Mar 17, 2026 | Baseball
 MANHATTAN, Kan. – Following a productive week at the plate, senior Shintaro Inoue was named to the Baseball America Week 5 National Team of the Week on Tuesday.
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The second baseman from Yamaguchi, Japan, led the Wildcats with a .524 average, going 11-for-21 overall, while finishing second on the team with 10 RBI and posting 1.314 OPS. Inoue is the second Wildcat to earn a spot on the National Team of the Week, joining Dee Kennedy, who earned the recognition following Week 1.
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In Friday's Big 12 opener, he launched a three-run homer that secured the series-opening win and ended with a career-high five hits and six RBI. With his six-RBI, Inoue helped the Wildcats score a program-record 20 runs – the most ever scored in a conference opener, breaking the previous record of 17 that had stood since 1929.
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The Big 12 Player of the Week became the first Wildcat this season and is one of three players from the conference to produce a five-hit game this season.
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Overall, he produced a team-leading 10 hits (10-for-14) in the series with Houston, to go along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .733 on-base percentage with eight RBI. He finished first overall in the Big 12 in total hits on the week and sixth nationally, while his 10 RBI ranked second.
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K-State (15-5, 2-1 Big 12) with face Baylor (11-8, 1-2 Big 12) Tuesday night at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark, before turning to Tointon Family Stadium to host a three-game set with Arizona State (14-5, 2-1 Big 12). The midweek non-conference game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
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The second baseman from Yamaguchi, Japan, led the Wildcats with a .524 average, going 11-for-21 overall, while finishing second on the team with 10 RBI and posting 1.314 OPS. Inoue is the second Wildcat to earn a spot on the National Team of the Week, joining Dee Kennedy, who earned the recognition following Week 1.
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In Friday's Big 12 opener, he launched a three-run homer that secured the series-opening win and ended with a career-high five hits and six RBI. With his six-RBI, Inoue helped the Wildcats score a program-record 20 runs – the most ever scored in a conference opener, breaking the previous record of 17 that had stood since 1929.
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The Big 12 Player of the Week became the first Wildcat this season and is one of three players from the conference to produce a five-hit game this season.
Â
Overall, he produced a team-leading 10 hits (10-for-14) in the series with Houston, to go along with a 1.000 slugging percentage and .733 on-base percentage with eight RBI. He finished first overall in the Big 12 in total hits on the week and sixth nationally, while his 10 RBI ranked second.
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K-State (15-5, 2-1 Big 12) with face Baylor (11-8, 1-2 Big 12) Tuesday night at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark, before turning to Tointon Family Stadium to host a three-game set with Arizona State (14-5, 2-1 Big 12). The midweek non-conference game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.
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– k-statesports.com –
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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.
– k-statesports.com –
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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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