2009 Kansas State Wildcats baseball team

2009 Kansas State Wildcats baseball
Conference	Big 12 Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 20
AP	No. 22
Record	43–18–1 (14–11–1 Big 12)
Head coach	Brad Hill
Hitting coach	Andy Sawyers
Pitching coach	Sean McCann
Home stadium	Tointon Family Stadium

2009 Big 12 Conference baseball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 2 Texas  ‍†‍‡‍y	17	–	9		.654			50	–	16		.758
No. 19 Oklahoma  ‍‍‍y	17	–	10		.630			43	–	20		.683
Missouri  ‍‍‍y	16	–	11		.593			35	–	27		.565
No. 22 Kansas State  ‍‍‍y	14	–	11		.560			43	–	18		.705
Kansas  ‍‍‍y	15	–	12		.556			39	–	24		.619
Texas A&M  ‍‍‍y	14	–	13		.519			37	–	24		.607
Texas Tech  ‍‍‍	12	–	15		.444			25	–	32		.439
Baylor  ‍‍‍y	10	–	16		.385			30	–	26		.536
No. 27 Oklahoma State  ‍‍‍y	9	–	16		.360			34	–	24		.586
Nebraska  ‍‍‍	8	–	19		.296			25	–	28		.472
† – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of June 30, 2009 Rankings from Collegiate Baseball

The 2009 Kansas State Wildcats baseball team represented Kansas State University in the NCAA Division I college baseball season of 2009. It was the 109th baseball season in school history.

The team's head coach was Brad Hill who was in his sixth season at Kansas State. He was previously the head coach at Central Missouri State before coming to Manhattan in 2004.

Kansas State made the NCAA tournament for the first time in school history. The team finished the season by setting the school's record for wins, eight more than the previous school record of 35 in 1976.

Preseason

The Wildcats, who recorded the most conference victories and its highest conference finish (tied for sixth) since 2002, return five pitchers who combined for 21 starts last season. The Wildcats will have junior A.J. Morris and seniors Lance Hoge and Todd Vogel, while sophomore Thomas Rooke, who tied for fifth in school history with 25 appearances out of the bullpen last year, could be called upon to start some games this year for the Wildcats.

Offensively, K-State returns four of its top five hitters from a year ago, including junior infielder Justin Bloxom and senior outfielder Dane Yelovich. Bloxom led K-State in virtually every offensive category last season, including batting average (.288), hits (63), RBI (49), triples (2), total bases (105), total plate appearances (252), at bats (219), games played (58) and games started (57). Yelovich finished with a .286 average and stole 18 bases, good for fourth in the Big 12 Conference.

Alongside Bloxom in the infield is expected to be sophomore Carter Jurica at second base, converted outfielder Jason King at third, while senior Drew Biery will man shortstop for the second-consecutive year.

The outfield will feature Yelovich in center field, while fellow senior, Jordan Cruz, will return to right field after beginning the 2008 season as the starter. Left field will be a battle between junior Adam Muenster and true freshman Nick Martini. Muenster, who will be a switch-hitter this season, could also see time at second base.

Rob Vaughn, a two-year starter at catcher, returns for his senior campaign, while a pair of juniors, Daniel Dellasega and David Masters will also see playing time behind the plate.

Season

Regular season

Head Coach Brad Hill, in his sixth season at K-State, earned Big 12 Coach of the Year honors as he guided Kansas State to a 39-win season, including 14 conference victories to finish fourth in the league, all school bests. The team also earned their highest ranking in school history as they were number 10 in the Baseball America Top 25 earlier in the season. A.J. Morris won Big 12 pitcher of year, the first Wildcat ever to do so. Morris finished the regular season as the Big 12 leader in both wins (12) and ERA (1.61). He was also first in innings pitched (100.2), third in opponent batting average (.203) and tied for fifth in strikeouts (91). Morris became the first player in school history to be named a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy. Brad Hill became the first Kansas State coach since Mike Clark in 1990 to be named conference coach of the year.

Carter Jurica earned second-team accolades from the coaches after leading the conference's top hitting team with a .366 average, which was third in the Big 12 individually. Jurica also finished the regular season third in stolen bases (21), fourth in hits (78), and fifth in both runs scored (57) and on-base percentage (.442). Seniors Drew Biery and Jordan Cruz, junior Justin Bloxom, sophomore Jason King and freshman Nick Martini were each named honorable mention All-Big 12.

Kansas State was tied for 12th nationally with 39 wins. Kansas State has recorded 136 steals this season, the second-most in school history. The Wildcats have recorded 20 triples this season, which are tops in the Big 12, and the most by a K-State team since 1997.

Conference tournament

The Wildcats earned a berth in the Big 12 baseball tournament for the second year in a row. The tournament was held at AT&T Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City Oklahoma.

Kansas State first beat Kansas by a score of 5–4. They then beat Baylor, 9–4. They faced Texas next for the right to play in the tournament championship. The Wildcats fell short, 2–4.

