K A N S A S
S TAT E vol. 126, issue 24 friday, february 19, 2021
kstatecollegian.com
K-STATE LIBRARIES OFFERS NEW CLIMATE CHANGE PROGRAMS, INITIATIVES JOISE WHITAKER assistant news editor
Kansas State’s Library Administration introduced new programs and events to spread awareness about climate change to students and the community after receiving a $1,000 grant presented by Resilient Communities: Libraries Respond to Climate Change. Carol Sevin and Ellen R. Urton, academic services librarians, learned about the grant from the Sustainability Round Table, part of the American Libraries Association. “We were excited to apply for the grant because we have both been involved in sustainability initiatives on campus and within the community,” Urton said. “[We] knew this grant would encourage us and the Libraries to continue to work in this area.” The Libraries partnered with organizations across the community to build a greater awareness of climate issues. Resilient Communities is a pilot program of the American Library Association. Private donors, like Andrew and Carol Phelps, started the initiative. “It’s hard to say what we’re most excited for — the whole series is exciting because it brings an overwhelming, wicked problem into focus through identity, individual experience and starts or continues conversations about what we can do in our community,” Sevin said. Sevin looks forward to the screening of the film “Fire & Flood: Queer Resilience in the Era of Climate Change,” in partnership with oSTEM and the LGBT Resource Center. “The storytelling and the stories told in this documentary are powerful and I’m really looking forward to learning more from the film’s director
BASEBALL Baseball looks to build on last season with experienced roster, dominant pitching staff
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Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Students study in the restored Great Room in Hale Library on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Vanessa Raditz,” Sevin said. The grant also nominates the Libraries as a Climate Resilience Hub through Communities Responding to Extreme Weather. Urton said the hubs will increase information sharing and invest in community resilience around extreme weather events. “Through the grant, the ongoing designation as a Climate Resilience Hub and our existing K-State Libraries Sustainability Matrix, we hope to support access to information and the connections necessary for preparedness in extreme weather conditions,” Urton said. Outside of the new programs coming from the grant, Sevin said many sources around campus provide information about climate change. “From our perspective as librarians, we understand that climate change affects many areas of academic study and is a focus in research and
courses across multiple programs and colleges at K-State,” Sevin said. Campus groups host climate-related programming such as K-State’s Students for Environmental Action, which sponsors events every semester, including an annual Green Week between Earth Day and Arbor Day. The Consortium for Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability hosts an annual dialogue on sustainability in the summer. “All of our virtual events this spring consider different aspects of resilience in their own way,” Urton said. The next event related to climate change is on Feb. 23. The “Keep Your Cool Book Discussions,” in collaboration with Manhattan Public Library, features “A Field Guide to Climate Anxiety: How to Keep Your Cool on a Warming Planet” by Sarah Jaquette Ray.
Some of the organizations include: • The Manhattan Public Library • The Manhattan Non-Violence Initiative • Prairiewood Retreat & Preserve • The Manhattan Resiliency Coalition • The City of Manhattan’s Community Development Department Additionally, several campus groups will participate, including: • Students for Environmental Action • Consortium for Environmental Stewardship and Sustainability • Ecumenical Campus Ministries, • oSTEM (out in Science Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) • K-State’s LGBT Resource Center • K-State’s Institute for Civic Discourse and Democracy
Diversity, equity, inclusion committee to create recommendations to improve city
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New renovations provide modern library for students
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Men’s basketball 13thstraight loss adds to record books, again
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Agribusiness professor earns prestigious USDA award JOSIE WHITAKER assistant news editor
From teaching undergraduate students to leading his graduate case study team to national victories, Aleksan Shanoyan, associate professor of agribusiness economics and management, made an impact on the College
Courtesy photo of Aleksan Shanoyan
of Agriculture in his 10 years at Kansas State. Shanoyan recently received the USDA’s Excellence in College and University Teaching Award for Food and Agricultural Sciences at the regional level — one of the USDA’s most prestigious awards. Shanoyan competed with people in the College of Agriculture, including animal science, agronomy and agricultural communications. Allen Featherstone, department head of agricultural economics, said Shanoyan does an excellent job in the undergraduate classroom and receives positive feedback from the students. He said student evaluations play a big role in the importance the department places on teaching. “They like his enthusiasm, the clarity of his lectures and they also like the compassion he has for students,” Featherstone said. Elizabeth Yeager, associate professor, said Shanoyan brings a lot of energy, especially in terms of engaging students. “He’s very passionate about engaging students and making sure that their needs are being met, but encour-
