MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State will open the newly renovated Tointon Family Stadium on February 28, 2020, as 28 home games highlight the Wildcats’ 2020 baseball schedule, second-year head coach Pete Hughes announced Tuesday.
“The most important goal when formulating a schedule is making sure it will provide a national-tournament-worthy résumé,” Hughes said. “To do this, you have to have a schedule that will be near the top nationally in RPI and strength of schedule. Your team has to travel and prove itself to be a tough road team. We have a difficult road schedule this year, including a four-game series at Stanford. I believe that our 2020 schedule meets all the necessary criteria.”
The Wildcats will christen their new home on Friday, February 28 with a doubleheader against Fairleigh Dickinson as part of a three-game series. Non-conference home opponents also include South Dakota State (March 10-11), Eastern Michigan (March 13-15), Nebraska (March 17), Stephen F. Austin (April 3-5), Creighton (April 14), Wichita State (April 21) and Jackson State (May 5-6).
“We are beyond excited about our home slate and the opportunity to show off the new Tointon Family Stadium to our loyal and expanding Wildcat fanbase,” added Hughes. “Its completion will provide a first-class venue for a first-class community.”
K-State’s 2020 campaign officially kicks off on Friday, February 14, as the Cats head to Edinburg, Texas, for a four-game set with UTRGV. Hughes’ club will then travel to the Kleberg Bank College Classic in Corpus Christi, Texas to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, Missouri and Utah.
The non-conference slate is headlined by a trip to Stanford for a four-game series against the Cardinal from March 6-8. Stanford, who earned a trip to the Super Regionals a year ago, is one of 10 opponents on K-State’s schedule to have qualified for the 2019 NCAA Tournament.
In total, the Wildcats’ 56-game slate features 26 games against postseason teams, including three Super Regional qualifiers in Creighton, Oklahoma State and Stanford. Conference foe Texas Tech reached the 2019 College World Series.
Nine K-State opponents (24 games) ended last year in the nation’s top 50 in the RPI, including three in the top 10. Thirteen of the Cats’ 22 opponents posted top-100 RPI finishes a season ago and six were ranked in at least one poll.
K-State’s conference home schedule will feature Baylor (March 20-22), Oklahoma State (April 9-11), Texas (April 24-26) and Kansas (May 14-16).
The Cats have also announced their 2019 fall schedule, which gets underway Thursday against Johnson County Community College at 2 p.m. K-State will also host Oral Roberts on Sunday, October 27 at 4 p.m. at Tointon Family Stadium. Both games are free to the public.
K-State’s annual three-game intrasquad Fall World Series will take place November 8-10, with times to be announced. Following the final game of the Fall World Series, players and staff will participate in their annual “Shave for the Brave” event, where they will cut their hair in support of children’s cancer research.
On Saturday, October 26, K-State will put on a Halloween ALS Awareness Game to benefit the organization Vs. Cancer, a pediatric brain cancer foundation started by former North Carolina Baseball player Chase Jones. Coaches and players will dress in costume for an entertaining and fun baseball game for the whole family.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game began in 2012 while Hughes was the head coach at Virginia Tech, when Hughes’ former player Pete Frates was diagnosed with ALS. Frates, who played for Hughes at Boston College, and his family spearheaded the Ice Bucket Challenge which has helped raise over $115 million towards finding a cure. Click here for highlights of last year’s event.
The Halloween ALS Awareness Game and “Shave for the Brave” are both staples of Hughes’ 19 Ways campaign designed to impact the community in a positive way on 19 different occasions.
With the ongoing improvements being made to Tointon Family Stadium, fans are asked to enter the stadium through marked signs near Brandeberry Indoor Complex. Seating down the first base line will be open and available to fans. All fall events are free of charge to all fans.
2019 Fall Schedule
Oct.17 Thursday Johnson County CC Tointon Family Stadium 2 p.m.
Oct. 26 Saturday Halloween ALS Awareness Game Tointon Family Stadium TBD
Oct. 27 Sunday Oral Roberts Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
Nov. 8 Friday Fall World Series (Game 1) Tointon Family Stadium TBD
Nov. 9 Saturday Fall World Series (Game 2) Tointon Family Stadium TBD
Nov. 10 Sunday Fall World Series (Game 3) Tointon Family Stadium TBD
2020 Spring Schedule
Feb. 14 Friday at UTRGV Edinburg, Texas 7 p.m.
