24 January 2024
MANHATTAN (KSNT) – K-State baseball is ready for a big 2024 season after being left out of the NCAA tournament the year before.
The Wildcats are already off to a hot start after being included in D1Baseball’s preseason Top 25 rankings.
On Wednesday, the team got more recognition with three Wildcats being included in the Preseason All-Big 12 Team: starting pitcher Owen Boerema, relief pitcher Tyson Neighbors and infielder Kaelen Culpepper.
Boerema finished as a Second Team All-Big 12 member in 2023 as K-State’s Friday starter. He set a single-season program record with 95 strikeouts en route to a 7-2 record.
Neighbors earned consensus All-American status in 2023 after finishing with a conference-leading 11 saves to go with a 1.85 ERA as the team’s closer. He was also named a Preseason All-American along with the Big 12 honors.
Culpepper started every game for the Wildcats in 2023, while turning a .325 batting average to go with a team-leading .576 slugging percentage. The third basemen is projected as a first-round MLB Draft selection in 2024 by MLB pipeline.
K-State starts its 2024 season on Feb. 16 against Cal.