MANHATTAN, Kan. – The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced Wednesday that K-State sophomore left-handed pitcher Jordan Wicks has been named the season’s first National Pitcher of the Week after his 10-strikeout performance against Oregon State on Opening Day.
The 2021 Big 12 Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year equaled his career-high strikeout output, keeping the Beavers scoreless over seven innings while allowing just three hits in a 3-2 win last Friday. Wicks retired 18 of the final 20 Beaver batters he faced in the victory.
Wicks becomes the Wildcats’ first national pitcher of the week since Parker Rigler’s award in 2017 following his no-hitter against Eastern Illinois. Wicks is just the third K-State national player of the week recognized by the NCBWA.
Dating back to last season, Wicks has allowed one earned run over his last 33 innings (0.27 ERA) to go with 36 strikeouts while yielding just 16 base hits.
The Conway, Arkansas, product was a preseason all-America selection by Baseball America, Collegiate Baseball, D1Baseball and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association. Last week, he was placed on USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award preseason watch list, which honors the country’s premier amateur player.
K-State’s home opener is set for Friday at 3 p.m. against Western Michigan at Tointon Family Stadium, kicking off an eight-game homestand. Every home game will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ with radio coverage available on News Radio KMAN (93.3 FM, 1350 AM) with free audio streaming at K-StateSports.com/watch.
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