Friday, March 13
Houston, Texas
6:30 p.m.
Kansas State University
at
Houston
K-State Opens Big 12 Play Friday at Houston
Mar 12, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State opens its 30-game Big 12 schedule this weekend with a three-game series at Houston, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park.
The entire Big 12 series can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while a free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
GAME #18
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, March 13 // 6:30 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: RHP James Guyette (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Schmitz (2-1, 7.71 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN Online // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME #19
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, March 14 // 6:30 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: RHP Tanner Duke (1-1, 5.14 ERA) vs. RHP Kendall Hoffman (1-0, 1.90 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN Online // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME #20
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, March 15 // 1 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (4-0, 4.24 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State opens its 30-game Big 12 schedule this weekend with a three-game series at Houston, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park.
FOLLOW THE CATS
The entire three-game Big 12 series can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app … A free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app ... Fans can also follow along opening weekend action through live stats by visiting the team's schedule page or on the Cats social media platforms (@KStateBSB).
A LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats (13-4) enter Big 12 play ranked third in the league standings, with the best 17-game start under Pete Hughes … With its shutout victory over South Dakota State, K-State has won seven consecutive games … On Wednesday, K-State scored nine runs on seven hits with no errors committed and leaving 10 runners stranded on base … Four Wildcats register a hit – all singles – led by two from catcher Bear Madliak and third baseman Grant Gallagher … Second baseman Shintaro Inoue and shortstop Dee Kennedy each recorded a pair of RBI … Right-hander Austin Haley (1-0) earned the victory, throwing five shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Haley scattered just two hits in the outing … Aaron Arnold, Adan Longoria and Miles Smith combined for four scoreless innings in relief of Haley … The win marked the Cats' first shutout victory since March 8, 2024, vs. Cincinnati, and 14th under Hughes … It is the second time K-State has started 13-4 (2021, 2026) … Madliak and Kennedy each stretched their hitting streaks to five, while Robby Bolin extended his on-base streak to a team-leading 16 … Gallagher recorded his fourth multi-hit game and Madliak earned his third of the season.
THE WILDCAT ROTATION
Friday: James Guyette (2-1, 4.50 ERA) leads the pitching staff with a season-high 28 strikeouts, ranking fifth in the Big 12 … He has punched out a career-high eight in three starts this season.
Saturday: Tanner Duke (1-1, 5.14 ERA) earned his first victory of the season last Saturday against SIUE.
Sunday: Lincoln Sheffield (4-0, 4.24 ERA) has been the pitcher of record in his last five outs, all of which are wins … K-State has won eight straight when Sheffield starts on the mound.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston is coming off a midweek victory against Rice on Tuesday, its second consecutive run-rule victory … Houston ranks in the top 50 in numerous categories that the NCAA tracks, including hits allowed per nine innings (18th, 6.94), ERA (38th, 3.79), WHIP (38th, 1.24) and double plays (43rd, 14) … Senior Chris Scinta ranks sixth in pitching appearances (74) among NCAA Baseball players across all divisions … Saturday's starter Kendall Hoffman leads the Big 12 among eligible pitchers with a .156 batting average on balls in play against … Houston started the season with a 4-0 showing at the Puerto Rico Challenge, defeating No. 21 Wake Forest in the first NCAA Division I Baseball game of the season … The showing propelled the Cougars into the national spotlight, with the team receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll ... Houston is still receiving votes in the fourth in-season release of the poll … Three Houston hurlers were named to the 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List with Richie Roman, Paul Schmitz, and Alex Solis … The Cougars are slashing .297/.419/.486 as a team with 35 doubles, three triple and 19 homers led by five from Carsten Sabathia III … The pitching staff boasts the league's third-best ERA of 3.79.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Wednesday's contest marks the 12th meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars, and first in Houston since 2024 … K-State leads the all-time series 7-4, that includes a 5-1 advantage in Big 12 play … K-State has won all three series … In 11 games, K-State has outscored Houston 77-52 (+25) … The Cats are 5-4 in games played in Texas against the Cougars … K-State is 3-2 in the last five … Under Hughes, K-State is 5-1 … The Cats won the 2025 regular-season series against Houston in Manhattan, 2-1.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
W, 9-3 – March 24, 2024 (Houston)
W, 5-2 – April 25, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 14-5 – April 26, 2025 (Manhattan)
L, 5-6 – April 27, 2025 (Manhattan)
L, 9-2 – May 21, 2025 (Arlington)
WRITING HISTORY
Four Wildcats combined for a program-record eight home runs, a mark originally set in 1978, to lead K-State to a 20-7 seven-inning triumph over SIUE Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium … Dee Kennedy accounted for three home runs to become the sixth player in school history to hit three or more in a single game ... Ty Smolinski and Micah Kendrick each added two homers, while Carlos Vasquez contributed one ... With multi-home run efforts from Kennedy, Smolinski and Kendrick, it marked the first time in K-State recorded history three players registered two or more home runs in a single game … K-State's previous home run record of seven was tied twice, most recently on May 16, 2006, against South Dakota State ... The Wildcats set their single-game home run record just a year after the 2025 squad shattered the single-season home run mark with 97.
