Kansas State baseball coach Pete Hughes on the NCAA Tournament
Kansas State baseball coach Pete Hughes talks about reaching the NCAA Tournament for a second straight year and what makes thise one extra special.
K-State Athletics
Kansas State baseball and Houston Christian both are fighting for survival in the NCAA Austin Regional when they meet at 2 p.m. Saturday in an elimination game at UFCU Disch-Falk Field in Austin, Texas.
No. 3 seed K-State (31-25) dropped a 10-2 first-round decision to second-seeded Texas-San Antonio on Friday night, while No. 4 Houston Christian fell to host Texas, 7-1.
Kansas State coach Pete Hughes did not announce a starting pitcher for the Houston Christian game, but it most likely will be Lincoln Sheffield (6-4, 5.99 ERA) or Michael Quevedo (6-3, 6.28 ERA), both weekend starters throughout the regular season.
Can Kansas State baseball bounce back?
Kansas State baseball, which is making its sixth NCAA Tournament appearance, has not faced an elimination game since 2011. The Wildcats had won six straight regional contests after sweeping three games at home in 2013 and then winning all three games last year in the Fayetteville Regional.
Houston Christian, on the other hand, is in the NCAA Tournament field for just the second time and the first time since 2015. The Huskies are 0-3 all time in regional play after their loss to Texas.
Prediction: Kansas State 8, Houston Christian 4
Kansas State has a decided advantage in postseason experience, despite its large roster turnover from last year. The Wildcats also have greater potential to bust out offensively with 93 home runs on the season to just 28 for Houston Christian.
Arne Green is based in Salina and covers Kansas State University sports for the Gannett network. He can be reached at agreen@gannett.com or on X (formerly Twitter) at @arnegreen.
