Friday, May 8
Manhattan, Kan.
6 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Cincinnati
K-State Hosts Cincinnati in Final Home Series
May 07, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State is set to host Cincinnati, which ranks No. 20 by Baseball America, in its final home series of the regular season, starting Friday at 6 p.m. CT at Tointon Family Stadium.
The Wildcats (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) continue the conference series with the Bearcats (33-17, 13-11 Big 12) on Saturday at 4 p.m. while Sunday is slated for an 11 a.m. first pitch. On Sunday, K-State will honor 18 players prior to first pitch for its annual Senior Day celebration.
The three-game Big 12 will stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) for Friday and Saturday's contests. Sunday's game can be heard on the K-State Sports Network. A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball games 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 49
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Friday, May 8 // 6 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: RHP Tazwell Butler (0-3, 5.82 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Taylor (5-2, 3.95 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Trevor Hurley
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME 50
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Saturday, May 9 // 4 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (6-2, 4.86 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Knight (4-3, 4.80 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Trevor Hurley
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME 51
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Sunday, May 10 // 11 AM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: RHP James Guyette (5-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Blue (4-0, 4.44 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Matt Walters, Wyatt Thompson
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State enters Friday's matchup with an overall record of 26-22 and 9-15 in Big 12 action, after dropping a three-game set at then-No. 18 West Virginia … Friday's game marks K-States seventh consecutive game against an opponent featured in at least one of the major four national polls … K-State is slashing .305/.412/.531 as a team which includes 119 doubles, nine triples and 77 home runs, tallying a .531 slugging percentage – good for 14th in the among Division I programs… The Wildcats 119 doubles is fourth in the nation and second in the league, while ranking 10th overall with 416 total runs scored … K-State leads the Big 12 in walks allowed per nine innings (3.57), along with a conference-best 2.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio as the Cats have struck out 426 batters and issued 164 walks … Pete Hughes is in his eighth season at the helm and has compiled an 226-190 (.543) record during his time with Wildcats … Hughes is 878-862-3 (.563) all-time in his 29 years as a head coach.
THE WILDCAT ROTATION
Friday: Tazwell Butler (0-3, 5.82 ERA) will get his second start of the season Friday … Butler leads the team with three saves and has struck out 42 over 38 2/3 innings with opponents hitting .234 against him.
Saturday: Lincoln Sheffield (6-2, 4.86 ERA) is third in the conference in victories … Sheffield is averaging 2.03 walks allowed per nine innings – the fifth-best mark in the conference.
Sunday: James Guyette (5-2, 6.12 ERA) leads the pitching staff with a season-high 86 strikeouts and 11.97 strikeouts per nine innings ranking fourth in the Big 12 in both categories, respectively … Guyette struck out a career- and team-high 12 batters in the series opener vs. OSU … He is the first Wildcat to strike out 12 since 2023.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
Cincinnati, which ranks No. 20 by Baseball America, comes to Manhattan with an overall record of 33-17 and 13-11 mark in Big 12 play … The Bearcats are tied sixth in the league standings alongside TCU … Cincinnati is coming off a 15-4 rout of Oral Roberts, highlighted by Quinton Coats record-breaking 24th home run of the year … Coats ranks fifth in the nation in home runs and its third in the Big 12, while he ranks 12th and fourth in RBI, respectively … Cincinnati notched its fifth Big 12 sweep of its three years in the league after it outlasted Houston in 11 innings on Sunday … The Bearcats have stolen a league-high 107 bases this season, ranking 29th overall in Division I and averaging 2.14 per game … On the mound, the Bears own a 5.05 ERA – the third-best mark in the Big 12 ... Offensively, UC is paced by Enzo Infelise's .373 batting average, while Jack Natili has 14 homers ... four players have driven in 40+ RBI this season, led by 63 from Coats … Right-handed pitcher Nathan Taylor (5-2, 3.95 ERA) will get the start Friday's series opener, RHP Logan Knight (4-3, 4.80 ERA) will start Saturday … Freshman righty Connor Blue (4-0, 4.44 ERA) will get the nod in the series finale.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The all-time series is tied 3-3 since it started in 2024 … Cincinnati evened the all-time series with a home series win last season … The Wildcats took the series finale, claiming their school record 17th conference victory … Five of the six games in the series have been determined by four or fewer runs … Both squads have recorded a shutout victory, with K-State logging a 4-0 no-hitter in the first-ever meeting in the series history on March 8, 2024.
