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.
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