Wildcats Top Utes, Advance in Big 12 Tournament

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Four Wildcats produced multi-hit performances Tuesday evening as Eleventh-seeded Okay-State rallied previous Tenth-seeded Utah, 9-5, to open the 2026 Big 12 Baseball Championship at Surprise Stadium.
Trailing 3-0, AJ Evasco delivered a two-run blast to trim the deficit in the sixth, earlier than Okay-State (29-26) took the lead in the subsequent inning. Utah (26-25) answered and tied the sport at 5-5, however the Wildcats scored 4 unanswered runs in the eighth to drag away with the win.
“It was a good game,” stated head coach Pete Hugheswho’s in his eighth season on the helm. “Utah was in a tough spot. It was a bullpen night, and there’s no greater mind and bullpen coach in the country than Coach [Gary] Henderson, when it comes to pitching and handling the pitching staff. So, I know that he really didn’t give us an edge with him calling the shots.
“Proud of our guys, we have had a disappointing yr, and we battled by quite a bit. We may have shut it down after taking place three runs early, however we acquired proper again in and answered and stored answering. Then, we constructed the lead, sustained the lead, and received a ball sport,” Hughes added.
Right-hander James Guyette recorded his 100th strikeout of the season, becoming the fifth pitcher in school history to reach the milestone. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits over five innings while striking out six. Guyette now ranks fourth all-time in single-season strikeouts at K-State.
Left-hander Lincoln Sheffield (8-3) earned the win in relief with 2 2/3 shutout innings, retiring eight of the nine batters he faced. His eight victories are the most ever by a K-State senior pitcher.
“We had some gutty performances, and Lincoln Sheffieldcoming off three days’ relaxation and completed that sport, and an prolonged outing out of the pen confirmed its toughness and grit. James Guyette It wasn’t nice, however he was definitely adequate to maintain a gifted offense at bay. Those guys can hit, they hit over .300 for the complete yr, they seem to be a harmful offense. So good staff win, we would have liked it, we acquired to get some momentum going.”
THE RUNDOWN

Nine runners have been stranded by the primary 5 innings as the sport remained scoreless getting into the underside of the fifth.
Utah broke by in the fifth after Derek Smith battled by a nine-pitch at-bat that sparked three consecutive hits and a 2-0 lead. The Utes added one other run on an RBI single from Cal Miller.
Evasco trimmed the deficit to 3-2 in the sixth with a 411-foot, two-run homer over the right-field wall — his eighth dwelling run of the season and Okay-State’s 86th of the yr.
In the seventh, Shintaro Inoue he drew a five-pitch stroll and scored on a triple from Dee Kennedywho earned All-Big 12 First Team honors earlier in the day. Kennedy got here dwelling in the subsequent at-bat when Kyan Lodice lined the primary pitch he noticed from reliever Cameron Nielson into proper area, giving Okay-State a 4-3 lead.
(*12*) adopted with one other hit earlier than a wild pitch moved runners to first and third with one out. Bear Madliak added a sacrifice fly to left, extending the Wildcats’ result in 5-3.
Utah answered in the underside half of the inning behind a solo dwelling run from Luke Jacobs to tie the sport at 5-5.
Carlos Vasquez opened the eighth with a double to left and moved to 3rd on a deep fly ball to heart from Grant Gallagher. Okay-State regained the lead when the Utes dedicated a throwing error on a failed pickoff try at third base. Kennedy added insurance coverage with a two-out RBI single by the left facet, stretching the result in 7-5.
The Wildcats broke it open in the subsequent at-bat, as Smolinski drove a two-run double into proper area to cap the scoring and put the sport away.
INSIDE THE BOX

• Okay-State scored 9 runs on 13 hits with one error and left eight on base.
• Utah scored 5 runs on 10 hits, dedicated one error and stranded seven baserunners.
• Kennedy led Okay-State with three hits, going 3-for-4 with two RBI.
• Evasco homered in the sixth, Okay-State’s first dwelling run of the match and his eighth of the yr.
• Kennedy was a house run wanting the cycle.
• Kyan LodiceSmolinski and Evasco every allied a pair of hits..
• Eight of 9 starters registered no less than one hit, as Okay-State in three completely different frames.
• Guyette scattered eight hits and three runs (two earned) over his five-inning begin, with six strikeouts and one stroll.
• Sheffield (8-3) retired eight of 9 batters he confronted in reduction, incomes the win.
• Eight pitchers made an look for the Utes, with Ryan Kittredge struggling the loss.
• Kittredge allowed two earned runs over one inning.
• Okay-State went 3-for-8 with runners in scoring place whereas Utah was 2-for-11.

TEAM NOTES

• The matchup marked the primary in the Big 12 Championship between Okay-State and Utah.
• Okay-State leads the all-time collection with Utah, 5-2.
• The Cats are 23-29 all-time on the Big 12 Championships, together with an Sept. 11 on the match underneath Hughes.
• The staff’s 86 dwelling runs rank third total in Okay-State historical past. All 5 high seasons in phrases of dwelling run manufacturing are in the Hughes period.
• Okay-State has recorded a house run in 40 of 55 video games this season.
• Away from dwelling this season Okay-State is 17-13, that features a 7-1 document in neutral-site contests.

PLAYER NOTES

• With a strikeout the opening body, Guyette grew to become the fifth participant in Okay-State historical past to strikeout out 100+ in a season and third underneath pitching coach Rudy Darrow (Jackson Wentworth (2024) – 115; Owen Boerema (2024) – 110).
• Guyette’s 100 strikeouts ties the junior single-season document alongside former Wildcat AJ Morris (2009).
• In his final three outings, Guyette has held opponents to 4 earned runs over 14 2/3 innings.
• Evasco has homered in three of his final 4 video games, whereas stretching his hitting streak to seven.
• Kennedy recorded his 40^th extra-base hit of the season, turning into the second participant in college historical past to succeed in the feat.
• Sheffield made simply his second reduction look at Okay-State in the nightcap.
• Sheffield recorded his eighth win of the season, marking essentially the most victories by a senior in Okay-State historical past.
• He turns into the 13^th pitcher in Okay-State historical past to succeed in 15 profession wins and is the 11^th to register eight or extra in a single season.

UP NEXT

Okay-State faces seventh-seeded TCU on Wednesday at 10 pm CT, that includes a matchup between right-handers Tazwell Butler and Tommy LaPour. The sport could be seen on ESPN+ and the ESPN app. Radio protection could be heard on the Okay-State Sports Radio Network with dwell audio streaming at kstatesports.com/watch.