Wildcats Wrap up California Trip at Loyola Marymount – Kansas State University Athletics – K-StateSports.com
LOS ANGELES – K-State finishes off its seven-game West Coast trip with a three-game series at Loyola Marymount, set to get underway Friday at 8 p.m. CT at George C. Page Stadium in Los Angeles, California.
K-State looks to rebound after a 7-5 setback Tuesday night at Cal State Fullerton, in which the Titans scored three runs in the eighth inning for a come-from-behind victory.
Right-hander Blake Adams, a transfer from Arkansas, will again get the Friday-night start at LMU. Adams punched out a career-best 12 hitters over 7 2/3 innings last Friday at CSU Bakersfield.
Connor McCullough also turned in a quality start last Saturday, scattering five hits with two earned runs allowed over six innings. McCullough now has five quality outings in seven career starts in the month of February.
Justin Mitchell now leads the team in all three slash categories (.421/.500/.684) while on a five-game hitting streak. The senior catcher has three two-hit efforts over his last four games.
All three games of the series will be broadcast on the WCC Network 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.
GAME #8
K-STATE (1-6) at LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (1-6-1)
Friday, March 4 // 8 p.m. CT // Page Stadium (600) // Los Angeles, Calif.
Projected Starters: RHP Blake Adams (0-0, 3.95 ERA) vs. RHP Jimmy Galicia (0-1, 6.00 ERA)
Watch: WCC Network
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, Christopher Brown
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #9
K-STATE (1-6) at LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (1-6-1)
Saturday, March 5 // 8 p.m. CT // Page Stadium (600) // Los Angeles, Calif.
Projected Starters: RHP Connor McCullough (0-1, 1.64 ERA) vs. RHP Matt McClure (1-1, 7.88 ERA)
Watch: WCC Network
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, Christopher Brown
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
GAME #10
K-STATE (1-6) at LOYOLA MARYMOUNT (1-6-1)
Sunday, March 6 // 2 p.m. CT // Page Stadium (600) // Los Angeles, Calif.
Projected Starters: TBA vs. TBA
Watch: WCC Network
Radio: KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) // Matt Walters, Christopher Brown
Listen Online: K-StateSports.com/Watch // 1350KMAN.com
Live Stats
A LOOK AT K-STATE
K-State wraps up its seven-game road trip through Southern California with a three-game series at Loyola Marymount … The Wildcats are 1-3 through four games on the trip after a 7-5 setback at Cal State Fullerton Tuesday night … In the loss, K-State scored all five of its runs in the sixth inning, highlighted by a three-run double from Nick Goodwin … Josh Nicoloff and Orlando Salinas, Jr. each added run-scoring singles in the frame … Justin Mitchell and Salinas registered two hits apiece to pace the offense …The Wildcats earned their first victory of the season Sunday, salvaging the final game of a three-game series at CSU Bakersfield … In the win, Dylan Phillips homered twice while Blake Corsentino logged 7 2/3 scoreless innings of relief … Phillips hit a go-ahead three-run homer in the third and ended with four RBI … Corsentino inherited a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the first inning and would go on to scatter just five hits with two strikeouts in the victory … K-State got a pair of quality starts against the Roadrunners, Friday from Blake Adams and Saturday by Connor McCullough … Adams turned in career highs in innings (7.2) and strikeouts (12) while McCullough struck out seven over six innings with two five hits against him … Sunday’s win snapped a five-game skid to begin the season after the Wildcats dropped back-to-back one-run contests, including a 4-3 loss in 11 innings Friday … Adams will get his third straight Friday start while McCullough will start Saturday’s contest.
SCOUTING LOYOLA MARYMOUNT
Loyola Marymount is 1-6-1 through the first two weeks of the season after an 8-2 loss to USC Tuesday night … This weekend’s series marks the final games of the Lions’ season-opening 11-game homestand … LMU is led offensively by Sam Biller’s .355 average while Diego Baqueiro has a team-high three home runs and 15 RBI … LMU will send right-hander Jimmy Galicia to the hill Friday, who is 0-1 with a 6.00 ERA (6 ER, 9 IP) with seven strikeouts and four walks … Matt McClure, also a righty, starts Saturday and is 1-1 with a 7.88 ERA (7 ER, 8 IP) in two starts … As a pitching staff, the Lions have a season earned run average of 8.01 while opponents are hitting .319 against them … Defensively, Loyola Marymount has been charged with 28 errors in eight games for a .914 team fielding percentage.
