If you are new to K-State this year, you may think that it’s all about the sports. Stopping just short of the postseason in football and almost taking that fanciful trip to Indy this past March, the Wildcats have definitely turned it around in the last couple years. That wonderful turn of events, should be here to stay.
With the beginning of baseball, conference play and attendance records, it looks like baseball is going to be another glorious journey down the road of ranking. Winning the last seven games and being ranked No. 20, the K-State baseball team under head coach Brad Hill is showing a tremendous amount of potential.
Where did it all start? What wonderful things are behind the exceptional performance of K-State athletics? Look to the coaching staff and the administration behind them.
K-State has undergone a major restructuring in the past year and a half. Looking to a new generation for leadership and recognizing the accomplishments of the past decades, it was time to continue K-State’s modernization. That is exactly what has happened.
Under the new administration with President Kirk Schulz, a new athletics director in John Currie and by making solid choices in the athletics department, K-State is on the rise.
After standing behind Frank Martin and the choice to keep him on as head coach, the athletics department prides itself in having one of the best coaching staffs in the nation. K-State has set itself up for success, first by keeping coaches with national claims to fame in the NCAA and other ranks like Martin, Deb Patterson, Suzie Fritz, Brad Hill and, not the least of the list, Bill Snyder.
Bringing back Snyder was step two. The legend, the dangerous toeing of past and present, attempting to do one of the most reckless things in sports by bringing back such an icon out of retirement to lead a down-and-out team was the key. Has it completely panned out yet? Maybe not to the critics, but let me tell you what did happen. The stage was set for the Wildcats and Manhattan to take the nation by force this year.
But the true inspiration for K-State athletics this year and the most impressive factor of all, has been the fan base. The crowds have been truly awe-inspiring this year in Manhattan. Driven by hope for the future and a shot in the present, the teams have built off of a very loyal and solid crowd.
Manhattan is a difficult place in which to play ball. With rowdy and spirited fans, the stadium and coliseum simply take away your breath. Realizing the true impact of such an occasion we should all revel in the fact that we have been — and are still — a part of it.
As head coach Brad Hill and the K-State baseball team gear up to take on a very talented conference, a proud K-State nation prepares to witness yet another rise to the top.