LAST 5 MEETINGS
L, 7-11 – March 9, 2024 (Manhattan)
W, 14-13 (12) – March 10, 2024 (Manhattan)
L, 4-7 – May 15, 2025 (Cincinnati)
L, 0-7 – May 16, 2025 (Cincinnati)
W, 9-5 – May 17, 2025 (Cincinnati)
GOING FOR EXTRAS
Kennedy recorded his 32nd extra-base hit of the season at GCU (April 21), becoming the 13th player in school history with 32 or more extra-base hits in a season, and sixth under Hughes … Totaling 37 on the year, Kennedy ties second all-time in the category.
CLIMBING THE RANKS
With 65 RBI's this season, which is ranks third overall nationally, Kennedy ties fourth all-time in the single-season records ... He is the first K-State player since 2010 to record 65+ RBI in a season.
THE STRENGTH OF 2026
Thirteen of K-State's 27 opponents this season currently hold an RPI of 60 or higher, including eight foes with an RPI higher than 40 … With six scheduled games left of the regular season, all but one will be against Quad-1 opponents … In Big 12 play, 21 of the team's 30 conference games are against teams with an RPI of 60 or better … K-State has won 15 victories (away + neutral) on the road … Of K-State's 22 losses, 17 were against Quad-1 or Quad 2 opponents … K-State is 10-6 against Quad-2 teams and 15-5 against Quad-3/4 teams.
MOVING ON UP
James Guyette has struck out a team-leading 86 batters this season, ranking fourth in the Big 12 … He is four strikeouts short of cracking the program's single-season leaderboard and would become the 12th player in school history to eclipse the 90-K mark.
HOME RUN KING
Junior Dee Kennedy became the program's single-season home run leader ... Kennedy, who entered the KU series with a record-tying 17 home runs, broke the mark in his first at-bat to further cement his place in K-State history ... The Fort Worth, Texas product added to his total in his next trip to the plate, recording his fourth multi-home run game of the season ... He stole his 20th base of the season and is a home run away from becoming the fifth player in Big 12 history to ever produce a 20-home run/20-stolen base season.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +84 run differential through 48 games, averaging 8.7 runs on 10.4 hits ... Cats are 19-6 when leading after six innings 1-3 when tied after six ... K-State is 10-6 when committing no errors in a game … Conversely, K-State has won 16 games when one or more errors are committed, 16-16 overall ... The Wildcats are 15-6 when scoring first and 10-5 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 20 contests (19-1) this season and is 5-19 when being outhit, and 2-2 when hits are tied … The Cats are 18-5 when limiting opponents to five or less runs and are 5-10 in games decided by two or fewer runs … K-State is 11-13 when playing afternoon games and 15-9 when playing under the lights … The Cats have won 22 games against right-handed starters while going 4-5 against lefties.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Kansas leads the Big 12 league standings with a 20-4 mark in conference games – its best conference start in program history … West Virginia and Arizona State follow with a 16-8 league record … UCF is fourth at 15-9, while Oklahoma State rounds out the top five at 14-10 … Baylor's Tyce Armstrong (player and co-newcomer) and Lucas Davenport (co-pitcher) joined Kansas' Dominic Voegele (co-pitcher) and West Virginia's Chansen Cole (co-newcomer) as Big 12 baseball award winners for the 12th 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.
CATS MONTH-BY-MONTH
INNING SURGES
The Wildcats have scored three or more runs in 41 innings this season, including 26 innings with five or more … K-State scored a season-high 14 runs in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State at the MLB Desert Invitational – its largest single-inning run production in K-State recorded history ... The Wildcats have hit through the order 32 times this season, sending a season-high 18 to the plate in the team's 14-run seventh against Penn State (February 15).