ages them to think a little more deeply about some of the problems and questions that they’re working toward and facing,” Yeager said. Yeager said Shanoyan is a great person to be in the same department with and to have as a colleague and a great friend. Shanoyan’s agricultural experience began on a small farm in Armenia, where he was born and raised. After studying accounting and economics for a year, he decided to put his degree on pause to start a meat retail business in Russia. He returned to Armenia two years later to join the military, then later resumed his studies. “I decided to go back to school but this time I knew I wanted to finish my accounting degree,” Shanoyan said. Texas A&M introduced an agricultural business program in collaboration with an agricultural university in Armenia, so Shanoyan pursued an agricultural business degree alongside his accounting and economics degree. From there, he received a master’s in agricultural economics from the University of Illinois and a Ph.D. in agricultural, food and resource
EDITORIAL BOARD Bailey Britton Editor-in-Chief
Lori Leiszler Asst. Culture Editor
Julie Freijat Managing Editor
Cameron Bradley Sports Editor
Sean Schaper News Editor
Marshall Sunner Asst. Sports Editor
Josie Whitaker Asst. News Editor
Nathan Enserro Asst. Sports Editor
Jared Shuff Culture Editor
Dalton Wainscott Multimedia Editor
Dylan Connell Deputy Multimedia Editor Gabby Farris Design Lead Blake Hachen Designer Sarah Unruh Designer Rachel Seiffert Marketing
economics from Michigan State University. Around the time Shanoyan was finishing his degree, K-State opened a position that was a perfect match for his ideal career. “When I saw this job posting from Kansas State, if somebody asked me to write a perfect job position for myself, that would have been it,” Shanoyan said. Though building a career in Kansas — the heart of the agricultural industry — impacted his success, Shanoyan said his students and colleagues have also contributed. “There are several factors that have impacted [my success], number one is having the most hardworking, respectful and just amazing students that I have ever met and I could have asked for,” Shanoyan said. “Number two is having wonderful colleagues to work with and a lot of great role models in the department and the college [of agriculture], and in the university.” Shanoyan said he is trying to bridge the gap between the classroom and the real world for his students. “Teaching management concepts in the context of food and
agribusiness is kind of like teaching people to swim in the classroom,” Shanoyan said. “You put them in the classroom and you can lecture them about how to move their arms around in the water, but until you put them in the water they won’t really appreciate what it’s like.” Though the pandemic has been hard on professors and their lesson plans, Shanoyan found a way to utilize the circumstances. “Because everybody moved to remote working, everybody got comfortable with Zoom and it made it easy to invite top-level agribusiness executives to do guest presentations,” Shanoyan said. “They don’t have to travel and it doesn’t take a lot of time from them.” Shanoyan said his goal is to have more of these kinds of engagements with the industry. “It’s a pleasure and a privilege to work in an environment where you get to teach people who want to learn and are engaged,” Shanoyan said. “And you are working alongside people and leaders who know and appreciate the value of high-quality instruction and provide all the support you know they can.”
ON THE COVER Dylan Connell COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Wildcats catcher Dylan Caplinger is up to bat. Team Grey took a 6-3 victory over Team Purple. K-State baseball, Shave For The Brave scrimmage located at Tointon Baseball Stadium on Oct. 10, 2020.
The Mission of the Collegian Media Group is to use best practices of journalism to cover and document life at Kansas State University from a diverse set of voices to inform and engage the K-State community. The Collegian welcomes your letters. We reserve the right to edit submitted letters for length and style. A letter intended for publication should be no longer than 600 words and must be relevant to the student body of K-State. It must include the author’s first and last name, year in school and major. If you are a graduate of K-State, the letter should include your year(s) of graduation and must include the city and state where you live. For a letter to be considered, it must include a phone number where you can be contacted. The number will not be published. Letters can be sent to letters@kstatecollegian.com or submitted through an online form at kstatecollegian.com. Letters may be rejected if they contain abusive content, lack timeliness, contain vulgarity, profanity or falsehood, promote personal and commercial announcements, repeat comments of letters printed in other issues or contain attachments. The Collegian does not publish open letters, third-party letters or letters that have been sent to other publications or people.
