Helping to propel K-State (37-15, 14-7) to first place in the Big 12 and the team’s first national ranking in four years, K-State catcher Blair DeBord has been named one of 15 players across the nation a Johnny Bench semifinalist. The award, given annually to the nation’s best catcher, is named after Cincinnati Reds Hall of Famer Johnny Lee Bench.

DeBord is the first Wildcat to ever be named a semifinalist for the award, and is one of two Big 12 players to make the cut. The junior from Manhattan High School is hitting .319 on the season with 29 runs, 51 hits, 10 doubles, and 30 RBIs. He has started 48 of the team’s 52 games, including every league contest this year. Additionally, he has only committed three errors in those 48 games with a .991 fielding percentage. He has been charged with nine passed balls (essentially failing to properly field a pitch that results in an advancement by a runner).

DeBord was selected to the semifinalist list by a committee of 20 voters. Three finalists will be announced on June 4th and the winner will be announced June 27th. The finalists and overall winner will be determined by two rounds of voting by current Division I head coaches. The award was first instituted in 2000 and two Big 12 players have received the award over the past 12 years – Kelly Shoppach (Baylor, 2001) and J.T. Wise (Oklahoma, 2009). Bryan Holaday of TCU won the award in 2010, before Texas Christian was a member of the league. K-State will wrap up its regular season with a three game homestand against Oklahoma starting this Friday evening (preview here).

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

With a share of both the football and basketball regular season championships in its back pocket, the Kansas State Wildcats look for a triple crown this weekend in attempting to take home the league’s baseball championship as well. The Wildcats (37-15, 14-7) have won four straight following a three game sweep of KU (31-21, 12-12) last weekend and are enjoying their first national ranking since 2009.

Standing in K-State’s way are the West Virginia Mountaineers (30-23, 12-9) and Oklahoma Sooners (35-17, 12-9) – although K-State already took its series against West Virginia 2-1 earlier this year and cannot do any more to impede the team’s advancement. However, as long as the team can secure two victories against Oklahoma this weekend, it will not matter.

#18 Oklahoma is looking to bounce back after dropping a nonconference game against Dallas Baptist on Tuesday 6-4 which caused the Sooners to drop seven of its last nine games. They were ranked 10th in the nation at one point after defeating New Mexico to win the Kleberg College Classic Championship followed by a winning against #29 Pepperdine. However, they have struggled since and are only 4-5 in conference road games and 7-8 overall on the road.

Hosting Oklahoma is a Wildcat team with a 7-2 conference home record and 22-6 at home overall. The squad is batting .321 on the season while holding opponents to .262 for a gaudy hitting discrepancy  The ability to get on base is translating into runs, as the Wildcats have outscored opponents 331-221 on the season. One area the team has not excelled at is the power game – despite scoring over 100 more runs, the team has only hit 26 home runs while giving up 23. They have thrown two shut outs while being blanked once.

Although West Virginia is still in the conference race, the Mountaineers will have a tough time banging out three wins against Oklahoma State (37-13, 11-9). The Cowboys are 1/2 game behind WVU and OU after having a conference game canceled earlier this year but have the highest overall winning percentage at .740 (K-State is the only other school above 70 percents at .712). However, OSU is not in the running for the Big 12 championship, which K-State needs one win this weekend to secure a share of and two wins to win outright. Friday and Saturday night games against Oklahoma start at 6:30 while Sunday’s final installment will get underway at 1:00 pm.

John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

In what has become a banner year for athletics at Kansas State, the Wildcat baseball mounted a sensational comeback over the weekend to defeat the Jayhawks 9-6 on Saturday to retain sole possession of first place in the Big 12. After giving up the first six runs of the game to the Jayhawks, K-State scored nine straight – including three in the ninth inning – to down KU and retain sole possession of first place tie in the conference. They completed the sweep with a 7-3 victory in Lawrence on Sunday after winning the first game of the series 4-3 on Friday.

With a four game win streak and 14-7 conference record, K-State has cracked open tight race for first place over Oklahoma and West Virginia, who both stand two games back at 12-9. They did so after falling behind early to KU (12-12 in conference) on Saturday by giving up six runs in the first three innings while being blanked themselves. However, they were able to get some late game heroics against KU reliever Jordan Piche (6-3). Piche leads the Big 12 with a 0.71 ERA and had not allowed more than one run in 25 previous outings. However, the Wildcats were able to secure two runs in the seventh to tie the game, and then hit two home runs to score three in the ninth inning.

