MANHATTAN, Kan. (K-State Athletics) – K-State baseball will close out its 10-day road trip in Texas at the Karbach Round Rock Classic this weekend as the Wildcats (4-1) go head-to-head with the nation’s top ranked team LSU (4-0) on Friday, Feb. 24. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m. CT against the Tigers inside Dell Diamond Stadium in Round Rock.
Following Friday’s contest, the Cats will face Sam Houston on Saturday at 4 p.m. before going against Iowa at noon on Sunday.
The Wildcats are coming off their first loss of the season after falling 4-3 to Lamar on Wednesday. The loss against the Cardinals snapped their five-game win streak against in Beaumont while K-State still leads 6-4 in the all-time series.
Friday’s projected matchup includes the Cats’ right-hander Owen Boerema going against the Tigers’ Paul Skenes. Jackson Wentworth will take the mound against Sam Houston’s Steven Beard while German Fajardo will post his third start of the season against Iowa’s Marcus Morgan.
The Karbach Round Rock Classic will be live streamed exclusively on D1Baseball.com while fans can tune-in to a free live audio at kstatesports.com/watch. kstatesports.com/watch. Fans can enter KSTKRR to receive a 15% coupon code for the weekend streaming pass.
D1Baseball has provided an All-Star team who will broadcast games, including ESPN’s Kyle Peterson, Chris Burke, LSU legend Ben McDonald and Mike Rooney, among others.
Tickets for the Karbach Round Rock Classic can be purchased HERE.
GAME #6
K-STATE (4-1, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. NO. 1 LSU (4-0, 0-0 SEC)
Friday, Feb. 24 // 2 p.m. CT // Dell Diamond Stadium (8,631)
Projected Starters: Owen Boerema (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) v. Paul Skenes (1-0, 0-0 SEC)
Watch: D1Baseball.com – Discount Code: KSTKRR
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch // Brian Smoller
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #7
K-STATE (4-1, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. SAM HOUSTON (3-2, 0-0 WAC)
Saturday, Feb. 25 // 4 p.m. CT // Dell Diamond Stadium (8,631)
Projected Starters: Jackson Wentworth (0-0, 0-0 Big 12) v. Steven Beard (0-1, 0-0 WAC)
Watch: D1Baseball.com – Discount Code: KSTKRR
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch // Brian Smoller
Live Stats | Tickets
GAME #8
K-STATE (4-1, 0-0 BIG 12) vs. IOWA (3-0, 0-0 BIG 10)
Sunday, Feb. 26 // 12 p.m. CT // Dell Diamond Stadium (8,631)
Projected Starters: German Fajardo (0-1, 0-0 Big 12) v. Marcus Morgan (0-0, 0-0 Big 10)
Watch: D1Baseball.com – Discount Code: KSTKRR
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch // Brian Smoller
Live Stats | Tickets
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State looks to bounce back after a tough 4-3 decision at Lamar on Wednesday night … The Cats head into the preseason tournament at Dell Diamond 4-1 where they will take on the nation’s top ranked team LSU, Sam Houston, and Iowa … As a team, K-State has a slash line of .287/.412/.517 with 48 runs on 50 hits including seven doubles and 11 home runs which ranks sixth in the nation … Sophomore Brendan Jones has leadoff in all five games for the Cats producing a team-high .400 batting average with eight hits … Two players have reached double figure RBI with Cole Johnson (11) and Kaelen Culpepper (10) …Culpepper and Nick Goodwin have been consistent for the Wildcats left side each starting all five games at third and short … Owen Boerema will make his second start of the season on Friday against No. 1 LSU … Boerema threw three complete innings on Opening Day against SFA … Jackson Wentworth will get the start against Sam Houston on Saturday while German Fajardo (0-1) will start on Sunday against Iowa … Fajardo has thrown a team-high six innings while Tyson Neighbors leads with seven strikeouts …
SCOUTING NO. 1 LSU
