MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State baseball returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2013, as the Wildcats received an at-large bid and will compete in the NCAA Fayetteville Regional, hosted by No. 5 national seed Arkansas, starting Friday, May 31.
K-State (32-24) was selected as the No. 3 seed in the Fayetteville Regional and will take on the second-seeded Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (45-17) on Friday at 7 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium., in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
This is the program’s fifth NCAA Tournament appearance in school history and the first under head coach Pete Hughes.
The Cats will send lefty graduate Owen Boerema (6-3, 4.91 ERA) to the mound for the opening round and will go head-to-head with the Bulldogs’ left-hander Luke Nichols (4-3, 3.74 ERA). With 99 strikeouts on the year, Boerema set a single-season senior-class record, breaking Jim Ripley’s 2004 record of 90.
K-State and Louisiana Tech will meet for the fifth time in program history, with the Cats holding a 3-1 edge since the series start in 1986. The two squads last faced off on March 6, 2004, which led to K-State’s 7-4 victory and extended its win streak to three over La Tech.
The winner of the Kansas State-Louisiana Tech game will play the winner of top-seeded Arkansas (43-14) and fourth-seeded SEMO (34-25) on Saturday, June 1.
The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will play the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 7-9 or June 8-10. No. 12 national seed and top-seeded Virginia (41-15) hosts second-seeded Mississippi State (38-21), third-seeded St. John’s (37-16-1) and fourth-seeded Pennsylvania (24-23) in Charlottesville, Va.
Tickets are available through the Arkansas athletic ticket office. The Fayetteville Regional can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network. A free, live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
How to follow the ‘Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team’s social media channels on Facebook, X formally known as Twitter and Instagram.
GAME #57
K-STATE (32-24) vs. Louisiana Tech (45-17)
NCAA Fayetteville Regional // Hosted by Arkansas
Friday, May 31 // 7 p.m. CT // Baum-Walker Stadium (10,700)
Projected Starters: LHP Owen Boerema vs. Luke Nichols
Watch: ESPN+ // Jay Walker & Derek Jones
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Brian Smoller & Matt Walters
Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch
NCAA Fayetteville Regional
Friday, May 31
Game 1 – #1 Arkansas vs. #4 SEMO – 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 2 – #2 Louisiana Tech vs. #3 Kansas State – 7 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, June 1
Game 3 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 2 p.m. (TBD)
Game 4 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 8 p.m. (TBD)
Sunday, June 2
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser – 1 p.m. (TBD)
Game 6 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 6 p.m. (TBD)
Monday, June 3 (If Necessary)
Game 7 – If the Game 5 Winner Wins Game 6 – TBD
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State (32-24) heads into the 2024 NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed of the Fayetteville Regional, hosted by No. 5 national seed Arkansas, and will take on second-seeded Louisiana Tech … The other half of the double-elimination regional is home to top-seeded Arkansas and fourth seeded SEMO … K-State is coming off its fifth consecutive run in the Big 12 Championships, where it picked up an 8-4 win over West Virginia in the elimination round … On the year, K-State has produced a slash line of .271/.377/.426 as a team including 92 doubles, 15 triples and 59 home runs with three starters hitting over .300 … Brady Day’s .332 average leads the Cats offense followed by Kaelen Culpepper (.316) and Jaden Parsons (.305) … Day has driven in a team-leading 53 runs … Culpepper, Chuck Ingram, and Raphael Pelletier each have belted nine homers this season … K-State has stolen a league-high 127 bases this season led by 37 from Jones …The pitching staff has struck out record-breaking 550 batters this season and boasts a 5.44 team ERA with a 2.56 strikeout-to-walk-ratio … K-State will send lefty graduate Owen Boerema to the mound for the opening round of the regional … With 99 strikeouts on the year, Boerema set a single-season senior-class record, breaking Jim Ripley’s 2004 record of 90.
