Cats use seventh inning rally to beat Shockers, move to 20-3

How quickly things can change.

The Kansas State bench was flat and the momentum had disappeared. A three-run Wichita State rally in the top-half of the sixth inning had quickly stolen the life out of the K-State dugout.

What once was a comfortable three-run lead had quickly changed to a tied game.

But for Carter Jurica and the Wildcats, it took just one fastball for the game to change.

As the K-State junior dug into the batters box to lead off the bottom of the inning with the scored tied at three, Jurica backed off the plate. He knew the Shockers had been pounding the inside-half of the strike zone, and the Wildcats needed to make an adjustment.

Then, Jurica turned on the second pitch he saw.

The 0-1 pitch jumped off his bat and sailed out of Tointon Family Stadium, landing in the trees beyond the left-field wall.
With that single pitch, the momentum had shifted directly back to the Wildcat dugout and the record-breaking 4,745 fans in attendance.

Jurica's swing was all the Wildcats needed to secure the 8-3 victory over their in-state rivals Tuesday night.

"Carter [Jurica] helped us get that momentum back, thank goodness," head coach Brad Hill said. "He put a great swing on that ball, and that kind of loosened us back up a little bit."


It woke the Wildcats up from two innings of inconsistent pitching and a lack of offensive production.

"We had no momentum," Hill said. "They had basically taken all the momentum from us, and we were kind of scrambling on the mound and they are a big hit away twice from really breaking the game open."


Jurica's leadoff blast led to a five-run, game-defining inning for the Wildcats (20-3, 3-0 Big 12) and led to five runs in the bottom of the seventh, giving K-State a commanding 8-3 lead.

The Shockers were deflated.

During the inning they committed two errors on one play, watched pitching coach Brent Kemmitz explode onto the field to argue with home plate umpire Josh Schepis, and the game ultimately disappear from them.

With the lead, sophomore Matt Applegate took care of the rest.

The right-hander carried K-State through the eighth and ninth innings after ending the Shocker rally in the seventh.

He gave up just one hit in 2.2 innings of work, while striking out two Wichita State hitters to register the win and move to 1-0 on the season.

"In the first inning, struggled a little bit with my command, but I got zoned in with (catcher Daniel) Dellesaga in the second and had everything going," Applegate said.

With the win, the Wildcats secured their 20th victory of the season before heading south to resume Big 12 play in a three-game series with Texas Tech beginning Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

"It's a good win," Dellesaga said. "Anytime you can get to 20 in a season this early, it's good. We are excited, but we know there is a lot of season left."

Game notes
• With two hits on Wednesday, Nick Martini extended his Big 12-leading hitting streak to 20 games. It is the third longest in school history.

• The record-crowd of 4,745 broke the previous record set last season when 4,280 fans saw the Wildcats beat rival Kansas.

• Despite throwing four pitchers Tuesday night, the Wildcats saved their starting rotation and top two relievers for their series against Texas Tech.

Photos - Michael Schweitzer The Manhattan Mercury

K-State preps for in-state rival Shockers

Following their three-game sweep of Oklahoma State this weekend, the Wildcats will have just one day to prepare for a non-conference clash with in state rival Wichita State on Tuesday.

It may not be the first rival that comes to many K-State fans, but after two years in the program, junior relief pitcher Thomas
Rooke understands the significance of this game.

"It's going to be electric here, like nothing we have had this year" he said. "My first two years it's been electric every time they've come here. It's going to be packed."

First pitch for the showdown between the Wildcats (19-3) and the Shockers (14-7) is set for 6:30 p.m. The game will be the broadcast on Kansas 22 as well as on 1350 KMAN.

Rooke recorded the save in the most recent meeting between the Wildcats and Shockers. He shut the door on a 4-3 victory by the Wildcats on April 15th in Wichita last year.

After an impressive outing on Sunday against Oklahoma State, one in which he struck out a career high seven batters, Rooke will be one of the first options out of the bullpen for head coach Brad Hill.

