Tuesday, May 19
10 p.m.
Kansas State University
vs
Utah
K-State Faces Utah in 2026 Big 12 Championships
May 18, 2026 | Baseball
MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State heads into the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championships as the No. 11 seed and will face 10th-seeded Utah in the opening round Tuesday at 10 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona.
The 12-team field is set for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate at Surprise Stadium – the spring training home of the Texas Rangers – with KU securing the No. 1 seed in the event. The Jayhawks claimed the regular season title and will be joined by West Virginia, Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, TCU, Baylor, BYU, Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech. Eight of the 12 teams participating in the event have an RPI of 60 or better, with four in the top-30.
The 2026 Tournament will be played at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona for the first time and will be a single-elimination format. All-session and single-session tickets for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate can be purchased here.
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network. A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball 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 55
No. 11 K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) vs. No. 10 Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12)
Tuesday, May 19 // 10 PM CT // Surprise Stadium // Surprise, AZ
Projected Starters: James Guyette (6-4, 5.69 ERA) vs. RHP Demitri Diamant (2-1, 3.16 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Kyle Youmans, Alex Coil
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Brian Smoller, Matt Wallters
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) heads into the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championships as the No. 11 seed and will face 10th-seeded Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12) in the opening round Tuesday at 10 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona … The 12-team field is set for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate, with KU securing the No. 1 seed in the event ... The Jayhawks claimed the regular season title and will be joined by West Virginia, Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, TCU, Baylor, BYU, Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech ... Eight of the 12 teams participating in the event have an RPI of 60 or better, with four in the top-30.
FOLLOW THE CATS
Tuesday's contest can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network ... A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball 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).
THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
Tuesday, May 19
Game 1 – No. 9 BYU vs. No. 12 Texas Tech – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 2 – No. 10 Utah vs. No. 11 Kansas State – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Wednesday, May 20
Game 3 – No. 8 Baylor vs. Game 1 winner– 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 7 TCU vs. Game 2 winner – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Thursday, May 21
Game 5 – No. 4 UCF vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State – 9 a.m. – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 3 winner – 12:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 7 – No. 2 West Virginia vs. Game 4 Winner – 4:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 8 – No. 3 Arizona State vs. No. 6 Cincinnati – 8 p.m. – ESPNU
Friday, May 22
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Saturday, May 23
Game 11 – Championship Game – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN2
All times listed in MST.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats enter Big 12 Baseball Championships as the No. 11 seed after wrapping up the regular season 28-26 overall – their seventh consecutive winning season – with an 11-19 conference mark … The Wildcats are hitting .298 as a team with 129 doubles, nine triples and 85 homers, the fourth-most in the league … The team's 85 home runs rank fourth overall in K-State history … Five everyday starters are hitting north of a .300 clip, led by Dee Kennedy's .359 average … Carlos Vasquez follows Kennedy at .346, with AJ Evasco (.342) and Ty Smolinski (.338) trailing closely behind … The pitching staff boasts a 6.08 ERA, striking out 473 with opponents hitting .288 … Junior right-hander James Guyette (6-4, 5.69 ERA) will get the start on the mound for K-State ... Guyette has struck out 99 batters this season, ranking fifth overall in the league and 31st nationally.
SCOUTING UTAH
Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12), which enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed, is headed into its first-ever Big 12 Championship after falling short last season … Utah finished 5-5 in its last 10 games of the regular season … In the regular season finale, the Utes jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but ultimately fell 11-10 to Baylor in the series rubber game, as the Bears scored three in the ninth … Utah is hitting .308 as a team with 100 doubles, 10 triples and 63 home runs … Jake Long leads the offense with 27 extra-base hits (14 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs) and 56 RBI … The pitching staff boasts a 6.65 ERA (319 ER, 432 IP) with a 1.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio …
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Wildcats lead the all-time series 9-3 … Utah claimed the regular-season series in March, 2-1, while K-State swept the Utes in the first-ever conference series last season … K-State has outscored Utah, 116-60 … In the Hughes era, K-State is 5-3 against Utah … Tuesday's contest marks the first meeting between the two squads in the conference tournament, however, the Wildcats are 5-1 when playing in neutral territory vs. the Utes.
