Tuesday, April 21
Phoenix, AZ
3 p.m.
Kansas State University
at
Grand Canyon
Wildcats Set to Face Lopes Tuesday
Apr 20, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State wraps up a four-game stint in Arizona Tuesday afternoon, as the Wildcats take on Grand Canyon at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on the Mountain West Network, while fans can also tune in on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live stream audio is available at kstatesports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
Single-game tickets are available for all Wildcat home games at Tointon Family Stadium, fans can visit kstatesports.com/tickets call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
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 41
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) at Grant Canyon (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West)
Tuesday, April 21 // 3 PM CT // Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark // Phoenix, AZ
Projected Starters: RHP Austin Haley (2-0, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Billy Gregory (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
Watch: Mountain West Network
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) wraps up a four-game stint in Arizona Tuesday afternoon, as the Wildcats take on Grand Canyon (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West) at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE CATS
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on the Mountain West Network … A free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app ... Fans can also follow along opening weekend action through live stats by visiting the team's schedule page or on the Cats social media platforms (@KStateBSB).
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) is coming off a Big 12 road series win at Arizona … Saturday's series-clinching victory marked the eighth run-rule victory of the season, expanding the school record … It is the 19th run-rule victory under Hughes – the most by any K-State head coach in school history … K-State has scored double-digit runs in 20 of 40 games this season, averaging 9.4 runs per game – the nation's seventh-highest scoring average … Lincoln Sheffield recorded his eighth quality start of his K-State career and third of the season … In 10 appearances (10 starts) this season, Sheffield has allowed just 10 walks against 56 strikeouts … Nick English recorded his second pinch-hit home run of the season. He recorded his first against Arizona State on March 21 … With 65 total team home runs, the 2026 roster stands alone with the seventh-most homers in school history. Six of the top seven seasons in terms of home run production have been within the Hughes era … Dee Kennedy became the fifth Wildcat in school history to belt 16 home runs in a single-season, tying the junior single-season record set by Heath Schesser in 1997 ... He is one short of tying the all-time single-season record, set by Keegan O'Connor in 2025 … Now with 27 career home runs, Kennedy ranks 10th all-time in career home runs, surpassing first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper's 26 (2022-24) … The Wildcats have hit two or more home runs in 18 of 40 games this season, posting a 13-5 record when hitting multiple ... Right-hander Austin Haley (2-0, 2.79 ERA) will make his second start of the season vs. the Lopes.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
GCU (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West) overcame an 8-0 deficit to defeat Air Force 16-12 Sunday afternoon to clinch the conference series … The Lopes hit five home runs in the come-from-behind victory – their most since 2022 … After a 1-5 start in MW play, GCU has won two of their last three conference series … Trevor Schmidt was named Mountain West Player of the Week, becoming GCU's first-ever MW Player of the Week in the program's inaugural season in the conference ... He is also the third Lopes player to earn a weekly MW honor, joining freshman Tanner Johns (Freshman of the Week) and right-hander Chase Frey (Pitcher of the Week) … Schmidt hit .500 (6 for 12) with a 1.667 OPS over the weekend, totaling 10 RBIs, two home runs, two doubles and 14 total bases across the three-game series, recording at least one hit and one RBI in every game … GCU is slashing .267/.361/.427 as a team with 73 doubles, nine home runs and 39 homers …. The pitching staff boasts a 6.52 ERA, striking out 312 against 164 walks with opponents hitting .301 against them … Righty Billy Gregory (1-0, 9.00 ERA) will get his first start of the season against the Wildcats … GCU made a run in the NCAA Tournament in 2024, falling the Tucson Regional finals to West Virginia.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State leads the all-time series 3-0, while Tuesday's contest marks the first time the two squads have met in Phoenix … K-State has outscored GCU 30-11 in the series, which started in 2014 … In their last meeting on April 27, 2016, the Wildcats defeated the Lopes, 10-6, in Manhattan – the only game played on the Cats home turf.
NON-CON SUCCESS
K-State has a 16-6 record in non-conference action ... The Cats have a +90-run differential and out-hit opponents .304-.259 ... Kennedy has a team-best .395 batting average in non-conference games followed by five other Wildcats over the .300 mark ... The Fort Worth product is slugging a team-leading .901 against non-con opponents and with six doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and a team-best 38 RBI … Eleven of Kennedy's 16 home runs have come against non-Big 12 opponents … As a team, K-State is slugging .542 in non-con games, that includes 36 home runs … Eleven players have registered a home run in non-con games ... The pitching staff boasts a 4.66 ERA with seven saves, while striking out 192 and walking 68 … Tazwell Butler has earned three saves in non-con games, followed by Cohen Feser with two.
