Wildcats Prepped for NCAA Austin Regional

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State baseball will make its second consecutive run in the NCAA Tournament Friday night, as the Wildcats received an at-large bid and will compete the Austin Regional, hosted by No. 2 national seed Texas.

The field for the Austin Regional features top-seeded Texas (42-12), No. 2 UTSA (44-13), No. 3 K-State (31-24) and No. 4 Houston Christian (32-23).

K-State, which brings a six-game winning streak in the regional round, will take on the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament. The winner of the Kansas State-UTSA game will play the winner of Texas and Houston Christian on Saturday, May 31.

Lefty Jacob Frost (1-4, 5.75 ERA) will get the nod for the Cats' regional opener and will go head-to-head with the Roadrunners right-hander Zach Royse (8-4, 5.38 ERA).

It will be the program's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight, the first time earning back-to-back selections since 2010-11. It is also the second appearance in the Pete Hughes era. Overall, the Wildcats are 9-6 in regional play after sweeping the Fayetteville Regional last season.

The Austin Regional will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network. A free, live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

Tickets are now on sale for the NCAA Austin Regional. All tickets are handled and sold through the Texas Athletics ticket office.

The winner of the Austin Regional will play the winner of the Los Angeles Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 6-8 or June 7-9. No. 15 national seed UCLA (42-16) hosts second-seeded UC Irvine (41-15), third-seeded Arizona State (35-22), and fourth-seeded Fresno State (31-27) in Los Angeles, California at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

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 #56
No. 3 K-STATE (31-24) vs. No. 2 UTSA (44-13)
Friday, May 30 // 6 PM CT // UFCU Disch-Falk Field
Projected Starters: LHP Jacob Frost (1-4, 5.75 ERA) vs. RHP Zach Royse (8-4, 5.38 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+/ESPN App
Radio: K-Sports Sports Network // Brian Smoller, Matt Walters
Listen Online: KStateSports.com/watch
Watch | Listen Online | Live Stats | Tickets | NCAA Bracket

2025 NCAA Austin Regional
Friday, May 30
1 p.m. CT – Game 1: Houston Christian vs. Texas (ESPN+)
6 p.m. CT – Game 2: Kansas State vs. UTSA (ESPN+)

Saturday, May 31
2 p.m. CT – Game 3: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2
8 p.m. CT – Game 4: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2

Sunday, June 1
2 p.m. – Game 5: Winner of Game 3 vs. Loser of Game 4
6 p.m. – Game 6: Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 4

Monday, June 2 (if necessary)
TBD – Game 7: Same teams as in Game 6 (if necessary)

*All times listed as Central.

THE MATCHUP
K-State baseball will make its second consecutive run in the NCAA Tournament Friday night, as the Wildcats received an at-large bid and will compete the Austin Regional, hosted by No. 2 national seed Texas … The field for the Austin Regional features top-seeded Texas (42-12), No. 2 UTSA (44-13), No. 3 K-State (31-24) and No. 4 Houston Christian (32-23) … K-State will take on the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (31-24) heads into the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed of the Austin Regional, hosted by No. 2 national seed Texas, and will take on second-seeded UTSA ... The other half of the double-elimination regional is home to top-seeded Texas and fourth seeded Houston Christian ... On the year, K-State has produced a slash line of .280/.383/.496 as a team including 115 doubles, four triples and a program-record 92 home runs with four starters hitting over .300 … Maximus Martin's .332 average leads the Cats offense followed by Seth Dardar (.326), Keegan O'Connor (.323) and AJ Evasco (.306) … O'Connor has driven in a team-leading 56 RBI … O'Connor, Martin, Dardar and Dee Kennedy have each launched 10 or more home runs this season …The pitching staff boasts a 5.72 team ERA with a 2.56 strikeout-to-walk-ratio … K-State will send senior lefty Jacob Frost (1-4, 5.75 ERA) to the mound Friday … Frost has made 14 weekend starts for the Cats this season with two quality starts, most notably holding nationally-rank KU to two-hit, one-run ball over 6 2/3 innings.

THE FAYETTEVILLE FIELD
K-State (31-24) was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Austin Regional and will take on the second-seeded UTSA Roadrunners (44-13) on Friday, May 30, at 6 p.m. CT at UFCU Disch-Falk Field, in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament … The winner of the Kansas State-UTSA game will play the winner of No. 2 national seed Texas (42-12) and fourth-seeded Houston Christian (32-23) on Saturday, May 31 … The winner of the Austin Regional will play the winner of the Los Angeles Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 6-8 or June 7-9. No. 15 national seed UCLA (42-16) hosts second-seeded UC Irvine (41-15), third-seeded Arizona State (35-22), and fourth-seeded Fresno State (31-27) in Los Angeles, California at Jackie Robinson Stadium.