INSIDE THE SERIES
K-State and Loyola Marymount will meet for the first time this weekend … In their history, the Wildcats are 22-17 against teams from the West Coast Conference, last playing two games against Gonzaga last season (1-1) … In his fourth season at K-State, head coach Pete Hughes is 7-8 in games played in the state of California since taking over the program in 2019.
TWO-HIT MITCH
K-State senior catcher Justin Mitchell is on a five-game hitting streak and has three two-hit games over his last four contests … Mitchell has gone 7-for-13 over four games in California with two doubles, a home run and two RBI … Mitchell now leads the team in all three slash categories (.421/.500/.684) … Mitchell, voted one of four team captains before the season, has scored a run in each of his last five games and is the team leader in runs scored … In four seasons at Oklahoma, Mitchell posted a slash line of .261/.352/.348 with 15 doubles and two home runs.
MR. FEBRUARY
K-State starting pitcher Connor McCullough has owned the month of February in now his third season at K-State … In seven February starts, McCullough has turned in five quality starts and owns 3-1 record, with a sparkling ERA of 1.28 (6 ER, 42.1 IP) … The redshirt sophomore right-hander has totaled 50 strikeouts against 10 walks in February and boasts a 0.89 WHIP … Additionally, he has not allowed more than two earned runs and gone at least five innings in each start in the month … In his first start of 2022, McCullough held Michigan scoreless over five innings with five strikeouts, not giving up a base hit until the fourth inning … Saturday, he yielded two earned runs over six innings with seven strikeouts … The Maumelle, Arkansas, product is the Wildcats’ only returning weekend starter … McCullough, who was a freshman all-America pick in 2020 by Collegiate Baseball, tied for the team lead in starts (15) and ranked second in innings pitched (77.1) and strikeouts (69) last season … He accounts for 15 of K-State’s 18 returning starts, 77 1/3 of 104 retained innings and 69 of 95 strikeouts.
FROM THE ‘PEN
After posting an ERA of 14.85 in the season’s opening weekend, the K-State bullpen combined to allow just one earned run over 14 relief innings over three games at CSU Bakersfield (0.64 ERA) … Five Wildcat relievers totaled just eight hits allowed with eight strikeouts … Blake Corsentino accounted for 7 2/3 scoreless innings in Sunday’s victory, as he scattered five hits with two strikeouts in earning the victory … Corsentino has a team-high 8 2/3 relief innings and has yet to allow a run … Griffin Hassall, Landry Jurecka and Tyler Ruhl combined for 5 1/3 shutout innings with three hits given up and five strikeouts … K-State’s starting rotation turned in a 3.95 ERA (6 ER, 13.2 IP) with 19 strikeouts … On the season, Wildcat starters have an earned run average of 4.50 with 36 strikeouts and 14 walks … Relievers have 44 strikeouts against 21 walks in 33 2/3 innings (6.68 ERA).
BOSS HOGS
K-State features a pair of Arkansas transfers and natives in its weekend rotation in Blake Adams and Connor McCullough … In four total starts, the duo has a combined ERA of 2.91 (8 ER, 24.2 IP) and 32 strikeouts with just five walks … Adams and McCullough each logged quality starts at CSU Bakersfield, as Adams went a career-long 7 2/3 and set a career high with 12 strikeouts … McCullough went six innings with two earned on five hits … Additionally, freshman reliever Landry Jurecka, from Greenwood, Arkansas, did not allow a hit over 1 1/3 innings in his collegiate debut with a strikeout.
LIL HELP, PLEASE
In seven games this season, K-State’s starting pitchers have received a total of six runs of support – a span of 28 total innings … McCullough has gotten a total of two support runs in his two starts (total of 11 innings) … The Cats have scored a total of 10 runs in innings 1-5 while combining for 16 from the sixth inning on … K-State has six total runs in the sixth inning and six more in the eighth, as those two innings account for 12 of the team’s 26 total runs scored.
