Cats Beat Shockers 7-4 to Sweep Series

WICHITA — It was exactly the kind of start No. 16-ranked Kansas State was looking for out of pitcher Kayvon Bahramzadeh at a packed Eck Stadium Tuesday night.

The Wildcats have struggled on the road of late, dropping their last two contests and four of their last five.

Yet, those road woes ended, at least for one night, as the sophomore turned in an impressive and much-needed outing against Wichita State.

Bahramzadeh's five innings of work, coupled with timely Shocker fielding errors, led to a 7-4 K-State victory and a series sweep of their in-state rival.

"Kayvon was outstanding tonight," KSU coach Brad Hill said. "We have been looking for that out of him."

After a rough outing against BYU last week, the right-hander worked through five innings, giving up just two runs on six hits against the Shockers.

"I've just been working hard and battling through some stuff," he said. "I have been kind of struggling throughout the year and I just kept grinding it out and finally had some good results."

Before heading out to the mound to try for his sixth inning of work, Bahramzadeh tossed five complete innings of shutout baseball.

But after Wichita State's Preston Springer led off the sixth inning with a single, Bahramzadeh would make perhaps his only mistake of the night when he left a fastball over the middle of the plate to Wichita State's Cody Lassley.

The senior drove a towering home run over the left-field fence, and suddenly the Wildcats' 2-0 lead vanished.
Bahramzadeh's night was finished, and it looked as if the road woes that have haunted the Wildcats recently, made the trip
with them to Wichita as well.

"It was my fault for leaving him out there in the sixth inning — we got what we needed — he gave us five strong innings and I left him out there too long," Hill said.

The Wildcats bullpen would prevail, however, and the offense rallied late in the game, taking advantage of several Shocker mistakes — including a dropped infield fly in the eighth inning, leading to the 7-4 victory.

"You have got to take advantage of errors, they had two today and we didn't have any. If you take advantage of errors and pitch well, usually you are going to win the game," KSU senior Adam Muenster said.

With the win, the Wildcats (27-8) swept the season series against WSU (22-14) after winning the first meeting in Manhattan 8-5 on March 30. It marks the first time since the 1952-53 season that the Wildcats have swept back-to-back series from the Shockers.

Wichita State picked up three runs in the sixth inning, taking a 3-2 lead into the seventh, and with the Wildcats recently struggling bats, it seemed it would be tough for them to battle back into the game, especially on the road where K-State had dropped two straight.

Eck Stadium proved to be even a more daunting task than the Wildcats' previous road trip at BYU with a record-setting crowd of 7,217 in attendance — the most to for a regular season game at Eck.

"We knew we had to come out here and hang with them," Muenster said. "It was going to come down to those last few innings — everyone knew it. It was just who was going to get on the board first and we happened to."

But the Wildcats got those late runs beginning in the eighth inning, highlighted by a two-out single by Ryan Moore after the Shockers dropped infield pop-up to give the Cats a 4-3 lead.

"It's very disappointing," WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. "We made way too many mistakes defensively. All we have to do is catch a pop-up or be in position to execute the bunt stuff we normally do, which is frustrating."
Capitalizing on those mistakes was all the K-State bullpen needed, led by Evan Marshall and closer James Allen, as both shut the door on the game and the series.

The Cats return to Big 12 action this weekend when as they hit the road again — this time to Missouri for a three-game series beginning Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.

Game notes
• Nick Martini stole three bases Tuesday night, marking the first time a Wildcat has had three steals in a game since Muenster stole three bags against Baylor in 2008.

• Tuesday's victory marked the first time in school history K-State has won four straight games at Eck Stadium.

• The Wildcats have now won five straight games against the Shockers and nine of their last 12 in the series.

- Photo K-State Sports Info

Lindsey Pitches Wildcats to Sweep

Brad Hill saw something out of his team this weekend.

Yes, there were the three impressive pitching performances in three days by Kansas State, and after a 3-2 victory over Baylor on Sunday, the K-State coach watched his Wildcats pick up their first Big 12 sweep of the season.

He saw all of that, but perhaps above everything, he saw them embrace an attitude that he preached before the series even began — the need to have a short-term memory.

His team needed to forget about losing two games at Utah in the middle of the week.

After Sunday, it was evident the Wildcats had, as No. 20 K-State improved to 26-8 overall and 9-3 in conference play — its best start to a season in school history.