K-State's offense heated up over the weekend. The Wildcats are coming off a series in which they scored 36 runs against Oklahoma State.

Junior first baseman Kent Urban led the offensive attack in the series, going 7-for-12 with two doubles in the sweep of the Cowboys. He is hitting .338 on the year, and it will be the first opportunity for the Barton County Community College transfer to face the Shockers in a Wildcat uniform.

"Coach [Hill] said it is probably going to be the most electric crowd we have [seen] this year," Urban said. "I'm excited. It should be a good match up."

Meanwhile, the Wildcats saw yet another impressive performance from their pitching staff this weekend. Sophomore left-hander Kyle Hunter registered his fifth win of the season in the second game of the double header Sunday, throwing six innings and giving up just one earned run.

The three-man starting rotation, comprised of senior Ryan Daniel, sophomore Evan Marshall and Hunter, now has a combined 12-0 record on the year.

"It's great to play behind them (the pitching rotation)," Urban said. "You know they are going to pump strikes."

As a junior in the program, Rooke knows what to expect in this rivalry game, and said he is ready for another opportunity to face the Shockers at home. He said with the momentum built from this weekend's sweep, the Wildcats will head into the game with plenty of confidence .

"It's awesome," Rooke said, "It's a big deal, and hopefully the rest of Manhattan knows it."

The starting pitcher for Tuesday's match up with Wichita State has not yet been announced. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.

K-State opens Big 12 with sweep of Cowboys

K-State took their first step towards another successful run in the Big 12 this weekend — and it was an impressive one.

With timely hitting and a more controlled pitching effort than Friday, the Wildcats completed a weekend series sweep of Oklahoma State on Sunday afternoon.

It was the first conference-opening sweep for the Wildcats since the inception of the Big 12 conference.

The Wildcats took both games of the double header Sunday by scores of 9-3, and a 13-3 run-rule victory in seven innings.

The double header was scheduled after Saturday's action was canceled because of inclement weather in the Manhattan area.
I
t was a truly impressive and convincing showing by the Wildcats in their first Big 12 series of the season, compiling 18 hits in the 16 innings of play on Sunday.

"It's not easy to sweep in this league even at home," head coach Brad Hill said. "Obviously on the road it is almost impossible to do that. For us to be able to accomplish that is a start."

It's a start towards a repeat and perhaps even an improvement upon last year's record-breaking season. The Wildcats are now atop the Big 12 standings, as the only team with a perfect 3-0 conference record after the first weekend of Big 12 play.

The Wildcats (19-3 3-0 Big 12) will have a quick turnaround before their next action, as in-state rival Wichita State (14-7) comes to Manhattan on Tuesday for a 6:30 p.m. clash with the Wildcats.

Senior right-hander Ryan Daniel lasted five innings in the first game of the double header, giving up three earned runs on eight hits before junior Thomas Rooke took over in the sixth.

After an inconsistent performance on Friday night, the lefty silenced the Cowboy bats while on the mound by allowing just one hit in four innings.

"I struggled on Friday night," Rooke said. "I [knew] I had to move on from that. I came in and just tried to throw strikes, which is what they put me in there to do."

Striking out a career-high seven batters in four innings, Rooke was in control on the mound in the first game, and the Wildcat offense took advantage.

K-State scored three runs in both the sixth and eighth inning, to take a 9-3 lead, after Mike Kindel began the inning by drawing a walk. The offensive surge was all Rooke needed to guide K-State to the 9-3 victory in the first game.
After the 30-minute layover between games, The Wildcat bats remained hot.

K-State took advantage of several opportunities given to them by the Cowboys in the second game, including five walks in seven innings. K-State built a 4-2 lead over the Cowboys early in the game, before exploding for eight runs in the fourth inning.

Oklahoma State pitchers Ian McCarthy and Brian Denny combined to walk three Wildcat hitters during the fourth inning explosion, as K-State pushed their lead to 12-2 and put itself in position to run rule the Cowboys.

"It was just a great approach by everyone today, " junior first baseman Kent Urban, who went 7-for-12 in the series, said.

