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.
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