"I think we put it behind us quickly," Hill said. "I don't think we lived in that at all, and I don't think we saw any repercussions of what took place Tuesday and Wednesday.
"The guys did a great job, and we talk about short-term memory. Those two games weren't very good, we put it behind us and got ready for Baylor."

Having that short-term memory and mindset was reflected the most in the performance of the Wildcat pitching staff this weekend.

K-State got two great outings in their first two victories of the series, and Sunday that pattern continued.
It was a perfect stage set for sophomore Justin Lindsey on Sunday to put the exclamation point on the Wildcats' sweep, as he too was looking to forget about a poor outing at BYU.

Lindsey did just that, going 6 1/3 innings, as he gave up just two hits, allowing no runs, for his third victory of the season.

"It was really good for us to just kind of clear that (BYU trip) and say, 'This is a whole new series,' and also in Big 12 play everybody gets pumped up," Lindsey said.

The Wildcats took the early lead in the third inning when second baseman Jake Brown opened the frame with a walk and eventually scored on a safety-squeeze bunt by Carter Jurica.

In a series that had been low scoring for the entire weekend, it was clear that every run was important, and the Wildcats knew they had to convert on every chance they had.

"It was a great pitching duel again today, and small things like that will win games," Jurica said.

K-State went on to score once more in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead.

With the lead, and pitching performance the Wildcats were getting, K-State took control of the game for good, despite a late comeback attempt by the Bears (21-14, 5-8).

In the seventh inning, the Bears pushed across their first run of the game with an RBI single to right field off the bat of Max Muncy. Baylor would close the gap even further in the eighth inning when Gregg Glime belted a solo home run to left field off of KSU reliever Thomas Rooke, narrowing the score to 3-2.

But that was as close as Baylor got though, as Evan Marshall slammed the door in the ninth inning to record his first save of the season.

"I think we played great this weekend," Muenster said. "It showed our toughness bouncing back. A lot of guys that had a tough week at BYU really stepped up this weekend."

With the win the Wildcats further solidified their sole possession of second place in the Big 12. K-State trails first-place Texas, which owns a 13-2 conference record.

The Wildcats will look to use the momentum built against Baylor and take it to the road on Tuesday at Wichita State, followed by a three-game weekend series at Missouri.

Photo- K-State Sports Information

Cats Set to Take on Baylor After Disappointing Road Skid

It wasn't the kind of trip they anticipated when the Kansas State baseball team left for Utah earlier this week, but the Wildcats have arrived back in Manhattan from their winless two-game trip to Provo.

Now, K-State is ready to get back to conference play — starting tonight when the Wildcats open a three-game home series with Baylor at Tointon Family Stadium.

With a light practice on Thursday, K-State has shifted its focus, and the Cats are ready to face Baylor tonight at 6:30 p.m.

"It was a long night," senior Adam Muenster said on Thursday, referring to the Cats' 13-10 lost to BYU on Wednesday night. "It was nice to get home and get some rest and get ready for (Friday). I think everybody is pretty much ready."

In their two losses to BYU this week, the No. 20-ranked Wildcats (23-8 6-3 Big 12) have got off to slow starts, missed opportunities late in the game, and then scrambled to find a consistent pitching performance on the mound.

In all, the Wildcats gave up 28 runs in the two-game series.

Despite that, Muenster said he isn't concerned.

"I think we are going to be fine," he said. "I think it was just a mild set back, but I think we are going to be alright. I think sometimes the season just gets long. It's just kind of a wear and tear and you kind of have some peaks and valleys and right there it was just one of those things that we just have to put behind us."

With Baylor in town tonight, the Cats are hoping to do, just that.

K-State will send senior right-hander Ryan Daniel to the mound tonight to make his ninth start of the season. Daniel holds a 5-1 record in those starts and has a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings pitched.

Meanwhile the Bears (21-11, 5-5) are scheduled to counter with junior right-hander Shawn Tolleson. The right-hander has a 1-4 record with a 4.19 ERA in eight starts.

Daniel's last appearance came in the Wildcats' 8-3 series-clinching win over Nebraska on April 11. Daniel threw five innings in the no-decision start.

"I'm excited," Daniel said. "I feel very confident and I'm just going to come out (Friday) and give my team an opportunity to win the game."

Baylor comes into the series as one of the better hitting teams in the Big 12 with a team average of .328. The Bears rank second in the category, five points behind the Big 12-leading Wildcats. Baylor ranks first in the Big 12 in slugging percentage at .516.

