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Kansas State just lit up the Big 12’s best pitching staff — here’s what that means

Wildcats hit milestone marks, eye strong finish at Cincinnati
ByBen Spicer|
State Farm College Baseball Showdown
State Farm College Baseball Showdown | Ben Ludeman/Texas Rangers/GettyImages

Kansas State baseball took a major step toward solidifying its NCAA tournament résumé over the weekend, winning two of three games against No. 19 West Virginia in its final home series of the regular season.

The Wildcats (31–20, 16–11 Big 12) capped the series with a statement win Sunday, erupting for 17 hits in a 14–9 victory — the most surrendered all season by the Big 12’s top pitching staff.

“We went against the No. 1 pitching staff in the league,” head coach Pete Hughes said postgame to KStatesports.com. “They’ have almost a 3.00 ERA in our league. That's a pretty good staff. I mean, we put 17 hits up on them today."

The win matched a program-best 16 conference victories in a season and marked K-State’s seventh Big 12 series win. It also included a historic swing: Seth Dardar’s eighth-inning grand slam was the Wildcats’ 90th home run of the season, setting a new school record.

Hughes believes his squad has earned national attention.

"We might be pretty good at baseball at Kansas State," Hughes said. "I think we're poised for the national tournament. I think with this weekend, our resume looks really, really good. We have a really good Cincinnati team left to play. This team has a chance to play a lot of baseball here this year."

K-State was listed among the final four teams projected into the NCAA Regionals by D1Baseball ahead of the West Virginia series. The series win likely improves its standing heading into the final week of the regular season.

Up next: the Wildcats hit the road for a three-game set at Cincinnati (29–22, 14–13), beginning Thursday. The Bearcats are coming off a series loss at TCU and host Indiana on Tuesday.

With the Big 12 Championship looming in Arlington, Texas, K-State controls its postseason destiny.

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