Feb. 15 Saturday at UTRGV Edinburg, Texas TBD
Feb. 16 Sunday at UTRGV Edinburg, Texas 12 p.m.
Feb. 17 Monday at UTRGV Edinburg, Texas 7 p.m.
Feb. 20 Thursday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi^ Corpus Christi, Texas 6:30 p.m.
Feb. 21 Friday vs. Missouri^ Corpus Christi, Texas 2 p.m.
Feb. 22 Saturday at Texas A&M-Corpus Christi^ Corpus Christi, Texas 6 p.m.
Feb. 23 Sunday vs. Utah^ Corpus Christi, Texas 11 a.m.
Feb. 26 Wednesday at Wichita State Wichita, Kan. 3 p.m.
Feb. 28 Friday Fairleigh Dickinson Tointon Family Stadium 2 p.m.
Feb. 28 Friday Fairleigh Dickinson Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
Feb. 29 Saturday Fairleigh Dickinson Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
March 6 Friday at Stanford Stanford, Calif. 8 p.m.
March 7 Saturday at Stanford Stanford, Calif. 3 p.m.
March 7 Saturday at Stanford Stanford, Calif. 7 p.m.
March 8 Sunday at Stanford Stanford, Calif. 3 p.m.
March 10 Tuesday South Dakota State Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
March 11 Wednesday South Dakota State Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
March 13 Friday Eastern Michigan Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
March 14 Saturday Eastern Michigan Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
March 15 Sunday Eastern Michigan Tointon Family Stadium 1 p.m.
March 17 Tuesday Nebraska Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
March 20 Friday Baylor* Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
March 21 Saturday Baylor* Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
March 22 Sunday Baylor* Tointon Family Stadium 1 p.m.
March 24 Tuesday at Creighton Omaha, Neb. 6 p.m.
March 27 Friday at Texas Tech* Lubbock, Texas 6:30 p.m.
March 28 Saturday at Texas Tech* Lubbock, Texas 2 p.m.
March 29 Sunday at Texas Tech* Lubbock, Texas 1 p.m.
March 31 Tuesday at Nebraska Lincoln, Neb. 6:30 p.m.
April 3 Friday Stephen F. Austin Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
April 4 Saturday Stephen F. Austin Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
April 5 Saturday Stephen F. Austin Tointon Family Stadium 1 p.m.
April 9 Thursday Oklahoma State* Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
April 10 Friday Oklahoma State* Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
April 11 Saturday Oklahoma State* Tointon Family Stadium 1 p.m.
April 14 Tuesday Creighton Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
April 17 Friday at West Virginia* Morgantown, W.Va. 5:30 p.m.
April 18 Saturday at West Virginia* Morgantown, W.Va. 5 p.m.
April 19 Sunday at West Virginia* Morgantown, W.Va. 12 p.m.
April 21 Tuesday Wichita State Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
April 24 Friday Texas* Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
April 25 Saturday Texas* Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
April 26 Sunday Texas* Tointon Family Stadium 1 p.m.
April 29 Tuesday at Omaha Omaha, Neb. TBD
May 1 Friday at TCU* Fort Worth, Texas 6:30 p.m.
May 2 Saturday at TCU* Fort Worth, Texas 4 p.m.
May 3 Sunday at TCU* Fort Worth, Texas 1 p.m.
May 5 Tuesday Jackson State Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
May 6 Wednesday Jackson State Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
May 8 Friday at Oklahoma* Norman, Okla. 6:30 p.m.
May 9 Saturday at Oklahoma * Norman, Okla. 2 p.m.
May 10 Sunday at Oklahoma * Norman, Okla. 1 p.m.
May 14 Thursday KU* Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
May 15 Friday KU* Tointon Family Stadium 6 p.m.
May 16 Saturday KU* Tointon Family Stadium 4 p.m.
^Kleberg Bank College Classic (Corpus Christi, Texas)
*Big 12 Game
All times Central
Home games in bold
Dates and times subject to change