THE FAYETTEVILLE FIELD
K-State will meet No. 2 seed Louisiana Tech (45-17) in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament … On the other half of the regional bracket, No. 5 national seed and regional host Arkansas (43-14) will take on four-seeded SEMO (34-25) at 2 p.m. Friday … The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will play the winner of the Charlottesville Regional in the best-of-three-game super regional from June 7-9 or June 8-10. No. 12 national seed and top-seeded Virginia (41-15) hosts second-seeded Mississippi State (38-21), third-seeded St. John’s (37-16-1) and fourth-seeded Pennsylvania (24-23) in Charlottesville, Va.
SCOUTING NO.5/1 ARKANSAS
The Razorbacks enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 5 national seed and were selected to host its 11th regional … Arkansas enters the weekend with a 43-14 overall and punched a ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the 35th time in program history … Arkansas was one of a NCAA record-breaking 11 teams for the SEC to make this year’s tournament … The Razorbacks are hitting .268 as a team, with a .380 on-base percentage and .442 slugging percentage … Junior Peyton Stovall leads the offense with a .349 average while Wehiwa Aloy is the only player to send out 10+ homers this year (13) … Arkansas’ enters with a regional-best 3.66 ERA led by a 1.48 from left-handed starter Hagen Smith, who has struck out 154 batters this season which second in the nation to Wake Forest’s Chase Burns (184) … In its last regional appearance, K-State defeated Arkansas, 4-3, to claim the region title an advance to the super regionals in 2013 … Arkansas has a 30-19 advantage vs. the Cats in the all-time series, with just five games played outside of Fayetteville … The two squads last met in Kansas City on April 25, 2017, where the Razorbacks claimed a 6-5 10-inning victory …
SCOUTING NO. 2 LA TECH
Second-seeded Louisiana Tech (45-17) makes its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance, and third in the last four years … The Bulldogs claimed the CUSA regular season title with an 18-6 record, while 30 of its 45 wins came at home … La Tech last made a run in the tournament in 2022 at the Austin Regional, where they faced Dallas Baptist, Texas, and Air Force … La Tech is slashing .299/.395/.478 as a team led by Cole McConnell’s .380 average … The senior outfielder has belted a team-leading 18 homers this season, and is one of four to send out 10+ for the Bulldogs … With a 4.99 ERA, the pitching staff has held opponents to a .252 average with a regional-high 604 strikeouts, including 95 from right-handed reliever Sam Brodersen … Lefty Luke Nichols (4-3, 3.74 ERA) will make his 16th start Friday night … K-State and La Tech will meet for the fifth time in program history, with the Cats holding a 3-1 edge since the series start in 1986 … The two squads last faced off on March 6, 2004, which led to K-State’s 7-4 victory and extended its win streak to three.
SCOUTING NO. 4 SEMO
SEMO (34-25) was the only team from the Fayetteville Regional to clinch an automatic bid, after claiming its sixth Ohio Valley Conference Tournament title and third in the last four years under head coach Andy Sawyers … The Redhawks last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was in 2022 at the Louisville Regional, going 0-2 … SEMO has produced a slash line of .292/.398/.505 with 218 extra-base hits that includes 100 home runs and seven players hitting over .300, led by outfielder Michael Mugan (.322) … The pitching staff boasts a 5.72 ERA with an opponent average of .277 … The Wildcats lead the all-time series 3-1 against SEMO, after sweeping the Redhawks in a three-game set last season in Manhattan.
CATS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
K-State heads into its fifth overall NCAA Tournament, and first since 2013, while this marks the Cats second appearance in the Fayetteville Regional … The Cats are 7-8 all-time in the postseason tournament, that includes a 1-2 record in the 2013 Corvallis Super Regional … K-State hosted the 2013 Manhattan Regional after winning the Big 12 regular-season title … The Cats went 3-0 in the regional with wins against Wichita State, Bryant and Arkansas.