NCAA tournament

The Wildcats earned their first ever berth in the NCAA baseball tournament. They competed in the Houston Regional, with Rice University playing host, at Reckling Park. The other teams were Rice, Xavier, and Sam Houston State. They lost the regional final against Rice.

Roster

	Pitchers Jame Allen Matt Applegate Kayvon Bahramzdeh Josh Crockett Ryan Daniel Ben Heairet (L) Dustin Hobbs Lance Hoge (L) Kyle Hunter (L) Chad Jasman Mark Joukoff Justin Lindsey Evan Marshall A. J. Morris Thomas Rooke (L) Todd Vogel		Catchers Daniel Dellasega David Masters Cameron Welch Rob Vaughn		Infielders Drew Biery Justin Bloxom Jake Brown Matt Giller Randon Henika Carter Jurica Jason King		Outfielders Nick Cocking Jordan Cruz Mike Kindel Nick Martini Adam Muenster Jimmy Risi Dan Rumsey Dane Yelovich

Coaches

Name Title First Season at K-State Alma Mater Brad Hill Head Coach 2004 Emporia State (1985) Andy Sawyers Hitting Coach 2009 Nebraska (1998) Sean McCann Pitching Coach 2004 St. Francis (1993) Craig Ringe Volunteer Assistant Coach 2008 Central Missouri (2002) Schedule 2009 Kansas State Wildcats baseball Game Log Regular season # Date Opponent Score Site/stadium Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record Big 12 Record 1 February 20 at Houston 16–2 Cougar Field Morris Musick   1,231 1–0 0–0 2 February 21 at Houston 9–2 Cougar Field Hoge Ray   1,165 2–0 0–0 3 February 22 at Houston 2–3 (10) Cougar Field Dempsay Marshall   1,143 2–1 0–0 4 February 26 vs Pacific 7–4 Tony Gwynn Stadium Morris Holscher   73 3–1 0–0 5 February 27 vs Nevada 10–2 Tony Gwynn Stadium Hoge Bautista   71 4–1 0–0 6 February 28 vs #11 San Diego 1–2 Tony Gwynn Stadium DeNault Applegate   117 4–2 0–0 7 March 1 at San Diego State 5–4 (10) Tony Gwynn Stadium Applegate Skipper   419 5–2 0–0 8 March 3 Creighton 12–1 Tointon Family Stadium Morris Dufek   730 6–2 0–0 9 March 6 Niagara 12–1 Tointon Family Stadium Hoge Kellar   1,252 7–2 0–0 10 March 6 Niagara 9–8 Tointon Family Stadium Daniel Morari   1,252 8–2 0–0 11 March 7 Niagara 12–2 Tointon Family Stadium Bahramzadeh Candelmo   916 9–2 0–0 12 March 8 Niagara 15–1 Tointon Family Stadium Vogel Sikorski   397 10–2 0–0 13 March 10 at #4 Arizona State 6–2 Surprise Stadium Morris Leake Allen 4,375 11–2 0–0 14 March 11 at #4 Arizona State 1–12 Surprise Stadium Spence Hoge Swagerty 5,770 11–3 0–0 15 March 13 Butler 8–4 Tointon Family Stadium Rooke Sokolowski   514 12–3 0–0 16 March 14 Butler 14–2 Tointon Family Stadium Bahramzadeh Wagoner   888 13–3 0–0 17 March 14 Butler 15–3 Tointon Family Stadium Vogel Ochs   888 14–3 0–0 18 March 15 Butler 13–2 Tointon Family Stadium Morris Sinkiewicz   661 15–3 0–0 19 March 17 Texas San Antonio 5–4 Tointon Family Stadium Applegate Selsor Allen 1,074 16–3 0–0 20 March 18 Texas San Antonio 5–4 Tointon Family Stadium Allen Clarke   685 17–3 0–0 21 March 20 #13 Oklahoma 9–1 Tointon Family Stadium Morris Doyle   818 18–3 1–0 22 March 21 #13 Oklahoma 11–12 Tointon Family Stadium Seng Marshall   1,499 18–4 1–1 23 March 22 #13 Oklahoma 4–29 Tointon Family Stadium Rocha Bahramzadeh   1,101 18–5 1–2 24 March 24 Northwestern 4–3 Tointon Family Stadium Rooke Jensen   672 19–5 1–2 25 March 25 Northwestern 12–8 Tointon Family Stadium Hobbs Morgan   534 20–5 1–2 26 March 27 at #8 Baylor 7–1 Baylor Ballpark Morris Volz   2,642 21–5 2–2 27 March 28 at #8 Baylor 2–3 Baylor Ballpark Verrett Hoge Miller 2,687 21–6 2–3 28 March 29 at #8 Baylor 6–7 Baylor Ballpark Kempf Hunter Pinckard 2,657 21–7 2–4 29 April 1 at Creighton 1–5 Creighton Sports Complex Nihsen Daniel   633 21–8 2–4 30 April 3 at Nebraska 15–1 Haymarket Park Hoge Roualdes     22–8 