CORRECTIONS
If you see something that should be corrected, call editorin-chief Bailey Britton at 785-370-6356 or email collegian@ kstatecollegian.com The Collegian, a student newspaper at Kansas State University, is published by Collegian Media Group. It is published Fridays during the school year and on Wednesdays during the summer. Periodical postage is paid at Manhattan, KS. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to 828 Mid-Campus Drive South, Kedzie 103, Manhattan, KS 665067167. First copy free, additional copies 25 cents. [USPS 291 020] © Collegian Media Group, 2021
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LIVABILITY IN MANHATTAN BAILEY BRITTON editor-in-chief
Tanya Gonzalez views the people on the Manhattan Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee as community experts. Together, they will make recommendations for Manhattan as to how areas of life can improve. “Almost like consultants for thinking about it in this holistic way as possible — the myriad of ways we can make Manhattan better,” Gonzalez said. Gonzalez, Kansas State English professor and committee co-chair, said she received a call from then-mayor Usha Reddi in late December asking her to join the committee. “This was one of the initiatives that she felt was really important,” Gonzalez said. “Given the conversations that we have been having as a city and university and USD 383 community ... so kind of bringing together the different voices of the community that have been interested in these
issues for a while and have been working on these things.” Corey Williamson, executive director of the K-State Student Union, co-chairs the committee. “I was asked to serve as a cochair of the Manhattan DEI Task force by former mayor Usha Reddi,” Williamson said via email. “I was honored to have an opportunity to serve my community in this capacity.” Gonzalez looks forward to working with Williamson. “I’m excited — in terms of co-chairing — is to learn about the breadth of the things that are happening across our community,” Gonzalez said. “I’m being as open-minded as possible. I don’t have any personal agendas. I think it’s about what do we care about the most as a community and how can we move forward as open-minded as possible.” Other Manhattan organizations on the committee include the Black Student Union, the Riley County Police Department, USD 383 and others.
In 2021, the committee aims to meet monthly and recommend improvements to the city. “We’re looking at several different areas,” Gonzalez said. “Individual and family support — that’s one of the ways that we’re hoping to focus on. Sort of how diversity, equity and inclusion can help with that. Thinking about economic opportunities for underrepresented groups in our community. ... Public safety and thinking about livability — we use that word because ... we’re gonna kind of keep it as this really flexible way of thinking about the quality of life in Manhattan for as wide a variety of people as possible.” Other areas include health and wellness. “Which is such an important part of everyone’s existence,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a basic need and sort of thinking about like ... what are those basic needs, what they look like and how can we meet those for the majority of the people that
Diversity, equity, inclusion committee to create recommendations to improve city
are in our community.” To create a more inclusive community, Williamson said, having people of diverse backgrounds is important. That way, the committee can focus on building cultural, racial, socio-economic and ethnic diversity in Manhattan for the future. “The task force will serve as the starting point for identifying opportunities to create a more welcoming and inclusive community,” Williamson said. “I hope the efforts of this group brings to light the things our community is doing well to enhance inclusion within our community. I also believe this group will identify gaps in the areas of diversity, equity and inclusion that will make Manhattan a more attractive place for students, businesses and families from all backgrounds to thrive.” The committee meets at 6:30 p.m. March 25 and at 6 p.m. April 22. The meetings are recorded and available on the city of Manhattan website. All meetings are open to the public.
K-State College of Veterinary Medicine introduces new initiatives aimed at rural, Indigenous, Native and tribal students JOSIE WHITAKER assistant news editor
The College of Veterinary Medicine at Kansas State is introducing two new initiatives: the Summer Program for Aspiring Rural Kansas veterinarians and the Specialized Program for the Recruitment of Indigenous, Native and Tribal Students. Both SPARK and SPRINTS receive funding through the United States Department of Agriculture. Hana Johnson, recruitment coordinator, said the college initiated SPARK to help bridge the gap between people in veterinary medicine school and those who want to go into rural practice.