First pitch for the Wildcats' game against Wichita State on Tuesday is set of 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on Kansas 22.

Notes
* With a single in each of the two games, centerfielder Nick Martini extended his Big 12 leading hitting streak to 19 games. The streak is fourth in school history. Martini went 5-for-9 in the series.

* K-State's last three game sweep in Big 12 conference play came last season on April 3-4, when the Cats swept Nebraska on the road.

* The Wildcats made the most of their free passes this weekend as Oklahoma State walked 19 K-State hitters.

* The Wildcats have beat the Cowboys in their last six meetings, dating back to their 2008 victory on March 30.

* The Wildcat pitching rotation turned in another solid performance during the weekend. With Kyle Hunters win on Sunday, the rotation remained perfect on the year. Hunter moved to 5-0, while the staff moved to 12-0 combined on the year.

-Photo Rob Mikinski

Cats open Big 12 play with win over Oklahoma State

K-State was well within reach. Down just one run to the Cowboys in the eighth inning with perhaps their most dependable pitcher on the mound in sophomore closer James Allen, the game was still in their hands.

Allen had been called in to replace pitcher Matt Applegate after giving up a single to Dean Green to begin the inning. As a proven sophomore, he was expected to get the Wildcats out of the inning and back to the plate and overcome a one run deficit.

It was a in his job description, and Allen had done it before.

But that wasn't the case Friday night—at least not in the eighth inning.

Instead Allen hit two batters and gave up two hits, including a two run double to Nico Rosthenhausler.

Suddenly the Wildcats were down 11-7.

It was uncharacteristic performance by not just Allen, but the entire pitching staff Friday night. The Wildcats walked a season-high seven Cowboy batters Friday night and gave up 12 hits in the contest.

"I've never seen him hit a guy like that," head coach Brad Hill said.

But the Wildcats didn't panic. They used a seven run outburst in the bottom of the eighth inning to survive the first game of the weekend series. Junior first baseman Kent Urban highlighted the comeback with a bases-loaded three run double to center field, breaking an 11-11 tie and giving K-State a 14-11 lead.

Watching the action, Allen knew he had one more inning of work.

"I was relieved to get a second shot," he said.

And he took advantage of it. The six-foot right-hander worked quickly in the ninth inning, facing just three batters shutting the door on the Cowboys, and securing the 14-11 win for the Wildcats in the opening game of the series.

"[Evan] going back out there after giving up what he did, I thought was real big for him," Hill said.
Sophomore right-hander Evan Marshall started the game for the Wildcats, after Ryan Daniel was kept from pitching due to a Migraine headache. Marshall threw five innings, giving up six earned runs and walking a season high five batters.

"We walked a lot of people," Hill said after the game. "We haven't done that, I thought we tried to pitch too careful tonight and it really cost us. Once you start pitching carefully, you have to throw a strike and they (Oklahoma State) are sitting on it. "

But as they did all night the Wildcats used their offense to overcome their pitching mishaps. K-State scored four runs on four hits in the fourth inning breaking a 2-2 tie and take a four run lead.

But Oklahoma State would respond right back in the fifth and sixth innings. A sacrifice fly to right field by second baseman Davis Duren brought the Cowboys within three runs. The Cowboys then took the lead in the sixth when they scored four runs on three hits and a dropped fly ball in left field by Nick Martini.

The Wildcats began their comeback in sixth inning when they scored on a walk by Cowboy pitcher Brad Propst and completed it in their outburst in the eighth.

Despite the pitching performance, Hill said he was pleased with the ability for his team to respond late in the game.

"Our guys were just tremendously focused there," Hill said. "There was no selfishness there whatsoever. Nobody tired to get big and be there hero there. We tried to hit the ball flat and put pressure on them, we just swung the bats together there."

Due to inclement weather in Manhattan, the Saturday's game two of the series was postponed. A doubleheader has been scheduled for Sunday with first pitch set for noon. Both games will be broadcast on 1350 KMAN.

