Kansas State University Athletics
A ‘Great Day’ for K-State Baseball
May 12, 2025 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Sunday at 4:24 p.m., and moments after Kansas State in its final home game of the 2025 season pulled off an incredible, remarkable, electrifying 14-9 victory over No. 12 West Virginia to win one of the program's most important series in recent memory, seventh-year K-State head coach Pete Hughes, dressed in his white uniform, entered his second-floor office at Tointon Family Stadium, peeled off a heavy black backpack, and the weight left his shoulders with a sigh.
"That was a big win, boys," he said as he emerged from his office and entered the coaches meeting room across the hallway, taking a swig of a San Pellegrino while swallowing the enormity of one of the most crucial wins in program history.
K-State improved to 30-21 overall and 16-11 in the Big 12 Conference while keeping West Virginia, 40-10 and 19-6, from reaching its highest win total in school history this weekend. For the Wildcats, it marked their 16th league win, tying their most league wins in single-season history, and it also marked their seventh series win against Big 12 opponents — with one final series at Cincinnati to go, and the Big 12 Championship fast approaching.
K-State entered the weekend against West Virginia as one of the final four teams in the NCAA Regionals, according to D1Baseball.
And now?
Well, Keegan O'Connor delivered a walk-off single to compete a dramatic 8-7 comeback victory on Friday night, as the Wildcats erased a five-run deficit in the ninth inning for one of the most exciting finishes you'll see.
Then after suffering a 10-3 loss to West Virginia, which scored eight unanswered runs to even the series on Saturday, the Wildcats responded in heroic fashion on Sunday. They recorded 17 hits against the Mountaineers, the most WVU had given up all season.
"We might be pretty good at baseball at Kansas State," Hughes said. "I think we're poised for the national tournament. I think with this weekend, our resume looks really, really good. We have a really good Cincinnati team left to play. This team has a chance to play a lot of baseball here this year."
Cincinnati, 29-22 and 14-13, comes off a series loss at TCU and plays Indiana on Tuesday before K-State arrives for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch on Thursday.
Of course, the weeks ahead will sort themselves out.
But on Sunday, Hughes told his players to soak it all in. And there was plenty to take in, including the fact eight seniors played their final home game in front of a sold-out Tointon Family Stadium.
"My message to the team?" Hughes said. "How can you not be motivated to play on Mother's Day and for our seniors in front of the best community in the country in a winner-take-all game? There's nothing like it. I told them to soak it in and take advantage of the homefield crowd and to play smart, tough, and play for each other."
The game featured more twists and turns than the Incredible Hulk ride at Universal Studios.
"It's the biggest home series since I've been here and what it means moving forward," Hughes said. "I love the way we did it. We played from behind early, took a two-run lead and lost it late, and instead of deflating, tough teams bunce back, and our team showed unbelievable toughness by bouncing back with a seven-run eighth inning. Great team win."
In the end, with bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, senior Seth Dardar – one of the feelgood stories of this season – crushed a ball over the left-field wall to turn in K-State's 90th home run of the season, setting a single-season school record.
Dardar's grand slam also gave K-State a 14-8 lead and emphatically stuck the dagger into one of the best teams in the country — and served as a redemption of sorts after things did not go so well in the Wildcats' 10-3 loss on Saturday.
"I was happy to see him up," Hughes said. "His baseball acumen is super high. I trusted that he was going to make the adjustment and slow the game down and put a good swing on it and that's what he did."
Heroes? There were plenty more.
It was shortstop Shintaro Inoue who got the Wildcats started on Sunday with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. The Wildcats scored two more runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and then went scoreless before putting up seven runs in the eighth.
"Shintaro was awesome all weekend," Hughes said. "Keegan O'Connor just quietly knocks people in. Then there's our pitching staff. But I'm going to talk about our offense as the MVP. We went against the No. 1 pitching staff in the league. They have almost a 3.00 ERA in our league. That's a pretty good staff. I mean, we put 17 hits up on them today."
Yes, in the end, K-State, with so much on the line, with the proverbial weight of the NCAA Regionals on the backs of the coaches and players, kept its composure and stepped up when it needed to the most in a game and outcome that should be circled for years to come.
Stuff like this just doesn't happen.
But it certainly happened Sunday at K-State.
And Hughes peeled his heavy backpack from his shoulders and sighed.
"What a great day," he said. "What a great day for our K-State family, our players, and their families, and our seniors."
He paused.
"That," he said, "was awesome."
