Getting to Know the BatCats
Now that basketball season has come to an end, it’s time to shift focus to the Kansas State University summer sports. First up is the baseball team. College baseball often hides in the shadows throughout most of its season. By the time things heat up, students are already checked out waiting for summer and it just can’t compete with the Major Leagues. But in case you haven’t heard, K-State has a pretty good set of players being showcased at Tointon Family Stadium. Continue reading to get introduced to the team and see what the chances of playing in Omaha, NE for the World Series is.
Coaching
Leading the BatCats is 8th year coach Brad Hill. Hill came to the Wildcats in 2004 and since then has made big strides leading K-State to a record of 230-168-3 in that span including 2 NCAA postseason appearances in 2009 and 2010. Hill has 19 seasons of experience as a head coach and 4 more as an assistant. He played at Emporia State University and has many area ties including Hutchinson CC and Kansas University where he served as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator.
Pitching
According to the Kansas State Baseball media guide, KSU returns their top three starters from last season and 9 pitchers overall. Kyle Hunter will be the main attraction after being drafted but deciding to return for his junior season. Last season Hunter went 9-2 including a win over #1 Texas after allowing just 1 run in 6 innings of work. Joining Hunter in the starting rotation will be juniors Justin Lindsey and Kayvon Bahramzedah who went a combined 6-7. The relievers are a solid group with 3 returners including Evan Marshall, Thomas Rooke, and James Allen. There are obviously a few more players in the bullpen but they will be introduced as games are played.
Infield
The infield returns starters at 1st, 2nd, and 3rd base. The names you should be most familiar with are Kent Urban who had 54 starts last season, Wade Hinkle who transferred in after a stellar season that earned him 2010 National Junior College AA All-star honors, Jake Brown who had 41 starts at 2nd in 2010, and Tanner Witt who will probably cover short stop.
Outfield
All three OF starters from 2010 return for the 2011 season although some changes have been made. Jared King holds down center, Mike Kindel roams rightfield, and star Nike Martini will continue to lock left field after spending most of 2010 at center. Martini is the star of this unit and continues to produce big numbers which earned him Big12 player of the year honors last season as well as 2nd team all-American honors. CBD ranked him the #29 player in the country which you can read about here:
http://www.collegebaseballdaily.com/2010/12/25/nick-martni-kansas-state-top-100-countdown/
Catchers
So far this season the catching duties have been rotated to a few different players. Most recently Chase Graskewicz has seen the most action after getting 16 starts in 2010 and 33 appearances. Continue watching to see if this sticks through conference play or the rotating catchers becomes a norm.
Preseason Outlook from collegebaseballdaily.com
Key Returnees
OF Nick Martini (.416, 4 HR, 59 HR)
RP Thomas Rooke (4.18 ERA, 4-1, 61 K)
SP Kyle Hunter (4.59 ERA, 9-2, 58 K)
Key Losses
SS Carter Jurica (.363, 13 HR, 69 RBI)
3B Adam Muenster (.381, 21 2B, 33 RBI)
Key Newcomer
UT Shane Conlon
Two seasons removed from A.J. Morris, and Kansas State is still running strong. After a third place finish in 2010, the Wildcats are ready to stay in the top half of the league. Junior OF Nick Martini led the league in hitting last season, garnering All-American status and co-Player of the Year honors. Martini returns, but first team All-Big 12 infielders Carter Jurica and Adam Muenster are gone, leaving a hole in the left side of the infield. Junior IF Jason King will return after missing 2010 with injury. Four of the top five starters are back, led by junior starter Kyle Hunter and senior stopper Thomas Rooke.
How it’s gone so far
K-State got out to a great start in the non-conference play going 11-4. They grabbed a win in the conference opener against Nebraska but fell hard in the opening weekend of conference play at #5 Texas getting swept by the Longhorns in 3 games. The final two in the series were decided by just 1 run. This coming weekend won’t get much easier as the BatCats travel to Waco, TX to face #21 Baylor in a three game series. The rest of the season has no currently ranked opponents and should be a great time for the Wildcats to make their move in the conference and national scene.
Season Hopes
After two straight season playing in the NCAA regionals, the goal is a return trip. There are some changes that K-State will have to overcome but that also includes a group of great athletes to plug in. The preseason coaches’ poll had this unit finishing in the upper half at 5th. Kansas State also received votes in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll. Check back for box scores of the games and recaps of weekend series all season long.
*The information above is a paraphrase of information from the official Kansas State Baseball Media Guide which can be downloaded from Kstatesports.com