LAST 5 MEETINGS
W, 13-2 – March 15, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 14-2 (7) – March 16, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 8-5 – March 27, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
L, 11-13 – March 28, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
L, 14-16 – March 29, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
CATS IN THE TOURNIE
K-State heads into its seventh consecutive Big 12 Baseball Championships … The Wildcats are 22-29 all-time at the Big 12 Championship, while it is the first meeting against the Utes in the postseason … The Cats' three wins in 2021 season's tournament were the most in any Big 12 Championship tournament … K-State is 8-11 at the conference tournament under Hughes.
TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
Kansas (22-8) is the top-seeded team in the 12-team field after clinching its first Big 12 regular season title in program history ... The Jayhawks earned a double bye … West Virginia (21-9) earned the second seed and a double bye … Arizona State (19-11) secured the No. 3 seed after holding the tiebreaker over UCF due to its 2-1 series win at the beginning of May … UCF (19-11) rounds out the top four seeds and will open Thursday's slate of games against No. 5-seed Oklahoma State (18-12) as the last pair of teams to earn the double bye … TCU (17-13) will look to make its return to the Big 12 Tournament final as the No. 7 seed … Baylor (14-16) grabbed the No. 8 seed and the final single bye … The Tournament will begin Tuesday, May 19 a with No. 9-seeded BYU (14-16) taking on No. 12-seeded Texas Tech (10-20), followed by No. 10-seeded Utah (12-18) squaring off with No. 11-seeded Kansas State (11-19).
SEMICATS
Two Wildcats have been named semifinalist by national organizations for their performances on the diamond in 2026 … K-State's Dee Kennedy was selected a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball, which honors the nation's top amateur baseball player ... Additionally, he was voted a semifinalist the for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate player based on two rounds of national voting by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association members since 1987 … Senior catcher Bear Madliak was selected as a semifinalist for the 2026 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award presented by Hasty Awards, announced by the Wichita Sports Commission.
The 12-team field is set for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate at Surprise Stadium – the spring training home of the Texas Rangers – with KU securing the No. 1 seed in the event. The Jayhawks claimed the regular season title and will be joined by West Virginia, Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, TCU, Baylor, BYU, Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech. Eight of the 12 teams participating in the event have an RPI of 60 or better, with four in the top-30.
The 2026 Tournament will be played at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona for the first time and will be a single-elimination format. All-session and single-session tickets for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate can be purchased here.
Tuesday's contest will broadcast on ESPN+ and the ESPN app, while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network. A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball 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 55
No. 11 K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) vs. No. 10 Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12)
Tuesday, May 19 // 10 PM CT // Surprise Stadium // Surprise, AZ
Projected Starters: James Guyette (6-4, 5.69 ERA) vs. RHP Demitri Diamant (2-1, 3.16 ERA)
Watch: ESPN+ // Kyle Youmans, Alex Coil
Radio: K-State Sports Network // Brian Smoller, Matt Wallters
Listen: kstatesports.com/watch
Live Stats: kstate.statbroadcast.com
THE MATCHUP
K-State (28-26, 11-19 Big 12) heads into the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championships as the No. 11 seed and will face 10th-seeded Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12) in the opening round Tuesday at 10 p.m. CT at Surprise Stadium in Surprise, Arizona … The 12-team field is set for the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Tournament presented by Allstate, with KU securing the No. 1 seed in the event ... The Jayhawks claimed the regular season title and will be joined by West Virginia, Arizona State, UCF, Oklahoma State, Cincinnati, TCU, Baylor, BYU, Utah, Kansas State and Texas Tech ... Eight of the 12 teams participating in the event have an RPI of 60 or better, with four in the top-30.
FOLLOW THE CATS
Tuesday's contest can be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app while radio coverage is available on the K-State Sports Network ... A free live stream audio is available for K-State baseball 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).
THE TOURNAMENT FIELD
Tuesday, May 19
Game 1 – No. 9 BYU vs. No. 12 Texas Tech – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 2 – No. 10 Utah vs. No. 11 Kansas State – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Wednesday, May 20
Game 3 – No. 8 Baylor vs. Game 1 winner– 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 4 – No. 7 TCU vs. Game 2 winner – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Thursday, May 21
Game 5 – No. 4 UCF vs. No. 5 Oklahoma State – 9 a.m. – ESPNU
Game 6 – No. 1 Kansas vs. Game 3 winner – 12:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 7 – No. 2 West Virginia vs. Game 4 Winner – 4:30 p.m. – ESPNU
Game 8 – No. 3 Arizona State vs. No. 6 Cincinnati – 8 p.m. – ESPNU
Friday, May 22
Game 9 – Game 5 Winner vs. Game 6 Winner – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN+
Game 10 – Game 7 Winner vs. Game 8 Winner – 8 p.m. – ESPN+
Saturday, May 23
Game 11 – Championship Game – 4:30 p.m. – ESPN2
All times listed in MST.
