K-State 23-14 (7-8)

Kansas State was on the verge of sweeping Oklahoma State last week but fell in the 13th inning of the series finale on April 12. The Wildcats mostly pitched well against a dangerous and powerful Cowboys offense, and the team seems close to breaking out in a big way, which could start with a sweep against Arizona. 

Outfielder AJ Evasco has continued to be a superstar for K-State after he broke out as a freshman last year. Evasco has five home runs on the season, which is a few less than last year, but his average and on-base percentage are up. The freshman All-American has started 36 of the 37 games for the Wildcats and is a vital piece to their lineup this weekend and going forward. 

Relief pitcher Adam Arther pitched in all three games last weekend against Oklahoma State and was special. Arther pitched a combined three innings over the three games and struck out six batters in his line of work. The crafty lefty was also the winning pitcher in the matchup on April 11 and has been a trusted arm for head coach Pete Hughes out of the pen to get outs in any scenario. 

Arizona 14-22 (5-10)

Arizona has won four of its last five games, which included a series win over Texas Christian in Fort Worth, Texas, last weekend. The Wildcats followed up that series win by beating their in-state rival, Arizona State, on Monday, who was ranked #23 coming into the matchup. Arizona doesn’t hit for a high average as a team and can struggle to score runs in limited opportunities.

The lone high-average player for Arizona is Tony Lira, who is batting .362 on the season and has started every game this season for the Wildcats. Lira has five home runs and nine doubles, but is mostly a singles guy. If K-State can keep him off base, they will have a good chance to shut Arizona down with limited firepower behind him in the batting order. 

Out of the bullpen for Arizona is Garrett Hicks, who holds a 2.29 ERA across 13 appearances. Hicks is the closer for the Wildcats and has recorded five saves so far this season. The right-hander has good strikeout stuff with 22 Ks in 20 innings pitched and can limit the long ball, only giving up two home runs this season.

Who to Watch:

KSU: OF AJ Evasco, LHP Adam Arther

Arizona: 1B Tony Lira, RHP Garrett Hicks

April 17-19 on ESPN+

Prediction: KSU takes series 3-0

Games 38-40

K-State:

Total Home Runs: 61

Team on-base % .434

Team ERA: 5.92

Slug %: .567 (first in Big 12)

Arizona:

Total Home Runs: 31

Team on-base % .348

Team ERA: 5.39

Slug %: .392 (last in Big 12)