SCOUTING NO.2/1 TEXAS
The Texas Longhorns (42-12), who became the first team to win the SEC in its first season since the league's inaugural year in 1933, earned the No. 2 national seed and will host for the 38^th time in program history … Texas is making its 64^th postseason run, owning an overall NCAA Regional record of 155-59-1 (.723) … The Longhorns finished with the best regular season in 15 years, earning the No. 1 seed and first round bye in their first-ever SEC Tournament … Six Longhorns earned All-SEC honors … Dylan Volantis was named the SEC Freshman of the Year while head coach Jim Schlossnagle was tabbed the Coach of the Year … Rylan Galvan earned first-team honors, while Kimble Schuessler, Ethan Mendoza, and Will Gasparino earned spots on the all-defensive team … Schlossnagle, a 24-year head coaching veteran, is in his first season at the helm of the Longhorn baseball program after coaching Texas A&M to the national title game last season … At home, Texas has gone 1,655-425-3 (.796) when playing at home … This season, the Longhorns offense is slashing .274/.382/.481 with 122 doubles, 10 triples and 79 home runs … Texas averages 6.9 runs per game on 9.3 hits … The pitching staff boasts the nation's fifth-best ERA of 3.56 with a 1.18 WHIP, which is second only to Northeastern (1.04) … Texas leads the all-time series 53-25-1 with K-State, that includes a 36-12-1 advantage at home.

SCOUTING NO. 2 UTSA
Second-seeded UTSA (44-13) makes its fourth NCAA regional appearance, and first since 2013 … The Roadrunners claimed the American Athletic regular season title with an 23-4 record, while 25 of its 44 wins came at home … UTSA is slashing .318/.429/.487 as a team with six every day starters hitting north of a .320 clip … Mason Lytle leads the offense with a .372 average, which ranks second in the American and 66^th in the country … Drew Detlefsen has belted 13 of the Roadrunners' 64 homers this season … With a 4.98 ERA, the pitching staff has held opponents to a .257 average with a 2.65 strikeout to walk ratio led by 90 strikeouts from weekend starter Braylon Owens … Right-hander Zach Royse (8-4, 5.38 ERA) will make his 16th start Friday night … Friday's contest marks the fifth meeting between the two squads with the series tied 2-2 since its start in 2008. The two squads last faced off on March 18, 2009, which led to K-State's 5-4 victory to secure a two-game series win.

SCOUTING NO. 4 HOUSTON CHRISTIAN
Houston Christian (23-23), the Southland Conference Champions, earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament for just the second time in program history and 10 years after the program's last appearance in 2015 … HCU swept through the Southland Conference Championships, going 5-0, after defeating New Orleans in a best of three championship series … HCU heads into the tournament with a six-game winning streak … As a team, HCU is slashing .278/.371/.390 and averaging six runs a game … Rhett Hendricks paces the offense with a .327 average, while Parker Edwards has drafted up a team-high nine homers … It would be the first meeting between the Cats and Huskies, if they faced each other at the regional.

CATS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
It will be the program's sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and second straight, the first time earning back-to-back selections since 2010-11, while it is the first time playing in the Austin Regional … It is also the second appearance in the Pete Hughes era ... Bringing a six-game regional winning streak into the tournament, the Cats are 10-10 all-time in the postseason tournament, that includes a 9-6 edge in the regional rounds after sweeping through the 2024 Fayetteville Regional … Last season, the Cats K-State hosted the 2013 Manhattan Regional after winning the Big 12 regular-season title.

REGIONAL SCORES
K-State 16, Xavier 8 – May 29, 2009 (Houston Regional)
K-State 7, Rice 6 – May 30, 2009 (Houston Regional)
Rice 8, K-State 0 – May 31, 2009 (Houston Regional)
Rice 13, K-State 4 – June 1, 2009 (Houston Regional)
Washington St. 8, K-State 6 – June 4, 2010 (Fayetteville Regional)
K-State 9, Grambling 8 – June 5, 2010 (Fayetteville Regional)
Washington St. 9, K-State 6 – June 6, 2010 (Fayetteville Regional)
Stanford 10, K-State 3 – June 3, 2011 (Fullerton Regional)
Illinois 5, K-State 3 – June 4, 2011 (Fullerton Regional)
K-State 20, Wichita St. 11 – May 31, 2013 (Manhattan Regional)
K-State 7, Bryant 1 – June 1, 2013 (Manhattan Regional)
K-State 4, Arkansas 3 – June 2, 2013 (Manhattan Regional)
K-State 19, La Tech 4 – May 31, 2024 (Fayetteville Regional)
K-State 7, Arkansas 6 – June 1, 2024 (Fayetteville Regional)
K-State 7, SEMO 2 – June 2, 2024 (Fayetteville Regional)

2024 FAYETTEVILLE 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.

SCHEDULE BREAKDOWN
Twelve of K-State's 27 opponents in 2025 made the NCAA Tournament, with the Cats going 7-17 against them … 16 of the 18 losses were against Quad-1 opponents, while 11 of those losses came on the road … The Cats finished 26-8 overall against Quad-2, -3, and -4 teams … Eight of K-States Quad-1 losses were by three runs or less … K-State had an overall strength of schedule of 27 while it had a 36 SOS in non-conference action … Seven victories were against teams that are ranked 60 or higher in RPI, including four wins against top 30 teams.