Completing the sweep Sunday afternoon required fewer dramatics. The Wildcats scored two runs in the top of the first inning and started off with a 5-1 lead before pulling out a 7-3 victory. Second baseman Ross Kivett had three hits in five at bats, scoring two of the teams runs. Blake McFadden (5-2) went five innings for the victory. Facing 17 batters, he allowed three hits, two runs, walked three, and struck out one.

K-State will look to lock up a regular season championship this weekend with a three game series against Oklahoma. The games will be in Manhattan, where the Wildcats are 7-2 in conference play. Oklahoma is 12-9 in the Big 12 but only 4-5 on the road.

Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports

Yesterday we previewed the first half of the mess that is replacing quarterbacks in the Big 12 (seven of the league’s ten teams lose their starter to graduation). Here are the final four on the list before we look at how K-State’s (unnamed) starting quarterback will once again be the best in the land.

Texas: Texas actually returns a starter in David Ash. I will not say Texas returns a starter I’d like to see under center for the Wildcats. Fact: Ash did pass for 50 more yards than Collin Klein. He was also not featured against the Wildcats last year. He missed the 42-24 thrashing while injured on the bench, leaving Case McCoy to throw two interceptions in that game. Texas quarterbacks do not scare me.

Texas Christian: TCU finds itself with a comparatively embarrassing glut of talent at quarterback. Trevone Boykin was thrust into the starting position last year and helped lead the Horned Frogs to a 7-5 regular season record and a close 17-16 loss to Michigan State in the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl. However, Casey Pachall also returns after undergoing a rehabilitation program last year. Pachall has started 17 games and led TCU to an 11-2 record in 2011.

Texas Tech: Mike Leach’s air raid offense is technically gone, but the statistics weren’t for outgoing Seth Doege this year. Doege tied West Virginia’s Geno Smith for third in passing yardage this year and completed over 70 percent of his throws. Michael Brewer appears to be the frontrunner to replace him, though freshman Davis Webb will push Brewer all season.

West Virginia: While K-State certainly wouldn’t mind seeing Smith for one more rodeo (he was held to only one touchdown and two interceptions while averaging 4.5 yards/attempt when the Wildcats visited Morgantown), there’s no denying he was the most saught-after quarterback from the Big 12 this draft. Ford Childress and Paul Millard battled to play the role of replacement throughout spring training camp. A Florida State transfer, Clint Trickett, will also be available at the start of the season for a wide-open contest.

Click here for our review of the first half of the conference.

Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

When K-State takes the field against North Dakota State in late August this year, who will assume the starting quarterback spot remains an open question. What is known is that whoever starts under center, they will have a solid chance to earn all-conference honors in what should be a wide open race for quarterback of the year in the Big 12 in 2013.

The Big 12 lost more talent at the QB position than any other league this year: Collin Klein, Landry Jones, Nick Florence, and Geno Smith have all moved on. In fact, seven starting quarterbacks in the Big 12 last year were seniors and their departures leave a dearth of experience.  With so much turnover and turmoil, The Jug provides a quick look at what the conference has to offer (in two parts!), and what this means for K-State:

Baylor: Departing quarterback Nick Florence led the league in passing yards last year with 4,309 and completed 61.6 percent of his passes. He likely would have been picked up as an undrafted free agent should he have chosen to attempt a career in the NFL, but chose instead to continue his studies and will receive his master’s degree in December. The team has no proven quarterback returning, and junior Bryce Petty (ten attempts in 2012, seven completions) is expected step into the role.

Iowa State: Iowa State will be unveiling both a new quarterback and a new formation as the Cyclones have committed to running the pistol this upcoming season. With leading quarterback Steele Jantz gone and Jared Barnett announcing his transfer in January, Iowa State will look to either Sam Richardson or Grant Rohach. Richardson was third on the depth chart last year and did throw for 541 yards in four games. Barnett was featured in the game against K-State, completing just 16 of 36 passes.

Kansas: Starter Dayne Crist has exhausted his eligibility and was extended a mini-camp invite by the Kansas City Chiefs. However, Crist fell out of favor in the second half of the season and the team is happy to fully turn the reigns over to Jake Heaps. The transfer from BYU sat out last year and played in 22 games for the Cougars. Redshirt sophomore Michael Cummings will also see time, as he saw time in eight games last year (notably the second half against K-State when Crist was pulled after a disastrous start to the second half).

Oklahoma: Landry Jones entered the 2012 season a Heisman hopeful until his team was limited to under 20 points against K-State IN NORMAN while throwing an interception and fumbling away a football which K-State recovered in the end zone. Blake Bell, who saw a lot of goal line time last year due to his size and ability to punch through quarterback sneaks, will get the first opportunity to replace him. K-State fans will remember Bell for trying to run one of those infamous sneaks last year, only to fumble the ball (and a chance to win the game) away.