"I just know I can't relax when I pitch," Daniel said. "When they have two strikes, they are just going to shorten up and try to put the ball into play."

Baylor is currently in the midst of a four-game winning streak and has won six of its last seven games - including taking two of three against Texas A&M.

"They are going to be a very good team," KSU coach Brad Hill said. "They are riding on a lot of high emotion right now."
The series against Baylor will be part of a festive weekend around the K-State campus as alumni will in town for Alumni
Weekend and the Union Program Council will provide a post-game fireworks show following tonight's contest.

"The emotions are high in the Big 12," Hill said. "With the position we are in right now, we are at home, we have alumni coming in on Saturday, so again, we want to make sure we are at the top of our game this weekend.

First pitch for Saturday's game against Baylor is set for 2 p.m., while Sunday's game will start at 1 p.m.

Cats Take Series With 8-3 Win Over Nebraska

Winning the home games is important to Kansas State baseball coach Brad Hill. He's preached the value of winning the home
Big 12 series all season.

On Sunday, the 20th-ranked Wildcats did just that as they used a six-run sixth inning to drop the visiting Nebraska Cornhuskers 8-3 at Tointon Family Stadium.

It was K-State's second straight home series win, as the Cats improved to 23-6 overall and 6-3 in conference action.

"It was real big," Hill said. "You need to win them at home. You have got to take care of business at home."
The Wildcats and Huskers were tied at one in the sixth when centerfielder Nick Martini opened the inning with a line-drive single up the middle.

It was Martini's second hit of the game, having already extended his hit streak to a school-record 26 games in the first inning when singled to center and broke Chris Hess' 1995 mark of 25 games.

"He has been very mature about it," Hill said of Martini's pursuit of the record. "He goes about his business and gets his hits.
He takes walks and he doesn't really care. I appreciate his unselfishness and doing what it takes to help our team win."

The single up the middle sparked a six-run outburst, breaking the tie and giving the Wildcats a 7-1 lead.

"Since it was a tied game, I was just trying to go up there and hit something flat and I got something flat," Martini said.

Hill said the performance from Martini was something he has grown accustomed to throughout the season.

"He just continues to do good things for us," Hill said. "He seems to come up at the right times, and they were pitching pretty carefully to him and I thought he showed great patience all day today."

The Cats took the lead when Chase Graskewicz laid down a safety-squeeze bunt, scoring Martini from third and giving K-State its first lead of the game.

"That was huge," KSU shortstop Carter Jurica said. "We got those big bunts down and that really got it going and then we got clutch hits after that."

The squeeze bunt was followed by four consecutive hits as the Wildcats built their comfortable lead.

With the lead the Wildcats rode the combined pitching effort of Ryan Daniel, Evan Marshall, Thomas Rooke and James Allen to close out the game.

Combined, the pitching staff gave up just three earned runs, and Marshall recorded his third win of the season. Marshall threw 4 2/3 innings of relief work in the series after being moved to the bullpen following last weekend's trip to Lubbock.

Daniel made the start for the Wildcats on Sunday and pitched five innings, giving up just one earned run on seven hits. His performance kept the Cats in the game, despite two errors committed behind him early.

"He was very gutty," Hill said of Daniel. "We had some bad plays defensively that really could have cost us. He made some big pitches against some good players at the right time."

Hill said the rotation is going to continue to alternate between pitchers with the upcoming mid-week series against BYU.

"We are just going to keep flip-flopping," Hill said. "We are going to try and keep (Kyle) Hunter in the middle. That's probably what we are going to try and do."

The Wildcats will begin their series against Cougars on Tuesday with first pitch scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Series Notes

• Nick Martini's 26-game hitting streak is the longest active hitting streak in the nation.

• The Wildcats played in front of some of the largest crowds in K-State baseball history over the weekend. While there were no single-game records broken, the combined series crowd of 8,540 was the largest three-game series crowd in Tointon Family Stadium history.

• Adam Muenster recorded his 62nd career stolen base Sunday afternoon, breaking the school's record set by Tim Decker from from 1993-95.

• Matt Giller and Kent Urban's grand slams on Saturday afternoon were the first of their careers and the first grand slam in a K-State game since Justin Bloxom hit one last season on March 14.

Cats Crush Nebraska in Game 2

Something changed overnight for Kansas State.

After suffering a 5-3 loss Friday night to open its home series against Nebraska, the Wildcats felt they needed to make a statement in game two on Saturday.

