Wildcats Open Big 12 Slate Friday Against Utah

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State opens its Big 12 slate at home for the second consecutive year this weekend, as the Wildcats host conference newcomer Utah, starting Friday at 6 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium.

The Wildcats will send left-hander Jacob Frost to the mound in Friday's Big 12 opener, facing right-hander Colter McAnelly (1-1). Game two of the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday with lefty Michael Quevedo (2-0) getting the nod against Merit Jones (2-0), while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield (3-1) will get Sunday's start in the finale at 1 p.m.

Friday marks the seventh meeting between K-State (9-7) and Utah (11-5) with the Cats leading the all-time series, 5-1, while it is the first Big 12 contest in the series.

The entire series will be carried on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

The Wildcats will head to Texas for a midweek non-conference matchup against Tarleton State (9-9 on March 19 at Tarleton Baseball Complex before heading back into conference play with a three-game series at Baylor (13-3).
Season and single-game tickets are now available and can be purchased online at KStateSports.com, or by calling 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stopping by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

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.

GAME #15
K-STATE (9-7, 0-0 Big 12) vs. UTAH (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, March 14 // 6 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334)
Projected Starters: LHP Jacob Frost (0-0) v. RHP Colter McAnelly (1-1)
Watch: ESPN + // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Hannah Whetstone
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Jared Goedert
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats // Tickets

GAME #16
K-STATE (9-7, 0-0 Big 12) vs. UTAH (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, March 15 // 4 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334)
Projected Starters: LHP Michael Quevedo (2-0) v. RHP Merit Jones (2-0)
Watch: ESPN + // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Jared Goedert
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats // Tickets

GAME #16
K-STATE (9-7, 0-0 Big 12) vs. UTAH (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, March 16 // 1 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium (2,334)
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (3-1) v. TBA
Watch: ESPN + // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Matt Walters, Trevor Hurley
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats // Tickets

THE MATCHUP
K-State opens its Big 12 slate at home for the second consecutive year this weekend, as the Wildcats host conference newcomer Utah, starting Friday at 6 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. The Wildcats (9-7) will send left-hander Jacob Frost to the mound in Friday's Big 12 opener, facing Utah's (11-5) right-hander Colter McAnelly (1-1) . Game two of the series is scheduled for 4 p.m. on Saturday with lefty Michael Quevedo (2-0) getting the nod against Merit Jones (2-0), while left-hander Lincoln Sheffield (3-1) will get Sunday's start in the finale at 1 p.m.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (9-7) enters Big 12 play at home against league newcomer Utah after two-game road trip at Creighton and Omaha ... The Wildcats saw their five-game winning streak come to an end Tuesday in a 9-8 setback against the Bluejays ... K-State has seven eight of their last 10 games, including a 3-0 record at home ... In a three-game weekend series sweep against William & Mary, the Cats cruised past the Tribe with run-rule victories on Saturday and Sunday ... Twelve different Wildcats have homered this season, led by Maximus Martin with seven … 19 of the Cats 27 homers have come in the month of March ... As a team, K-State is hitting .321 in its last five games and pushed its season average to .290 – eighth in the Big 12 ... Martin was named the Golden Spikes Award and Brooks Wallace Award Player of the Week, as well as Big 12 Co-Newcomer of the Week ... On the mound, K-State has a 5.23 ERA and averages 10.7 K/9 inning … Tuesday, AJ Evasco belted his first collegiate grand slam to cut a five-run deficit against Creighton … Left-hander Jacob Frost will get his fourth Friday night start, along with his second straight Big 12 opening start … Lefty Michael Quevedo (2-0) will start on Saturday while Lincoln Sheffield (3-1), who is second in the league with a 13.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio, will get the series finale start.