Photo - K-State Sports Information

Daniel leads impressive pitching staff, Cats into Big 12 play

Before the season began, head coach Brad Hill told his pitching staff not to try and replicate what A.J. Morris did last year.

Morris, a 6-foot-2 hard-throwing right-hander, had an unprecedented junior campaign in 2009. As the ace of the K-State pitching staff, he gave the Wildcats 14 victories on the mound en route to their first-ever post-season regional berth.

It was indeed an extraordinary individual performance, one that led to Morris being drafted in the fourth round of the amateur baseball draft by the Washington Nationals organization.

Observing every pitch closely from the dugout was teammate and newly transferred pitcher Ryan Daniel. He knew he could learn from what Morris was accomplishing on the field, and has applied it one year later.

"He kind of mentored me," Daniel said. "I watched and learned from him because he was just outstanding. He definitely helped me out."

That mentoring from Morris throughout the historic 2009 campaign has carried over into this season. He has not tried to replicate the success of his ex-teammate, but rather evolve into his own pitching style on the mound just as Hill instructed him and the rest of the pitching staff to do.

Daniel now leads the team with a 5-0 record on the year and has an impressive 2.48 ERA.

"I just came into the year (thinking) I am going to pitch like me," he said. "I can't pitch like A.J. I'm not (tall) and I can't throw 90 (miles per hour). I have to pitch my way, which is just being the best at what I do."

And after an impressive non-conference slate, one in which the Wildcats compiled a 16-3 record, Daniel will take the mound Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. to open K-State's Big 12 portion of its season against Oklahoma State.

He is the leader of an impressive group of pitchers who have developed into what will be the weekend pitching rotation during conference play.

Following Daniel is sophomore right-hander Evan Marshall and sophomore left-hander Kyle Hunter. The three have compiled an 11-0 record through non-conference play and have a combined 3.65 ERA.

"I think guys have established themselves early in the season," Hill said. "They have done a good job. I think the Big 12 presents a big challenge, the lineups are a little bit deeper up and down than what we have seen."

The Cowboys (14-3 0-0 Big 12) will present an early conference challenge for Daniel and the rest of the pitching staff. Oklahoma State enters the weekend as one of the hottest hitting teams in the Big 12 with both a conference-leading .352 batting average and a .542 slugging percentage.

Freshman catcher Dane Phillips leads the Cowboys with a .431 batting average. He has also connected for two homeruns and 19 RBIs.

"They are dangerous," Hill said. "The thing you can't do is get sloppy and fall behind in the count."

Meanwhile, Daniel and the rest of the pitching staff will rely on their proven ability to attack the strike zone this weekend to minimize the Cowboys' offense. The Wildcats have not allowed a walk in seven games and lead the nation with just 1.82 walks per nine innings.

"They are really coming out and pitching well," senior catcher Daniel Dellasega said. "They are not satisfied though, which is a good thing. Even if they get away with a pitch, they know where they need to be going, and that is kind of what I like best.

None of them are satisfied with what they have done so far. They know it is a long season."
All three games in the series will be broadcast live on 1350 KMAN.

Kansas State takes down Newman 7-1

It was a game scheduled on short notice, but Kansas State completed its solid nonconference slate by defeating Newman University handily with a 7-1 victory on Tuesday night.

The Wildcats learned of the makeup game on Monday and used the opportunity to give the team and pitching staff one last game of work before opening Big 12 play this weekend.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 16-3 overall heading into conference play Friday, where they begin a three-game home series against Oklahoma State. K-State enters conference play having won 10 of its last 11 games.

"I thought we had a pretty good night," head coach Brad Hill said after the game. "Offensively, I thought we created a lot of pressure and I thought we took really good swings."

The Wildcats used an explosive second inning to separate themselves from the Jets. With one out, K-State used a hit-and-run with with Kent Urban at the plate and Mike Kindel on first base to jumpstart the offense. Urban connected with a pitch from Steven Trevino, driving a single to left-center field, advancing Kindel to third.

