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It didn't take long for Kansas State to turn their season around! After getting off to a very slow 1-7 start the preseason favorites to win the conference will come to Norman riding a twelve-game winning streak.
Boasting a Big XII best .304 batting average the Wildcats have boosted their season record with timely hitting and strong base running. Kansas State also has the highest on base percentage in the conference at .411 on the year.
The Wildcats are a blue collar team that works hard to get where they are. You won't find a bunch of power hitters on this team (only three players have hit home runs this year) but what you will find is eight guys batting .300 or better. Junior Austin Fisher leads the way for KSU with a .387 batting average, two home runs, and 14 RBI. Mitch Meyer, also a junior, leads the team in total RBIs on the year with 18. He also has two home runs and is batting .327 for the season. Senior Ross Kivett is the other K-State player to have hit a home run this season. He's batting .329 and has knocked in 13 RBI this year.
Right on the heels of the Wildcats are the Sooners who are batting .301 on the year as a team. Mac James has a Big Twelve best .442 batting average and has knocked in 18 RBI while crossing home plate 18 times himself. James also leads the conference in total hits with 34 on the year. Hunter Haley leads the conference in runs scored (24) and his four home runs are the most on the team. The Sooners also boast three of the top four in the conference in total bases with freshman Sheldon Neuse (50), James (49), and Haley (48). Four Sooners are currently batting .300 or better.
Up against these two lineups will be the pitching staffs of the two schools. Kansas State is seventh in the Big XII with a team ERA of 3.46 while the Sooners are fifth at 3.38. Coach Hughes will keep to his normal weekend rotation of Corey Copping, Adam Choplick, and Jake Elliott. The Wildcats have yet to announce a Sunday starter but will go with Levi MaVorhis and Jared Moore on Friday and Saturday.
While it is only the first weekend of conference play, this series could easily set the tone for the remainder of the year for both squads. The Wildcats want to keep rolling on their winning streak while the Sooners are looking to overcome an atrocious Wednesday night outing in which they lost 11-2 to Arkansas-Little Rock.