K-State (9-7)
Kansas State baseball followed its home-opening sweep of William & Mary with a two-game road trip in Nebraska, falling to Creighton and Omaha. The Wildcats have crushed the ball out of the ballpark this season, hitting 20 home runs. The ‘Cats recorded big wins over ranked teams and look to carry the momentum into Big 12 play.
No one is hotter at the plate across all of college baseball than shortstop Maximus Martin. He’s the reigning Golden Spikes Player of the Week, an award given to the best college baseball player each week. On the season, Martin is hitting .524 with seven home runs and 23 RBIs.
Left-handed pitcher Lincoln Sheffield was the Sunday starter in all of his starts this year and is extremely efficient in the role. Sheffield has a 2-1 record with a 2.95 ERA across 18.1 innings. When Sheffield gets the nod this weekend, he will look to give the ‘Cats a solid outing.
Utah (11-5)
Utah is off to a solid start this season. The Utes have a skilled pitching staff that held opposing teams to three runs or less in nine of their sixteen games so far. They will hold the tough challenge of slowing down a blazing hot Wildcat offense.
The Utes’ best hitter is also their shortstop, Core Jackson. Jackson hits .433 on the season with six doubles, a triple and two home runs. Jackson also shows good speed when he gets on base, grabbing six stolen bases on the young season.
Leading the way for Utah’s pitching staff is right-hander Colter McAnelly. McAnelly has a 2.13 ERA in four starts and posts a 1-1 record. McAnelly, Utah’s Friday starter, has a complete game this season. He is a strikeout pitcher, with 26 strikeouts in just 25.1 innings.
Who to Watch:
K-State: SS Maximus Martin, LHP Lincoln Sheffield
Utah: SS Core Jackson, RHP Colter McAnelly
Statistics:
K-State:
ERA: 5.34
Batting Average: .300
Home Runs: 27
Utah:
ERA: 4.27
Batting Average: .300
Home Runs: 5
