MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State will play Pac-12 foe Arizona State to open the 17^th annual Continental Tire Las Vegas Invitational on Thursday, November 23 at 6:30 p.m. CT, at the Orleans Arena.

 

The Wildcats will play either Elite Eight participant Xavier or Atlantic 10 opponent George Washington in the Championship Round on Friday, November 24 with the title game set for 4:30 p.m., CT and the consolation game at 7 p.m., CT. K-State’s contest with Arizona State on Thursday will air nationally on FS1, while the championship game on Friday will be broadcast on FOX with the consolation contest set for FS1.

 

Led by former Duke All-American and third-year head coach Bobby Hurley, Arizona State returns a strong nucleus in 2017-18 which includes a pair of 1,000-point scorers in senior guards Tra Holder and Shannon Evans. Holder (16.2 ppg.) and Evans (15.0 ppg.) are two of the Top 5 returning scorers in the Pac-12, while a third returning starter – Kodi Justice (7.9 ppg.) – averaged 15.6 points per game in the final five games of 2017-18. The Sun Devils went 15-18 a season ago and finished eighth in the Pac-12 with a 7-11 mark.

 

This will be the ninth meeting between K-State and Arizona State on the hardwood and the first since an 84-80 overtime win by the Wildcats in the Maui Invitational on November 24, 1998. The teams played six times between 1973 and 1982 before their last meeting in 1998. This will be the first meeting in Las Vegas.

 

Tickets for the final round games at the Orleans Arena are now available in the K-State Athletics Ticket Office by calling (800) 221.CATS. They are also available at the Orleans Arena Box Office by calling (888) 234.2334 or (702) 284.7777. More information on the tournament can be found at https://www.orleansarena.com/events.

 

K-State will play four games in the Invitational – the first two at home before traveling to Las Vegas for the final two games at the Orleans Arena. The Wildcats will host reigning Big West champion UC Irvine on Friday, November 17 before another home game against Northern Arizona on Monday, November 20.

 

Previous winners of the Las Vegas Invitational include two-time champion Kentucky (2006, 2008) as well as Big 12 participants Oklahoma State (2009), Kansas (2010) and West Virginia (2015). Butler won the latest title with a 69-65 victory over Arizona on Nov. 25, 2016, while Vanderbilt defeated Santa Clara, 76-66, in the consolation game.

 

This will mark the Wildcats’ second appearance in the Las Vegas Invitational and first since going 0-2 in the 2008 event. K-State lost to Kentucky, 74-72, in the semifinals before falling to Iowa, 65-63, in the consolation game.

 

Season tickets for the 2017-18 season went on sale in early June with a variety of pricing options available, including the return of the Big Game and Pick 5 Mini-Plans. Fans can purchase season tickets in a variety of ways, including toll free at (800) 221.CATS (2287), online at www.kstatesports.com/tickets and in-person at the Athletics Ticket Office located in Bramlage Coliseum.

 

–www.kstatesports.com–
TOM GILBERT
Associate Director for Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

 

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State running backs Justin Silmon and Alex Barnes were two of 61 running backs in the nation to earn a spot on the watch list for the 2017 Doak Walker Award, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Thursday.

 

It marks the first time in school history that two K-State players are up for the award in the same season, while it is the 15^thand 16^th times a Wildcat is a candidate for the award that is presented to the nation’s premier running back.

 

Silmon, a junior, saw action in 12 games in 2016, including his first-career start at West Virginia as he rushed 86 times for 485 yards (5.4-yard average) with three touchdowns. He ended the regular season on a high note with 133 yards and two touchdowns at TCU, both career highs. The Tulsa, Oklahoma, product teamed with Jesse Ertz (170 yards) to produce the Wildcats’ first double 100-yard game since 2012, while it was tied for the third-most combined yards in a double 100-yard game in school history.

 

A sophomore, Barnes totaled 442 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 56 carries in 2016, ranking second in school history in rushing yards and touchdowns by a freshman, while he tied for 10th nationally in rushing touchdowns among freshmen. The Pittsburg, Kansas, product averaged 7.89 yards per carry, which led the Big 12 and ranked first in school history among players with 50 or more attempts, and he was the only player in the Big 12 with at least 50 attempts to not have a negative rush.