SCOUTING UTAH
Utah brings an 11-5 overall record into its first Big 12 game … The Utes started the season with a six-game winning streak under fourth-year head coach Gary Henderson, who is in his 14^th overall season as a head coach and sixth overall with the program … Henderson has led the Utes to a 92-86-2 record … Utah looks to pick up its first win since Saturday after dropping a 8-5 decision in the series finale at San Jose State, before falling to Cal, 9-4 … As a team, Utah has produced a slash line of .300/.383/.419 with four everyday starters are hitting over .300, led by Core Jackson's .431 average … The senior from Ontario, Canada, has recorded multiple hits in 10 of the Utes 16 games that includes a four-hit effort against UC Riverside … Utah has registered just five home runs this season, led by two from Jackson … The pitching staff boasts a 4.27 team ERA, combining for 119 strikeouts and 57 walks for a 2.1 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Right-handers Cameron Nielson and Dylan Gazaway have each made a team-leading six relief appearances, with Nielson owning a 0.87 ERA (1 ER, 10.1 IP) … Sophomore right-hander Colter McAnelly will make his fourth consecutive Friday night start in the series opener … McAnelly struck out eight in the series opener against San Jose State, while junior right-hander Merit Jones tossed eight innings on Saturday and fanned six—on the way to a series-evening victory … Jones will start the middle game while Sunday's starter will be announced later.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Friday marks the seventh meeting between the two squads with K-State leading the all-time series, 5-1, while it is the first Big 12 contest in the series … Friday's game is the first meeting in Manhattan, as all six games were played at neutral locations … Utah won in the last matchup, 2-1, on Feb. 23, 2020 in Corpus Christi, Texas … K-State is 4-1 in the last five meetings, outscoring Utah, 39-14.

Last Five Meetings
W, 3-2 – Feb. 19, 2015 (Surprise, Ariz.)
W, 9-2 - Feb. 27, 2016 (Surprise, Ariz.)
W, 20-4 – Feb. 28, 2016 (Surprise, Ariz.)
W, 6-4 – Feb. 23, 2019 (San Diego, Calif.)
L, 2-1 – Feb. 23, 2020 (Corpus Christi, Texas)

THE TALES OF MARCH
After a 4-5 February, K-State has won five of seven games in the month of March, that included a five-game winning streak ... The Wildcat offense is hitting at a .316 clip in the month and averaging 10.4 runs a game with 10.7 hits a game ... In February, the Cats hit just .270 as a team with 5.6 runs per game on 9.2 hits a contest ... Additionally, K-State is hitting .346 with two outs in March after just .237 in February ... Eight Cats are hitting north of .300 in the month of March, with four hitting .400 or better ... Martin and Kyan Lodice have a team-leading .500 batting average while Keegan O'Connor is hitting .392 ... Four players have homered multiple times this month – Martin (6), O'Connor (4). Evasco (3), Inoue (2) ... K-State has 19 homers in that stretch compared to eight last month.

BIG 12 OPENERS
In the Hughes era, K-State is 2-3 in Big 12 openers with both victories coming in the past two seasons … K-State is opening its Big 12 slate for the second consecutive season at home, while it is the third time in the Hughes era (1-1) … Last season, K-State blanked Cincinnati in the Big 12 opener, 4-0, behind a combined nine-inning no-hitter from Jacob frost and Jackson Wentworth … The duo turned in the programs ninth no-hitter in program history and K-State's first no-hitter in Big 12 play.

2024 BIG 12 RECAP
The Cats finished sixth in the Big 12 standings in 2024, with a 15-15 league record alongside KU … K-State hit .258 in Conference play, and averaged 5.3 runs on nine hits … In 2024, K-State stole a league-high 57 bases against Big 12 teams, and drew 134 walks which ranked fifth … The offense was led by Brady Day, who slashed .311/.403/.462 in Big 12 games … The pitching staff posted a 5.63 ERA, with opponents hitting .270 and striking out the third-most batters in the conference (290).

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
In 2025, K-State is 2-2 in Friday night contests with victories over nationally ranked Arkansas and William & Mary … The Cats are hitting .252 on Friday while the pitchers boast a 3.89 ERA, limiting opponents to a .213 average … Last season in series openers at home, K-State finished with a perfect 8-0 record in series openers at home … The Cats outhit teams .317-.222 and averaged 8.5 on 11.4 hits per contest, outscoring opponents 91-64 (+27) ... Bishop led the Cats in series openers at home with a.483 average with Nick English registering the third-best average at .333 … K-State pitchers had a 3.58 ERA against opponents 8.24, while averaging 10.8 strikeouts per nine innings at home.

