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Two Cowboys Named To Haskins Postseason List

COLUMBUS, Ga. – Oklahoma State’s sophomore duo of Ethan Fang and Preston Stout were among the 15 players named to the 2024-25 Haskins Award Postseason Watch List it was announced today by the Haskins Foundation. This coveted trophy honors the year’s outstanding college golfer and the memory of Fred Haskins, a club pro that spent […]

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COLUMBUS, Ga. – Oklahoma State’s sophomore duo of Ethan Fang and Preston Stout were among the 15 players named to the 2024-25 Haskins Award Postseason Watch List it was announced today by the Haskins Foundation.

This coveted trophy honors the year’s outstanding college golfer and the memory of Fred Haskins, a club pro that spent his life nurturing and mentoring amateur golfers.

The announcement comes the day after Fang and Stout were named to the United States Palmer Cup Squad by the Golf Coaches Association of America.

In his first season in Stillwater, Fang started his Cowboy career with seven consecutive top-10 finishes, including a pair of top-five showings to wrap up the fall. He tied for third place at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate during his string of top 10s. The Plano, Texas native has earned top fives in his last two starts as well, tying for third at the Mountaineer Invitational and sharing fifth place at the Big 12 Championship.

Stout is coming off his second win of the spring in OSU’s most recent outing as he repeated as medalist at the Big 12 Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa. The Richardson, Texas native has reeled off four consecutive top 10s and has been inside the top 10 in six of his last seven starts. In addition to his conference victory, Stout finished first at the Cabo Collegiate and has finished in third on three other occasions.

Fang is currently ranked ninth in the country, while Stout is No. 12.

Finalists for the Haskins Award will be released on May 16th and voting will open for the 10 players who are included on the list. Players, coaches, golf SIDs, select college golf media and past winners are all eligible to vote. Voting will end on May 26th at the conclusion of the stroke play portion of the NCAA Championship.

 



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Aroca Gonzalez ’26 collects third all-region men’s golf team honor

Story Links 2025 NCAA PING All-Region Men’s Golf Teams Hamilton College’s Ramon Aroca Gonzalez ’26 (Madrid, Spain/Hastings School) was selected for the 2025 NCAA Division III PING Men’s All-Region Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Sunday, May 18. Aroca Gonzalez […]

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Hamilton College’s Ramon Aroca Gonzalez ’26 (Madrid, Spain/Hastings School) was selected for the 2025 NCAA Division III PING Men’s All-Region Team by the Golf Coaches Association of America on Sunday, May 18.

Aroca Gonzalez is one of 15 all-region golfers in Region 1, which otherwise featured honorees from colleges and universities in New England. The all-region selection was the third in as many seasons for Aroca Gonzalez.

Aroca Gonzalez led Hamilton with an 18-hole stroke average of 72.40 for 20 rounds. He earned four individual medalist honors and finished in the top 10 seven times out of 10 tournaments. Aroca Gonzalez tied for second place at the New England Small College Athletic Conference championship at Williams College’s Taconic Golf Club in late April with rounds of 71-71-80. The 80 in the final round was his worst all season, and he shot in the 60s three times.

Gonzalez was selected to compete in the NCAA Division III championship as an individual for the first time. The tournament begins on Tuesday, May 20 and runs through Friday, May 23. The first two rounds will be played simultaneously at Midvale Country Club in Penfield, N.Y., and at Cobblestone Creek Country Club in Victor, N.Y.

 



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Power Four schools could face expulsion from conferences if they don’t sign binding contract, per report

Leaders from the Power Four conferences are circulating a binding document that would radically transform rules enforcement in college football, according to Yahoo Sports.  The contract would create the College Sports Commission, a new entity geared toward rules enforcement. Power Four schools would be required to sign the contract or risk being expelled from their […]

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Leaders from the Power Four conferences are circulating a binding document that would radically transform rules enforcement in college football, according to Yahoo Sports. 

