‘Our Kids Have a Chip on Their Shoulder’
Jan 26, 2024 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
Forgive No. 24 Kansas State if it plays with a nasty disposition in the 2024 season. The Wildcats came oh so close to appearing in a 2023 NCAA Regional only to get the rug pulled out from underneath them by the national selection committee.
The determined Wildcats, who finished 35-24 overall and 13-11 in the Big 12 Conference last season, are angry and ready to leave no doubt in 2024.
"Our kids have a chip on their shoulder," K-State head coach Pete Hughes says. "They're mad at everybody."
Led by three Preseason All-Big 12 selections in left-handed pitcher Owen Boerema, infielder Kaelen Culpepper and relief ace Tyson Neighbors, the Wildcats return 18 letterwinners from last year's squad, which reached the semifinal round of the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
K-State opens its 2024 season at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona, on February 16-18. The Wildcats will face Cal, Boston College and Georgetown in the three-day event at Salt River Park and Sloan Park, the spring training homes of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs.
K-State head coach Pete Hughes spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about preseason rankings, key returners, newcomers to watch, and the non-conference schedule in this Q&A:
D. Scott Fritchen: Starting with the end of the Big 12 Tournament, what exactly has the offseason been like for you? What's the process like in assembling a team and getting a team ready for a season and all that it entails?
Pete Hughes: You hit the ground running. You're trying to educate your kids who are potential draftees to help them with their decision to come back or if it's their right move to sign then to sign. Really in the short term we've tried to maintain our roster and improve it in the portal. Obviously, we were very successful as far as retaining our guys — guys who turned down professional opportunities to come back. Really keeping our roster in place was our top priority and where our energies and time went.
We had three kids who were draft eligible, and they had opportunities to play professional baseball in Owen Boerema, Ty Ruhl and Brady Day, and all three chose to come back because they trust our culture and what our coaching staff has to offer as far as their development. It's pretty rare to have all those kids come back but it speaks volumes about our culture, and it speaks volumes about our ability to develop kids and the trust that we've instilled into them. That's a pretty special culture when you can keep your roster in line these days.
Fritchen: What kind of hunger does this team have after coming so close to a Regional last season?
Hughes: Our kids have a chip on their shoulder. They're mad at everybody. We had a national tournament team, and when you don't get to play in the national tournament, guys are angry and completely motivated and that had a lot to do with those guys coming back, too. They deserved to play in the national tournament last year, and they came back so they can get into that thing and don't leave any doubt. Win games and play a tough schedule is what they came back to do.
Fritchen: You're ranked No. 24 nationally by D1baseball. How does it feel to look in these preseason rankings and see the Powercat?
Hughes: Honestly, none of us came here for a preseason ranking. We all came here to go to Omaha. It's good that we're starting to get respect nationally, that's for sure, but we're in it for the postseason ranking. It is good to see our guys get a little attention that I think they deserve.
Fritchen: What does the return of Tyson Neighbors, Kaelen Culpepper, Owen Boerema, Ty Ruhl and Brady Day mean to this team?
Hughes: That's the core of our team right there. I don't know if they all stay if one leaves. Once they saw everybody was in it together — they believe in what we're going to do this year and how good we're going to be. They're just loyal kids, you know? Loyalty is the last word that comes up when you're talking about major college athletics these days, and it's a pretty strong word in our program. It's a pretty strong trait with those kids that came back.
Fritchen: Who are some up-and-comers you're really excited about for this squad?
Hughes: Owen Boerema has made a jump. He was plenty good last year, and he's made another jump. We have an exciting bullpen, which will be the strength and heartbeat of our team. We have a really good starting pitcher in junior college transfer Jacob Frost, a left-hander. He's going to pitch on the weekends for us. Jackson Wentworth, a right-hander, has made a phenomenal jump here this fall. Cole Wisenbaker is a sophomore, and he's made a jump. We have the additions of two junior college bullpen relievers in Sam Roberts, who's a submarine pitcher, and Preston Martinez. I plan on using those guys a lot. I think the strength of our team will be that bullpen and our ability to match up with people. I'm excited about what we've done in recruiting by adding to our pitching staff. We just have so much more depth than we had last year.
Fritchen: Who are some other signees every K-State fan should know about heading into this season?
