Kansas State Wildcats
Overall rank: #42
Conference rank: #6 Big 12
Kansas State Team Page
It has been a period of incredible success for the Kansas State baseball program. The Wildcats have racked up three straight appearances in the NCAA baseball tournament and the most wins over a three-year period. The Wildcats aren’t finished yet, however. K-State wants to extend that streak to four and go farther than just a double loss in tournament action. Whether or not the Wildcats can win an NCAA game, much less do well in the Big 12 Conference, depends on the strength of this year’s starters.
2011: 36-25, 12-14
2011 Postseason: Eliminated in Fullerton NCAA regional (losses to Stanford and Illinois)
Coach: Brad Hill
Field Players:
Infielders Ross Kivett (see Who to Watch) and Wade Hinkle anchor the Wildcats infield entering the 2012 season. Hinkle hit .308 with 10 doubles, two home runs and 27 runs batted in. Kivett is a sophomore and Hinkle is a senior. Fellow sophomore Jared King brings outfield experience to the roster for the second year in a row, not to mention a pretty decent bat (.307-8-40, 13 stolen bases, .534 slugging percentage). Kansas State lost the top two hitters in its lineup in Jason King and Nick Martini, who accounted for quite a lot of pop in the Wildcat lineup. If Mike Kindel can repeat his eight homers and 14 steals of a year ago, that could help anchor things.
Pitchers:
Evan Marshall and Kyle Hunter both graduated, leaving two-thirds of last year’s starting rotation off the board. In their absence, Kansas State turns to Matt Applegate (5-5, 4.63 earned run average, 27 walks and 77 strikeouts) as the No. 1 pitcher. The team is also looking for a new closer with the graduation of James Allen. The team could use sophomore Gerardo Esquivel as its closer provided it keeps him in the bullpen; Esquivel posted a 1-2 record with a 2.55 ERA, but his 15/17 walk-strikeout ratio is a little too high for some people’s tastes. The bullpen could be a big issue heading into the season.
Who to Watch:
Infielder Ross Kivett has the weight of the world on some big shoulders. He will be forced to produce at a level unlike any other, given what happened with the graduations of King and Martini. Together these two combined for 94 runs, 147 hits, 34 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs and 103 RBIs. Those are numbers that would make a major-league slugger look good, but Kivett managed a .314 average with no homers and 19 RBIs. He has shown signs of what it takes to stay good on an active roster, what with a 12-game hitting streak in May and some determination at the plate and on the bases (eight steals).
Final Projection:
Kansas State should make the tournament given the strength of its schedule and the fact some top baseball teams are no longer part of the Big 12, but there may be too many holes for the Wildcats to make a deep run. Losing top hitters like King and Martini, in addition to starting help like Marshall and Hunter and closers like Allen, will make the season a little longer. The Wildcats have nine true freshmen on this year’s roster, most of whom are pitchers, so the Wildcats might go young on the mound this year and hope for the best.
Projected Postseason: NCAA
Returning Leaders:
At bats: Mike Kindel, OF, 210
Hits: Jared King, OF, 54
Home Runs: Mike Kindel, OF, 8; Jared King, OF, 8
RBIs: Mike Kindel, OF, 42
Runs: Mike Kindel, OF, 40
Stolen Bases: Jake Brown, IF, 18
Wins: Matt Applegate, P, 5
Innings Pitched: Matt Applegate, P, 89.1
Strikeouts: Matt Applegate, P, 77
Saves: No returning leaders with a save