The contract would create the College Sports Commission, a new entity geared toward rules enforcement. Power Four schools would be required to sign the contract or risk being expelled from their leagues and having member schools refuse to play games against them. Additionally, it would limit the ability for schools to sue over enforcement decisions, radically transforming the outlook of the new era of college athletics. 

If the document is signed, it would create legitimate enforcement power that would put an end to the largely unregulated market that exists in the present environment. Notably, it would make schools subject to decisions by an NIL clearinghouse, which would judge whether outside NIL contracts represent true “market value.” It would also ensure that all power conference schools fully comply with the upcoming House v. NCAA lawsuit settlement, which is expected to be finalized in the coming days and will allow direct pay-for-play for the first time in history. 

CEO to oversee college sports rules enforcement after House v. NCAA settlement is finalized, per report

Carter Bahns

CEO to oversee college sports rules enforcement after House v. NCAA settlement is finalized, per report

The potential agreement comes in the wake of a wave of legal complications at the state level. Multiple states have considered legislation that would prevent the settlement from being legally enforceable in their states. Notably, Tennessee passed a law last week that would prevent rules that violate state laws — which such an agreement would seem to do. However, schools voluntarily entering into such a deal would be another legal complication. 

The new College Sports Commission structure would seem to echo one that was proposed by NCAA president Charlie Baker in Dec. 2023, which would create a new subdivision to create rules for the small group of schools that compensates players. 

However, the CSC would seem to be an attempt to create it outside of the NCAA’s authority — and potentially begin the process of removing administration of the sport from the NCAA. ESPN reported that the NCAA could step away from enforcement and a CEO is expected to be hired to lead it shortly after the House case is settled. 

Taming the Wild West

Schools have taken advantage of the fully unregulated NIL market that emerged in 2021. In the beginning, the NCAA attempted to set rules and guidelines to limit the flow of unregulated money to athletes, especially by boosters. However, after a number of legal challenges, the NCAA has lost nearly every lever of power available to it. 

Ultimately, that’s the primary catalyst for a third party to be created. Making it a voluntary organization in the wake of the settlement would help make the case to the courts that it’s a legitimate group with authority. Additionally, it would allow the NCAA to step away from an extraordinary amount of legal liability if enforcement power is taken off its plate. 

Nearly every stakeholder involved wants there to be clear rules and enforceable regulations. The sport has no chance of reaching a conclusion until they come. However, the right of richer institutions to leverage advantages will be a final piece that has to be resolved. 

Inside Donald Trump’s push to fix college sports: How it began and what we know going forward

John Talty

Inside Donald Trump's push to fix college sports: How it began and what we know going forward

Is it enforceable?

The College Sports Commission would be an attempt to create a legally allowable enforcement mechanism so that the sport can have laws. But in the case where Tennessee has a law preventing NIL rules that it views as illegal, can the University of Tennessee voluntarily take part in this deal? Can the courts clear them? Can anyone? 

Ultimately, that’s where we are at this point. Any final solution will require clear court decisions and successful defenses. When college commissioners and administrators continue to fly to Washington, D.C., to lobby for federal legislation, this is why. 

Only Congress can supersede every other stakeholder, including state governments and the courts. 





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Portal Update – Basketball and Gymnastics Take Hits

When taking a look at DU’s major sports teams, the transfer portal has had a mixed impact. Basketball is undergoing the biggest transformation, and gymnastics has taken a big hit, losing its biggest star. Hockey and soccer remain stable, and it is a wait-and-see for lacrosse. Just take a look at DU’s core sports of […]

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When taking a look at DU’s major sports teams, the transfer portal has had a mixed impact. Basketball is undergoing the biggest transformation, and gymnastics has taken a big hit, losing its biggest star. Hockey and soccer remain stable, and it is a wait-and-see for lacrosse.

Just take a look at DU’s core sports of gymnastics, hockey, men’s soccer, and lacrosse, and you will see the current impact of the transfer portal on the University of Denver.