LSU heads to the Lone Star state as the nation’s top ranked team in all polls, posting a 4-0 overall record … Friday marks the Tigers first contest since Tuesday … The Tigers swept Western Michigan in a three game series over opening weekend before run-ruling Southern 18-4 in Baton Rouge … Jay Johnson is in his second season at the helm of the LSU baseball program compiling a 44-22 (.667) record with the Tigers and 361-194 (.650) overall in 11 seasons …Gavin Dugas went 7-for-10 in the first four matchups with three extra base hits which includes two of the Tigers seven home runs … The 5-foot-10 graduate student has seen action in all four games with three starts at second and two as a leadoff batter … LSU has produced a slash line of .333/.474/.624 with seven doubles, three triples and seven homers … 11 Tigers have scored for LSU with Tre’ Morgan driving in a team-high nine RBI … LSU is fielding 1.000 as a team … Four players have earned starts on the mound with Paul Skenes earning his second start on Friday … The right-hander from Lake Forest, Calif. Threw six complete innings on Opening Day allowing just three hits with 12 strikeouts and one walk to earn the first victory of the season … The Kats were picked to finish second in the Western Athletic Conference Preseason Poll with three first-place votes … Skenes 12 strikeouts against Western Michigan is the second most this season across NCAA Division I …
SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON
Sam Houston heads to Round Rock 3-2 on the year after falling 3-1 to Rice on Wednesday night … The Bearkats are led by fourth-year head coach Jay Sirianni who has led the program to a 7-59 overall record … Senior outfielder Carlos Contreras was named to the D1Baseball Preseason All-American Third Team and WAC Preseason Player of the Year accolades after ranking second in the nation with 89 RBI last season while leading the country with an average of 1.59 RBI per game … The Bearkats have a slash line of .331/.433/.556 with 20 extra-base hits including nine home runs … Three players are batting above .400 in five games of action led by Tyler Davis … The right-hander from Spring, Texas has a produced a slash line of .563/.611/.625 with nine hits, four RBI and two stole bases … Freshman Jake Tatom is batting .500 for the Bearkats and has made three starts with two at third … Steven Beard (0-1) will start on the mound in Saturday’s contest for Sam Houston … The senior left-hander has made one start this season, allowing six earned runs on seven hits through three complete innings … Beard received the 13-3 loss against Rhode Island (Feb. 18) … Logan Hewitt has tossed a team-high six innings while David Chandler leads with 10 strikeouts over five innings …
SCOUTING IOWA
Iowa makes its way down south with an overall 3-0 record after defeating Indiana State and Quinnipiac at the Snowbird Baseball Classic … The Hawkeyes will play for the first time since Sunday against Sam Houston on Friday night … Iowa led off the year extra-inning victory, defeating Indiana State 6-2 in 11 innings … Rick Heller is in his 10th season at the helm of the program since taking the reins in 2014 … Heller has compiled a 279-175 record with the Hawkeyes and 969-740-4 overall in his 36-year career … Three players are batting above .400 led by Brayden Frazier … The redshirt-junior went 4-for-6 over two games with two doubles and five RBI … Kyle Huckstorf and Brennen Dorighi have combined for nine hits, nine runs and eight RBI … The Hawkeyes have a slash line of .306/.387/.500 with 13 extra base hits … Iowa has the lowest ERA among the KRRC participants at 0.96 … Marcus Morgan is the projected starter for Sunday’s game … The RHP from Iowa City has thrown four innings this season allowing just three hits with one strikeout … Right-hander Brody Brecht has struckout a team-high 10 this season through five innings … The Hawkeyes were predicted to finish third in the Big 10 Preseason Poll with right-handers Will Christophersen, Ty Langenberg and Keaton Anthony earning preseason honors …
LET’S TALK DIAMONDS
Dell Diamond Stadium broke ground in 1999 with it’s opening day on April 16, 2000 … The 8,631 seat stadium is home to Round Rock Express, the Triple-A MiLB affiliate of the Texas Rangers … The field shoots 330-feet down the left field pole, 375-feet left center, 407 dead center, 375 right center, and 325 down the right field pole … This season marks the fourth-year of the Round Rock Classic since its inaugural season in 2020 … Past RRC teams included: Tennessee, Texas Tech, Houston, Stanford, Texas A&M, Baylor, Oklahoma, Auburn, Arizona, Louisiana, and Indiana …