Hughes: Well, Kaelen Culpepper will move to shortstop and Danniel Rivera is a transfer we got out of the portal from Southern New Hampshire. He's played in three College World Series at the Division II level and the kid has won a lot of games and has played in a lot of big games and has had a lot of success. He's been really impressive both offensively and defensively. He brings some athleticism to our lineup, too. We're excited about the player he's turned into for us. Then we have a TCU transfer, David Bishop, who brings some physicality and Big 12 experience to our lineup. Probably the biggest transfer addition is Chuck Ingram. Chuck has transferred from Wichita State. He's been one of their most productive players in the last couple years. Just to get an older veteran with that many at-bats really brings a calming presence to our lineup with his ability to hit the ball out of the park and steal bases. He's a big, physical player. Where we lost a lot of home runs last year from Roberto Pena, we gained that power back by signing Chuck Ingram.
I'm excited about our lineup. I think we have the ability to hit home runs and steal bases. We do really good offensively: We walk, get on base, play with discipline, hit home runs and steal bases. Last year, we were one of three teams in the country that walked over 300 times, hit over 75 home runs and stole over 100 bases. I feel just as good about the lineup we have this year as I did about last year's club.
Fritchen: What do you like about your non-conference schedule?
Hughes: I'm not sure there's anybody who's going to play a tougher schedule in the country than the Wildcats. It gives us great opportunities to get on the road. You need to play well on the road in league. I love the fact that we're playing at Tennessee midweek, at Clemson midweek, at Arizona State midweek, at UConn, at Northeastern — all top-35 RPI teams. To be able to go on the road and play those teams gives us a phenomenal opportunity to build toughness in our program so we play well in the league and play at a super-high level so we can get to Omaha.
Fritchen: How competitive might the Big 12 Conference be this season given the addition of the new schools?
Hughes: I think it's going to be a great league. We definitely gained an advantage with the addition of these new teams. The teams that we play this year — UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati, they've had success lately. When you look at the teams we're bringing in next year like the two Arizona schools, it's pretty well-rounded from top to bottom. We'll certainly be the top one or two conferences in the country.
Forgive No. 24 Kansas State if it plays with a nasty disposition in the 2024 season. The Wildcats came oh so close to appearing in a 2023 NCAA Regional only to get the rug pulled out from underneath them by the national selection committee.
The determined Wildcats, who finished 35-24 overall and 13-11 in the Big 12 Conference last season, are angry and ready to leave no doubt in 2024.
"Our kids have a chip on their shoulder," K-State head coach Pete Hughes says. "They're mad at everybody."
Led by three Preseason All-Big 12 selections in left-handed pitcher Owen Boerema, infielder Kaelen Culpepper and relief ace Tyson Neighbors, the Wildcats return 18 letterwinners from last year's squad, which reached the semifinal round of the 2023 Phillips 66 Big 12 Baseball Championship.
K-State opens its 2024 season at the MLB Desert Invitational in Scottsdale, Arizona, on February 16-18. The Wildcats will face Cal, Boston College and Georgetown in the three-day event at Salt River Park and Sloan Park, the spring training homes of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Chicago Cubs.
K-State head coach Pete Hughes spoke with K-State Sports Extra's D. Scott Fritchen about preseason rankings, key returners, newcomers to watch, and the non-conference schedule in this Q&A:
D. Scott Fritchen: Starting with the end of the Big 12 Tournament, what exactly has the offseason been like for you? What's the process like in assembling a team and getting a team ready for a season and all that it entails?
Pete Hughes: You hit the ground running. You're trying to educate your kids who are potential draftees to help them with their decision to come back or if it's their right move to sign then to sign. Really in the short term we've tried to maintain our roster and improve it in the portal. Obviously, we were very successful as far as retaining our guys — guys who turned down professional opportunities to come back. Really keeping our roster in place was our top priority and where our energies and time went.
We had three kids who were draft eligible, and they had opportunities to play professional baseball in Owen Boerema, Ty Ruhl and Brady Day, and all three chose to come back because they trust our culture and what our coaching staff has to offer as far as their development. It's pretty rare to have all those kids come back but it speaks volumes about our culture, and it speaks volumes about our ability to develop kids and the trust that we've instilled into them. That's a pretty special culture when you can keep your roster in line these days.
