like KC's kind of, I want to say, a generational player. It's really lucky that we got to have him on and off the field. He was a true character, and I'm thankful that I got to get to know him, and I know everyone here is thankful. There's still a really strong relationship with him, but we have a lot of guys that are going to fill his spot, and we're looking forward to it."
On what he thinks he has proven to get to his spot on the team…
"I think it's pretty clear that the coaches know, at least, that I'm here to win. I don't care what my role is, if it's on the bench cheering on my teammates, that's fine with me. I just want to win. I'll never stop working hard. I would say that I'm one of the hardest workers on this team, day in and day out, and I'm proud to say that. I think with this year and everything that I've learned from these last couple years, seeing really good names come through this program. I've learned a lot, and this year I can say that I'm really prepared and I'm excited for what I can do. I've been changing some things in my swing with Coach [Austin] Wates, and I think I've made a lot of progress, and I'm looking forward to putting on a show this year."
– k-statesports.com –
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.
Players Mentioned
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