PERFECT WEEKEND
A native of Gretna, Nebraska, Ty Smolinski powered the Wildcats to a sweep of SIUE, the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference, with a historic weekend at the plate ... The sophomore was perfect offensively, going 9-for-9 across the series with two four-hit performances while collecting four doubles, three home runs and a team-leading nine RBI ... He posted a staggering 2.444 slugging percentage and a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage, reaching safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances and producing a monstrous 3.444 OPS ... He was a triple short of hitting for the cycle in the series opener, finishing with two doubles and a home run, while he delivered his first career multi-home run game and drove in a career-high six RBI in the finale ... He capped the series going 3-for-3 with runners in scoring position and leading the team with six two-out RBI.
NUMBERS NUGGETS
K-State has a +75-run differential through 17 games this season, averaging 8.7 runs per game ... The Wildcats outscore opponents 76-34 (+42) through the first four frames ... K-State scored 14 runs in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State at the MLB Desert Invitational – its largest single-inning run production in the composite bat era (since 2011) ... The Cats are 9-2 when hitting a home run, with an undefeated 6-0 record when hitting two or more ... K-State has won five of six games in which it has not committed an error while going 8-3 when committing at least one error ... When holding opponents to five or fewer runs, the Wildcats are 9-3 ... Conversely, K-State has a .500 record (3-3) when scoring five or fewer runs in a game … Wildcats are 10-1 when scoring six or more ... K-State is 3-3 in games decided by two runs or fewer … K-State is hitting .363 on the season with runners in scoring position and .263 with two outs, driving in 42 RBI with two away ... Last season, the Cats managed a .306 average with runners in scoring position while hitting .249 with two outs.
The entire Big 12 series can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while a free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Baseball, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
GAME #18
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Friday, March 13 // 6:30 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: RHP James Guyette (2-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Paul Schmitz (2-1, 7.71 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN Online // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME #19
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Saturday, March 14 // 6:30 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: RHP Tanner Duke (1-1, 5.14 ERA) vs. RHP Kendall Hoffman (1-0, 1.90 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN Online // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
GAME #20
K-State (13-4, 0-0 Big 12) at Houston (11-5, 0-0 Big 12)
Sunday, March 15 // 1 PM CT // Schroeder Park // Houston, TX
Projected Starters: LHP Lincoln Sheffield (4-0, 4.24 ERA) vs. TBA
Watch: ESPN+
Radio: KMAN // Brian Smoller
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State opens its 30-game Big 12 schedule this weekend with a three-game series at Houston, starting Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Darryl and Lori Schroeder Park.
FOLLOW THE CATS
The entire three-game Big 12 series can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app … A free live streaming audio is available for all games at KStateSports.com/watch and on the K-State Sports app ... Fans can also follow along opening weekend action through live stats by visiting the team's schedule page or on the Cats social media platforms (@KStateBSB).
A LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats (13-4) enter Big 12 play ranked third in the league standings, with the best 17-game start under Pete Hughes … With its shutout victory over South Dakota State, K-State has won seven consecutive games … On Wednesday, K-State scored nine runs on seven hits with no errors committed and leaving 10 runners stranded on base … Four Wildcats register a hit – all singles – led by two from catcher Bear Madliak and third baseman Grant Gallagher … Second baseman Shintaro Inoue and shortstop Dee Kennedy each recorded a pair of RBI … Right-hander Austin Haley (1-0) earned the victory, throwing five shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk. Haley scattered just two hits in the outing … Aaron Arnold, Adan Longoria and Miles Smith combined for four scoreless innings in relief of Haley … The win marked the Cats' first shutout victory since March 8, 2024, vs. Cincinnati, and 14th under Hughes … It is the second time K-State has started 13-4 (2021, 2026) … Madliak and Kennedy each stretched their hitting streaks to five, while Robby Bolin extended his on-base streak to a team-leading 16 … Gallagher recorded his fourth multi-hit game and Madliak earned his third of the season.
THE WILDCAT ROTATION
Friday: James Guyette (2-1, 4.50 ERA) leads the pitching staff with a season-high 28 strikeouts, ranking fifth in the Big 12 … He has punched out a career-high eight in three starts this season.
Saturday: Tanner Duke (1-1, 5.14 ERA) earned his first victory of the season last Saturday against SIUE.