“There is a shortage of veterinarians in general, but especially those who want to go into rural practice, and that’s because rural practice is really a lifestyle,” Johnson said. The SPARK program lets participants shadow veterinarians in rural communities so they can get a firsthand experience of what their potential career may look like. Johnson said a majority of their partner clinics are located in Western Kansas. “Many of [the veternarians], if not all of them, are alumni of the College of Veterinary Medicine at K-State,” Johnson said. Johnson said the SPARK program is intended for col-
lege students getting ready to apply to the veterinary medicine school but is open for anyone who is at least 18 years old. According to Dr. Callie Rost, assistant dean for admissions, the purpose of both of these grants is to try to serve the needs of the veterinary profession as well as society. “We recognize the need for rural practitioners and the SPARK grant will expose students to large and mixed animal practice and allow them to visit clinics and learn from veterinary practitioners,” Rost said. If in-person attendance is unavailable for the summer, the college hopes to have
virtual visits with large and mixed-animal practitioners in Kansas to share with participants their way of life and the large variety of practice opportunities available. In addition to SPARK, the college is introducing SPRINTS for tribal, Native American, or Indigenous students who are in high school and college and are at least 18 years old. SPARK provides many programs, including transportation and lodging costs for Vet Med ROCKS, the college’s annual summer camp.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
DEI TASKFORCE ORGANIZATIONS Veteran Service Organization K-State Black Student Union Riley County Police Department Pawnee Mental Health Alianza
Office of Student Life and Multicultural Affairs USD 383 Committee on Diversity and Inclusion K-State Office of Diversity Interfaiths
Big Lakes Developmental Center
City of Manhattan Human Rights and Services Advisory Board
Black Entrepreneurs of the Flint Hills
Kansas Legal Services
K-State International Students Office
Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce
Flint Hills Human Rights Project Coalition for Equal Justice Morningstar, Inc Black Lives Matter Flint Hills Wellness Coalition
Flint Hills Job Corps Manhattan High School Student Council Hispanic American Leadership Organization
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HEALTH LINA SATTARIN staff writer
Students struggling with disordered eating, wanting to build muscle or any other dietary need can head to Lafene Health Center to talk with Dianna Schalles. Schalles, registered dietitian, has worked at Kansas State for over 20 years. She specializes in students struggling with disordered eating and provides one-on-one nutrition counseling through Lafene. “Many students are experimenting with unhealthy diet trends fueled by misinformation on social media,” Schalles said. “As a registered and licensed dietitian, I can help shift the focus to healthier eating patterns to support
Lafene dietitian aims to help students with eating habits, nutrition
overall well-being.” Schalles said she helps students establish a lifelong healthier relationship with food. “Ultimately, I want students to benefit by realizing they don’t have to micromanage and obsess about every bite of food,” Schalles said. “Rather, they can learn to balance eating for nourishment with eating for enjoyment — freeing up their time and energy for academic success and other important aspects of the college experience.” Rachel Werling, a former patient of Schalles and Kansas State alum, said working with Schalles increased her success in work, school and extracurriculars. “I was skeptical at first—
I felt like I knew everything,” Werling said. “I didn’t see how any of the things she was telling me were going to help me. ... Sometimes you need to hear something 100 times before it clicks, and it finally clicked.” Werling now works as a dietitian at the Kansas Rehab Hospital in Topeka. Schalles said being part of a team of other healthcare providers and staff is rewarding. “It really does take a village to support our students and that is why we have an Eating Disorders Team at K-State, everyone’s role is so important,” Schalles said. Kathleen Hoss-Cruz, basic nutrition instructor, worked alongside Schalles
over the years. Hoss-Cruz invites Schalles to discuss disordered eating in her classroom. After her presentations, Schalles normally gets about 2-3 self-referrals from the students. “It’s great to be able to refer students who want that one-on-one attention to a registered dietician who is licensed and able to provide that information to them,” Hoss-Cruz said. While specialization in eating disorders is uncommon amongst dietitians, Schalles has it covered. She said she is passionate about taking action to prevent students from going down the wrong path. “I hope more students will go see her because it’s not just people with eating disorders,” Hoss-Cruz said. “I send her students that are athletes and want to build muscle, non-athletes who want to improve their figure and body shapes and so much more. We are just so lucky to have her.”