Following a walk by Matt Giller to load the bases, Jake Brown drove a pitch down the right field line for a double, bringing in both Kindel and Urban and giving the Wildcats an early 2-0 lead.

K-State scored five runs in the inning, giving Hill the comfort of placing several pitchers on the mound to work throughout the night in preparation for the start of Big 12 play.
In all, Hill sent out seven pitchers to the mound on Tuesday night, led by sophomore starter Kyle Hunter, who improved his record to 4-0 with the two-inning performance. Hunter was followed by Justin Lindsey, who also recorded two innings of work.

"We had a great outing by all of our pitchers out there," junior shortstop Carter Jurica said. "We put up five (runs) early and they just carried us."
With the 5-0 lead, the Wildcats found another opportunity to extend their lead in the fifth inning.
With two outs, Giller laid a safety squeeze bunt down the third base line, scoring Kindel to push the lead to 6-0. After stealing second base, Giller scored on an RBI single by Jake Brown. Brown finished the game going 2-for-4 with a team-high 3 RBIs

Pushing the lead even further was something the Cats had struggled with early in the season.

"That is something we haven't done," Hill said. "The concern is we score something runs in one inning and haven't been able to add on. Tonight we did that."

With the non-conference portion of their season completed, the Wildcats will now shift their focus to the challenge of Big 12 competition.

K-State will face Oklahoma State on Friday with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. Kyle Hunter will take the mound again, looking for his fifth win of the season.

Notes:
•The Wildcats showed their speed on the bases Tuesday night behind the effort junior shortstop Carter Jurica, who swiped two bags on the night. He now has 12 stolen bases on the season. K-State leads the Big 12 in stolen bases on the season.

•Jurica also impacted the game with his ability to reach base. He walked three times in the contest, including twice being hit by a pitch. The Wildcats lead the Big 12 and rank sixth in the nation in reaching base by way of being hit by a pitch.

•Kyle Hunter recorded his second consecutive outing without allowing an earned run. The sophomore went two innings with two strike outs Tuesday night while allowing just one hit. In his last appearance, Hunter went eight innings with no earned runs and four strike outs.

K-State to Play Newman in Place of Canceled Games

In a final tune up before conference play, the K-State baseball team will play a weekday game against Newman University Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. The game was scheduled to replace two Wyoming games last weekend that were canceled due to inclement weather.

K-State has had three games canceled this season due to weather.

Sophomore left-hander Kyle Hunter will take the mound for the Cats Tuesday night. Hunter (3-0) has been part of a dominant pitching rotation for K-State this season, which includes Ryan Daniel (5-0) and Evan Marshall (2-0). The rotation has posted a combined 10-0 record and 2.50 ERA. Daniel is currently tied for the most wins in the nation with five.

The Wildcats (15-3 0-0 Big 12) enter the game having won 9 of their last 10 games, including a recent sweep over Kent State to open their 14-game homestand. Their only loss in the home stand came to Creighton on March 16.

The Jets will counter with senior Steven Travenio. The right-hander has posted a 3-2 record with a 7.75 ERA in 67 innings of work this season.

The Cats enter the contest with impressive offensive numbers built throughout their non-conference stretch. With a .366 team batting average, they rank second in the Big 12 in hitting. Senior Carter Jurica, who is hitting .432, is leading the Big 12 in runs scored with 24 and RBIs with 28.

Meanwhile sophomore center fielder Nick Martini enters the game with a Big 12 leading 15-game hitting streak.

The Jets (13-14 13-13 Heartland Conference NCAA Div II) recently went 1-4 in their series against St. Edwards.

K-State will begin Big 12 play this weekend as they face Oklahoma State in a three-game series beginning on Friday.

Muenster and Wildcats Growing into New Roles, New Season

Maybe the Wildcats were a little too eager to play two weeks ago as they opened their season in Charleston S. C.

They won two-of-three games, but things were a little shaky.

Coming off their most successful season program history, one in which they reached their first regional tournament, this team was eager to make another run. They were ready prove last year was not a one-time accomplishment — it was time to move to this season.