POWER SUPPLY
K-State has 77 home runs this season led by a school-record 19 from Kennedy … Kennedy is fifth in the Big 12 in home runs, ranking 13th nationally … 13 of 17 hitters have registered a home run this season, including 11 with multiple … The Wildcats recorded a school record of eight home runs in a 20-7 victory against SIUE (March 8) … Home runs account for 150 of 416 runs (36.1%) on the season … The team's 77 homers tie fourth all-time in school history, fourth in the Big 12 and 24th nationally, while the Cats post the nation's 14th-best slugging percentage at .531 … Kennedy leads with three grand slams followed by Evasco, Vasquez and Smolinski with one … K-State has recorded two back-to-back home run performances in 2026, while five different players have multi-home run efforts: Kennedy, Smolinski, Madliak, Vasquez, Kendrick … Six of the top seven home run seasons in K-State history have been in the Hughes era.
Rank Total Year
1 97 2025
2 89 2021
3 84 2022
4 77 2026
4 77 2023
The Wildcats (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) continue the conference series with the Bearcats (33-17, 13-11 Big 12) on Saturday at 4 p.m. while Sunday is slated for an 11 a.m. first pitch. On Sunday, K-State will honor 18 players prior to first pitch for its annual Senior Day celebration.
The three-game Big 12 will stream on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) for Friday and Saturday's contests. Sunday's game can be heard on the K-State Sports Network. A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball games 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 49
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Friday, May 8 // 6 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: RHP Tazwell Butler (0-3, 5.82 ERA) vs. RHP Nathan Taylor (5-2, 3.95 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Trevor Hurley
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME 50
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Saturday, May 9 // 4 PM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (6-2, 4.86 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Knight (4-3, 4.80 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters, Trevor Hurley
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME 51
K-State (26-22, 9-15 Big 12) vs. Cincinnati (33-17, 13-11 Big 12)
Sunday, May 10 // 11 AM CT // Tointon Family Stadium // Manhattan, KS
Projected Starters: RHP James Guyette (5-3, 6.12 ERA) vs. RHP Connor Blue (4-0, 4.44 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Brian Smoller, Mike Clark, Sophie Smith
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Matt Walters, Wyatt Thompson
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State enters Friday's matchup with an overall record of 26-22 and 9-15 in Big 12 action, after dropping a three-game set at then-No. 18 West Virginia … Friday's game marks K-States seventh consecutive game against an opponent featured in at least one of the major four national polls … K-State is slashing .305/.412/.531 as a team which includes 119 doubles, nine triples and 77 home runs, tallying a .531 slugging percentage – good for 14th in the among Division I programs… The Wildcats 119 doubles is fourth in the nation and second in the league, while ranking 10th overall with 416 total runs scored … K-State leads the Big 12 in walks allowed per nine innings (3.57), along with a conference-best 2.60 strikeout-to-walk ratio as the Cats have struck out 426 batters and issued 164 walks … Pete Hughes is in his eighth season at the helm and has compiled an 226-190 (.543) record during his time with Wildcats … Hughes is 878-862-3 (.563) all-time in his 29 years as a head coach.
THE WILDCAT ROTATION
Friday: Tazwell Butler (0-3, 5.82 ERA) will get his second start of the season Friday … Butler leads the team with three saves and has struck out 42 over 38 2/3 innings with opponents hitting .234 against him.
Saturday: Lincoln Sheffield (6-2, 4.86 ERA) is third in the conference in victories … Sheffield is averaging 2.03 walks allowed per nine innings – the fifth-best mark in the conference.
Sunday: James Guyette (5-2, 6.12 ERA) leads the pitching staff with a season-high 86 strikeouts and 11.97 strikeouts per nine innings ranking fourth in the Big 12 in both categories, respectively … Guyette struck out a career- and team-high 12 batters in the series opener vs. OSU … He is the first Wildcat to strike out 12 since 2023.
