Madliak Garners National Catcher of the Week Honors
Mar 31, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Bear Madliak earned his first weekly award Tuesday, as the redshirt senior was named the Buster Posey National Catcher of the Week by the College Baseball Foundation.
He becomes the first Wildcat in program history to earn the national honor and the first Big 12 player to receive national recognition this season.
A native of Carrollton, Georgia, delivered a standout performance in week seven, leading the offense with a .533 average (8-for-15) with three doubles and three home runs, while posting a team-leading 1.921 OPS. He also recorded a team-high 1.333 slugging percentage, which ranked second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally among Division I players.
Madliak finished the week with eight RBI and seven runs scored, ranking fourth and fifth in the Big 12, respectively. His three home runs, which averaged 426-feet per blast, ranked sixth nationally.
On Friday, Madliak recorded his second multi-home run game of the season and tied a career-high four RBI, lifting the Wildcats to an 8-5 series-opening victory at Utah.
Established in 2000, by the Wichita Sports Commission, the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award is presented annually to honor the nation's most outstanding catcher.
K-State (18-10, 4-5 Big 12) will face BYU (13-13, 4-5 Big 12) in a non-conference midweek matchup Tuesday, with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. CT at Miller Park. Tuesday's contest can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on KMAN.
– 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.
He becomes the first Wildcat in program history to earn the national honor and the first Big 12 player to receive national recognition this season.
A native of Carrollton, Georgia, delivered a standout performance in week seven, leading the offense with a .533 average (8-for-15) with three doubles and three home runs, while posting a team-leading 1.921 OPS. He also recorded a team-high 1.333 slugging percentage, which ranked second in the Big 12 and eighth nationally among Division I players.
Madliak finished the week with eight RBI and seven runs scored, ranking fourth and fifth in the Big 12, respectively. His three home runs, which averaged 426-feet per blast, ranked sixth nationally.
On Friday, Madliak recorded his second multi-home run game of the season and tied a career-high four RBI, lifting the Wildcats to an 8-5 series-opening victory at Utah.
Established in 2000, by the Wichita Sports Commission, the Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award is presented annually to honor the nation's most outstanding catcher.
K-State (18-10, 4-5 Big 12) will face BYU (13-13, 4-5 Big 12) in a non-conference midweek matchup Tuesday, with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. CT at Miller Park. Tuesday's contest can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on KMAN.
– 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.
Players Mentioned
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