Men’s Basketball – March 24th – April 22nd (Closed)

During the basketball portal window, 2,544 student-athletes entered the portal.  DU center Isaiah Carr landed at Drake, point guard DeAndre Craig at Purdue Fort Wayne, center Abdulai Fanta Kabba at Western Carolina, guard Jon Mani at the University of Colorado, guard Nicholas Shogbonyo at Texas A&M- Corpus Christi, and guard Ben Bowen at (D2) Northern State.

Denver is left with returning guards Josh Lee, Devin Carney, and Loch Cunningham. Forwards Logan Kinsey, Corleone Dandridge, Carson Johnson, and Shaun Wysocki are coming to Denver from the University of Minnesota-Moorhead (DII,) following their new coaches. Gabe Oldham is coming to DU from Pima Community College (DII). Another DII product, guard Zane Wilson, is coming to DU from Missouri Western, and Julius Rollins (DI) from Western Illinois and Jerimiah Burke (DI) from North Dakota State. 

Early indications are that three of four incoming recruits who signed letters of intent (LOI) last year are heading in different directions due to the coaching change. Only Trajan Trajan Thompson has agreed to stay with the current Denver staff.  There are still open spots to be filled on next season’s roster.

Gymnastics Portal – Opened March 31-May 14th (Closed)

DU Gymnastics associate head coach Linas Gaveika, a key Melissa Kutcher-Rinehart lieutenant, announced his departure from the program along with assistant coach Stephen Hood. According to College Gym News, DU’s 19-year-old standout sophomore Madison Ulrich is shown entering the transfer portal, followed by visits to LSU, Oklahoma, and Utah. This marks the loss of DU’s most high-profile gymnast. Could the events be connected to the staff changes and/or NIL-related? Time will tell. Ulrich earned three individual All-American designations at the 2025 NCAA Championships.

Hockey Portal March 30th – May 13th (Closed)

Despite losing early departures Aidan Thompson and Jared Wright to the pros, Denver appears to be standing pat with their incoming  CHL-heavy freshman class – this is the first year in many decades that Canadian Major Junior players are eligible to play in the NCAA and David Carle is taking full advantage – after just one transfer portal departure. Goaltender Freddie Halyk will play for Brown next season. Forward Alex Weiermair, technically listed in the portal, left Denver in the middle of the 2024-25 season to sign with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks and, at the moment, has not decided on a return to the NCAA.

NCHC peers Colorado College and Minnesota-Duluth have lost seven and nine players, respectively. Miami also lost seven players. Arizona State has six portal refugees. North Dakota has five exits.

Men’s Soccer November 25-December 24th (Closed)

Jamie Franks appears to be following the playbook employed by David Carle. According to Top Drawer Soccer, Denver appears to have retained all their eligible players, and they are not filling in gaps with portal transfers. That is not the case with many other programs stock piling portal transfers such as Eastern Illinois (11), Marshall (8), Coastal Carolina (6), Florida (6),  Michigan State (4), Indiana (4), Akron (4), St Louis (3) and South and UCLA (4) to name just a few.

Lacrosse Portal May 11th – June 9th (Open)

Denver has nine graduating seniors to include key contributors like Noah Manning, Casey Wilson, Jimmy Freehill, Mic Kelly, Jack Tortolani, and Malcolm Kleban. Look for Matt Brown and his coaching staff to tap the portal to fill the holes. If DU loses any key players, there is little time to replace players prior to the beginning of fall classes. 



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Former Alabama QB Trusts Nick Saban to ‘Save College Football’ on New NIL Commission

Legendary retired Alabama Crimson head coach Nick Saban’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s proposed NIL commission remains a subject of speculation. While Saban hasn’t outright said he’ll be on such a commission should it be created via an executive order, it appears he’s been working behind the scenes to address the state of college football, […]

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Legendary retired Alabama Crimson head coach Nick Saban’s involvement in President Donald Trump’s proposed NIL commission remains a subject of speculation.