The Wildcats needed a win, and they got it Saturday with a 13-5 victory over the Cornhuskers. But maybe even more so, they needed the way in which they beat Nebraska.

The swagger was back, the momentum steadily built in the form of two grand slams and 14 hits scattered throughout the game. The Wildcat offense wasn't going to be bottled up two consecutive days.

"We needed this win," senior Adam Muenster said. "We just wanted to come into today with a little more focus in the dugout and on the field, and play like we did earlier in the year."

With the win in hand, the Wildcats improved to 22-6 overall and 5-3 in Big 12. Meanwhile, Nebraska dropped to 16-15 overall and 4-7 in the Big 12.

Sophomore left-hander Kyle Hunter recorded the win to improve to 6-0 on the year. Hunter threw five innings, giving up four earned runs on seven Nebraska hits.

For head coach Brad Hill, it started with a plan on improving what the Wildcats did Friday night.

That plan, Hill said, focused on a more aggressive approach at the plate than he saw Friday night, when the Wildcats left 10 runners on base in the 5-3 loss.

"I told the guys before the game 'If you are going to swing, swing aggressively,'" Hill said.
His team listened.

With the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth inning and the game tied at three, sophomore left fielder Matt Giller connected on a pitch from Nebraska's Chase Adams, driving it over the left-field wall.

The grand slam opened the game up, giving the Wildcats a commanding 7-3 lead.
With the four-run lead, the Manhattan native gave the Wildcat bench the energy and spark they had been searching for since the series began.

"I knew it was a pretty good opportunity," Giller said. "We have been getting runners in scoring position and just not getting that hit. Coach always talks about getting the big hit, and I just tried to get the big hit."

The Wildcats weren't finished though.

With the bases loaded and another opportunity to extend their lead in the sixth inning, Kent Urban drove a first-pitch fastball over the centerfield wall for the Wildcats' second grand slam of the afternoon.

"I just got that first pitch fastball down the middle and put a pretty good swing on it and fortunately it went out," Urban said.
K-State went on to score one more run in the sixth inning off a double from Muenster and pushed its commanding lead to 13-4, and with dependable closer James Allen on the mound Hill was comfortable.

Allen pitched 2.2 innings of relief work for the Wildcats, striking out two and gave up just one run.
"I was pretty confident," Allen said. "I just knew all I had to do was hit my spots and I had to lock in with [catcher Daniel]
Dellasega, who did a great job of calling pitches. I just tried to hit his chest and good things happened."

The series finale between the Wildcats and Huskers is scheduled for 1 p.m. today at Tointon Family stadium.

Photo- Michael Schweitzer The Manhattan Mercury

Wildcats Fall to Nebraska in First Game of Series

Maybe five days off just wasn't enough time.

Kansas State head baseball coach Brad Hill said early this week his team embraced the break between its series against Texas Tech and the matchup with Nebraska this weekend.

But the same inconsistencies remained Friday night.

Despite putting themselves in position to make a comeback, the Wildcats dropped the first game of the three-game series 5-3 at Tointon Family Stadium.

Sophomore Justin Lindsey (2-1) threw four innings, allowing four earned runs off four hits to take the loss in his first career Big 12 start.

It was the third inning when Hill became concerned. With his team down 3-0, the Wildcats immediately put themselves in a position to respond at the plate, but they came away with nothing.

Manhattan High product Blair DeBord led the inning off with a walk, followed by a double from Adam Muenster down the left field line. Carter Jurica walked next to load the bases with just one out.

But two consecutive strikeouts to end the inning without a scoring a run, began a pattern of missed opportunities in the game.

"I was really disappointed in the bottom of the third," Hill said. "I felt like it wasn't our hitting. I felt like we didn't have energy from our bench in the last two innings, and then all of a sudden you get a sense of urgency with the bases loaded and one out after they score three. There is a sense of urgency there to need to score. I didn't feel like we really had that from our bench."

The Wildcats had one final opportunity in the ninth inning to string together a comeback when Nick Martini drove a ball into right field, scoring Debord and cutting the Nebraska lead to two.

The Wildcats bench suddenly came alive again with energy, but Daniel Dellasega flew out to right field and the single run was all K-State would come away with.

"I felt like we waited a little bit to long to get that energy we needed," senior Adam Muenster said. "The last few innings our bench really came alive and the bats kind of came alive also. It's something where you can't wait for the ninth (inning) to do it.