CATS IN ARIZONA
The Wildcats are wrapping up their second trip of the season to Arizona, where they are 6-1 after taking a Big 12 road series win over Arizona … K-State swept through the MLB Desert Invitational, going 4-0 over opening weekend and outscoring opponents 57-22 ... The Cats hit .335 in games played in Arizona this season, including 14 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs … eight players are hitting over .300 in the state, led by AJ Evasco's .484 average … The pitching staff boasted a 4.42 ERA in games played in Arizona, striking out 69 against 22 walks.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
K-State is 14-7 overall on the road this season, including a 8-6 edge in true road games … On the road, K-State is hitting .320 with five players hitting above .300 … Twelve players have combined for K-State 36 home runs on the road led Kennedy, who has sent nine deep … He has scored a team-leading 32 runs with 18 walks on the road… The pitching staff boasts a 5.52 ERA on the road, issuing 58 walks against 166 strikeouts (2.86 K/BB), while opponents are hitting .284 against the Wildcats.
YES, SHEFF
In his third quality start of the season, Lincoln Sheffield (6-1) limited Arizona to one earned run on four hits over eight innings to secure K-State's road series victory ... The senior from Flowood, Mississippi, retired 25 of the 29 batters he faced and struck out a career-high 10 ... He finished his second complete game of the season, scattering four hits with no walks to earn his conference-leading sixth victory ... His 1.64 walks allowed per nine innings this season and 5.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio rank second overall in the Big 12, while he is the only pitcher to record two complete games this season.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
Entering as pinch hitter in the seventh, Nick English delivered a 411-foot go-ahead blast that erased a one-run deficit and sparked K-State's road series victory over Arizona ... With two outs, the junior from Olathe, Kansas, launched a three-run homer to hand K-State a 3-1 one ... The junior followed his Saturday night heroics with his fifth home run of the season that pulled K-State ahead, 4-2, in the series finale ... In two games, English slashed .429/.556/1.286, while he finished the week with a team-leading five RBI and five runs scored.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +118 run differential through 40 games, averaging 9.4 runs on 10.8 hits ... The Wildcats have outscored opponents 59-17 in the fifth inning alone … Cats are 18-4 when leading after six innings 1-3 when tied after six ... K-State is 10-5 when committing no errors in a game … Conversely, K-State has won 15 games when one or more errors are committed, 15-10 overall ... The Wildcats are 15-5 when scoring first and 10-4 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 19 contests this season and is 5-12 when being outhit, and 2-2 when hits are tied … The Cats are 17-5 when limiting opponents to five or less runs and are 5-7 in games decided by two or fewer runs … K-State is 10-9 when playing afternoon games and 15-6 when playing under the lights … The Cats have won 21 games against right-handed starters while going 4-5 against lefties.
HEAVY HITTERS
K-State has proven to be one of the nation's top offenses, ranking within the nation's top 10 in several categories … K-State is second in the country in total doubles (105), ninth in slugging percentage (.550), third in total runs scored (374), seventh in scoring (9.4 runs per game) … The team's .316 batting average ranks 15th among all Division I programs, while ranking 20th in home runs (65) and 17th with a .426 on-base percentage … Six starters are hitting over .300 (min. 20 starts).
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Kansas leads the Big 12 league standings with a 14-4 mark in conference games, while West Virginia is two games back at 12-6 … Arizona State and UCF are tied third at 11-7 followed by TCU (10-8) rounding out the top five … K-State is in a four-way tie for sixth in the standings alongside Utah, Baylor and BYU … Cincinnati's Jack Natili (player), Arizona's Smith Bailey (pitcher), Baylor's Tyce Armstrong (co-newcomer) and Utah's Cal Miller (co-newcomer) were named the Big 12 Baseball Players of the Week for the 10th week of the 2026 season.
2026 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate will be played at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, located in Surprise, Arizona ... The top 12 teams in the regular season standings will compete in the tournament.
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on the Mountain West Network, while fans can also tune in on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). A free live stream audio is available at kstatesports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
Single-game tickets are available for all Wildcat home games at Tointon Family Stadium, fans can visit kstatesports.com/tickets call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.
