Who’s Hot, Who’s Not: Shintaro Inoue Extends On-Base Streak as Wildcats Crumble

Kansas State baseball has hit a wall to end the month of April. Since our last check-in, the Wildcats have gone a sub-par 5-7 and have lost four straight games, including a sweep by Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown and a walk-off by Nebraska last night.

With the final stretch of the regular season coming up, here's what to watch as the Wildcats look to right the ship.

HOT: Shintaro Inoue, NOT: Kansas State in ranked matchups

Yes, we talk about Inoue in every one of these articles, but he's worth mentioning. The middle-infielder has started all 45 games for the Wildcats and has increased his on-base streak to a whopping 31 games. He also has hits in six straight contests and 12 of his last 13.

Kansas State as a team, however, has developed a very concerning trend this season: a 1-8 record against ranked opponents. This spells trouble for the impending road matchup against #18 West Virginia this weekend. The Mountaineers sport an 11-5 home record and a 13-8 conference record despite losing their most recent series at Cincinnati.

HOT: Wildcat pitching in recent wins, NOT: Wildcat pitching in recent losses

This seems like a no-brainer, but let's dive into the numbers, because they're eye-popping. In this 5-7 stretch since our last check-in, Kansas State has allowed only 3.4 runs per game in their five wins. Only one of those wins allowed more than three runs, which was the 13-9 victory over Oklahoma State on April 11th.

However, in their last seven losses, Wildcat pitching has allowed nearly 11.3 runs per game. The best-case scenario during that stretch came in last night's game against Nebraska, when Kansas State squandered a 6-4 lead and lost 7-6.

HOT: UCF in Big 12 play, NOT: Kansas State in Big 12 play

The Wildcats wrap up the regular season on the road at UCF in mid-May. The Knights, as of this morning, have won four straight games and sport a 14-7 Big 12 conference record. They also have a daunting 16-6 home record.

Kansas State, on the other hand, has seen their road and conference records take a dip in recent action. The Wildcats have a 9-12 conference record after four straight losses to Kansas and Arizona. Their road record stands at 9-7 after last night's walk-off loss to Nebraska.

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