AROUND THE LEAGUE
No. 24 Texas Tech is the last remaining undefeated team in the Big 12 at 4-0 followed by K-State (4-1), No. 8 TCU (3-1), Kansas (2-1) and Baylor (2-2) rounding out the top five … The Wildcats lead the league in home runs (11), RBI (47), total bases (90), walks (35) and runs scored (48) … Senior outfielder Cole Johnson leads in three offensive categories – home runs, at bats and RBI – while Kyan Lodice ranks first with seven runs scored and sits second in stolen bases with three alongside teammate Brendan Jones …
BOMBS AWAY
K-State leads the Big 12 with 11 team home runs and was the only team to produce double digit bombs in the opening weekend … The Wildcats sent five deep and out in the series finale against Stephen F. Austin marking the third time in the Hughes era … The five home runs were just short two of matching a program record seven … The Cats have produced 80+ home runs the past two seasons … Cole Johnson and Roberto Pena each launched a grand slam against SFA (Feb. 20) to mark the first time since 2010 where two Wildcats posted grand slams in the same game … Seven of the Cats home runs were solo shots …
DIGGIN’ THE LONG BALL
Cole Johnson became the first player in the Big 12 to record a multi-home run game this season … The senior launched a pair of bombs in back-to-back at-bats in the series finale against Stephen F. Austin … He sent out his first collegiate grand slam to bring his career total to 11 … Johnson is just four home runs away from matching his season-high seven from last season …
COACH HUGHES FILE
Pete Hughes grabbed his 100th victory with K-State on Feb. 18 against in game two against Stephen F. Austin … Hughes is in 26th season and fifth at the helm of K-State baseball … Hughes has compiled a career record of 754-585-3 (.563) as a head coach … His 750 career victories ranks first among active Big 12 head coaches … In five seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Hughes has put together a 102-93 (.523) record … He’s led the Cats to two straight runs in the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship semifinals … In 2021, K-State turned in a 34-23 mark, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013 … Three players were selected in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft increasing Hughes’ career draft total to 82, including eight while at K-State.
A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS
K-State has a season +21 run differential through five games averaging 9.6 runs on 10 hits … The Wildcats outscored opponents 7-0 in the fourth inning alone and 14-2 from the seventh inning on … The Cats are 3-1 when hitting a home run and 2-0 when hitting multiple homers … K-State committed no errors in the loss against Lamar… Conversely, K-State has won four games when one or more errors were committed … The Wildcats are 4-0 when scoring first and 3-0 when scoring in the first inning … K-State is 2-1 when outhit by opponents …
FROM THE ‘PEN
The Cats pitching staff has produced a 4.91 ERA after limiting Lamar to just four runs on Wednesday night … 14 players have made their season debuts on the mound this season … Four different pitchers earned victories on the mound during the opening weekend at Stephen F. Austin … Five players have made two appearances on the mound while German Fajardo leads with two starts and a team-high six innings … Tyson Neighbors has struck out a team leading seven batters in 3 1/3 innings … Blake Corsentino and Shay Hartis each received a save at SFA …
UP NEXT
K-State will close out the nine-game road trip on Tuesday, Feb. 28, with a matchup against Omaha at Tal Anderson Field. Game time is set for 5 p.m. in Omaha.
How to follow the ‘Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team’s social media channels on Twitter and Instagram.
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Kansas State University, the nation’s first operational land-grant institution and a Carnegie Foundation Tier One university, is recognized as one of the nation’s best colleges with world-class research and academic excellence located in America’s No. 1 College Town (Manhattan, KS).