SCOUTING CINCINNATI
Cincinnati, which ranks No. 20 by Baseball America, comes to Manhattan with an overall record of 33-17 and 13-11 mark in Big 12 play … The Bearcats are tied sixth in the league standings alongside TCU … Cincinnati is coming off a 15-4 rout of Oral Roberts, highlighted by Quinton Coats record-breaking 24th home run of the year … Coats ranks fifth in the nation in home runs and its third in the Big 12, while he ranks 12th and fourth in RBI, respectively … Cincinnati notched its fifth Big 12 sweep of its three years in the league after it outlasted Houston in 11 innings on Sunday … The Bearcats have stolen a league-high 107 bases this season, ranking 29th overall in Division I and averaging 2.14 per game … On the mound, the Bears own a 5.05 ERA – the third-best mark in the Big 12 ... Offensively, UC is paced by Enzo Infelise's .373 batting average, while Jack Natili has 14 homers ... four players have driven in 40+ RBI this season, led by 63 from Coats … Right-handed pitcher Nathan Taylor (5-2, 3.95 ERA) will get the start Friday's series opener, RHP Logan Knight (4-3, 4.80 ERA) will start Saturday … Freshman righty Connor Blue (4-0, 4.44 ERA) will get the nod in the series finale.
INSIDE THE SERIES
The all-time series is tied 3-3 since it started in 2024 … Cincinnati evened the all-time series with a home series win last season … The Wildcats took the series finale, claiming their school record 17th conference victory … Five of the six games in the series have been determined by four or fewer runs … Both squads have recorded a shutout victory, with K-State logging a 4-0 no-hitter in the first-ever meeting in the series history on March 8, 2024.
LAST 5 MEETINGS
L, 7-11 – March 9, 2024 (Manhattan)
W, 14-13 (12) – March 10, 2024 (Manhattan)
L, 4-7 – May 15, 2025 (Cincinnati)
L, 0-7 – May 16, 2025 (Cincinnati)
W, 9-5 – May 17, 2025 (Cincinnati)
GOING FOR EXTRAS
Kennedy recorded his 32nd extra-base hit of the season at GCU (April 21), becoming the 13th player in school history with 32 or more extra-base hits in a season, and sixth under Hughes … Totaling 37 on the year, Kennedy ties second all-time in the category.
| Rank | Player | XBH |
| 1 | Heath Schesser (1997) | 44 |
| 2 | Dee Kennedy (2026) | 37 |
| 3 | Scott Poepard (1997) | 37 |
| 4 | Zach Kokoska (2021) | 35 |
| 5 | Jason King (2011) | 35 |
CLIMBING THE RANKS
With 65 RBI's this season, which is ranks third overall nationally, Kennedy ties fourth all-time in the single-season records ... He is the first K-State player since 2010 to record 65+ RBI in a season.
| Rank | Player (year) | RBI |
| 1 | Heath Schesser (1997) | 85 |
| 2 | Scott Poepard (1997) | 70 |
| 3 | Carter Jurica (2010) | 69 |
| 4 | Jeff Hulse (1988) | 65 |
| 5 | Dee Kennedy (2026) | 65 |
THE STRENGTH OF 2026
Thirteen of K-State's 27 opponents this season currently hold an RPI of 60 or higher, including eight foes with an RPI higher than 40 … With six scheduled games left of the regular season, all but one will be against Quad-1 opponents … In Big 12 play, 21 of the team's 30 conference games are against teams with an RPI of 60 or better … K-State has won 15 victories (away + neutral) on the road … Of K-State's 22 losses, 17 were against Quad-1 or Quad 2 opponents … K-State is 10-6 against Quad-2 teams and 15-5 against Quad-3/4 teams.
MOVING ON UP
James Guyette has struck out a team-leading 86 batters this season, ranking fourth in the Big 12 … He is four strikeouts short of cracking the program's single-season leaderboard and would become the 12th player in school history to eclipse the 90-K mark.