Fritchen: What kind of hunger does this team have after coming so close to a Regional last season?
Hughes: Our kids have a chip on their shoulder. They're mad at everybody. We had a national tournament team, and when you don't get to play in the national tournament, guys are angry and completely motivated and that had a lot to do with those guys coming back, too. They deserved to play in the national tournament last year, and they came back so they can get into that thing and don't leave any doubt. Win games and play a tough schedule is what they came back to do.
Fritchen: You're ranked No. 24 nationally by D1baseball. How does it feel to look in these preseason rankings and see the Powercat?
Hughes: Honestly, none of us came here for a preseason ranking. We all came here to go to Omaha. It's good that we're starting to get respect nationally, that's for sure, but we're in it for the postseason ranking. It is good to see our guys get a little attention that I think they deserve.
Fritchen: What does the return of Tyson Neighbors, Kaelen Culpepper, Owen Boerema, Ty Ruhl and Brady Day mean to this team?
Hughes: That's the core of our team right there. I don't know if they all stay if one leaves. Once they saw everybody was in it together — they believe in what we're going to do this year and how good we're going to be. They're just loyal kids, you know? Loyalty is the last word that comes up when you're talking about major college athletics these days, and it's a pretty strong word in our program. It's a pretty strong trait with those kids that came back.
Fritchen: Who are some up-and-comers you're really excited about for this squad?
Hughes: Owen Boerema has made a jump. He was plenty good last year, and he's made another jump. We have an exciting bullpen, which will be the strength and heartbeat of our team. We have a really good starting pitcher in junior college transfer Jacob Frost, a left-hander. He's going to pitch on the weekends for us. Jackson Wentworth, a right-hander, has made a phenomenal jump here this fall. Cole Wisenbaker is a sophomore, and he's made a jump. We have the additions of two junior college bullpen relievers in Sam Roberts, who's a submarine pitcher, and Preston Martinez. I plan on using those guys a lot. I think the strength of our team will be that bullpen and our ability to match up with people. I'm excited about what we've done in recruiting by adding to our pitching staff. We just have so much more depth than we had last year.
Fritchen: Who are some other signees every K-State fan should know about heading into this season?
Hughes: Well, Kaelen Culpepper will move to shortstop and Danniel Rivera is a transfer we got out of the portal from Southern New Hampshire. He's played in three College World Series at the Division II level and the kid has won a lot of games and has played in a lot of big games and has had a lot of success. He's been really impressive both offensively and defensively. He brings some athleticism to our lineup, too. We're excited about the player he's turned into for us. Then we have a TCU transfer, David Bishop, who brings some physicality and Big 12 experience to our lineup. Probably the biggest transfer addition is Chuck Ingram. Chuck has transferred from Wichita State. He's been one of their most productive players in the last couple years. Just to get an older veteran with that many at-bats really brings a calming presence to our lineup with his ability to hit the ball out of the park and steal bases. He's a big, physical player. Where we lost a lot of home runs last year from Roberto Pena, we gained that power back by signing Chuck Ingram.
I'm excited about our lineup. I think we have the ability to hit home runs and steal bases. We do really good offensively: We walk, get on base, play with discipline, hit home runs and steal bases. Last year, we were one of three teams in the country that walked over 300 times, hit over 75 home runs and stole over 100 bases. I feel just as good about the lineup we have this year as I did about last year's club.
Fritchen: What do you like about your non-conference schedule?
Hughes: I'm not sure there's anybody who's going to play a tougher schedule in the country than the Wildcats. It gives us great opportunities to get on the road. You need to play well on the road in league. I love the fact that we're playing at Tennessee midweek, at Clemson midweek, at Arizona State midweek, at UConn, at Northeastern — all top-35 RPI teams. To be able to go on the road and play those teams gives us a phenomenal opportunity to build toughness in our program so we play well in the league and play at a super-high level so we can get to Omaha.
Fritchen: How competitive might the Big 12 Conference be this season given the addition of the new schools?
Hughes: I think it's going to be a great league. We definitely gained an advantage with the addition of these new teams. The teams that we play this year — UCF, Houston, BYU and Cincinnati, they've had success lately. When you look at the teams we're bringing in next year like the two Arizona schools, it's pretty well-rounded from top to bottom. We'll certainly be the top one or two conferences in the country.
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