Brad Hill sets new win record

Spring Football

Another spring game is in the books! Kansas State beat Kansas State yesterday, and Jon Morse has the official BotC recap right here: Purple 38, White 6.

With a number of key players watching from the sidelines, it was the backups time to shine yesterday, and they made the most of the opportunity. In particular, Alex Delton put together a gaudy stat line. He went 21 of 33 passes for 249 yard and a score, while adding 78 yards and another touchdown on the ground. For now, we’ll ignore those two interceptions he threw (Kellis Robinett, Wichita Eagle).

The game was, of course, totally vanilla. Of Bill Snyder’s own admission, the coaches were reluctant to show too much, and with so many players out with injury, the team probably gets an incomplete grade for the spring (Ken Corbitt, Topeka Capital-Journal).

Brand new athletic director Gene Taylor was at the spring game yesterday. He used the chance to engage in a bit of purple spirit and to reach out to his new constituents. He also reiterated the importance of forming a bond with Snyder to ensure a smooth transition.

Baseball

Kansas State baseball beat No. 21 West Virginia 8-4 to win only their third conference game this season. But the win was important for other reasons too. It was head coach Brad Hill’s 436th victory and made him the all-time winningest baseball coach in school history. He passed Mike Clark who won 435 games from 1987 to 2003.

The BatCats managed seven two-out RBIs including all five runs the team scored in the sixth inning. Parker Rigler started the game and pitched his longest outing since that no-hitter in March. He was relieved by Jared Marolf who pitched a perfect eighth inning but then loaded the bases at the end of the game to make things interesting. It was closer Jordan Floyd who got the final out to preserve the milestone victory.

For his part, Hill wasn’t too fussed about the record. He just enjoyed winning the ball game. Afterwards, he took the time to thank all the key contributors, including all the coaches and players, present and past (Corbitt, Capital-Journal).

The series with West Virginia wraps up today with first pitch scheduled for 12 PM. The game will be available to stream on the WatchESPN service.

Golf

The women’s team is currently at the Big 12 Championships at the Dominion Country Club in San Antonio, Texas. After yesterday’s play, the Wildcats were in seventh place but only three strokes out of third place.

Play is already underway today. The Wildcats are currently in sixth place at +32. Texas currently leads the field at +12. Individually, Kansas State’s Connie Jaffrey is tied for 10th with a score of +6 through 10 holes.

The men’s team is seeded ninth heading into the Big 12 Championships which begin tomorrow at 9:30 AM at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas.

The team’s lineup will feature senior Matt Green, sophomores Jeremy Gandon and Roland Massimino, and freshmen Jacob Eklund and Levi Valadez. Gandon will look to repeat his top-10 finish from a season ago. He tied for fourth last year with a score of 3-under par 285.

Track and Field

The first day of competition at the John McDonnell Invitational in Fayeteville was wiped out by bad weather, but Kansas State athletes recovered well from the setback and posted strong results on the second day.

As befits #HighJumpU, Kansas State’s women’s high jumpers took two of the three top spots in the event. Shanae McKenzie won her very first collegiate high jump with a leap of 1.70m, and teammate Rhizlane Siba took third at the same height on attempts.

The Wildcats also swept the 3000m steeplechase with Colton Donahue winning the men’s event, and Morgan Wedekind, Kayla Doll, and Emma Wren going 1-2-3 in the women’s race.

The women also took four of the top five spots in the javelin throw with Ally Zerbe winning the event on a toss of 44.81m.

Brett Neely was the big performer on the day for the Wildcats, winning the discus throw and shot put events.

Up next, the Wildcats will participate in the 108th running of the historic Drake Relays. The event allegedly takes place in Des Moines, but since we’re unsure of this particular city’s existence, we’re going to take this under advisement.