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Photo courtesy of Dianna Schalles
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STUDENTS REACT POSITIVELY TO HALE LIBRARY RENOVATIONS CLAIBORN SCHMIDT staff writer
The long-awaited second, third and fourth floor of Hale Library opened on Monday, Feb. 15. Some students fought the cold to check out the improvements and begin studying on the upper floors once again. “Now that all four floors are open, I am here at least once or twice a week,” Miranda Hill, sophomore in animal science, said. Some students enjoy the renovations and modern look. “I came here once before the renovations were done, and after seeing how the renovations are, I really, really love it,” Alex Anderson, junior in management information systems and mathematics, said. Ashlyn Kullberg, senior in
English literature, said the library is nicer, open and bright. “It’s more open, there are areas for students to spread out and study or collaborate,” Lisa Loberg, library specialist, said. “I think they did a good job trying to improve and step up into the future,” Hill said. While Hale’s new look is more modern, some old looks remain including the limestone and marble throughout the library. “It’s been good that they have been able to retain the Great Room, also the limestone and portions of the library marble from the original building. It’s a good mix,” Loberg said. Some students take advantage of the new study rooms. “The study rooms are
awesome because it is really annoying when you come to the library to get your homework done and it’s so loud that you can’t hear yourself think,” Kullberg said. “It is nice that there are places where people can talk because sometimes you do want to do that, too.” Another improvement students enjoy is the first-floor entrance. “The best part of the renovation, I think, is that through the first-floor entrance, you can actually get to the first floor,” Kullberg said. Kullberg said sitting near the windows gives a great view of campus. “You can forget that this campus is pretty big when you just stay in one corner of it the whole time,” Kullberg said.
Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Hale Library opened the second, third and fourth floors on Monday, Feb. 15.
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REVIEW: ‘Super Monster’ is an empowering debut for indie-pop artist Claud JARED SHUFF culture editor
The weather outside is frightful, but Claud’s debut album is simply delightful. “Super Monster” is the first release from Saddest Factory Records, the imprint label
started by Phoebe Bridgers. Claud Mintz is a 21-year-old indie-pop artist from Chicago, Illinois, and was the first artist signed to Saddest Factory Records back in October. They first started releasing music under the pseudonym Toast back in
OPINION Still need a book for class? Check the library. LORI LEISZLER assistant culture editor
Not everyone buys their textbooks a month before class, lined up, color-coded and ready for school. Definitely not me. I’m one of those folks who wait till the last minute to get my textbooks — a month into class — hoping the syllabus lies in saying, “We will definitely use this text later in the semester!” Even then, I don’t buy most of my books. That’s what the library is for. Maybe you like owning a copy of your books, or you like to support authors. If for whatever reason, you enjoy paying hundreds of dollars on textbooks that you open maybe twice, you can stop reading right here. Okay, so now that they’re gone, let me tell you how I do it. My fellow Wildcats, Hale may have burned and there is a pandemic, but the library still gets books to students and does so safely. So take advantage of it. Many popular classes have textbooks on reserve at the library. Anyone can check out a textbook they need for a certain amount of time – usually 2-4 hours – for free before having to return
it. All you need is a Kansas State ID. The library also, being a library, could have a book you want in the stacks. Oh yes, the stacks are coming back. Not all of the books in the newly opened Hale returned yet, but it never hurts to look. You can browse through the stacks at Hale to find your book, or you can ask the staff on the second floor to help you find it. They like books. Let them help you. I’ve never met a mean librarian. You can also find out online if the library has your book — on reserve or in the stacks — by visiting the library website and typing the name of the book, course subject or course number – like ENGL 100 – into the “SEARCH IT” bar. If your book pops up, you can see if the library has it. If that’s too many steps for you, the library website also has a neat tool called “Ask a Librarian,” which lets you send a message asking if the library already owns the book you need. Someone from the library usually answers quickly during business hours. Don’t fear getting COVID-19 from your borrowed books — library
2018. “Super Monster” addresses relationships, self-discovery and patriarchal society while maintaining a bedroom pop-esque sound. These songs are perfect for a relaxing drive with the windows down — if they weren’t fro-
staff quarantines all returned materials for at least 72 hours before other people can use them. The staff also wear gloves when handling any returned books. Visitors and staff must wear masks at all times in the library — except in designated eating areas — to keep people safe. More information on how Hale keeps people safe can be found on their continuations webpage. If the book you want isn’t at Hale, and you don’t need it for a few weeks, the library also has a magical service called Interlibrary Loans. Hale can ask other libraries for the book you want, and if you’re lucky, those libraries will send the book you want to Hale for you to borrow. You can visit the Interlibrary Loans webpage to fill out a form. The library can’t get its hands on every textbook — Hale doesn’t work miracles — but it can sure try. Hale has blessed me time and time again and it could help you, too. When you get your book — from Hale, online, the bookstore or a friend who already took the class — maybe open it up in the newly opened Great Room; it’s a big space for big thinking. Save some money: Hale, Hale, Hale, alma mater. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@ kstatecollegian.com.
