KSU Baseball Game 1 Preview: Iowa

Friday afternoon in Arizona will kick off Kansas State's baseball season as they face the Iowa Hawkeyes at 2 p.m. CST at the MLB Desert Invitational. The game will be streamed on MLB.com, though I'm not sure if there are any subscription strings attached, so be sure to know where to listen as well through the K-State broadcast network.

Heading into the season, Head Coach Pete Hughes has been vocal about the potential this program has, the motivation to make it to Omaha, and establishing Kansas State as a national brand in college baseball. Hughes stated in the preseason presser the importance each game — weekday and weekend — will play in reaching their goal of hosting a Regional and getting hot at the right time to make a run to Omaha.

Friday afternoon will be a good kickoff and first test for this determined Wildcat team. We are not yet sure who will get the start for the Wildcats, but this pitching staff has a good amount of experience across the board. These early-season tournament games are valuable for beginning to map out the role each pitcher can play as the team moves into the deeper parts of the season. Whoever gets the start, along with those coming out of the bullpen, will face a Hawkeye lineup returning six of its eight starting position players from a squad that posted a .292 team batting average last season. Five of those returning players (Caleb Wulf, Gable Mitchell, Jaixen Frost, Ben Swails, and Miles Risley) hit .300 or better last season. Okay, Risley hit .299 — but still worth mentioning.

Another Iowa player who shows promise with the bat is the man who will be starting on the mound, Tyler Guerin. Guerin is a big right-hander (6'6", 228 lbs) who has looked solid in preseason scrimmages both on the mound and at the plate. He headlines an Iowa pitching staff that lost a lot of experience and talent. The Hawkeyes' roster is loaded with freshman and transfer pitchers, along with a new pitching coach. The bullpen may need to force weak contact and rely on its talented defense to make plays. However, Guerin and the Hawkeyes bullpen will also have their hands full with a Kansas State offense that I have high hopes for.

The Cats have a good mix of experienced returners and talented transfers this season. I'm excited to see the bats of AJ Evasco, Dee Kennedy, Shintaro Inoue, Donte Lewis, and Kyan Lodice back in the lineup, along with other members of this 2026 team who bring offensive upside. Two-way player Austin Haley put up ridiculous numbers at Murray State College last season. His .503 (not a typo) batting average led him to First Team All-American honors at the JUCO Division II level. To say the least, I'm extremely interested to see how Haley adjusts to Division I Power Conference competition. Grant Gallagher and Carlos Vasquez are two more powerful bats I'm interested to see contribute. Gallagher hit 20 home runs last season at ETSU and led Division I in walks with 66, while Vasquez was a Second Team All-CUSA selection after belting 22 doubles and hitting .366. I know there are other players I'm leaving out of this promising group, but I'm sure I'll highlight them as the season goes on.

At the end of the day, the first game and first tournament of the year are going to come with some ups and downs as the season kicks off. I think both teams show promise offensively and have something to prove on the mound.

Be sure to catch a recap of the game, as well as previews of the rest of the weekend’s matchups, here on KSU Bat Cats News!