Sunday at 4:24 p.m., and moments after Kansas State in its final home game of the 2025 season pulled off an incredible, remarkable, electrifying 14-9 victory over No. 12 West Virginia to win one of the program's most important series in recent memory, seventh-year K-State head coach Pete Hughes, dressed in his white uniform, entered his second-floor office at Tointon Family Stadium, peeled off a heavy black backpack, and the weight left his shoulders with a sigh.
"That was a big win, boys," he said as he emerged from his office and entered the coaches meeting room across the hallway, taking a swig of a San Pellegrino while swallowing the enormity of one of the most crucial wins in program history.
K-State improved to 30-21 overall and 16-11 in the Big 12 Conference while keeping West Virginia, 40-10 and 19-6, from reaching its highest win total in school history this weekend. For the Wildcats, it marked their 16th league win, tying their most league wins in single-season history, and it also marked their seventh series win against Big 12 opponents — with one final series at Cincinnati to go, and the Big 12 Championship fast approaching.
K-State entered the weekend against West Virginia as one of the final four teams in the NCAA Regionals, according to D1Baseball.
And now?
Well, Keegan O'Connor delivered a walk-off single to compete a dramatic 8-7 comeback victory on Friday night, as the Wildcats erased a five-run deficit in the ninth inning for one of the most exciting finishes you'll see.
Then after suffering a 10-3 loss to West Virginia, which scored eight unanswered runs to even the series on Saturday, the Wildcats responded in heroic fashion on Sunday. They recorded 17 hits against the Mountaineers, the most WVU had given up all season.
"We might be pretty good at baseball at Kansas State," Hughes said. "I think we're poised for the national tournament. I think with this weekend, our resume looks really, really good. We have a really good Cincinnati team left to play. This team has a chance to play a lot of baseball here this year."
Cincinnati, 29-22 and 14-13, comes off a series loss at TCU and plays Indiana on Tuesday before K-State arrives for a 5:00 p.m. first pitch on Thursday.
Of course, the weeks ahead will sort themselves out.
But on Sunday, Hughes told his players to soak it all in. And there was plenty to take in, including the fact eight seniors played their final home game in front of a sold-out Tointon Family Stadium.
"My message to the team?" Hughes said. "How can you not be motivated to play on Mother's Day and for our seniors in front of the best community in the country in a winner-take-all game? There's nothing like it. I told them to soak it in and take advantage of the homefield crowd and to play smart, tough, and play for each other."
The game featured more twists and turns than the Incredible Hulk ride at Universal Studios.
"It's the biggest home series since I've been here and what it means moving forward," Hughes said. "I love the way we did it. We played from behind early, took a two-run lead and lost it late, and instead of deflating, tough teams bunce back, and our team showed unbelievable toughness by bouncing back with a seven-run eighth inning. Great team win."
In the end, with bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning, senior Seth Dardar – one of the feelgood stories of this season – crushed a ball over the left-field wall to turn in K-State's 90th home run of the season, setting a single-season school record.
Dardar's grand slam also gave K-State a 14-8 lead and emphatically stuck the dagger into one of the best teams in the country — and served as a redemption of sorts after things did not go so well in the Wildcats' 10-3 loss on Saturday.
"I was happy to see him up," Hughes said. "His baseball acumen is super high. I trusted that he was going to make the adjustment and slow the game down and put a good swing on it and that's what he did."
Heroes? There were plenty more.
It was shortstop Shintaro Inoue who got the Wildcats started on Sunday with a two-run homer in the bottom of the third inning. The Wildcats scored two more runs in the fourth, three in the fifth, and then went scoreless before putting up seven runs in the eighth.
"Shintaro was awesome all weekend," Hughes said. "Keegan O'Connor just quietly knocks people in. Then there's our pitching staff. But I'm going to talk about our offense as the MVP. We went against the No. 1 pitching staff in the league. They have almost a 3.00 ERA in our league. That's a pretty good staff. I mean, we put 17 hits up on them today."
Yes, in the end, K-State, with so much on the line, with the proverbial weight of the NCAA Regionals on the backs of the coaches and players, kept its composure and stepped up when it needed to the most in a game and outcome that should be circled for years to come.
Stuff like this just doesn't happen.
But it certainly happened Sunday at K-State.
And Hughes peeled his heavy backpack from his shoulders and sighed.
"What a great day," he said. "What a great day for our K-State family, our players, and their families, and our seniors."
He paused.
"That," he said, "was awesome."
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