K-State living up to ‘super-talented’ potential as Cinderella team at NCAA Tournament
The most surprising thing about Kansas State’s perfect run through the Fayetteville Regional was how the Wildcats made it happen over the weekend in Arkansas.
K-State entered the NCAA Tournament in an offensive slump. The Wildcats were known as a team that played that hard and won with defense. But few expected this group to knock off the No 5 Razorbacks on their home turf and advance to a Super Regional for just the second time in program history.
Even those who had faith in the Bat Cats didn’t see them winning via an avalanche of hits.
And yet, there they were blitzing the competition by a grand total of 21 runs over the course of three games. The Wildcats beat Louisiana Tech 19-4, Arkansas 7-6 and then Southeast Missouri State 7-2. They swung the bat beautifully for 35 hits, seven of which were home runs.
Not bad for a team that hit .258 in Big 12 games and ranked in the bottom half of the conference in most offensive categories.
K-State baseball coach Pete Hughes had to be thinking well, it’s about time as he watched his team put on a hitting clinic.
This is what he expected all year long.
“We are super-talented,” Hughes said. “There are highs and lows in this sport, especially offensively. We were in a rut for about a month to get our numbers (so low). But we were also playing the toughest part of our schedule and we were traveling like crazy. I think our schedule made our kids tougher, but it did hurt us because of fatigue.
“I keep saying that the teams that advance this time of year are the teams that get healthy and get hot ... It just came together. You start off early and it’s contagious. It runs through your lineup and then everyone gets comfortable in the box. I wish I could have explained how to do it three or four weeks ago. But if it was going to happen it was going to happen now and it looks like it did. That kind of explains our offensive surge.”
Kaelen Culpepper could be considered the face of K-State’s sudden improvement at the plate.
The junior shortstop was the obvious choice for Region MVP after he hit for the cycle against Louisiana Tech, bashed a three-run home run against Arkansas and then added two singles against SEMO.
He was on fire.
“It means a lot,” Culpepper said. “I’m glad I was able to perform at a high level to help our team win. I wasn’t really coming here just to win awards, I wanted to win a regional, and that’s exactly what we did.”
Some will now label K-State as a Cinderella team before the Wildcats hit the road for a three-game series against No. 12 Virginia later this week.
That is certainly fair on the surface. K-State won just 32 games during the regular season and entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed. But there is nothing surprising about this team if it stays hot. Several publications ranked the Wildcats in the top 25 of their preseason rankings. Experts long ago saw potential in this group, and it is starting to surface.
Unlike a true Cinderella team, such as No. 4 seed Evansville, K-State is simply peaking at the ideal time.
“We certainly aren’t satisfied,” Hughes said.
Indeed, K-State is now hoping to remain hot all the way to Omaha for the College World Series.
“They are a pretty motivated group right now and they are playing free and fast,” Hughes said. “That is exactly the way you dial it up.
“I didn’t see any nerves in this regional. I saw kids with a chip on their shoulder, hungry to win and hungry to get to the next level.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 6:00 AM with the headline "K-State living up to ‘super-talented’ potential as Cinderella team at NCAA Tournament."