While Saban hasn’t outright said he’ll be on such a commission should it be created via an executive order, it appears he’s been working behind the scenes to address the state of college football, the transfer portal, and NIL.

Many head coaches, analysts, and former players have lamented the new landscape that is dominated by multi-million NIL deals with no guardrails on expenditures nor the transfer portal.

Many have publicly praised one of the most successful college football coaches in history for his ability to transform college sports.

Former Alabama QB A.J. McCarron Thinks Nick Saban Can Save College Football

Former Crimson Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron, who has full faith in his college head coach, is among those who endorse Saban.

In a recent episode of “The Next Round,” McCarron fully endorsed Saban as the ideal co-chair to spearhead this new NIL commission.

He also gave a brutally candid assessment of his perspective on how college football stands today.

“I’m not a fan of college football right now,” McCarron said. “I think it’s a [expletive] show with everything, and hopefully, with Saban getting co-chairman on that board helps bring some structure to it because they need it. It hurts to think about it because I missed out on a lot of money from that sense.”

McCarron went on to joke that the backpay from the House settlement should extend back to his college years, rather than ending in 2016.

It’s frankly understandable for former players to have a bitter outlook on the state of things when they weren’t privy to these million-dollar NIL deals—particularly one like McCarron, who won three consecutive national championships quarterbacking Alabama.

McCarron is not alone in expressing the urgent need for a regulated system. Many see the current landscape as untenable.

It’s not clear how this proposed commission look like, or how it will fix NIL, especially in concert with revenue sharing.

However, it appears that Saban is taking quiet steps toward a solution, as he has met with Texas Tech billionaire booster Cody Campbell to discuss what the commission might look like and what they can do.

Campbell is a former player who started the Red Raiders NIL collective and has been said to have a key role in the star-studded transfer class.

Whatever the future for the commission might look like, there probably isn’t a better-positioned legend in the sport poised to take on the challenge like Saban.





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COLLEGE SIGNING

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Ava-Anne Sheahan could have easily picked one of two sports to continue her athletic career in college. She’s an outstanding softball player for the Roughriders who has been a huge part of teams that have gone to the state tournament. This year, she’s leading the Riders with seven doubles. But […]

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COLLEGE SIGNING

PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Ava-Anne Sheahan could have easily picked one of two sports to continue her athletic career in college.

She’s an outstanding softball player for the Roughriders who has been a huge part of teams that have gone to the state tournament. This year, she’s leading the Riders with seven doubles.

But soccer is her true love. A longtime defensive back for the Riders, she chose soccer as the sport to continue, signing a commitment to play for Corban University in Salem, Ore.

“I really have a love and passion for soccer. Soccer has always been my sport, it’s always been the path for me,” Sheahan said.

Coaches and family members spoke at her signing ceremony, focusing especially on her strong character as much as her athletic achievements.

“This is an exciting day but a sad day as well because of what we’re losing,” said soccer coach Dan Horton. “We’re losing a good person, which makes it even harder. Corban is getting a great player, but more importantly, a great person.”

“Everything you do is genuine. Your moral compass is spot-on,” said her first softball coach, Randy Steinman.

Her first soccer coach, Scott Moseley, said he knew when she was a freshman that she would be a pretty good player. He said he just didn’t realize how good she would be.

“In her first game, I subbed her in during a game against Sequim. And I never took her out ever again,” Moseley said. “It was fun watching her, scoring goals and wondering, ‘Where did that come from?’ ”

Horton said that while Sheahan played center-back on defense, she could score when needed to. In a game this year, she moved up to midfield for the Riders and erupted for a hat trick.

Her mother Megan Sheahan said Ava-Anne is her family’s champion, not only in athletics, but in academics. She said her daughter had overcome a lot in her career, including a serious knee injury and a pulled muscle in her senior year.

“I lost track of many soccer games my mom came to. I’m so grateful she always pushed me because she was always right,” Sheahan said.

Sheahan said she picked Corban because she liked the community at the private, Christian school.

