Kansas State Stays Hot, Boosts NCAA Tournament Case

Image credit: Nick Goodwin (Photo by Ben Ludeman/Texas Rangers/Getty Images)

Kansas State and Oklahoma State came into this weekend’s series in Stillwater tied for second place in the Big 12 standings, two games behind first-place West Virginia. With two weeks left in the regular season, there’s a lot on the line for both the Wildcats and Cowboys in the NCAA Tournament race and the Big 12 standings.

Friday’s series opener provided plenty of thrills. The two teams traded blows through the first half of the game, and K-State was ahead by a run after five innings. The Wildcats scored four runs in the seventh to give themselves just enough of a cushion. While the Cowboys scored the final four runs of the game, including a two-run, ninth-inning home run from freshman Nolan Schubart off K-State closer Tyson Neighbors, it wasn’t enough. K-State hung on for a 10-9 victory that pushed it into sole possession of second place in the Big 12. The Wildcats’ win, combined with West Virginia’s loss to Texas Tech earlier in the day, left them just a game out of first place in the standings.

“What a great win for our guys,” coach Pete Hughes said. “Friday night wins on the road are gold. I can’t say enough about the fight in this group. The toughness of K-State baseball was on full display.”

K-State (32-18, 12-7) was relentless offensively. It collected 15 hits in the game and was retired in order just twice in the game. The Wildcats produced consistent traffic on the bases and scored 10 runs without the benefit of the long ball. They knocked out righthander Juaron Watts-Brown, a projected first-round pick, in the fifth inning, having scored six runs on seven hits.

Shortstop Nick Goodwin led the way for K-State, going 4-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs. He is batting .300/.412/.537 with 11 home runs and 12 stolen bases this season. Third baseman Kaelen Culpepper added three hits, two runs and two RBIs.

K-State got a gutty start from lefthander Owen Boerema, who gave up seven runs on eight hits but got through 6.1 innings with the lead. He turned the ball over to Neighbors, who has been one of the best closers in the country. The righthander struck out five and got the final eight outs for his 10th save of the season.

The Wildcats have been on a tear for the last month. They’re 12-4 since they lost a series at Texas in early April. In that stretch, they swept rival Kansas on the road, won a series at UC Irvine, beat Texas Tech and swept Southeast Missouri State.

Friday night’s win might have been the most impressive yet, however. The Wildcats had lost eight straight games in Stillwater against Oklahoma State, a streak that dated to 2017. The Cowboys (33-15, 11-8) were hot themselves, having won 10 of their last 11 games and are hoping to get back into the hosting race with a strong finish.

Instead, it was Kansas State who boosted its NCAA Tournament hopes on Friday. That, in itself, is no small thing for the Wildcats, who don’t have a rich tradition on the diamond. The program has made the NCAA Tournament four times in its history, with all four appearances coming in a five-year stretch from 2009-13 that culminated in 2013 with the best season in program history. The Wildcats that year won a program-record 45 games and for the first time hosted a regional and advanced to super regionals. They nearly pushed even farther, as they lost to Oregon State in three games in the Corvallis Super Regional and had the game-tying run thrown out at home in the eighth inning of the decisive third game.

Since that high water mark, it’s been a tough decade for the Wildcats. Three straight losing seasons followed and after a 23-31 mark in 2018, Brad Hill retired after 15 seasons as head coach. Hughes was hired as his replacement and after a tough first season (25-33), the Wildcats started to push ahead. They won 34 games in 2021, their most since 2013 and went 29-29 in 2022. Lefthander Jordan Wicks was drafted 21st overall in 2021, becoming the program’s first first-rounder.

But the opportunity now facing the Wildcats is a chance to take the next several steps forward. With five games to play, they’re still firmly in the mix for the Big 12 title (although West Virginia holds the tiebreaker) and they have a great opportunity to make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2013.

K-State doesn’t have the cleanest resume, but Friday’s win pushed it into sole possession of second place in the conference standings and raised its RPI to 50. With one more win this weekend, it will own series wins against Oklahoma State, Oklahoma and Texas Tech, three of the conference’s tournament contenders. If the Wildcats can just maintain that standing through next weekend’s regular season finale against TCU, they’d be in a strong position going into the Big 12 Tournament in Arlington.

All that remains well into the future, however. For now, K-State is eyeing another win in Stillwater, which would give the Wildcats their first series win against the Cowboys since 2010. They’ll get that chance Saturday at 1 p.m.