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 41
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) at Grant Canyon (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West)
Tuesday, April 21 // 3 PM CT // Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark // Phoenix, AZ
Projected Starters: RHP Austin Haley (2-0, 2.79 ERA) vs. RHP Billy Gregory (1-0, 9.00 ERA)
Watch: Mountain West Network
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) wraps up a four-game stint in Arizona Tuesday afternoon, as the Wildcats take on Grand Canyon (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West) at Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT.
FOLLOW THE CATS
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on the Mountain West Network … A free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app ... Fans can also follow along opening weekend action through live stats by visiting the team's schedule page or on the Cats social media platforms (@KStateBSB).
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (25-15, 9-9 Big 12) is coming off a Big 12 road series win at Arizona … Saturday's series-clinching victory marked the eighth run-rule victory of the season, expanding the school record … It is the 19th run-rule victory under Hughes – the most by any K-State head coach in school history … K-State has scored double-digit runs in 20 of 40 games this season, averaging 9.4 runs per game – the nation's seventh-highest scoring average … Lincoln Sheffield recorded his eighth quality start of his K-State career and third of the season … In 10 appearances (10 starts) this season, Sheffield has allowed just 10 walks against 56 strikeouts … Nick English recorded his second pinch-hit home run of the season. He recorded his first against Arizona State on March 21 … With 65 total team home runs, the 2026 roster stands alone with the seventh-most homers in school history. Six of the top seven seasons in terms of home run production have been within the Hughes era … Dee Kennedy became the fifth Wildcat in school history to belt 16 home runs in a single-season, tying the junior single-season record set by Heath Schesser in 1997 ... He is one short of tying the all-time single-season record, set by Keegan O'Connor in 2025 … Now with 27 career home runs, Kennedy ranks 10th all-time in career home runs, surpassing first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper's 26 (2022-24) … The Wildcats have hit two or more home runs in 18 of 40 games this season, posting a 13-5 record when hitting multiple ... Right-hander Austin Haley (2-0, 2.79 ERA) will make his second start of the season vs. the Lopes.
SCOUTING GRAND CANYON
GCU (14-25, 6-9 Mountain West) overcame an 8-0 deficit to defeat Air Force 16-12 Sunday afternoon to clinch the conference series … The Lopes hit five home runs in the come-from-behind victory – their most since 2022 … After a 1-5 start in MW play, GCU has won two of their last three conference series … Trevor Schmidt was named Mountain West Player of the Week, becoming GCU's first-ever MW Player of the Week in the program's inaugural season in the conference ... He is also the third Lopes player to earn a weekly MW honor, joining freshman Tanner Johns (Freshman of the Week) and right-hander Chase Frey (Pitcher of the Week) … Schmidt hit .500 (6 for 12) with a 1.667 OPS over the weekend, totaling 10 RBIs, two home runs, two doubles and 14 total bases across the three-game series, recording at least one hit and one RBI in every game … GCU is slashing .267/.361/.427 as a team with 73 doubles, nine home runs and 39 homers …. The pitching staff boasts a 6.52 ERA, striking out 312 against 164 walks with opponents hitting .301 against them … Righty Billy Gregory (1-0, 9.00 ERA) will get his first start of the season against the Wildcats … GCU made a run in the NCAA Tournament in 2024, falling the Tucson Regional finals to West Virginia.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State leads the all-time series 3-0, while Tuesday's contest marks the first time the two squads have met in Phoenix … K-State has outscored GCU 30-11 in the series, which started in 2014 … In their last meeting on April 27, 2016, the Wildcats defeated the Lopes, 10-6, in Manhattan – the only game played on the Cats home turf.
NON-CON SUCCESS
K-State has a 16-6 record in non-conference action ... The Cats have a +90-run differential and out-hit opponents .304-.259 ... Kennedy has a team-best .395 batting average in non-conference games followed by five other Wildcats over the .300 mark ... The Fort Worth product is slugging a team-leading .901 against non-con opponents and with six doubles, one triple, 11 home runs and a team-best 38 RBI … Eleven of Kennedy's 16 home runs have come against non-Big 12 opponents … As a team, K-State is slugging .542 in non-con games, that includes 36 home runs … Eleven players have registered a home run in non-con games ... The pitching staff boasts a 4.66 ERA with seven saves, while striking out 192 and walking 68 … Tazwell Butler has earned three saves in non-con games, followed by Cohen Feser with two.