You have to have it throughout the game and usually we are pretty go at it, but tonight we weren't that good at it."

The Huskers rode an impressive pitching performance from their weekend ace Michael Mariot (3-4), who struck out a season-high seven batters en route to his third victory of the season.

"He was good," Muenster said. "He had the ability to throw the off-speed pitch for a strike a lot in the count and got ahead in the count and didn't walk too many guys. He pitched well tonight."

Meanwhile, Mariot was supported by teammate Adam Bailey at the plate. The senior right fielder hit two home runs in the contest — both to right field.

Bailey's second homer came on the first pitch he saw in the seventh inning off junior reliever Thomas Rooke. The lefty had worked through two innings of relief work, keeping the Wildcats in the game, but he missed with a fastball, and the Big 12 home run leader drove it into the trees beyond the right field wall.

"I got a little anxious a couple games ago, and I kind of said, 'relax and let the ball come to you,'" Bailey said. "That's what I did. I tried to relax as much as possible. I wasn't looking for a fastball, I was looking for something away, and I just trusted my hands and let them fly."

It was Bailey's seventh home run this season.

Cats hope to learn from lessons in Lubbock

It wasn't the way head coach Brad Hill and Kansas State envisioned the first road series, but the reality of Big 12 baseball hit the Wildcats in the face last weekend at Texas Tech.

The 20th-ranked Wildcats (21-5, 4-2 Big 12) dropped the first two games of their series against the Red Raiders (14-16, 4-5), making an abundance of pitching mistakes and missing several chances at the plate. But thanks to a stellar performance by reliever James Allen, the Cats scraped out a 10-6 come-from-behind win on Saturday and avoided the sweep.

For the Wildcats, it was a learning experience.

"I think a few of them really grew up, and realized how tough it is to get wins on the road in the Big 12 and what it means to win a series," sophomore outfielder Nick Martini said.

The trip to Lubbock, Texas was indeed a growing process, a chance for the younger players on an already youthful Wildcat squad to get a glimpse of the challenges that lie ahead for the rest of the conference season.

"Going on the road is extremely tough," Hill said. "You have five new guys in the lineup for the most part and pitching-wise guys in new roles. Texas Tech had a great plan, and they executed it really well. I'm not pleased that we only got one win down there, but at the same time you feel fortunate."

Now, the Wildcats have had a complete week of practice to prepare for a three-game home series against Nebraska (15-14 3-6 Big 12), beginning on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. K-State is currently in second place behind only Texas (22-7, 7-2) in the deeply competitive Big 12.

With the inconsistent pitching performance in Lubbock, Hill has made adjustments to the Wildcat pitching rotation for this weekend. Sophomore right-hander Justin Lindsey (2-0) will take the mound for the Friday night start, followed by left-hander

Kyle Hunter (5-0) on Saturday and right-hander Ryan Daniel (5-1) on Sunday.

Right-hander Evan Marshall (2-1) was removed from the rotation after giving up seven earned runs on 3.1 innings pitching in the 8-5 loss in Lubbock.

"Our starting pitching just didn't make very good adjustments," Hill said. "Every mistake that we threw up there, they hit extremely hard."

Lindsey last took the mound in a starting role in the Wildcats' winning effort against Wichita State on March 30. He threw 5.2 innings and gave up one earned run while walking three Shocker batters in the no-decision effort.

Meanwhile the rest of the rotation remains in tact with Hunter and Daniel scheduled to anchor the final two games of the series.

"We are trying to minimize big innings," Hill said. "(Texas) Tech had some big innings on us. From a pitching standpoint, you have to be tougher and learn how to make pitches. It seemed like (we would give up) a base hit and then we would hit somebody, then all of a sudden our pitches got real flat. We didn't make aggressive pitches."

The Huskers enter the series having lost three of their past four contests. Nebraska dropped two of its three games at Stillwater against Oklahoma State last weekend, a team the Wildcats swept at home in their Big 12 opener.

Right-hander Michael Mariot is scheduled to make the start for the Huskers on Friday evening. The junior has a 2-4 record and 5.16 ERA on the season. The Wildcats swept a three-game series in Lincoln during their last meeting in 2009.But Hill said this Husker team has improved from the 2009 Nebraska squad, which finished with a 25-25 overall record and an 8-19 record in the Big 12.

"I think they are a team that is much improved, and obviously after last year I would think they are ready to come in here ready to get after it this weekend." Hill said.

