Kansas State baseball continues to tread water in recent action, going 4-4 since our last check-in. However, their overall season record sits at a respectable 21-12 going into the second weekend of April, and some individual stats jump off the page.
Here are some of the numbers, and some things to keep an eye on going into the next slate of games.
HOT: Wildcat slugging, NOT: Wildcat pitching
At this juncture in the season, it's always interesting to look at numbers that have stayed consistent, both good and bad. On the bright side, three Kansas State starters have driven in runs at a rate that outpaces their games played: Dee Kennedy, Carlos Vasquez, and AJ Evasco. The trio has 133 RBIs in 95 games, all starts.
‼️DEE KENNEDY WALKS IT OFF ‼️ pic.twitter.com/r20Laan7CS
— K-State Baseball (@KStateBSB) April 4, 2026
On the not-so-bright side, poor pitching has somewhat erased the effects of this offensive firepower. In the Utah series to end March, Kansas State scored double-digit runs twice, but lost both times. Lincoln Sheffield, Cohen Feser, and Miles Smith all gave up three runs or more on the 28th. Tanner Duke, Matt Flores, and Adam Arther all gave up four runs or more on the 29th. Despite the offense putting up 25 runs in two games, the defense allowed 29.
HOT: Shintaro Inoue, NOT: Arizona at home and in Big 12 play
Yes, we circle back to the Japanese infielder for basically every one of these articles. Inoue often finds himself in the middle of Kansas State's successes and failures, and he's once again achieved the former. He's strung together a whopping 19-game on-base streak, which includes three multi-hit games in recent action. He's started all 33 games, joining only Dee Kennedy in that category, and his season average has surged to a hearty .310 after a rough stretch earlier in the year.
The Arizona Wildcats will host Kansas State next weekend, but home-field advantage has not favored the felines down south. Arizona has a sub-.500 home record, sitting at 8-11, and a dismal Big 12 record of 3-9 with no series wins. They hit the road to face TCU and Arizona before Kansas State comes to town.
HOT: Oklahoma State offense, NOT: Lincoln Sheffield
This weekend, the Oklahoma State Cowboys come to Manhattan in a battle between 21-12 teams. The Cowboys have scored nine or more runs in each of their last five games, which helped them sweep Cincinnati in recent Big 12 action.
This spells trouble for a Kansas State pitching staff that's struggled recently, especially for Lincoln Sheffield. The senior struggled against the Cowboys last year, taking the loss in a 10-2 defeat. Sheffield has also lost three of his last four starts, including a season-worst six-run shelling against TCU on Saturday.
Bookmark Jug of Snyder and follow us on X with the username @JugofSnyder and Facebook @ksujugofsnyder.