Oklahoma State: The Cowboys had a veritable merry-go-round of quarterbacks last year due to injuries. Clint Chelf, J.W. Walsh and Wes Lunt all return after having started at least one game each last year. They have been named co-starters. Lunt started the game against K-State last year as a freshman, but threw three interceptions and left with an injury in the third quarter. He also had 184 yards and one touchdown when Chelf came in to replace him. Chelf was 16/27 and had only one interception to his one touchdown pass, but neither player left Manhattan feeling good about the team’s 44-30 loss.

Edit: 12 hours after this post went up, it was announced that Wes Lunt would seek to transfer from Oklahoma State.

To read the second half our analysis, click here.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

A watchlist contender on several preseason awards lists, Kansas State centerfielder Jared King has been named one of 60  finalists for the Golden Spikes top amateur baseball player in the country. The Golden Spikes Award, in its 36th year, recently released its top 60 players as part of an ongoing process that will culminate in the July 19th presentation of the top player.

King will go through several additional iterations of the process before getting to the July 19 presentation, should he receive the award. The 60 contestants will be narrowed to 30 on May 28. At this point, fans will be able to vote to select three semifinalists, to be announced shortly later on June 4th. The final presentation will take place on MLB Network’s “The Rundown.”

King is one of just a handful of Big 12 players on the watchlist, with perennial powerhouse SEC leading the nation with 12. The Pac 12 is shortly behind at 10 and the ACC has five. He has helped lead K-State to a 33-15 record on the season, with a 9-7 record in the Big 12 conference. The junior is batting .331 on the season with six home runs and 42 RBIs on 166 at bats. He has an on-base percentage of .412. Additionally, his fielding percentage of .977 has helped put his team in contention for a league championship with a chance to make some noise in the NCAA tournament.

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

If there’s a rush to lock up talent early in the NCAA, you can count on an equally strong push to rank that talent. And with a total of five verbal commits in its 2014 recruiting class, K-State’s haul is currently ranked 26th in the nation following the decision of DE C.J. Reese earlier this week. A brief look at these five:

Robert Castaneda (OT), 6’5″ & 318 lbs out of of Round Rock, TX: Castaneda is a big junior, and will be a bigger senior. A three star recruit, he could anchor the left tackle spot for multiple years in Manhattan.

Elijah Lee (DE), 6’3″ & 210 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: Lee was actually the second player from Blue Springs to commit to K-State after his teammate Dalvin Warmack. He is the #23 DE in the nation.

C.J. Reese (DE), 6’4″ & 260 lbs out of San Ant0nio, TX: Reese was the Wildcats’ latest get and has shown great strength with a bench press of 365. Read more about his decision here.

Dalton Risner (OG), 6’4″ & 285 lbs out of Wiggins, CO: Risner is the #12 guard in the country and had a wealth of offers including Arizona St., Colorado, Missouri, and Wyoming. A three star, he is considered a strong candidate to earn an even higher ranking his senior season.

Dalvin Warmack (RB), 5’9″ & 180 lbs out of Blue Springs, MO: The first to commit to K-State from Blue Springs, Rivals ranks him the #9 all-purpose back in the country.

Reese is a two star player, while the other four are all three star athletes. What’s impressive here is not merely the value of players, but the critical needs being met. DE is one of the team’s biggest questions going into 2013, but Lee and Reese promise to bring some long-term stability to the position. Part of the reason for Klein and Hubert combining for such a devastating rushing attack is what I considered the best offensive line in the Big 12. With Castaneda and Risner, the team is targeting two more athletes to help control the trenches. And Warmack looks to be the next breakout scatback following in the footsteps of Darren Sproles and Hubert.

As expected, Texas is the highest ranked team in the Big 12 and is the early #1 in the nation with 15 early commitments. Oklahoma is #18 and TCU is #20. Trailing K-State are #33 Baylor, #37 Texas Tech, #44 Iowa State, #45 Oklahoma State, #54 Kansas, and #57 West Virginia. No verbal commitment is binding, a lot of time is still on the table, and players can always surprise (both good and bad ways) their senior years. However, K-State was considered extremely late to the recruiting party this year and it’s nice to see some early work being done for the next class.

So readers – what’s the next position Bill Snyder needs to fill for the class of 2014?

Finishing just behind the University of Kansas, K-State ranked second in the Big 12 for average game attendance at men’s basketball games this year. With 204,527 total visitors to Bramlage Coliseum over 16 games, the Wildcats averaged 12,783 attendees per contest for 2012-13.