FROM THE PEN
The Cats’ pitching staff has combined for a record-achieving 550 strikeouts in 2024, breaking the previous record of 541 set in 2021 … K-State has issued 215 walks, for a 2.56 strikeout-to-walk ratio which is second in the league … Three members of the pitching staff earned All-Big 12 honors –Neighbors (Second Team), Boerema (Honorable Mention) and Wentworth (Honorable Mention) … K-State’s pitching staff is third in the Big 12 in fewest walks allowed (215), third in fewest walks per nine innings (3.85), fourth in strikeouts per nine innings (9.8), third in total strikeouts, and third in saves (15) …
IN THE BOOKS
With 10 strikeouts in his victory at the Big 12 Championships, Boerema set the senior-class single-season record as the lefty graduate has struck out 99 batters this season … Wentworth 107’s strikeouts this season ranks second in the single-season records – 11 behind current Major Leaguer Jordan Wicks – while Boerema’s 99 strikeouts is third in the single-season records … Boerema has compiled 194 strikeouts in his two seasons with K-State, ranking sixth all-time in school history …With 37 stolen bases this year, Jones is third in the single-season records while his 67 career stolen bases in third all-time … Jones is 11 career steals away from tying second all-time alongside Adam Muenster (2007-10) … Neighbors collected his 19th career save and stands third all-time in school history … With 17 doubles on the season, true freshman Nick English has matched the freshmen class single-season doubles record set by current Major Leaguer Nick Martini (2009).
COACH HUGHES FILE
Pete Hughes is in 27th season as a head coach and sixth at the helm of K-State baseball … With K-State’s selection to the NCAA Tournament, Hughes has now led four squads to the tournament, that included two appearances with Virginia Tech in 2010 and 2013 … In 27 seasons, Hughes has compiled a career record of 817-632-3 (.564) as a head coach … His 817 career wins are the most by any active Big 12 head coaches … In six seasons as the head coach of the Wildcats, Hughes has put together a 165-140 (.541) record … In 2023, K-State turned in a 35-24 mark, its highest win total since posting 45 in 2013 … Two players were selected in the 2022 MLB First-Year Player Draft increasing Hughes’ career draft total to 84, including 10 while at K-State, with 21 top-10 round picks after Nick Goodwin was taken in the seventh round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2023 MLB Draft … In total, Hughes has recruited 138 players who were drafted and/or played professionally, including 22 major leaguers and seven first-round draft picks.
THE STRENGTH OF 2024
K-State finished with the toughest Big 12 schedule in the conference with an average opponent RPI of 55, that included an average opponent RPI of 48 in games on the road … The 13 road games played between April 1-May 2 was the most by any Power 5 team … 12 of the 13 games were against a team ranked 42 or higher in RPI … K-State scheduled five non-conference games vs. teams that made the 2023 NCAA postseason and played total of 10 teams (20 total games) that competed in the 2023 postseason.
ALL-BIG 12 HONOR ROLL
K-State’s Brady Day was voted to the All-Big 12 First Team while Kaelen Culpepper and Tyson Neighbors received Second Team Honors to highlight the Wildcats’ nine total selections, as the Big 12 Conference revealed its 2024 All-Big 12 Baseball Awards Monday … Additionally, Owen Boerema, Nick English, Brendan Jones, Raphael Pelletier, and Jackson Wentworth each received honorable mention accolades while Blake Dean was named to the All-Freshman Team, as the awards were voted on by the league’s nine head coaches … The Wildcats’ nine selections match the program record that was set in 2013, while K-State was one of five schools from the Big 12 to have nine or more players receive All-Big 12 honors.
CALL THE COPS
The Cats have stolen a league-high 127 bases this season, ranking 10th overall in Division I … The Cats 2.27 stolen bases/game is first in the Big 12 and 12th in the nation … Jones has stolen a league-high 37 bases this season, ranking sixth in Division I … K-State has stolen 100+ bases in consecutive seasons, while the 2024 team’s 127 ranks third all-time in the record books … The K-State single-season record is 149 set in 2009 through 62 games.
COME BACK KIDS
K-State has recorded 14 come-from behind victories this season, including three on the road … The Wildcats have overcome four-run deficits in four games, and five three-run games … In their comeback wins, K-State is outscoring opponents 121-75 (+46) … Of the 14 wins, six were one-run games while four ended with margins of victory larger than six runs.
How to follow the ‘Cats: Stay up to date on K-State baseball online at www.kstatesports.com and on the team’s social media channels on Facebook, X (formally known as Twitter) and Instagram.
