SLATE: More Kansas State free-agent signings

Last night, as we reported, Wyatt Hubert became a Cincinnati Bengal via the draft and AJ Parker joined the Detroit Lions via free agency.

That wasn’t the end of the employment line for Kansas State on Saturday night, however. Shortly after we posted, NFL Draft Diamonds tweeted that Briley Moore had signed with the Tennessee Titans. There’s not any real news on this, but Moore has confirmed it, sort of:

Elijah Sullivan, on the other hand, is absolutely signed, and we haven’t been able to get JT off the ceiling since. Aaron Wilson not only reported that Sullivan is now a Niner, he reported salary information:

Myles Poston is Sullivan’s agent. Paul Sheehy is also an agent, representing one Kiondre Thomas. Sheehy tweeted that Thomas has signed as a priority free agent with the Cleveland Browns.

As for Hubert, John Sheeran at our sister site Cincy Jungle is pretty excited about his addition to the Bengal roster. Defensive line was a major liability for the team last year, and Sheeran gives Hubert high marks not only for his motor but for agility.

At the Eagle, Kellis Robinett reports all of the above except for Thomas’s signing, while Josh Rouse at the Capital-Journal goes in-depth on Hubert.

As always, Saturday night isn’t always the end of the story. It’s possible some other Cats will get camp invites, at least.

Baseball

This weekend at Tointon has been patently unfair, as the BatCats have not only already won the series against Texas Southern but have done so with 19 runs to spare.

Connor McCullough (4-2) actually had a rough outing on Friday, giving up three runs (one unearned) in only four innings of work. But he still got the win, because by the time he took the hill to start the second inning he already had a 15-1 lead.

After giving up that unearned run in the top of the first, K-State batted around twice in their half of the frame. The first nine batters all reached base via a train of walks, singles, and doubles; nine-hitter Dylan Caplinger’s two-run single gave K-State an 8-1 lead before an out had been recorded. Caplinger stole second and moved to third on a wild pitch before scoring on an error before the second out of the inning was recorded, and then walked in his second at bat of the inning six hitters later — still with two out. Chris Ceballos rocketed a grand slam in the midst of that, and after Caplinger’s walk Texas Southern finally lifted starter Kam Fields, whose ERA for the day was an astonishing 121.50.

What did the Tigers bullpen do after that? Threw 5¹⁄₃ innings and only gave up four hits and one run, a manufactured piece in the second inning.

When McCullough bowed out, having given up single runs in the third and fourth, the back end of the Wildcat bullpen contributed three innings of solid relief, allowing only one run on a solo homer by Nic Garza. The game was called after seven thanks to the run rule with K-State the 16-4 victors.

On Saturday, it was again the offense that carried the day, although Jordan Wicks (5-2) threw five brilliant innings, striking out eight while only allowing three hits, no walks, and one run. It was the Wildcat bullpen that prevented everyone from going home early in a 15-6 rout.

Cameron Thompson homered twice, giving him ten on the season, while Chris Ceballos (his seventh and third game in a row with a jack), Caleb Littlejim (second), and Daniel Carinci (third) also left the yard. Carinci had four RBI to go with three from Ceballos, and Littlejim’s third-inning homer left K-State with a 9-0 lead.

The Cats pushed it to 10-1 in the fifth before Jaxson Passino gave up four runs in the sixth. The Cats would add three in the seventh (including Carinci’s two-run shot), but that wasn’t enough to call a halt to the proceedings. The Tigers got one more in the eighth on a solo shot by Oscar Ponce, but K-State got that one back with interest in the bottom half on a couple of RBI singles. Tyler Eckberg got in two innings of work, giving up Ponce’s homer, while the game was closed out by Carson Seymour, who threw one inning, striking out two and giving up one hit.

The series concludes this afternoon at 1:00, airing on ESPN+.

Track and Field

In Lawrence on Friday, three Wildcats took home first place finishes at the Rock Chalk Classic. The Cats swept the 5k races with Kerby Depenbusch and Jaybe Shufelberger breaking the tape, while Hadley Splechter won the men’s 3k steeplechase.

Saturday was just a bad day, although K-State did record some podium finishes. In Lawrence that was largely due to not many Wildcats competing, as the distance events were over. In College Station at the Texas A&M Muster, however, it was because of rain — so much rain that the event was cut short mid-day.

This coming weekend will be Senior Day at K-State’s final home meet of the 2021 campaign, the Ward Haylett Invitational. Because Saturday was cut short, it’ll be an important mark-setting opportunity for many Wildcat athletes.

Rowing

In what’s been a bit of a recurring theme this season, K-State’s 4V+ crews took home wins against Kansas in the Sunflower Showdown on Saturday at Wyandotte County Lake. But the 8V+ boats both lost to the Jayhawks, and because the eights count for more in the scoring, Kansas won the event 15-5.

(Allow me to express my bafflement that the 2V8 counts for twice as much as the 1V4. It should be the other way around. K-State still would have lost 12-8, but the second varsity in one race shouldn’t count for more than the starters in the other. Come on.)

In two weeks, K-State will take the water against the rest of the Big 12 — including, of course, Alabama and Tennessee — at the Big 12 Championships on Austin’s Decker Lake.

Bring on the Cats has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Bring on the Cats and SB Nation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. For more information, see our guiding principles.