“It’s a great place to build my faith and continue with my academic and athletic career,” she said.

There’s actually a bit of a pipeline between Port Angeles High School and Corban with former Riders stars Gracie Long and Jack Gladfelter moving on to a lot of athletic success at the Salem school. Sheahan said she was aware of that and saw Gladfelter on campus, but it wasn’t a major factor her in picking Corban.

Sheahan begins her final hurrah this weekend, playing in the state softball tournament for the third-ranked Roughriders, who finished fourth at state last year. She said the team has a lot of confidence going into this year’s tournament.

“We all have a lot of trust in each other,” she said.


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Kansas State University

By: D. Scott Fritchen All eyes turn to Arlington, Texas.   Kansas State ended its Big 12 Conference season with a 9-5 win at Cincinnati, giving the Wildcats a school-record 17 conference wins, and K-State, 31-23, currently own a 35 RPI and appear in a good position for a berth in the NCAA Regionals, which […]

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By: D. Scott Fritchen

All eyes turn to Arlington, Texas.

 

Kansas State ended its Big 12 Conference season with a 9-5 win at Cincinnati, giving the Wildcats a school-record 17 conference wins, and K-State, 31-23, currently own a 35 RPI and appear in a good position for a berth in the NCAA Regionals, which will be revealed on May 26.

 

But for now, K-State turns its attention to the Big 12 Baseball Championship at Globe Life Field in Arlington, starting on Wednesday. No. 6 seed K-State, 17-13, will face No. 11 Houston, 12-17, at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The K-State/Houston winner will move on to play No. 3 seed TCU on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. The games will be shown on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

 

The 2025 Big 12 Championship, which features an increase to 12 teams, will be played in a single-elimination format for the first time.

 

K-State Sports Extra’s D. Scott Fritchen spoke with longtime K-State baseball broadcasters Brian Smoller and Matt Walters about the Wildcats, their season, and beyond.

 

D. Scott Fritchen: Every team is different. In your eyes, what is most unique about this 2025 K-State baseball team?

 

Brian Smoller: Good question. They are a competitive bunch. They’re so competitive at times that when they went through a slow part or low part of the season, they’re so competitive that they got down on themselves. Emotion in baseball is never a good thing. But for a team that’s relatively new with a lot of first-year guys that have transferred in, they’re remarkably close. I don’t know that I’ve been around a team that’s been this close to each other with a group of first-year players or transfers as this group is. They’re pretty tight. They do it all together. When they’re all hot, they’re all hot together. They’re on the upswing so that’s a good thing.

 

Matt Walters: The first thing that comes to mind is K-State has a large group of guys from the portal that have shown up in Manhattan from smaller Division I schools and have produced the most home runs in a season in school history and brought the threat of the home run to the plate in so many spots in the order.

 

Butler 25 SE

Fritchen: What are your biggest takeaways from the Cincinnati series?
 
Smoller: The big takeaway is that the K-State bullpen stepped up. The bullpen had a 1.08 ERA. The development and performance of Tanner Duke and Ty Ruhl and Tazwell Butler, that gives you a very encouraging sign going into the postseason. There was one question mark going into Cincinnati and that was who they were going throw behind their starters to get some consistency in the bullpen. Some of the matchups on paper actually favored K-State’s starting pitching, and it actually ended up to be the opposite. Lincoln Sheffield was OK on Saturday but the bullpen being as good as it was is a great sign for K-State going into the post season.
 
Walters: Getting out with a win. I was concerned that if K-State got swept at Cincinnati that it might put K-State in harm’s way regarding the NCAA Tournament. Thursday was a game K-State could’ve easily won and things didn’t go well Friday, and to bounce back and jump on Cincinnati early, set a tone, and finish it off with a 9-5 win was huge. That meant that K-State in the last nine games of the regular season, the last nine conference games, went 5-4 and finished above .500, which sets a much better tone than going 4-5 to finish off the regular season.
 
