Inoue Earns Spot on Baseball America College National Team of the Week
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
– 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
– 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.
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