CATS IN ARIZONA
The Wildcats are wrapping up their second trip of the season to Arizona, where they are 6-1 after taking a Big 12 road series win over Arizona … K-State swept through the MLB Desert Invitational, going 4-0 over opening weekend and outscoring opponents 57-22 ... The Cats hit .335 in games played in Arizona this season, including 14 doubles, three triples and 10 home runs … eight players are hitting over .300 in the state, led by AJ Evasco's .484 average … The pitching staff boasted a 4.42 ERA in games played in Arizona, striking out 69 against 22 walks.
ON THE ROAD AGAIN
K-State is 14-7 overall on the road this season, including a 8-6 edge in true road games … On the road, K-State is hitting .320 with five players hitting above .300 … Twelve players have combined for K-State 36 home runs on the road led Kennedy, who has sent nine deep … He has scored a team-leading 32 runs with 18 walks on the road… The pitching staff boasts a 5.52 ERA on the road, issuing 58 walks against 166 strikeouts (2.86 K/BB), while opponents are hitting .284 against the Wildcats.
YES, SHEFF
In his third quality start of the season, Lincoln Sheffield (6-1) limited Arizona to one earned run on four hits over eight innings to secure K-State's road series victory ... The senior from Flowood, Mississippi, retired 25 of the 29 batters he faced and struck out a career-high 10 ... He finished his second complete game of the season, scattering four hits with no walks to earn his conference-leading sixth victory ... His 1.64 walks allowed per nine innings this season and 5.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio rank second overall in the Big 12, while he is the only pitcher to record two complete games this season.
GOING ABOVE AND BEYOND
Entering as pinch hitter in the seventh, Nick English delivered a 411-foot go-ahead blast that erased a one-run deficit and sparked K-State's road series victory over Arizona ... With two outs, the junior from Olathe, Kansas, launched a three-run homer to hand K-State a 3-1 one ... The junior followed his Saturday night heroics with his fifth home run of the season that pulled K-State ahead, 4-2, in the series finale ... In two games, English slashed .429/.556/1.286, while he finished the week with a team-leading five RBI and five runs scored.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +118 run differential through 40 games, averaging 9.4 runs on 10.8 hits ... The Wildcats have outscored opponents 59-17 in the fifth inning alone … Cats are 18-4 when leading after six innings 1-3 when tied after six ... K-State is 10-5 when committing no errors in a game … Conversely, K-State has won 15 games when one or more errors are committed, 15-10 overall ... The Wildcats are 15-5 when scoring first and 10-4 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 19 contests this season and is 5-12 when being outhit, and 2-2 when hits are tied … The Cats are 17-5 when limiting opponents to five or less runs and are 5-7 in games decided by two or fewer runs … K-State is 10-9 when playing afternoon games and 15-6 when playing under the lights … The Cats have won 21 games against right-handed starters while going 4-5 against lefties.
HEAVY HITTERS
K-State has proven to be one of the nation's top offenses, ranking within the nation's top 10 in several categories … K-State is second in the country in total doubles (105), ninth in slugging percentage (.550), third in total runs scored (374), seventh in scoring (9.4 runs per game) … The team's .316 batting average ranks 15th among all Division I programs, while ranking 20th in home runs (65) and 17th with a .426 on-base percentage … Six starters are hitting over .300 (min. 20 starts).
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Kansas leads the Big 12 league standings with a 14-4 mark in conference games, while West Virginia is two games back at 12-6 … Arizona State and UCF are tied third at 11-7 followed by TCU (10-8) rounding out the top five … K-State is in a four-way tie for sixth in the standings alongside Utah, Baylor and BYU … Cincinnati's Jack Natili (player), Arizona's Smith Bailey (pitcher), Baylor's Tyce Armstrong (co-newcomer) and Utah's Cal Miller (co-newcomer) were named the Big 12 Baseball Players of the Week for the 10th week of the 2026 season.
2026 BIG 12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate will be played at Surprise Stadium, the spring training home of the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers, located in Surprise, Arizona ... The top 12 teams in the regular season standings will compete in the tournament.
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
C/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF/RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
C
/ Baseball
LHP
/ BaseballK-State Baseball | Post Series Recap vs Oklahoma State
Monday, April 13
K-State Baseball | Game Highlights vs Oklahoma State Game 2
Sunday, April 12
K-State Baseball | Game Highlights vs Oklahoma State Game 1
Saturday, April 11
K-State Baseball | Wichita State Game Recap
Wednesday, April 08