Fritchen: What did this K-State team show you in its last home series against No. 12 West Virginia?
 
Smoller: Faced with a must-win series against a team that was playing pretty well, K-State showed great resolve and had a never-say-die attitude, and of course, the Friday night game was one of the greatest wins in that stadium’s history, coming back from six in the ninth. It just shows you how tight this team is that they have great belief in each other and in their coaches. It’s fun when teams like that, that try that hard and care that much, when it actually pays off and you get wins like that. We saw great performances from Seth Dardar and Keegan O’Connor and all the guys who’ve hit so well at home, and then the pitching performances that the Cats got. It’s fun. It’s a great ride as a broadcaster and a great ride as a fan to see teams that care have it all pay off. That was the culmination of West Virginia, and it really cemented their place in the postseason.
 
Walters: This has been one of the most special teams at home I can ever recall. This is a team that’s a different team at home for whatever reason. They believe they can come from behind and score and do the necessary things to win games, and against West Virginia they showed that. It’s not the best of habits to fall behind by 5, 6 or 7 runs against a team like West Virginia, who’s had an incredible year. But to be able to move the line, to stretch some things together, and to produce some home runs in there to eradicate a big deficit in the first ballgame of the series, and then to have your heart ripped out late in the ballgame in the Sunday contest and to hang a seven spot on the board screams volumes about this team. They only lost three times in Manhattan all year, which is a spectacular accomplishment.
 
Fritchen: What most makes this K-State squad a dangerous team heading into the Big 12 Tournament?
 
Smoller: One of the positives is K-State tries to play a game in Globe Life early in the season, so the surroundings aren’t new. Teams get in there and they’re wowed by the Major League ballpark and the aura of being in the home of the Rangers, and they’re in their locker room, and in their cages. Everything is first rate. So, some of that can kind of distract you from the mission at hand. I don’t think K-State will be distracted. They know they’ll be playing next week. They go in and they’re playing some teams that they’ve played before, and they’ve won in that park already this year. They’re a pretty confident group going into Arlington and feel like they have a chance to make some noise.
 
Walters: If most everybody is clicking and this team is on the same page, not just in the Big 12 Tournament but in the postseason, it can be very dangerous because of the long-ball potential really anywhere in the order, once again. It’s a team that if you make mistakes, they can make you pay in a big way. If K-State is getting guys on base at the top of the order and guys are driving them in and they’re able to run a little bit and just playing the game like they did at home much of the year, they’re going to be a load to beat. K-State just has to go about its business, not think too much, just play the game. You’ve won 30-plus games and are going to be the field of 64. Just be smart, play smart, do the right thing, and you’re going to have a chance to win some ballgames.
 

Dardar 25 SE

Fritchen: In your mind, why is K-State a NCAA Regional team this year?
 
Smoller: The schedule has played out exactly as you’d hoped if you’re K-State. They’ve won enough games away from home and have beaten good teams enough that they’re RPI is a great strength. Unfortunately, in college baseball, you don’t have a NET ranking or a College Football Playoff Committee that evaluates teams based on metrics beyond the RPI. College baseball is still trying to figure that out. They have a committee that meets but the RPI is the main metric, and until that changes, you have to figure out how to get the RPI in your favor. Pete Hughes and his staff have done a great job of scheduling in a way that allows K-State to get a high RPI. They’re sitting at 35 in the RPI, and the strength of schedule is really good and they have 31 wins and a number of Quad 1 and Quad 2 wins and zero Quad 4 losses. That resonates as good as it gets. They’ll be a No. 3 seed and go somewhere, but as we saw last year, that makes them a dangerous team.
 