zen shut, that is. Opening the album with simple drum hits and glittering guitar riffs, “Overnight” tells the story of two people falling in love in an instant. Claud sings, “I know that I jumped into your arms so quick / But everything feels better when you jump right in.” On the flip side, “Gold” is an oddly soothing slap in the face, calling out the people who weren’t there for them. This bassheavy song features reverberating synths and echoing vocals, repeating the frustrations of an angry and rejected youth. “Soft Spot” and “Jordan” feel like nostalgia personified. Both create a sense of longing, with “Soft Spot” acting as the memory of love already gone, and “Jordan” as a last-ditch effort to hold onto love before it fades away entirely. These songs
are perfect for reminiscing on past relationships. Written from the perspective of a 40-year-old man, “Ana” focuses on the man’s mid-life crisis, deciding to leave his wife and travel the world. While he still loves Ana, he feels like he has to find himself — by himself. The song is acoustic-driven with layered vocals in the chorus, creating a soundtrackstyle anthem. My favorite song off the album is “That’s Mr. B*tch To You,” which gives off the angsty alt-pop vibe of the 90s, complete with a bouncy guitar solo by Melanie Faye. The song calls out men who use “b*tch” as a derogatory slur, with Claud reclaiming the word. They sing “Honestly, I’m glad you had the balls / To get up in my face just like a dog.” The final song on the album, “Falling With the Rain,” opens with soft guitars and vocals before the chorus
introduces an energetic baseline and percussive cymbals. Claud closes the album acknowledging that even when they feel down, they always bounce back, singing “I know sometimes I start falling with the rain / Give me some time so I can fall back into place.” “Super Monster” is a balanced mix of soothing, upbeat and relatable music. The 13-track album is engaging without overwhelming the listener. Let the melody and lyrics soak in as you listen to Claud’s debut album, taking in the youthful — yet mature — essence of this industry up-and-comer. Jared Shuff is the Collegian culture editor and a junior in secondary education. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Collegian. Please send comments to opinion@ kstatecollegian.com.
Religion Directory St. Isidore’s Catholic Student Center Saturday Vigil Mass Saturday 5 p.m.
Sunday Mass
9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 4:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 9:09 p.m.
Daily Mass
Monday-Thursday 9:09 p.m. Wednesday & Friday 12:10 p.m. Chaplains: Fr. Gale Hammerschmidt Fr. Drew Hoffman
711 Denison
539-7496
Worship Service at 8:30 & 11:00 a.m. or livestream our services online. Adult and Children Bible Hour Classes
Offered at 10:00 a.m. 785.776.0424 www.gracebchurch.org 2901 Dickens Ave. (2 blks. E. of Seth Child)
Baseball looks to build on last season with experienced roster, dominant pitching staff CODY FRIESEN staff writer
The Wildcats return to the baseball diamond with a four-game opening stretch starting this Friday. Kansas State faces off against Oregon State, Gonzaga and New Mexico in Surprise, Arizona, the spring training home for the Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers. K-State opens with Oregon State, winners o f
the 2018 College World Series. The Wildcats face off against Gonzaga on Saturday and Monday, followed by a matchup with New Mexico on Sunday. Each opponent reached the NCAA tournament since K-State’s last
tournament appearance in 2013. The Wildcats hope to take one step closer to Omaha, N e braska, led by an experienced p i t ch i n g s t a f f and momentum from the
Dylan Connell | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Wildcats catcher Dylan Caplinger is up to bat. Team Grey took a 6-3 victory over Team Purple. K-State baseball, Shave For The Brave scrimmage located at Tointon Baseball Stadium on Oct. 10, 2020.