 

Barnes carded career highs in yards (129), carries (19) and rushing touchdowns (4) at Baylor, setting the K-State freshman single-game rushing touchdown record and ranking third in rushing yards. He came back with 103 yards the next game against Kansas, the first freshman in school history with consecutive 100-yard games.

 

The Wildcats open the 2017 campaign and a seven-game home schedule on Saturday, September 2, with the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion against Central Arkansas. As K-State draws nearer to running its consecutive sellout streak to 40 games, tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online at www.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

 

Wildcats on Preseason Watch Lists

Bill Snyder – Bobby Dodd Trophy

Alex Barnes (RB) – Doak Walker Award

Jesse Ertz (QB) – Maxwell Award; Davey O’Brien Award; Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Will Geary (DT) – Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Outland Trophy

Reid Najvar (OL) – Rimington Trophy

Byron Pringle (WR/KR) – Paul Hornung Award

Justin Silmon (RB) – Doak Walker Award

D.J. Reed (DB) – Bednarik Award; Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Jim Thorpe Award

Dalton Risner (OL) – Outland Trophy; Wuerffel Trophy; AFCA Good Works Team

Dayton Valentine (TE) – Mackey Award

Reggie Walker (DE) – Bronko Nagurski Trophy

 

– k-statesports.com –

 
RYAN LACKEY
Asst. Director/Athletics Communications | K-State Athletics

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder is one of 19 FBS coaches to be named to the watch list for the 2017 Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Trophy, the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl announced Wednesday.

Snyder, a 2015 inductee into the College Football Hall of Fame, is one of only two Big 12 coaches on this year’s list, joining Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy. Snyder has won the Dodd Trophy on two occasions as he led the Wildcats to a 11-0 regular season in 1998 and a Big 12 Championship in 2012.

The Dodd Trophy, college football’s most coveted coaching award, celebrates the head coach of a team who enjoys success on the gridiron, while also stressing the importance of scholarship, leadership and integrity – the three pillars of legendary coach Bobby Dodd’s philosophy.

The watch list was created through a selection process by the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation and Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, taking into consideration each program’s graduation rate, commitment to service and charity in the community, projected success for the 2017 season and Academic Progress Rate (APR).

Entering his 26^th season at the helm of the Wildcats, Snyder became just the sixth FBS coach ever to notch 200 career wins and only coach at one school as he enters the 2017 season with a 202-105-1 record, including a 118-80-1 mark in Big 8/12 contests. He has totaled at least eight wins in 15 seasons, including nine years with 10 or more victories.

After being predicted to finish eighth in the Big 12 in 2016, Snyder led the Wildcats to a 9-4 campaign – including a 6-3 mark in league action to finish fourth – which ended with a victory over Texas A&M in the 2016 Texas Bowl. The Wildcats bring back 14 starters – eight on offense and six on defense – as they landed third on this year’s Big 12 Preseason Poll.

Snyder has an impeccable reputation of developing players both on the field, in the classroom and in the community. In his 25 previous seasons, 84-percent of his players have obtained their undergraduate degrees, while the Wildcats lead the conference with 83 Academic All-Big 12 selections over the last three seasons, 20 more than the team in second place.

A valuable member of the community, Snyder has also led the charge for his players to be active in the Manhattan area as they are involved in multiple community-service activities including: Senior Kats (visiting retirement homes); Junior Kats (visiting middle schools); Cats in the Classroom (visiting elementary schools); Special Olympics and Adopt-a-Family. K-State Football has also partnered with units from nearby Fort Riley and are currently active with the 1-16 Infantry Division of the U.S. Army, known as the Iron Rangers.

K-State embarks on the 2017 campaign and opens a seven-game home schedule on Saturday, September 2, against Central Arkansas, a game that serves as the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion. As K-State draws nearer to running its consecutive sellout streak to 40 games, tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online atwww.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

The 8 and under (8U) Junction City Junior Baseball Association (JCJBA) JC Brigade 8Under Team competed in the Sunflower State Games on Saturday, July 15th and Sunday, July 16th at Bettis Family Sports Complex in Topeka.