Kurt Giller to have season ending surgery

Freshman Nebraska pitcher and Manhattan native Kurt Giller is scheduled to undergo season-ending elbow surgery after MRI tests from earlier this week revealed a benign cyst on the right humerous of the freshman's elbow.

The results prevented a possible match up this weekend between Giller and his brother Matt, a redshirt sophomore outfielder for the Wildcats.

Matt and Kurt both lettered three years at Manhattan High School.
Matt walked on to the Wildcat baseball team his freshman year, and was eventually redshirted during his first season.

Meanwhile, Kurt accepted an offer to play at the University of Nebraska.
"I tried to get him to come here, and (K-State designated hitter and former Manhattan teammate) Blair DeBord tried to get him to come," Matt said. "I thought it would be kind of cool to have a brother on the team."

The two brothers frequently talk on the phone, and Matt has used his three years of college experience to mentor his younger brother during his freshman campaign at Nebraska.

"We probably talk once a week." Matt said. "Not necessarily about baseball but about life and how his college life is going and trying to help him in anyway I can."

Kurt has appeared in eight games, accumulating an 0-1 record with an 11.20 ERA.

"He has been struggling a little bit lately and so I have been trying to talk to him through the process," Matt said.

Matt has had the best season of his career in 2010. He is hitting .342 and has started 24 of the 26 games thus far. He is also fourth on the team with a .480 on-base percentage.

"He is just a blue collar kid that works extremely hard," head coach Brad Hill said. "He knows some of his limitations, and has done a great job of improving his game.

"He has stuck himself in the lineup with his bat, so we had to find a place for him. He is just a kid that is hungry to help this program to continue to improve."

Playing for and helping the K-State program improve is something Giller has been eager to do while growing up in the Manhattan area.

"It's great," he said. "Every time I put on that K-State jersey, there is a little extra that goes into it. It's a sense of pride."

Kurt Giller declined to be interviewed.

Cats resume Big 12 play in Lubbock against the Raiders.

Shortly after the Kansas State baseball team sealed its victory over Wichita State on a warm Tuesday evening, KSU athletic director John Currie walked down from his suite and onto the field.

He congratulated the team as it huddled around head coach Brad Hill in left field and then walked back to the K-State dugout.
Members of the media were there with him, waiting for the team to finish its postgame meeting.

"How do you guys keep up with covering three power houses?" he then asked the group while waiting for the team.

His reference to the baseball, basketball and football team caused a collective laugh among the group and then was quickly dismissed for postgame interviews.

But it was a true statement coming from Currie, who is just less than a year into his AD post at K-State. The football team has a sense of rejuvenation, and the basketball team under their fiery leader Frank Martin just completed a trip to the Elite Eight.

Now, the baseball team is proving its own critics wrong, in seemingly the same way the basketball team did —with a chip on its shoulders.

As the Wildcats travel to Lubbock, Texas this weekend, they will look to continue a season many didn't see coming and try to stay atop the Big 12 standings. Tuesday night, the No. 20-naked Wildcats secured their 20th win of the season, pushing their impressive overall record to 20-3 and 3-0 in the Big 12. It's their best start since the 2006 season, when they also jumped out to 20-3 record.

"The fans are really jumping on with what we are doing," Hill said.

And now, Hill and his squad will face the conference road test in the form of a three- game series with the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Last weekend the Red Raiders (12-15 2-4) dropped two out of three games to in-state rival Texas (18-7 4-2). The Wildcats meanwhile, have won seven straight games heading into the series, highlighted by a three-game sweep of Oklahoma State last weekend in Manhattan.


Hill said one of the toughest challenges in Lubbock will lay on the shoulders of his pitchers and the bullpen. The climate in Lubbock will be a challenge with not only the heat but also the west Texas wind.

"Our bullpen is going to really have to come through again," he said. " I know the wind is going to be blowing out in Lubbock like it always is. We are going to have to be really tough down there mentally on the mound."

In an uncharacteristic fashion the Wildcats allowed six walks against the Shockers on Tuesday night.

"There is no way we can walk and hit that many people or we are going to get embarrassed. Our guys are going to have to learn to get the ball back in the zone, and make them put it in play.

First pitch for the series in Lubbock is scheduled for 6:30 tonight and can be seen nationally on Fox College Sports. All games can be heard on 1350 KMAN.

-Photo Manhattan Mercury