Kansas State University

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State travels to Waco, Texas, for a three-game Big 12 Conference series with the Baylor Bears starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark.

K-State (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) has won eight of its last 10 games after picking up a 7-6 victory at Tarleton State, extending its winning streak to four. Baylor (15-5, 1-2 Big 12) enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak, after topping Texas State, 19-3, on Tuesday night.

K-State will send Jacob Frost to the hill for the series opener, marking his fifth straight series-opening start while senior Michael Quevedo (3-0) will take the hill on Saturday, with first pitch set for 2 p.m. Left-hander Lincoln Sheffield, who has won each of his last four starts, is slated to work in the series finale Sunday at 1 p.m.

AJ Evasco was announced as the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week Monday, becoming the third Wildcat to earn the weekly award this season, while it marks the fourth consecutive week K-State earned Big 12 weekly recognition.

 

The series is set to broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app with radio coverage available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM). Live streaming audio is also available at K-StateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.

 

Season and single-game tickets are now available and can be purchased online at KStateSports.com, or by calling 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stopping by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

 

How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team’s social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

 

GAME #21

K-STATE (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) at BAYLOR (15-5, 1-2 Big 12)

Friday, March 21 // 6:30 PM CT // Baylor Ballpark (5,000)

Projected Starters: LHP Jacob Frost (0-0) vs. LHP Ethan Calder (3-2)

Watch: ESPN + // Pat Combs, Pete Sousa

Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters

Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch

Live Stats // Tickets

 

GAME #22

K-STATE (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) at BAYLOR (15-5, 1-2 Big 12)

Saturday, March 22 // 2 PM CT // Baylor Ballpark (5,000)

Projected Starters: LHP Michael Quevedo (3-0) vs. LHP Bryson Bales (1-1)

Watch: ESPN + // Pat Combs, Kyle Youmans

Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters

Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch

Live Stats // Tickets

 

GAME #23

K-STATE (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) at BAYLOR (15-5, 1-2 Big 12)

Sunday, March 23 // 1 PM CT // Baylor Ballpark (5,000)

Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (4-1) vs. Carson Bailey (2-0)

Watch: ESPN + // Pat Combs, Kurtis Quillin

Radio: KMAN // Matt Walters

Listen Online: kstatesports.com/watch

Live Stats // Tickets

 

THE MATCHUP

K-State travels to Waco, Texas, for a three-game Big 12 Conference series with the Baylor Bears starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Baylor Ballpark … K-State (13-7, 3-0 Big 12) has won eight of its last 10 games after picking up a 7-6 victory at Tarleton State, extending its winning streak to four. Baylor (15-5, 1-2 Big 12) enters the weekend on a two-game winning streak, after topping Texas State, 19-3, on Tuesday night.

 

A LOOK AT K-STATE

Fresh off its 7-6 victory at Tarleton State, K-State returns to Big 12 action to take on Baylor… K-State heads into the weekend with a 13-7 overall record and 3-0 in Big 12 play after collecting a series sweep over conference newcomer Utah last weekend … The victory over the Texans extended the Cats winning streak out to four, which is currently the third-longest win streak in the Big 12 … The Wildcats have won eight of their last 10 games, out-hitting opponents .322-.257 during the stretch …  Twelve different Wildcats have homered this season, led by Maximus Martin with nine – the second-most in the league … 28 of the Cats 36 homers have come in the month of March … K-State’s .525 slugging percentage is third in the league, ranking 31^st overall nationally … True freshman AJ Evasco was named the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week, becoming the third player this season to earn the weekly award … On the mound, K-State has a 4.98 ERA and averages 10.2 K/9 inning … K-State will send Jacob Frost to the hill for the series opener, marking his fifth straight series-opening start while senior Michael Quevedo (3-0) will take the hill on Saturda … Left-hander Lincoln Sheffield, who has won each of his last four starts, is slated to work in the series finale Sunday.