PREVIEW
Men’s basketball looks to bounce back at TCU after historic loss. CODY FRIESEN staff writer
Though the men’s basketball team is young, it has shown two very different sides throughout the season — the losses come within the last few minutes or end up as a blowout. Kansas State (5-18, 1-13) shows the team will either fight until the end or not fight at all. Before K-State’s horrific offensive performance against KU, the Wildcats showed new
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life and fight. Taking No. 12 Texas to the brink, falling 8077 and fighting hard down the stretch at No. 23 Oklahoma State before falling 67-60. Both teams dismantled the Wildcats earlier in the year. Even the 73-62 loss to No. 13 Texas Tech showed heart. When K-State and TCU last met on Jan. 2, K-State showed more of the same. The Wildcats were down 18 points in the first half and with 6 minutes to play TCU still had an 11-point lead.
K-State cut the deficit to 3 on a 14-6 run with only 1:15 to play but lost the game on a turnover and perfect 6-of-6 free-throw shooting from the Horned Frogs. “You’re disappointed, especially with the start of the game. We didn’t have the passion, the fight on the defensive end,” head coach Bruce Weber said after the game. “They scored on five of their first six. We had no answers and couldn’t stop them. “ Slow starts and lack of defensive impact plagued the Wildcats all season long. Ranking the worst in points per game (61.3) and second to last in defense, giving up 73 points a game on average. The Wildcats allowed 200 more points than any other Big 12 Conference team this season according to the Big 12 statistics. Three-pointers are a glaring stat for the Wildcats
2020 season. The Wildcats went 10-7 and won seven of the last nine games before the COVID-19 pandemic put a sudden halt to the season. The entire starting nine and the starting rotation return for the 2021 season. The Wildcats pitching staff boasted the sixth-best earned run average in the nation with a 2.07 ERA in the shorted season. The Wildcats look to build off this momentum, led by sophomore pitcher Jordan Wicks. Wicks is listed as a top ten prospect according to D1Baseball heading into 2021 and earned the title Big 12 Preseason Co-Pitcher of the Year. The southpaw posted a .35 ERA last season, which placed him in the top-10 nationally. He will toe the slab in the season opener for the Wildcats. Fellow D1Baseball top-100 college prospect redshirt sophomore pitcher Carson Seymour is the second man in the Wildcat’s rotation. Seymour struck out 25 in four starts last season.
— the team posted a frigid 3-of-24 (12.5%) from three in their last outing but also ranked worst in the Big 12 in three-point percentage (29%) and worst in defensive threepoint percentage (38%). TCU got the better of K-State the last time the teams met in Bramlage Coliseum, besting the Wildcats 67-60. K-State looks for its first win since December and the first win of 2021. Saturday’s game in Fort Worth, Texas, starts at 4 p.m. and will be live on Big 12 Now on ESPN+ and heard through the K-State Sports Network.
Photo courtesy of Scott Weaver of K-State Athletics
Senior guard Mike McGuirl rises to shoot over three Horned Frogs in K-State’s 67-60 loss to TCU at Bramlage Coliseum on Jan. 2.
