Woeful BatCats drop series to Baylor

Let’s start with the good news.

First, some former football players will exchange their purple jerseys for red in a bid to play on Sundays. Cornerback D.J. Reed was drafted by the 49’ers in the fifth round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He’s thankful for the opportunity but has a bit of a chip on his shoulder about having his number called so late:

I don’t know, man, I just feel disrespected. But like I said, I’m happy, but I feel like I’ve got a lot to prove. A lot of corners went before me and that’s definitely going to be something I’m going to remember.

Reed will see at least one familiar face on the 49’ers defense, former teammate Elijah Lee.

Meanwhile, Matthew McCrane didn’t get drafted, but signed on as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals. Closer to home, and probably of greater interest to some of you, the Kansas City Chiefs signed Byron Pringle as an undrafted free agent.

There’s even better news featuring some current Wildcats. The Kansas State rowing team beat Kansas 13-9 to win the Sunflower Showdown, their first win in the intrastate rivalry series since 2014. The OarCats won four of five races to clinch the title. The team will next appear in the Big 12 Championships in Oak Ridge Tennessee on May 12-13.

At the 109th Drake Relays, Kansas State did better than expected. In addition to a historic win in the 4x1600 relay, the TrackCats had several top-five finishes, including third-place finishes for Kayla Doll in the 3000m steeplechase and for Kurt Loevenstein in the 800m race, where he set a new personal best. The men and women will be in action again in Manhattan at the Ward Haylett Invitational next weekend.

Which brings us to the bad news segment. After another shelling by Baylor, which took the series with a 16-3 victory over Kansas State yesterday, the BatCats’ run of misery continues. The team is now 3-14 in the Big 12, and this was the second consecutive double digit loss in a season that’s already seen too many blowouts.

Maybe today’s game will turn out better? Kansas State and Baylor are currently tied 3-3 at the end of three innings, with Will Brennan on the hill for the BatCats.