Thursday: BYU 11 K-State 6
BYU raced out to a seven-run lead after the third inning on its way to taking the series opener from K-State, 10-6, Thursday night at Miller Park.
The Cougars (22-21, 7-15 Big 12) brought nine hitters to the plate in the first and seven in the third, scoring three and four runs in those frames. Ryder Robinson hit a two-run homer in the first, his first of the night, and Parker Goff launched a three-run shot in the third.
Senior left-hander Jacob Frost was tagged for the loss after allowing three earned runs in the first on two hits with three walks and two strikeouts.
Freshman AJ Evasco got the Cats (26-20, 12-10 Big 12) on the board in the top of the fourth, as his two-run home run was set up by a single from David Bishop. Shintaro Inoue paced the Wildcat offense with two hits and two RBI, while Dee Kennedy doubled in going 1-for-4.
Evasco, who finished with a team-high three RBI, launched the Wildcats’ 78th homer of the season – third-most in school history.
Four Cougars registered multi-RBI efforts, led by three from Robinson and Tate Gambill as the duo each had three-hit performances.
K-State was just 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and stranded nine runners.
BYU hit .462 (6-for-13) with runners in scoring position and .421 (8-for-19) with runners on base, leaving 12 on base.
Friday: K-State 18 BYU 4
The Wildcat offense erupted for six home runs Friday night, including a record-tying three from Keegan O’Connor, as K-State routed BYU, 18-4, to even the conference series at Miller Park.
A native of Andover, Massachusetts, O’Connor tied the program’s single-game home run record, becoming just the fifth Wildcat in school history to hit three in a game – and the first since Jared Goedert in 2006 against South Dakota State. He finished just a grand slam shy of the home run cycle and a double short of hitting for the cycle. O’Connor is only the second player from the Big 12 Conference to blast three homers in a game in 2025.
The Wildcats (27-20, 13-10 Big 12) scored 16 runs over a four-inning stretch, highlighted by a seven-run fifth inning. Eleven of K-State’s 19 hits – its second-highest total this season – went for extra bases while eight of nine starters contributed a hit. Six different players registered multi-hit efforts in the win with four driving in two or more runs.
The offensive surge also included two home runs from Seth Dardar and a two-run shot by Maximus Martin. Dardar became the sixth Wildcat this season to record a multi-home run game.
K-State starter Michael Quevedo (6-1) retired eight of the first 11 batters he faced and carried a one-hitter into the fourth inning on his way to picking up the win. The senior left-hander struck out 10 over six innings, allowing three earned runs before handing the ball over to Adam Arther. The sophomore reliever surrendered just one run over the final three innings to earn his first collegiate save.
O’Connor finished the game 5-for-6 with six RBIs and four runs scored. He is now just one home run shy of tying the program’s single-season record, leading the Wildcats with 15 on the year. Martin ranks second with 13, while Dardar became the fourth Wildcat to reach double digits in home runs this season.
With the win, K-State snapped a 10-game road losing streak and secured its first victory in Provo in the series against BYU (22-22, 7-16 Big 12).
The 2025 Wildcats have now hit 84 home runs this season, tying for second all-time in program history and moving within five of the single-season record.
Saturday: K-State 13 BYU 4
K-State exploded for six runs in the first inning on its way to capturing its sixth Big 12 series win, as the Wildcats pounded out 18 hits in a 13-4 victory over BYU at Miller Park on Saturday.
“Proud of our fight to win the last two on the road for a series win,” said K-State head coach Pete Hughes. “Our top four hitters being on base 16 times can really make for a powerful offensive day.”
After dropping the series opener, the Wildcats (28-20, 14-10 Big 12) came back to win the series, outscoring the Cougars, 31-8, in the final two games to capture their second road series of the season and seventh overall.
“Loved our energy the last two days. We played with immediate urgency today to set the tone right from the first pitch. Think our guys are seeing the finish line and understand how important these last series are for our program,” Hughes commented.
Lincoln Sheffield picked up his sixth win at K-State to improve to 6-4 on the year, after holding the Cougars (22-23, 7-17 Big 12) to four runs (three earned). The senior left-hander capped his 12th start with six strikeouts and scattered seven hits in 5 2/3 innings.
James Guyette closed the game in relief of Sheffield, firing 3 1/3 scoreless innings and allowing just two hits with five strikeouts.
“Lincoln did a great job versus a scary BYU offense. He kept them off balance all day and allowed us to build a lead. Guyette was sharp to finish the game.”
The Wildcats sent 21 players to the plate over the first three innings, totaling nine runs during the stretch, while the first four hitters combined to go 11-for-19 with seven runs batted in.
Seven different players contributed a hit, paced by a four-hit day from Maximus Martin, while Seth Dardar, Keegan O’Connor, and AJ Evasco each had three. A native of Edgewater Park, N.J., Martin ended the day going 4-for-5 with four RBI and scoring three runs, and was shy a triple of hitting for the cycle.
Martin and Evasco each homered, bringing the Wildcats season total to 86, which is three short of tying the program record set in 2021 (89).
K-State returns to Tointon Family Stadium for the final home games of the regular season against nationally-ranked and Big 12 leader West Virginia, starting Friday, May 9 at 6 p.m.