And perhaps one of the most enthused of the Wildcats was redshirt senior Adam Muenster. The newly transitioned third baseman may have even been a little too excited. During their first series, the redshirt senior hit an immediate slump, going just 1-14 before returning home.

But he wasn’t alone in his frustrations, the Wildcats committed four errors in the field during those opening three games.

“Everybody has nerves that first week of the season,” he said during an interview Wednesday. “Everybody is excited to play; it might almost be a thing where you get too amped up to play. Baseball is a game of relaxing, and I think that is something that just goes away with time.”

This young team was indeed eager to begin the season, as they continue to search for an identity beneath the shadow of the historic accomplishments from last year’s squad.

But the they know it is still early in the season, and the Wildcats (6-2 0-0 Big 12) have won games. They just understand this a transition period for the team.

As a senior, Muenster especially understands that.

He is playing in the third different position in his career. After seeing time at second base and right field, head coach Brad Hill has now called on his services to replace the injured Jason King at third base.

“It was like a challenge for him,” Hill said.

And Muenster jumped at the opportunity to try something new. Following a season of serving as the designated hitter, he was eager for another opportunity to play in the field.

He worked out in Illinois during the summer months and set a goal of increasing his arm-strength by playing catch everyday while also tweaking his throwing motion to make a quicker, stronger throw.

The adjustments and added strength have shown to be extremely beneficial.

“I thought it would be a lot more difficult than it was, but I’m actually starting to like it.” Muenster said. “Third base is kind of a position I like to be at, you just react instead of think about the play you have to make.”

After the Wildcats two opening series, Muenster has blossomed at the corner position. In 19 chances, he has made just one error, good for a .963 fielding percentage.

“It’s just one of those things, it’s kind of fun for me,” he said. “I like to diving a lot and making plays.”

Meanwhile, Muenster was able to break out of his early hitting slump last week. After a week of practice, he was able to find his stroke at the plate, reaching base 11 straight times in the Wildcats three-game series in Winter Haven, Fla. last week.

It’s the kind of lead-off production Hill said he needs from the senior.

“With him being a lead off hitter we want him on base more,” Hill said. “He has come back this week and been outstanding for us.”

Muenster and the Wildcats will continue to mold their identity this weekend as they end their road trip with a three-game series in DeLand, Fla.

K-State opens their home schedule with 11-game home stand on March 12. The home stand begins with a three-game series against Kent State.

Photo - K-State Sports

ESPN's Swing and Miss on the Sunflower Showdown

Despite being the self-proclaimed “World Wide Leader in Sports,” the ESPN network will suffer from a major swing-and-miss on Wednesday night.

After giving K-State first-class treatment in their daylong coverage of the Sunflower Showdown on Jan. 30 as part of the College Gameday telecast, the network decided to overlook round two of the rivalry.

The game, which placed a record crowd in the Octagon of Doom for the Gameday festivities and followed it up with a marquee overtime thriller in January, has been slotted for a place on the lowly Big 12 Network tonight.

Mistake? Absolutely.

Unless of course you would prefer to enjoy the national coverage lineup ESPN has decided to serve up in place of the only Top-5 match up of the evening. In place of the feisty rivalry game which took overtime to decide in January will be a primetime contest between Connecticut and Notre Dame—both unranked.

Over on ESPN2 there will be a slightly more tolerable match up between Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. National coverage worthy? Sure.

Yet the griping across the nation has been heard loudly already. An ESPN SportsNation poll released today, asked the question “Which game interests you the most?” and shows that two-thirds of the nation left in the dark for tonight’s Sunflower Showdown see the match up as the game of the night. Only the states of South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Massachusetts and Connecticut disagree.

The poll currently has over 51,000 respondents.

It’s clear the college basketball fans outside of the Midwest will be left in the dark Wednesday night and will miss out on the clear-cut game of the night.

Maybe ESPN will learn their lesson and take a closer look at the Sunflower Showdown next season.