K-State Slate: 4.4.15 - It's a small world

Kansas State could not get the bats going last night and dropped the game 5-3 to West Virginia. The BatCats fell behind early, giving up three runs in just the first inning-and-a-half on a day when the Mountaineers' Ross Vance only gave up three hits. Although the Wildcats had several runners on base over the course of the game, they went 2-for-16 with runners on base and Vance stranded five.

The Wildcats and Mountaineers play the rubber match to decide the series later today. First pitch is scheduled for 11 AM, with Nate Griep taking the mound.

Speaking of batting, Shane Conlon is hoping to relax and let the game come to him (Ken Corbitt, Topeka Capital-Journal).

Serendipity is a rare thing in sports, or maybe the world is just that small. Last January, Kansas State women's golf hired its first-ever assistant coach, Stewart Burke. Last summer, the men's team found a first-ever assistant in Cullen Carstens. But the two pioneering assistant coaches have even more in common: they are the same age, and for four years in college (Burke at Lindenwood University and Carstens at Missouri Baptist University), they routinely played against each other regularly. Rivals became friends and ended up in Manhattan sharing office space.

The track team continued its strong outdoor season in Waco, notching six first-place finishes and 25 top-five finishes overall at the Baylor Invitational. Akela Jones (100m hurdles, wind-assisted 13.46), A'Keyla Mitchell (200m, wind-assisted 22.96), Sonia Gaskin (800m, 2:06.55), Ifeanyichukwu Otuonye (long jump, 7.59m), Sara Savatovic (hammer throw, 63.21m), and Zack Riley (high jump, 2.15m) all finished on top

The 4x400m women's relay squad (Mitchell, Gaskin, Tia Gamble and Sarah Kolmer) finished second, as did Tommy Brady (pole vault, 5.05m), Danie Plank (triple jump, 47.6m) and Laura Galvan (1500m, 4:33.51).

There has been a 4.2 magnitude earthquake in central Oklahoma and south-central Kansas. The epicenter is believed to be about 45 miles north of Oklahoma City and about 12 miles west of Stillwater. I hope everyone is safe and steady.