KSU heads home where it will play thirteen of its next fourteen games.
The Wildcats concluded its season-starting, eight-game California trip with a 3-5 record.
K-State split a four-game series at Cal-State Northridge, winning last Monday’s game 11-5 when the ‘Cats exploded for six runs in the top of the 9th to put the game out of reach. Jordan Maxson and Chris Ceballos combined for four RBIs during the rally. Reliever Mitch Zubradt picked up his first win of the season, pitching three scoreless innings while striking out five. CSN had taken two of the opening three games of the set.
On Wednesday, February 20, K-State traveled to Riverside to play a mid-week game against Division 1 newcomer California Baptist.
Two days later, the Wildcats played Fresno State in the first of three games in the Tony Gwynn Legacy Classic in San Diego. Fresno took the opener, 11-3, in what was the ‘Cat’s worst outing of the young season. Fresno raced out to a 10-1 lead to grab the victory. On a bright note, Wildcats freshman Jeff Boggess got his first action of the season and recorded two hits, including his first college home run.
K-State bounced back on Saturday against Utah, winning 6-4, in a battle of teams picked to finish last in their respective leagues.
In Sunday’s finale, the Wildcats squared off against host and pre-season Mountain West favorite, San Diego State. Kansas St. was able to hang with the Aztecs until the 6th inning, leading 3-1. But SDSU woke up offensively, scoring eight runs on its way to a 10-7 win.
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UP NEXT: Kansas St. will start the home portion of their schedule this Friday with a three-game series against the University of San Francisco at Tointon Family Stadium. San Francisco will enter the series at 4-2–after losing two out of three against San Diego St. and sweeping Bakersfield. USF outscored the Roadrunners, 17-3, in the three-game series.
NOTES:
– Will Brennan has started the year on fire, hitting .484 with five multi-hit games.
– Freshman Jordan Wicks is leading the pitching staff in innings pitched (12) and strikeouts (13).
– DH Jordan Maxson is off to a slow start, going 3-26 (.115) with a team-high 12 strikeouts.
– KSU will play 13 of it next 14 games in Manhattan.