HOME. SWEET. HOME.
K-State is 3-0 when playing at home this season, with Friday marking the first conference game at Tointon … At home, the Wildcat offense is slashing .400/.492/.850 with 12 home runs and 39 RBI ... K-State averages 13.7 runs/game on 13.3 hits while drawing 15 walks with five stolen bases... The Wildcat pitching staff boasts a 4.70 ERA at home, holding opponents to a .244 average … The Cats have struck out 27 compared to eight walks for a 3.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio ... Martin's .667 average at Tointon leads the Cats, as the junior has generated eight hits with a team-leading 12 RBI … K-State baseball is 411-217 when playing at home since 2002 … The Wildcats are 103-42 (.710) at home under Hughes and 87-21 (.806) since 2021.

LAST TIME OUT
Omaha utilized nine pitchers to hold K-State to one run Wednesday night, as the Wildcats fell, 3-1, at Tal Anderson Field … K-State was held to four hits, committed no errors and stranded five on base … UNO scored three runs on six hits with no errors committed and leaving eight on base … Nine pitchers made an appearance for UNO with Brummond earning the victory in relief … Kennedy broke up the no-hit bid with a double in the sixth … Three different Cats recorded a hit – Kennedy, O'Connor, Evasco … O'Connor matched a game-high two hits … Duke (0-1) was tagged for the loss, allowing one earned run on four hits with a game-high three strikeouts … Four of K-State's six pitchers combined for eight strikeouts … K-State leads the all-time series 17-4, that includes a 1-2 record in Omaha … Under Hughes, the Cats are 5-2 against the Mavs … The Wildcats have turned 10 double plays this season … O'Connor produced his third multi-hit game of the season … Lodice stretched his on-base streak to six with his walk in the fourth … Wednesday marked Duke's first start in a K-State uniform, and fifth collegiate start … O'Connor extended his hitting streak to six followed by Kennedy with four.

NATION'S BEST
Martin was named the Brooks Wallace Award and Golden Spikes Award Player of the Week for his prolific performance during week four … Martin turned in an incredible 2.714 OPS, after launching five home runs and tallying 12 RBI … He leads the Big 12 with a season 1.514 OPS … Became the first player since 2018 to drive in eight RBI in a single game, while achieving the first multi-homer game this season for K-State with his first-inning grand slam and three-run homer in the second on Saturday … Homered in four straight games from March 2-9 with two multi-home run efforts on Saturday and Sunday to help the Cats to a weekend series sweep of William & Mary … Became the fourth player in the Big 12 to turn in a five-hit day.

FRESHMAN POWER
AJ Evasco continues his breakout season as the true freshman is slashing .378/.534/.980 with four doubles and three home runs, after blasting his first collegiate grand slam against Creighton (March 11) … Evasco's .378 average and .757 slugging percentage are second-best on the team, as he has generated a hit in 11 of the 14 games he's appeared in … A product of Lincoln, Nebraska, is eighth in the league in slugging percentage.

BIG BAT CATS
Twelve Wildcats have sent one out this season, as K-State totals 27 on the year with 19 coming in in the month of March … Six different players have recorded multiple home runs this season led by Martin with seven … Martin and Keegan O'Connor have each turned in a two-run home run game this season … K-State has turned in seven multi-home run games, including a season-high six homers on Sunday against William & Marry … The Cats have generated five back-to-back performances this season (Latest: Shintaro Inoue and Cayden Phillips, vs. William & Mary, March 9) … Martin and AJ Evasco have each launched a grand slam this season … Since 2019, K-State's offense has turned in four of the top five seasons in terms of total home runs in program history, including a single-season record 89 in 2021 … The 89 bombs ranked 11th in the nation and shattered the previous record of 75 set in 1997.

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +32 run differential through 16 games averaging 7.8 runs on 9.9 hits per game ... Cats are undefeated (8-0) when leading after the sixth and 1-2 when tied after six ... K-State is 7-3 when committing one or no errors ... When scoring first, K-State is are 7-3 and 5-2 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 10 of 16 games this season (9-1) and is 6-1 when limiting opponents to five or less runs … 12 of 14 games have been against right-handed starters (7-5), while K-State is 2-2 against lefty starters.

UP NEXT
The Wildcats will head to Texas for a midweek non-conference matchup against Tarleton State (9-9 on March 19 at Tarleton Baseball Complex before heading back into conference play with a three-game series at Baylor (13-3).

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Brady Day

Nick English

AJ Evasco

Jacob Frost

Shintaro Inoue

Kyan Lodice

Maximus Martin

Keegan O'Connor

Cayden Phillips

Michael Quevedo

Lincoln Sheffield

Jackson Wentworth

Kansas State University Athletics