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Baseball
Sure, sure, basketball is still going and is the big headliner, but baseball season is now just a few days away from getting underway. The BatCats begin action this Friday, with a 3pm CST game against Arizona to open both team’s play in the 2022 State Farm College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, TX. You can watch those games, but it will require a subscription to FloSprts. Of course there will be live online audio from K-State as well.
Ahead of this week’s action, yesterday’s Sports Extra brought us 10 Things to Know about about the Wildcats headed into the 2022 season, and what things might look like after losing a couple key players to the MLB this past summer (including K-State’s highest-ever draft pick, Jordan Wicks).
Basketball
It ended up being a happy Valetine’s Day for Kansas State on Monday, as the WeberCats knocked off West Virginia 78-73 to improve to 14-11, 6-7 in Big 12 play, inching themselves closer to the NCAA Tournament. The Wildcats showed resilience again, needing to recover from a 7-point halftime deficit while playing small most of the second half. Nijel Pack was solid though relatively quiet, but Markquis Nowell stepped up big time, and had probably his best overall game as a Wildcat. The Wildcats get a couple of extra days off this week, which is good because they’ve got an important game coming up this weekend in Stillwater. Of course all wins are critical this time of year and in K-State’s position, but the “road dawgs” need to grab at least one of the three road games remaining on the schedule. And with the other two being KU and Texas Tech, beating Oklahoma State becomes paramount.
Speaking of playing small, be on the lookout later today for Drew’s analysis of K-State’s offensive adjustments this season (yes, things have actually been adjusted). It’s good stuff, as always.
Also, leave player’s family and significant others alone. It’s weird and stupid.
Golf
After having the start of their season delayed, the Wildcats men’s golf team finally got their season started this week, and did so on a high note. In a field of 14 teams that included three top 50 opponents, the Cats finished with a 5-under 859 to claim fourth place at the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. A third-round rally pushed the Cats into the 4th spot, just one stroke behind No. 20 Illinois. The Cats were led by Tim Tillmans, who finished tied for 7th with a 4-under 212, and he was joined in the top 20 by Nicklaus Mason, who finished tied for 13th with a 2-under 214. The Cats will have a three week break before their next tournament, March 7-8, at the Colleton River Intercollegiate in Bluffton, South Carolina.