Sunday: Lincoln Sheffield (4-0, 4.24 ERA) has been the pitcher of record in his last five outs, all of which are wins … K-State has won eight straight when Sheffield starts on the mound.
SCOUTING HOUSTON
Houston is coming off a midweek victory against Rice on Tuesday, its second consecutive run-rule victory … Houston ranks in the top 50 in numerous categories that the NCAA tracks, including hits allowed per nine innings (18th, 6.94), ERA (38th, 3.79), WHIP (38th, 1.24) and double plays (43rd, 14) … Senior Chris Scinta ranks sixth in pitching appearances (74) among NCAA Baseball players across all divisions … Saturday's starter Kendall Hoffman leads the Big 12 among eligible pitchers with a .156 batting average on balls in play against … Houston started the season with a 4-0 showing at the Puerto Rico Challenge, defeating No. 21 Wake Forest in the first NCAA Division I Baseball game of the season … The showing propelled the Cougars into the national spotlight, with the team receiving votes in the NCBWA Poll ... Houston is still receiving votes in the fourth in-season release of the poll … Three Houston hurlers were named to the 2026 National Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List with Richie Roman, Paul Schmitz, and Alex Solis … The Cougars are slashing .297/.419/.486 as a team with 35 doubles, three triple and 19 homers led by five from Carsten Sabathia III … The pitching staff boasts the league's third-best ERA of 3.79.
INSIDE THE SERIES
Wednesday's contest marks the 12th meeting between the Wildcats and Cougars, and first in Houston since 2024 … K-State leads the all-time series 7-4, that includes a 5-1 advantage in Big 12 play … K-State has won all three series … In 11 games, K-State has outscored Houston 77-52 (+25) … The Cats are 5-4 in games played in Texas against the Cougars … K-State is 3-2 in the last five … Under Hughes, K-State is 5-1 … The Cats won the 2025 regular-season series against Houston in Manhattan, 2-1.
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
W, 9-3 – March 24, 2024 (Houston)
W, 5-2 – April 25, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 14-5 – April 26, 2025 (Manhattan)
L, 5-6 – April 27, 2025 (Manhattan)
L, 9-2 – May 21, 2025 (Arlington)
WRITING HISTORY
Four Wildcats combined for a program-record eight home runs, a mark originally set in 1978, to lead K-State to a 20-7 seven-inning triumph over SIUE Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium … Dee Kennedy accounted for three home runs to become the sixth player in school history to hit three or more in a single game ... Ty Smolinski and Micah Kendrick each added two homers, while Carlos Vasquez contributed one ... With multi-home run efforts from Kennedy, Smolinski and Kendrick, it marked the first time in K-State recorded history three players registered two or more home runs in a single game … K-State's previous home run record of seven was tied twice, most recently on May 16, 2006, against South Dakota State ... The Wildcats set their single-game home run record just a year after the 2025 squad shattered the single-season home run mark with 97.
PERFECT WEEKEND
A native of Gretna, Nebraska, Ty Smolinski powered the Wildcats to a sweep of SIUE, the preseason favorite in the Ohio Valley Conference, with a historic weekend at the plate ... The sophomore was perfect offensively, going 9-for-9 across the series with two four-hit performances while collecting four doubles, three home runs and a team-leading nine RBI ... He posted a staggering 2.444 slugging percentage and a perfect 1.000 on-base percentage, reaching safely in 12 consecutive plate appearances and producing a monstrous 3.444 OPS ... He was a triple short of hitting for the cycle in the series opener, finishing with two doubles and a home run, while he delivered his first career multi-home run game and drove in a career-high six RBI in the finale ... He capped the series going 3-for-3 with runners in scoring position and leading the team with six two-out RBI.
NUMBERS NUGGETS
K-State has a +75-run differential through 17 games this season, averaging 8.7 runs per game ... The Wildcats outscore opponents 76-34 (+42) through the first four frames ... K-State scored 14 runs in the top of the seventh vs. Penn State at the MLB Desert Invitational – its largest single-inning run production in the composite bat era (since 2011) ... The Cats are 9-2 when hitting a home run, with an undefeated 6-0 record when hitting two or more ... K-State has won five of six games in which it has not committed an error while going 8-3 when committing at least one error ... When holding opponents to five or fewer runs, the Wildcats are 9-3 ... Conversely, K-State has a .500 record (3-3) when scoring five or fewer runs in a game … Wildcats are 10-1 when scoring six or more ... K-State is 3-3 in games decided by two runs or fewer … K-State is hitting .363 on the season with runners in scoring position and .263 with two outs, driving in 42 RBI with two away ... Last season, the Cats managed a .306 average with runners in scoring position while hitting .249 with two outs.
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