A LOOK AT K-STATE
The Wildcats enter Big 12 Baseball Championships as the No. 11 seed after wrapping up the regular season 28-26 overall – their seventh consecutive winning season – with an 11-19 conference mark … The Wildcats are hitting .298 as a team with 129 doubles, nine triples and 85 homers, the fourth-most in the league … The team's 85 home runs rank fourth overall in K-State history … Five everyday starters are hitting north of a .300 clip, led by Dee Kennedy's .359 average … Carlos Vasquez follows Kennedy at .346, with AJ Evasco (.342) and Ty Smolinski (.338) trailing closely behind … The pitching staff boasts a 6.08 ERA, striking out 473 with opponents hitting .288 … Junior right-hander James Guyette (6-4, 5.69 ERA) will get the start on the mound for K-State ... Guyette has struck out 99 batters this season, ranking fifth overall in the league and 31st nationally.
SCOUTING UTAH
Utah (26-24, 12-18 Big 12), which enters the tournament as the No. 10 seed, is headed into its first-ever Big 12 Championship after falling short last season … Utah finished 5-5 in its last 10 games of the regular season … In the regular season finale, the Utes jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but ultimately fell 11-10 to Baylor in the series rubber game, as the Bears scored three in the ninth … Utah is hitting .308 as a team with 100 doubles, 10 triples and 63 home runs … Jake Long leads the offense with 27 extra-base hits (14 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs) and 56 RBI … The pitching staff boasts a 6.65 ERA (319 ER, 432 IP) with a 1.80 strikeout-to-walk ratio …
INSIDE THE SERIES
The Wildcats lead the all-time series 9-3 … Utah claimed the regular-season series in March, 2-1, while K-State swept the Utes in the first-ever conference series last season … K-State has outscored Utah, 116-60 … In the Hughes era, K-State is 5-3 against Utah … Tuesday's contest marks the first meeting between the two squads in the conference tournament, however, the Wildcats are 5-1 when playing in neutral territory vs. the Utes.
LAST 5 MEETINGS
W, 13-2 – March 15, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 14-2 (7) – March 16, 2025 (Manhattan)
W, 8-5 – March 27, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
L, 11-13 – March 28, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
L, 14-16 – March 29, 2026 (Salt Lake City)
CATS IN THE TOURNIE
K-State heads into its seventh consecutive Big 12 Baseball Championships … The Wildcats are 22-29 all-time at the Big 12 Championship, while it is the first meeting against the Utes in the postseason … The Cats' three wins in 2021 season's tournament were the most in any Big 12 Championship tournament … K-State is 8-11 at the conference tournament under Hughes.
TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
Kansas (22-8) is the top-seeded team in the 12-team field after clinching its first Big 12 regular season title in program history ... The Jayhawks earned a double bye … West Virginia (21-9) earned the second seed and a double bye … Arizona State (19-11) secured the No. 3 seed after holding the tiebreaker over UCF due to its 2-1 series win at the beginning of May … UCF (19-11) rounds out the top four seeds and will open Thursday's slate of games against No. 5-seed Oklahoma State (18-12) as the last pair of teams to earn the double bye … TCU (17-13) will look to make its return to the Big 12 Tournament final as the No. 7 seed … Baylor (14-16) grabbed the No. 8 seed and the final single bye … The Tournament will begin Tuesday, May 19 a with No. 9-seeded BYU (14-16) taking on No. 12-seeded Texas Tech (10-20), followed by No. 10-seeded Utah (12-18) squaring off with No. 11-seeded Kansas State (11-19).
SEMICATS
Two Wildcats have been named semifinalist by national organizations for their performances on the diamond in 2026 … K-State's Dee Kennedy was selected a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award by USA Baseball, which honors the nation's top amateur baseball player ... Additionally, he was voted a semifinalist the for the Dick Howser Trophy, awarded annually to the top collegiate player based on two rounds of national voting by National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association members since 1987 … Senior catcher Bear Madliak was selected as a semifinalist for the 2026 Buster Posey National Collegiate Catcher of the Year Award presented by Hasty Awards, announced by the Wichita Sports Commission.
Players Mentioned
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