Manhattan, KS—The UC Riverside Baseball Team heads to Kansas State this weekend for a three-game series against the Wildcats, but adjustments have already been made to the schedule due to the threat of sleet and snow over the weekend.
K-State and the Highlanders will try and get two games in on Friday, March 10 beginning at 11 am PT, and then play a single game on Sunday, which is also slated to begin at 11 am. Don't forget to set your clock forward this Sunday, as daylight savings time begins this weekend.
UC Riverside improved to 8-4 this week, after taking three of four from Holy Cross at The Plex. All four of the Highlanders' losses this season are by one run.
The team's eight wins in 12 games to start the year are the most for the program since the 2011 team also began the year with an 8-4 record. The 2007 and 2009 squads won nine of their first 12 games, and the 2003 team, which became the first of any of UC Riverside's men's programs in its Division-I era to advance to an NCAA Tournament, took 10 of its first 12 games of the season.
Mark Contreras was the team's top hitter early in the year, with a slash line of .433/.528/.667, but he has been sidelined with an injury for the past five games. Three other Highlanders have boosted their batting averages above the .300 mark—Yeager Taylor (.333), Cade Peters (.324) and Cody Sporrer (.314). Colby Schultz leads the team with 10 runs scored, and freshman Connor "Big Country" Cannon, is second in the Big West with 15 runs batted in.
Coach Percival has given starts to eight different hurlers so far this season, but getting the nod this weekend are righty Daniel Martinez (0-0, 3.38) in the first game of Friday's twin bill, lefty Hazahel Quijada (2-0, 3.65) in the night cap, and right-hander Alex Fagalde (2-0, 2.12) on Sunday. Fagalde leads UC Riverside's starting pitchers in innings pitched (17.1) and strikeouts (17), and has also walked just three batters on the year.
Ryan Lillie has been the Highlanders' primary closer this year, and leads the team with 18 strikeouts and just two walks. His four saves rank second in the conference.
Kansas State is 11-2 on the season, including a perfect 5-0 at home. The Wildcats bring a seven-game winning streak into the weekend after sweeping two-game series over Northwestern State and Liberty, and a three-game set from Eastern Illinois. Their losses this year have come against Ohio State and St. John's.
K-State is hitting .325/.402/.527 as a team on the year. Cameron Thompson leads the Wildcats with a .433 batting average and a .462 on base percentage, while Jake Scudder tops the squad with a .750 slugging percentage. Ten of Scudder's hits this season have gone for extra bases (5 doubles, 5 home runs).
The Wildcats team ERA sits at 3.88, but they have also allowed 15 unearned runs on the year. Right-hander Justin Heckett (1-0, 3.60) takes the bump in game one Friday. Teams are hitting .338 against him this season. Lefty Parker Rigler (2-0, 1.96) will start game two Friday. He has 15 Ks in 18.1 innings, but has also issued eight free passes on the year. He is holding opponents to a .164 batting average through his first three starts. Righty Brogan Heinen (1-1, 5.02) gets the Sunday start for K-State. He has 11 strikeouts and nine walks in 14.1 innings of work.
The Highlanders and Wildcats opened the 2016 against one another, splitting the four-game series. That was the first-ever meeting between the clubs (
view all-time results).
