Heading into a weekend series against BYU, Kansas State needed two wins to clinch a .500 record in Big 12 play.
The Wildcats accomplished that after Friday, taking two of three against the Cougars.
In the series opener, K-State jumped out to a six-run lead in the first four innings, headlined by a two-run home run by David Bishop. However, pitching problems became all-too-common in the game, as BYU tied the game and pushed it to extras, where a Kyan Lodice single scored the game-winning run.
The second game was headlined by starting pitcher Jackson Wentworth, who struck out 11 en route to a 2-1 win for K-State.
While the Wildcats dropped the series finale, the two wins pushed K-State to 31-22 on the year, and 15-15 in Big 12 play. They'll begin their push for a Big 12 Championship on Tuesday against Kansas.
It's unclear if two wins were enough for K-State to clinch a spot in the NCAA Tournament. Heading into the weekend, their standing on the bubble was mixed, and two relatively uninspiring wins won't guarantee anything.
NINE 'CATS EARN ALL-BIG 12 HONORS
K-State was well-represented in the All-Big 12 baseball awards, as nine players earned all-conference honors on Monday.
Infielder Brady Day is the lone player on the All-Big 12 first team, earning the vote after putting together a .333/.444/.539 slash line and leading the team with 51 RBIs. Day was also named to the Golden Spikes Watch List earlier in the season.
Kaelen Culpepper and Tyson Neighbors were given All-Big 12 second-team honors, while Owen Boerema, Nick English, Brendan Jones, Raphael Pelletier, and Jackson Wentworth were given honorable mention honors. Blake Dean did not find himself on an all-conference teams, but did earn All-Freshman honors from the conference.
K-STATE ADDED TO 2025 COLLEGE BASEBALL SERIES FIELD
The Wildcats will head to Globe Life Field next season to participate in the 2025 College Baseball Series. K-State will replace Georgia in the competition.
K-State will participate in the series beginning on Feb. 21, joining Arkansas, TCU, and Michigan.
TCU and K-State met earlier this season, with the Horned Frogs taking two of three. The Wildcats did not play Arkansas and Michigan this season.
This series should help K-State boost their NCAA Tournament chances next season, as Arkansas and Michigan both posted winning records this season. The Razorbacks are currently ranked No. 5 in the D1 Baseball Top 25.