Walters: The fact that they went 17-13 in the Big 12 and had some very quality non-conference wins helped immensely. This is a team that, when it plays with an edge, is a much better baseball team. For whatever reason, this team has struggled on the road, but what’s done is done, you’ve earned your spot into the field of 64, and now you have to prove you belong in the field of 64, and I think this team can. We’ve talked a lot about offense, but the pitching has to uphold its end of the bargain, and there are some guys who have to do a little bit more. K-State maybe needs a little longer starts, and we’ll see if Coach Hughes moves anything around, but pitching and defense has to help out the offense. If K-State plays all three aspects well, they have a chance to rattle some cages, but it can’t just be an offensive postseason for K-State because they’re going to run into teams that are equally if not better offensively. The pitching and defense need to carry some mail here in the postseason.
 
Fritchen: How do you think the start of the season against No. 6 North Carolina, No. 5 Arkansas, Michigan, No. 22 TCU and No. 2 LSU most benefited this K-State team from the outset?
 
Smoller: Not only did they play those teams and were competitive, but they won most of those games and then had a chance to win against North Carolina and should’ve won the game against LSU. That showed that this team, they have this belief, and they talk about it all the time, that when they play well, they’re as good as anybody in the country. That’s what separates this team perhaps from some other K-State teams. The talent on this team was evident in those early weeks. We were in Arlington watching the team take batting practice, and I shook my head and told the coaches, “This is an embarrassment of riches. I don’t remember a team that is as talented just individually talented as this team.” They said, “Yeah, we’re pretty excited about this team. We just don’t know where it’s going to go yet.” Every team goes through its ups and downs, but when this team is on, they have the talent to compete with anybody in the country.
 
Walters: It showed them what they can do and what their potential is. I’m hoping this baseball team remembers that and remembers how it played in Frisco and plays that way now because nobody else is going to give K-State much of a chance to get out of a regional and get to super regional like they did last year. So, if you just play smart baseball, do the right things, move the guy in front of you, and do your part as a player, and hold up your end of the bargain, I think K-State very easily could get to a super regional. But it’s going to take a collective effort. From what happened in that very first weekend and what happened in Arlington and Frisco, that struck an early fire in this baseball team, and I hope they can rekindle it in Arlington and wherever they land in the NCAA Tournament, because this team has the potential to be very, very dangerous, and one you don’t want to play.
 

O'Connor 25 SE

Fritchen: What do you consider to be the biggest strengths of this K-State team?
 
Smoller: Offensively, I think that’s where it starts. The three things that Pete Hughes loves to talk about are home runs, walks and stolen bases. When they’re getting on the base or hitting home runs, they’re really hard to beat. We saw it in the Cincinnati game on Saturday. Cincinnati had a lot of momentum from the first two games of the series, and then it’s their Senior Day and they have a very large and experienced senior class, and K-State just battered them in the first three innings, put up nine runs, and that game was effectively over at that point. They can suck the life out of another team because of the threat of a long ball up and down the lineup, and right now the pitching – especially in the bullpen – is becoming a strength. This is kind of what happened last year. K-State went into the postseason and found some success with starters but their bullpen really kind of rounded into form. That’s kind of following the same path, and it gets you excited about what this team could do.
 
Walters: There’ve been numerous times this year when this team at the plate is going the opposite direction. When they’re hitting the opposite way, this team is that much better. Keegan O’Connor and Seth Dardar and AJ Evasco and Shintaro Inoue — when they’re letting the ball get a little deep and they go the opposite direction, that means you’re doing really good things at the plate. To me, that’s been one of the most impressive things about this squad is the ability to go to the opposite field with power.
 
Fritchen: What have been the biggest challenges for this K-State team?
 
Smoller: K-State is the only team in the Big 12 that has had the same starting rotation for every conference game. That’s a luxury that not everybody else can have, but it also means you have some guys who are maybe a little bit tired. Pete Hughes pointed that out after the Saturday start by Michael Quevedo this weekend, that he could be fatigued having thrown this many innings and in this many games, and in this many high-pressure situations. You have some depth in the bullpen to cover those guys. But starting pitching is the one area where they’re going to have to get some guys to step up the next couple weeks.
 