3–4 31 April 3 at Nebraska 9–3 Haymarket Park Morris Rose   4,634 23–8 4–4 32 April 4 at Nebraska 5–3 Haymarket Park Vogel Hauptmann Allen 1,594 24–8 5–4 33 April 9 #15 Texas A&M 2–4 Tointon Family Stadium Raley Allen   713 24–9 5–5 34 April 10 #15 Texas A&M 6–4 Tointon Family Stadium Morris Wilson Rooke 1,247 25–9 6–5 35 April 11 #15 Texas A&M 4–3 Tointon Family Stadium Rooke Fleece   1,746 26–9 7–5 36 April 14 Wichita State 13–5 Tointon Family Stadium Marshall Maldonado   2,416 27–9 7–5 37 April 15 at Wichita State 4–3 Eck Stadium Daniel Flynn Rooke 5,586 28–9 7–5 38 April 17 Missouri 3–4 Tointon Family Stadium Gibson Rooke   3,008 28–10 7–6 39 April 18 Missouri 6–11 Tointon Family Stadium Fick Hunter   1,955 28–11 7–7 40 April 19 Missouri 11–5 Tointon Family Stadium Marshall Tepesch Rooke 1,440 29–11 8–7 41 April 24 at #2 Texas 4–2 UFCU Disch-Falk Field Morris Wood   5,473 30–11 9–7 42 April 25 at #2 Texas 5–4 (12) UFCU Disch-Falk Field Applegate Jungmann   6,344 31–11 10–7 43 April 26 at #2 Texas 6–6 UFCU Disch-Falk Field       5,552 31–11–1 10–7–1 44 April 28 North Dakota 10–2 Tointon Family Stadium Hunter Biermaier   1,149 32–11–1 10–7–1 45 April 29 North Dakota 22–1 Tointon Family Stadium Daniel Baumgartner   988 33–11–1 10–7–1 46 May 1 at #26 Oklahoma State 5–3 Allie P. Reynolds Stadium Hoge Oliver Rooke   34–11–1 11–7–1 47 1 May at #26 Oklahoma State 4–3 (6) Allie P. Reynolds Stadium Morris Lyons   276 35–11–1 12–7–1 48 May 4 BYU 9–8 (10) Tointon Family Stadium Rooke Muir   1,197 36–11–1 12–7–1 49 May 5 BYU 11–3 Tointon Family Stadium Daniel Toole   1,640 37–11–1 12–7–1 50 May 8 Texas Tech 0–6 Tointon Family Stadium Karns Morris   3,651 37–12–1 12–8–1 51 May 9 Texas Tech 6–12 Tointon Family Stadium Ramos Hoge   2,577 37–13–1 12–9–1 52 May 10 Texas Tech 9–5 Tointon Family Stadium Vogel Head   1,263 38–13–1 13–9–1 53 May 15 Kansas 4–1 Tointon Family Stadium Morris Hall   4,280 39–13–1 14–9–1 54 May 16 at Kansas 3–9 Hoglund Ballpark Walz Hoge   2,438 39–14–1 14–10–1 55 May 17 at Kansas 7–17 (7) Hoglund Ballpark Ridenhour Vogel   2,639 39–15–1 14–11–1 Big 12 Tournament # Date Opponent Score Site/stadium Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record Big 12 T Record 1 May 20 #24 Kansas 5–4 Bricktown Ballpark Allen Selik   4,129 40–15–1 1–0 2 May 21 Baylor 9–4 Bricktown Ballpark Morris Kempf   4,583 41–15–1 2–0 3 May 23 #5 Texas 2–4 Bricktown Ballpark Jungmann Applegate   5,720 41–16–1 2–1 NCAA tournament: Regionals # Date Opponent Score Site/stadium Win Loss Save Attendance Overall record NCAAT Record 1 May 29 Xavier 16–8 Reckling Park Hoge Richard   2,893 42–16–1 1–0 2 May 30 #6 Rice 7–6 Reckling Park Morris Berry   4,169 43–16–1 2–0 3 May 31 #6 Rice 0–8 Reckling Park Wall Vogel   3,298 43–17–1 2–1 4 June 1 #6 Rice 4–13 Reckling Park Reckling Rooke   4,589 43–18–1 2–2 Awards and honors Player Award/Honor A.J. Morris Big 12 Pitcher of the Year Brad Hill Big 12 Coach of the Year A.J. Morris First Team All-American Wildcats in the 2009 MLB Draft The following members of the 2009 Kansas State Wildcats baseball team were drafted in the 2009 MLB Draft. Player Position Round Overall MLB Team A.J. Morris Pitcher 4th 112 Washington Nationals Justin Bloxom Left Field 11th 322 Washington Nationals Drew Biery Third Base 22nd 657 San Francisco Giants Gerardo Esquivel* Pitcher 24th 740 Chicago Cubs Rob Vaughn Catcher 30th 913 Chicago White Sox Lance Hoge Pitcher 36th 1,094 New York Mets *2009 Signee See also Kansas State University Kansas State Wildcats Kansas State Wildcats baseball Tointon Family Stadium Brad Hill References External links Official Kansas State Wildcats baseball page