HOME RUN KING
Junior Dee Kennedy became the program's single-season home run leader ... Kennedy, who entered the KU series with a record-tying 17 home runs, broke the mark in his first at-bat to further cement his place in K-State history ... The Fort Worth, Texas product added to his total in his next trip to the plate, recording his fourth multi-home run game of the season ... He stole his 20th base of the season and is a home run away from becoming the fifth player in Big 12 history to ever produce a 20-home run/20-stolen base season.
| Rank | Player (years played) | Career HR |
| 1 | Dylan Phillips (2019-22) | 44 |
| 2 | Scott Poepard (1994-97) | 37 |
| 3 | Pat Maloney (2002-03) | 36 |
| 4 | Nick Goodwin (2021-23) | 33 |
| 5 | Todd Fereday (1994-97) | 32 |
| 6 | David Hendrix (1993-96) | 30 |
| 7 | Dee Kennedy (2025-26) | 30 |
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +84 run differential through 48 games, averaging 8.7 runs on 10.4 hits ... Cats are 19-6 when leading after six innings 1-3 when tied after six ... K-State is 10-6 when committing no errors in a game … Conversely, K-State has won 16 games when one or more errors are committed, 16-16 overall ... The Wildcats are 15-6 when scoring first and 10-5 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 20 contests (19-1) this season and is 5-19 when being outhit, and 2-2 when hits are tied … The Cats are 18-5 when limiting opponents to five or less runs and are 5-10 in games decided by two or fewer runs … K-State is 11-13 when playing afternoon games and 15-9 when playing under the lights … The Cats have won 22 games against right-handed starters while going 4-5 against lefties.
AROUND THE LEAGUE
Kansas leads the Big 12 league standings with a 20-4 mark in conference games – its best conference start in program history … West Virginia and Arizona State follow with a 16-8 league record … UCF is fourth at 15-9, while Oklahoma State rounds out the top five at 14-10 … Baylor's Tyce Armstrong (player and co-newcomer) and Lucas Davenport (co-pitcher) joined Kansas' Dominic Voegele (co-pitcher) and West Virginia's Chansen Cole (co-newcomer) as Big 12 baseball award winners for the 12th 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.
CATS MONTH-BY-MONTH
| Feb | Mar | Apr | May | |
| REC | 8-4 | 11-6 | 7-9 | 0-3 |
| R | 90 | 199 | 120 | 7 |
| R/G | 7.5 | 11.7 | 7.5 | 2.3 |
| Opp R/G | 4.3 | 7.3 | 7.9 | 9.7 |
| H | 103 | 218 | 159 | 17 |
| H/G | 8.6 | 12.8 | 9.9 | 5.7 |
| ERA | 3.81 | 7.35 | 6.59 | 8.62 |
| K | 106 | 129 | 174 | 17 |
| K/G | 8.8 | 7.6 | 10.9 | 5.7 |
| BB | 39 | 55 | 59 | 11 |
| BB/G | 3.3 | 3.2 | 3.7 | 3.7 |
INNING SURGES
The Wildcats have scored three or more runs in 41 innings this season, including 26 innings with five or more … K-State scored a season-high 14 runs in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State at the MLB Desert Invitational – its largest single-inning run production in K-State recorded history ... The Wildcats have hit through the order 32 times this season, sending a season-high 18 to the plate in the team's 14-run seventh against Penn State (February 15).
POWER SUPPLY
K-State has 77 home runs this season led by a school-record 19 from Kennedy … Kennedy is fifth in the Big 12 in home runs, ranking 13th nationally … 13 of 17 hitters have registered a home run this season, including 11 with multiple … The Wildcats recorded a school record of eight home runs in a 20-7 victory against SIUE (March 8) … Home runs account for 150 of 416 runs (36.1%) on the season … The team's 77 homers tie fourth all-time in school history, fourth in the Big 12 and 24th nationally, while the Cats post the nation's 14th-best slugging percentage at .531 … Kennedy leads with three grand slams followed by Evasco, Vasquez and Smolinski with one … K-State has recorded two back-to-back home run performances in 2026, while five different players have multi-home run efforts: Kennedy, Smolinski, Madliak, Vasquez, Kendrick … Six of the top seven home run seasons in K-State history have been in the Hughes era.
Rank Total Year
1 97 2025
2 89 2021
3 84 2022
4 77 2026
4 77 2023
Players Mentioned
RHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ 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