 

SCOUTING BAYLOR

Baylor is coming off a victory over Texas State, where the Bears topped TSU 19-3, to remain undefeated in midweek games … The Bears 19 runs marked the most runs scored under third-year head coach Mitch Thompson … BU scored 10 runs in the sixth inning … As a team, BU is hitting .303, averaging eight runs a game on 10.2 hits … Hunter Simmons’ .405 average paces the offense and is 10^th overall in the league, followed by Pearson Riebock (.383) … The pitching staff boasts a 3.98 ERA with opponents hitting .225 against the Bears … Starters Ethan Calder and Carson Bailey have each struck out at least 25 batters in their outings this season, with Calder ranking fourth in the conference with a 0.95 WHIP … Gabe Craig is second in the Big 12 with four saves, as the right-hander has made a team-leading eight appearances on the hill … Senior outfielder Wesley Jordan was voted to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team, and is slashing .333/.415/.593 on the year with seven doubles, one triple and four home runs … Baylor was selected to finish 13^th in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches Poll, after finishing 11^th in the league standings last season, as the first team out from making the conference tournament.

 

INSIDE THE SERIES

Baylor leads the all-time series 55-33 (51-27 Big 12), dating back to 1966 … K-State is 11-33 on the road in the series and has won each of the last three series in Waco … Seven of K-State’s 11 wins in Waco have come in the Wildcats’ last five trips to Baylor Ballpark … In 2017, the Wildcats picked up their second series win in Waco, after sweeping a doubleheader on the final day of the regular season … Baylor claimed the last series between the two squads in 2023 (2-1) at Baylor Ballpark …… The teams have split the last 10 meetings overall, with Baylor winning four of the six games played in Waco … The Wildcats last swept a three-game series in 2022 in Manhattan and have never swept the Bears on the road.

 

Last Five Meetings

W, 7-2 – May 14, 2022 (Manhattan)

W, 7-5  – May 15, 2022 (Manhattan)

W, 8-1 – March 17, 2023 (Waco)

L, 4-8 – March 18, 2023 (Waco)

L, 4-8 – March 19, 2023 (Waco)

 

MARCH MADNESS

After a 4-5 start in February, K-State is 9-2 in games played in the month of March, that included a five-game winning streak … The Wildcat offense is hitting at a .322 clip in the month and averaging 10.4 runs a game with 10.8 hits a game … In February, the Cats hit just .270 as a team with 5.6 runs per game on 9.2 hits a contest … Additionally, K-State is hitting .336 with runners in scoring position, and .317 with two outs in March after just .237 in February … Six Cats are hitting north of .400 in the month of March, with four starters hitting .405 or better … Kyan Lodice leads the offense, hitting .452 followed by Martin (.439), Evasco (.405) and O’Connor (.405) … Eight players have homered in March, with six hitting multiple … K-State has 28 homers in March.

 

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS

In 2025, K-State is 3-2 in Friday night contests with three straight Friday night wins … The Cats are hitting .258 on Friday while the pitchers boast a 4.30 ERA, limiting opponents to a .229 average … Kennedy is hitting .444 (8-for-18) in Friday contests, driving in a team-high six RBI … Frost has made four straight Friday night starts on the hill, boasting a 4.15 ERA with 22 strikeouts.

 

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN

K-State is 7-7 when playing on the road this season, including a 1-5 record in true road games after picking up a 7-6 win at Tarleton State … On the road, the Wildcat offense is slashing .265/.381/.431 with 17 home runs and 76 RBI … K-State averages 6.4 runs/game on nine hits while drawing 73 walks with 20 stolen bases … The Wildcat pitching staff boasts a 5.31 ERA on the road, holding opponents to a .242 average … The Cats have struck out 142 compared to 66 walks for a 2.15 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Martin’s .390 average at leads the Cats, as the junior has generated 16 hits with three homers and a team-leading 11 RBI.