Making the figure all the more impressive is Bramlage’s listed seating capacity of 12,528 – 250 fewer seats than were filled (you’ll have to contact the physics department over in Cardwell Hall to figure out how those numbers work out). The 12,783 number was good for 25th in the nation.

Attendance was down slightly from 2011-12 when K-State averaged 12,652. However, it still moved up the rankings as Texas enjoyed a more, er, enjoyable season last year with 13,669 per game but fell in 2012-13. K-State has been more impressive each year when measuring what percentage of capacity its fans fill. While Manhattan has filled 100 percent of its seats for consecutive years, Texas filled only 83 percent of capacity last season and dropped to 73 percent capacity this year.

KU was 10th in the nation with an average attendance of 16,445, also exceeding Allen Field House’s capacity of 16,300. Texas was third in the Big 12 and 30th nationally with 11,950 per game.

Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports

Returning reserve quarterback Daniel Sams will compete for the starting job over the next two weeks for the Wildcats.

Bill Snyder has taken on rebuilding efforts before, but this season will require all of the Silver Fox’s magic to rebuild one of (if not the) Big 12′s best defenses after graduating 10 starters. The team will rally around stellar safety Ty Zimmerman and returning back up linebacker Tre Walker, who was lost halfway through last season with a knee injury. Safety should the defensive unit’s strength, with Dante Barnett being the name to get familiar with after he filled in for Zimmerman when he missed time at the end of the season. So what else should fans look for?

The offensive line is the easiest piece to figure out. All five starters return, including the conference’s best tackle in Cornelius Lucas. Leading rusher John Hubert is back too – the question is whether the anointed quarterback and another running back can help shoulder the load for the strong but diminutive player. With back up Angelo Pease exhausting his eligibility, the most experienced running back is DeMarcus Robinson who recorded six carries in three games in 2012.

The big story will of course be the battle between Daniel Sams, who has been with the program two years and was highly recruited as a dual-threat quarterback out of high school, and transfer Jake Waters who was crowned the NJCAA Offensive Player of the Year last year. There are lots of questions to unpack regarding this competition in the coming days.

]]> http://jugofsnyder.com/2013/04/02/kansas-state-football-spring-practice-starts-wednesday-april-3/feed/ 0 http://jugofsnyder.com/2013/04/01/kansas-state-advances-to-wnit-final-four-with-win-over-illinois/ http://jugofsnyder.com/2013/04/01/kansas-state-advances-to-wnit-final-four-with-win-over-illinois/#comments Mon, 01 Apr 2013 19:33:38 +0000 Dave Thoman http://jugofsnyder.com/?p=2884 Another game, another 20+ points for Brittany Chambers as the Wildcats defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday to advance to the WNIT semifinals on Saturday. However, Chambers scored a postseason low of 21 this season as Kansas State exhibited a more balanced effort in overcoming Illinois by a wide margin, 68-48. Facing some of [...]

Kansas State Advances to WNIT Final Four With Win Over Illinois - Jug of Snyder - Jug of Snyder - A Kansas State Wildcats Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Another game, another 20+ points for Brittany Chambers as the Wildcats defeated the Illinois Fighting Illini on Saturday to advance to the WNIT semifinals on Saturday. However, Chambers scored a postseason low of 21 this season as Kansas State exhibited a more balanced effort in overcoming Illinois by a wide margin, 68-48.

Facing some of its stiffest competition in the WNIT, Kansas State played possibly its best game of the postseason, including the Big 12 tournament. The Wildcats forced 18 turnovers and held Illinois to under 50 points – the first team to do so all season. Leading the way with steals was Mariah White, who recorded four.

On the offensive end, Chambers was once again the focal point with 21 points on eight of 15 shooting. Continuing a trend, she was also unstoppable from behind the arc where she acquired most of her points, knocking down five of 11 threes. Chambers also accumulated three rebounds, five assists, and two steals.

Pacing Chambers for much of the postseason has been fellow guard Haley Texada, who knocked down seven shots for 16 points in the game. However, forward Chantay Caron had the career game that really propelled the Wildcat blow out. Since losing five players to season-ending injuries this year, K-State has been playing a small line up and relying on Caron as the only non-guard in the starting five.

The responsibility threatens to take a toll as she is responsible for guarding true centers like Baylor Brittney Griner and isn’t afforded the substitution options of teams playing with a full roster. However, Caron busted out for a career-high 19 points and six rebounds against Illinois. The Wildcats will need a similar continued effort as they continue their march toward a WNIT championship. They have already secured a winning record this year (currently 19-17), and will take on Utah Wednesday evening at Bramlage Coliseum.

 

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