RECORD BREAKERS
Behind five scoreless innings from Tazwell Butler and five runs batted in by David Bishop, K-State set a school record for most conference wins in a season (17), en route to a 9-5 victory against Cincinnati … With the win, the Wildcats finish the regular season with a winning record for the sixth consecutive year, that includes a 17-13 mark in Big 12 play ... The Cats' 17 conference wins are the most in school history, breaking the previous record held by the 2013 team.

WINNING TIME
In K-State's 31 wins this season, the Wildcats are hitting .379 with runners in scoring position and .297 with two outs ... Conversely, the Cats have a .189 average with runners in scoring position while hitting .206 with two outs over 24 losses ... K-State has produced 86 two-out RBI in victories with just 34 in 24 losses ... Overall, K-State hits .331 in victories against just .210 in defeats ... In 24 losses, K-State pitchers have combined for 132 walks (5.5 per game) while in victories the staff averages three walks per game (97 walks in 31 wins).

ALL-BIG 12 HONOR ROLL
Six K-State baseball players were voted to the All-Big 12 Conference Tuesday afternoon, as the conference unveiled the 2025 All-Big 12 Baseball Awards … Junior Maximus Martin and graduate Keegan O'Connor earned Second Team honors, while AJ Evasco was named to the All-Freshman Team ... Additionally, Seth Dardar, Jacob Frost and James Guyette received honorable mention accolades. The 2025 All-Big 12 Baseball Teams were selected by a vote of the league's 14 head coaches … Evasco is the sixth player to earn All-Freshman Team recognition in the Hughes era.

BIG BAT CATS
K-State's 92 home runs ranks second in the Big 12 and 24^thin the nation … K-State's record-breaking 90^th home run came in poetic fashion, as Seth Dardar's grand slam capped a seven-run eighth-inning rally to hand the Cats a 14-9 victory over then-No. 12 West Virginia … O'Connor became the fourth player in school history to launch 16 home runs, tying the single-season record, while he is the fifth player to send out three in a single game ... For the first time since 2022, four different players have reached double figure home runs: O'Connor (16), Martin (14), Dardar (12) and Kennedy (11) … The Cats have hit multiple home runs in 28 contests this season (24-3) ... In total, 13 different players have sent one out this season … Five different players have each turned in multi-home run performances … K-State recorded a season-high six homers in three contests this year: vs. William & Mary (March 9), vs. Wichita State (April 22), at BYU (May 2) … The Cats have generated eight back-to-back performances this season (Latest: Dardar, O'Connor at BYU, May 2) … Martin, Evasco and Dardar have each launched a grand slam this season … Since 2019, K-State's offense has turned in five of the top six seasons in terms of total home runs in program history, including the top four.

POWER SUPPLY
This year, K-State has 11 different players with multiple home runs … Keegan O'Connor, Maximus Martin, Dee Kennedy and Seth Dardar have produced 10+ homers in 2025, marking the first time since 2022 K-State had four different players reach double figures … With a team-leading 16 homers on the year, O'Connor is the fourth player in school history to tie the school record… He ties second in the Big 12 with 10 home runs in conference play.

NUMBERS NUGGETS
K-State has a +65-run differential through 55 games this season ... The Wildcats outscore opponents 126-74 (+52) between the second and third innings ... K-State scored nine runs in the fifth inning against William & Mary - its largest run total in a single inning this season ... The Cats are 28-11 when hitting a home run and 25-3 when hitting multiple homers ... K-State has won 12 of 19 games in which it has not committed an error while going 19-17 when committing at least one error ... When holding opponents to five or fewer runs, the Wildcats are 20-4 ... Conversely, K-State has a record of 6-20 when scoring five or fewer runs in a game and is 25-4 when scoring at least six runs ... K-State is 8-8 in games decided by two runs or fewer ... Home runs account for 166 of the 367 runs batted in on the season (45 percent) … K-State is hitting .313 on the season with runners in scoring position and .257 with two outs, driving in 120 runs with two away ... Last season, the Cats managed a .274 average with runners in scoring position while hitting .267 with two outs.

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Players Mentioned

David Bishop

Tazwell Butler

Kaelen Culpepper

Seth Dardar

AJ Evasco

Jacob Frost

James Guyette

Chuck Ingram

Dee Kennedy

Maximus Martin

Tyson Neighbors

Keegan O'Connor

Jackson Wentworth

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