Walters: Winning on the road and finding the right mindset on the road. To me, when you play on the road, you have to play with a chip on your shoulder, because the world is against you. I don’t know that this team did that enough this year. You always have to be careful of the sweep, and I know it was highly disappointing to get swept in Stillwater and especially to get swept in Lawrence. Now when you get to the NCAA Tournament, you’ll likely be playing a top seed in its own ballpark and you have to be able to block everything out, believe in the guy next to you defensively, and the guy hitting behind you and in front of you in the order, and believe in the guys on the mound, and you have to go take it like K-State did last year in Fayetteville because they’re not going to give it to you.
 

Bishop 25 SE

Fritchen: For K-State fans who might see the Wildcats in action for the first time in the next couple weeks, who are some MVPs on this squad that fans should know about?
 
Smoller: I’d start with David Bishop, who is an unspoken MVP. We talked with him about two weeks ago about this team’s knack after losing to BYU and coming back so strongly and just being able to bounce back, and he mentioned that he had taken on a little bit more of a leadership role and a vocal role. I think the leadership role on this team is a really big strength, and he is one of those key guys. For a guy who never in his career has really been a big hitter, as far as putting up eye-popping numbers, he’s having a great finish. He’s playing outstanding baseball, had the three-run home run here the other day, and you can just see him taking on more of a captain role for K-State. He just bleeds purple. He’s definitely a guy to watch. He’s helped lengthen the lineup quite a bit.
 
Keegan O’Connor has put up All-Big 12 First Team numbers and is one home run shy of breaking the school record. He’s another guy K-State can really lean on. Truthfully, there are probably five or six who are playing outstanding baseball here down the stretch, and that’s what makes them so dangerous. It’s really not one guy you can focus on because as soon as I mention those two players, I’m thinking of three others.
 
Walters: To have guys come into the program from lower Division I programs and produce like some of the studs in big Division I programs has been beyond rewarding. Keegan O’Connor, Seth Dardar, Shintaro Inoue. A guy we haven’t talked about enough is David Bishop. You look at his five-RBI game on Saturday, and he’s a rock at first base and he’s just been incredible down the stretch. There are so many other guys, too, but that’s where you start because if you go back and look at it, the fact K-State lost the entire middle of its defense and the fact that you win 30-plus games again, finish sixth in the Big 12, and go to the NCAA Tournament again, that speaks volumes. You don’t just lose your catcher, your shortstop, your second baseman and your center fielder and have that kind of success the next year.
 
Fritchen: What can you say about the job Pete Hughes and his staff have done in Hughes’ seventh season as K-State head coach?
 
Smoller: I can’t say enough about Pete. First of all, he’s just a great guy to be around. Having done this for 25-plus years now, there are few coaches that make me laugh harder than Pete Hughes. He is just hilarious, and he’s always got great one-liners and keeps the guys loose, keeps the guys accountable, and he does a good job of delivering the message of what they need to do for each game. He relies on analytics and on his staff quite a bit, but he does a good job balancing that with good common sense. He’s one win shy of 200 in his career at K-State, making him the fastest coach to 200 wins in school history based on the number of games. He’s every bit deserving of that. He and his staff are fantastic. It really shows that even at K-State, if you have a coaching staff that’s completely aligned in the mission and in knowing exactly who you want to recruit and who your identity is as a team, and you go and recruit to that and stay true to that, and you work as a staff and you’re all on the same page, you can really do some special things.
 
Walters: With the incredible turnover compared to 2024, Coach Hughes and the entire staff deserve a big pat on the back, because there was no Kaelen Culpepper or Brady Day and there weren’t the name players, so to speak, and the coaches were able to get this team to believe early on, and when this team played with that chip on its shoulder and played without thinking too much and carefree and with that heart and passion, that’s what you have to do. This is a team that, after getting swept at Oklahoma State or at KU, could’ve gone the wrong way, but this team has stayed the course. It hasn’t produced a 15-game winning streak or a nine-game losing streak. There’s been a level of consistency, and now they have to turn that up a notch as we look to the postseason.



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