 

POWER SURGE

Twelve Wildcats have sent one out this season, as K-State totals 36 on the year – second-highest in the league – with 28 coming in in the month of March … Eight different players have recorded multiple home runs this season led by Martin (9) and O’Connor (6) … Martin and O’Connor have each turned in a two-run home run game this season … K-State has turned in 11 multi-home run games (10-1), including a season-high six homers on Sunday against William & Mary … The Cats have generated five back-to-back performances this season (Latest: Shintaro Inoue and Cayden Phillips, vs. William & Mary, March 9) …  Martin and Evasco have each launched a grand slam this season … Since 2019, K-State’s offense has turned in four of the top five seasons in terms of total home runs in program history, including a single-season record 89 in 2021 … The 89 bombs ranked 11th in the nation and shattered the previous record of 75 set in 1997.

WINNING TIME

In K-State’s 13 wins this season, the Wildcats are hitting .335 with runners in scoring position and .303 with two outs … Conversely, the Cats have a .271 average with runners in scoring position while hitting .240 with two outs over seven losses … K-State has produced 41 two-out RBI in victories with just 10 in seven losses … Overall, K-State hits .333 in victories against just .234 in defeats … In seven losses, K-State pitchers have combined for 67 walks (5.6 per game) while in victories the staff averages 3.1 walks per game (40 walks in 13 wins).

 

STREAKING

K-State brings its second-longest win streak into the weekend series at Baylor … The Wildcats recorded a season-high five-game winning streak from March 5-9 … During the five-game winning streak, the Cats are slashed .360/.465/.737 in the stretch with five starters hitting above .350 … In five games, K-State hit 12 doubles and 18 home runs, led by six blasts from Martin … Wildcats outscored opponents 64-22, averaging 12.6 hits per game … The pitching staff boasted a 4.61 ERA, surrendering 4.2 runs per game while opponents hit a .229 average … The Cats pitchers struck out 51 batters and issued 13 walks, accumulating a 3.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

 

AT THE PLATE

Offensively, the Wildcats lead opponents with a slash line of .299/.408/.525 with 45 doubles and 36 homers – the second-most in the Big 12 … K-State has out-hit opponents in 12 of its 20 games this season (11-1), that included a season-high 20 hits with a season-high 18 RBI at home against William & Mary (March 9) … K-State has recorded 10+ hits in 10 games  (8-2) … Six starters are hitting over .300, with Martin leading the way with a .429 average followed by Evasco (.415) and Lodice (.380) … The team’s .525 slugging percentage is third in the league and ranks 31^st nationally, while Martin leads all conference players with a .952 slugging percentage, which is sixth overall in the country. 

 

ON THE MOUND

The 2025 K-State pitching staff boasts a 4.98 ERA (94 ER, 170 IP), with four players throwing at least 20 innings on the year … Six different players have picked up a win while four have garnered a save … Opponents are hitting .248 against K-State … K-State pitchers rank fourth in the Big 12 and 35^th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.2 … K-State has struck out 193 batters this season and issued 79 walks for a 2.44 strikeout-to-walk ratio … Sheffield has struck out a season-high 35 batters – second-most in the Big 12 – with just three walks for a 11.67 strikeout-to-walk ratio, ranking 13^th overall in the nation.

 

A LOOK AT THE NUMBERS

K-State has a season +57 run differential through 20 games averaging 8.3 runs on 10.1 hits per game … Cats are undefeated (11-0) when leading after the sixth and 1-2 when tied after six … K-State is 10-3 when committing one or no errors … When scoring first, K-State is 9-3 and 7-2 when scoring in the first inning … K-State has outhit opponents in 12 of 20 games this season (11-1) and is 8-1 when limiting opponents to five or less runs … 16 of 20 games have been against right-handed starters (11-5), while K-State is 2-2 against lefty starters. 

 

UP NEXT

The Wildcats return to Tointon Family Stadium on Wednesday, March 26 to open a four-game homestand, starting with game one of a home-and-home series with Nebraska. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Manhattan and can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app.