The team ended the tournament undefeated playing the Topeka Force in the Championship Game on Sunday with a final score of 11 to 3.

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Kansas State senior quarterback Jesse Ertz picked up a pair of honors on Wednesday as he was named to the watch lists for the 2017 Davey O’Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award.

Ertz is one of 30 quarterbacks in the country to be a candidate for the Davey O’Brien Award as the nation’s best quarterback, while he is one of 47 named to the Golden Arm Award watch list, which honors the nation’s best senior signal caller.

Ertz is the sixth Wildcat to be a candidate for the Davey O’Brien Award and third since 2012. Current quarterbacks coach Collin Klein was a finalist in 2012, while Jake Waters was a semifinalist in 2014. Michael Bishop won the award in 1998, preceding former Wildcat finalists Chad May (1994) and Matt Miller (1993). Klein won the 2012 Johnny Unitas Award, while May (1994) and Bishop (1998) were finalists, and Waters (2014) was a preseason candidate.

A product of Burlington, Iowa, Ertz was one of three quarterbacks in school history and one of four in the nation last season to rush for 1,000 yards and pass for 1,500 yards. He recorded 2,767 total offensive yards to rank 10th in school history, while he recorded the school’s 15th 1,000-yard rushing season.

Ertz, the MVP of the 2016 Texas Bowl, enters his senior campaign holding the school’s career record for lowest interception percentage (1.52 percent), ranked fourth in 100-yard rushing games among quarterbacks (3) and fifth in career rushing yards among quarterbacks (1,063).

Kansas State opens the 2017 campaign and begins a seven-game home schedule on Saturday, September 2, against Central Arkansas, a game that serves as the ninth-annual K-State Family Reunion. As K-State draws nearer to running its consecutive sellout streak to 40 games, tickets can be purchased through the K-State Athletics Ticket office online atwww.k-statesports.com/tickets, by phone at 1-800-221-CATS or at the main ticket office inside Bramlage Coliseum.

Wildcats on Preseason Watch Lists

Jesse Ertz (QB) – Maxwell Award; Davey O’Brien Award; Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

Will Geary (DT) – Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Outland Trophy

Reid Najvar (OL) – Rimington Trophy

Byron Pringle (WR/KR) – Paul Hornung Award

D.J. Reed (DB) – Bednarik Award; Bronko Nagurski Trophy; Jim Thorpe Award

Dalton Risner (OL) – Outland Trophy; Wuerffel Trophy; AFCA Good Works Team

Dayton Valentine (TE) – Mackey Award

Reggie Walker (DE) – Bronko Nagurski Trophy

 

The Opening Day for the Babe Ruth Midwest Plains Regional Tournament Friday has been moved from Rathert Field to North Park. That was confirmed by Reds officials. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The 100th birthday of the 1st Infantry Division featuring the 1st Infantry Division band, color guard and calvary encampment will be featured. Members of the military will receive free admission, and it will be half price for military family members.

Starting Saturday the remainder of the tournament will be played at Rathert Field.  The Junction City Reds will be the host team for the tournament.

The Junction City Brigade summer collegiate baseball team are using Rathert Field Friday night to host the Topeka Golden Giants in game two of their Cowdin Cup championship series.

 

The Junction City Reds Babe Ruth Baseball ( players ages 16-18 ) finished second in the State Tournament this past weekend.

The Reds went 3-2 in the tournament. with both losses coming to the championship team, the Liberal Rattlers. Assistant coach Steve Opat reported that the Reds defeated the Walnut Ark Valley All Stars, Parsons and Abilene.  In the championship game Liberal defeated Junction City 8-7.

Opat noted the Reds “did Junction City proud.” The team won the Sportsmanship Award in the tournament.

The Reds will host the Midwest Regional Tournament at Rathert Field, beginning Friday. Liberal and another team from Kansas, CVL, will all be in that tournament along with squads from other surrounding states.