GAME DAY Redshirt Freshman Connor McCullough will get the nod on Sunday. The Arkansas transfer struck out 29 in four starts with an ERA of 2.25 in his first season as a Wildcat. Senior pitcher Kasey Ford is slated to start the finale against Gonzaga on Monday. The fifthyear right-hander enters his fifth season at K-State and is the backbone of the pitching staff with 113 career strikeouts as a Wildcat, including a 45 strikeout season in 2018. The K-State bullpen found success in the 2020 season and combined for a 1.72 ERA with 61 strikeouts. Before the shutdown, the Wildcats held a 22 inning scoreless streak out of the pen. Offensively, K-State brings back every statistical leader from 2020, including sophomore infielder Daniel Carinci, who hit a .373 batting average before the shutdown. The Wildcats also return some hot bats to add a jolt to the K-State offense in junior out-
fielder Zach Kokoska and senior catcher Chris Ceballos. Kokoska shined in the 2020 season with a .446 on-base percentage in 17 games and holds a .335 batting average as a Wildcat. Ceballos led the Wildcats with 40 RBIs in 2019 but dipped slightly in 2020 with a .212 average and eight RBIs in 16-games. Redshirt junior shortstop Kamron Willman showed promise in K-State’s Fall World Series October scrimmages, with two home runs and five RBIs in the three-game series. The Bakersfield College transfer also flashed the glove last season with a .949 fielding percentage. K-State missed the Big 12 Conference tournament three times since 2013 and has not been higher than the eighth seed since 2015. The Wildcats look to return to the tournament this year. The Wildcats open the season with a matchup with Oregon State on Friday. The first pitch is slated for 1 p.m. and is available on KMAN radio.
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SPORTS
friday, february 19, 2021
‘DISAPPOINTED FOR THE GUYS’
TAKE TAKE A A LOOK: LOOK: Men’s basketball half court statistics on the season
Men’s basketball 13th-straight loss adds to record books, again MARSHALL SUNNER assistant sports editor
Two steps forward and three steps back — that’s what it’s been like for the men’s basketball (5-18, 1-13) team this season. After a lackluster offensive performance against in-state rival No. 23 Kansas (16-7, 10-52), it’s clear the Wildcats are on the backward slide once again. Kansas State lost to the Jayhawks 59-41 on Wednesday night, which set a new low for points scored at home in the 33-year history of Bramlage Coliseum. It was also the fewest points any K-State team scored this century. The last time the Wildcats scored fewer was against North Carolina State in a 59-39 loss in 1998. “I thought the guys were much better prepared this time than the last time,” head coach Bruce Weber said. “Obviously the score isn’t much different, but we talked about playing strong and playing tough. We talked about not being tentative. I thought we battled them ... It’s pretty simple, you go 0-for-19 from three before you hit one.” The Wildcats reached yet another season-worst thanks to a 31 percent shooting night which included shooting 3-of24 — 12.5 percent — from three-point range. K-State’s starters scored just 17 points on 38 shots — something that’s head-scratching, to say the least. “We haven’t been good shooting all year, but we’ve been better than that,” Weber said. The game on Wednesday got so out of hand for K-State in the sense that the team couldn’t buy a bucket. It also doesn’t help that only one player decided to drive against Kansas’ closeouts — sophomore DaJuan Gordon. “Our other guys settled for threes,” Weber said. “I wish
SHORT (<17’) Time
Field Goals Made
Field Goals Attempted
9.20%
21
58
36.20% Photo courtesy of Scott Weaver | COLLEGIAN MEDIA GROUP
Kansas State forward Kaosi Ezeagu charges through KU’s Mitch Lightfoot in the Wildcat’s 59-41 loss to Kansas on Wednesday night in Bramlage Coliseum. some other guys would’ve been a little more patient and got to the paint. Every time we kept getting in there, you end up with an open shot and we just didn’t make them.” Gordon was the lone bright spot for the Wildcats, scoring a team-high 12 points on 6-of13 shooting. Freshman guard Nijel Pack and senior guard Mike McGuirl, who have been carrying the team offensively as of late, were dismal against the Jayhawks, combining for just 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting. Gordon said he felt like the team got the shots they wanted, but failed to knock them down. “It’s just us not making shots. We got what we wanted,” Gordon said. “Everybody got open shots and we just didn’t make them. If we make those shots then it’s a ballgame. That’s all.” Even though this performance can come as a shock to some, maybe it shouldn’t. It’s known the Wildcats settle for three-pointers a majority of the time — and have a hard time making them. On the
year, K-State attempts a three 74 percent of the time when shooting jump shots in halfcourt sets — the Wildcats take a jump shot in the half-court 57 percent of the time. How often is the ball going in on those three-point attempts? Just 29.2 percent of the time (136-of-466). Gordon, the only K-State player with over 35 percent shooting (minimum of five shot attempts), came into the game with a “shooters shoot” mentality he wanted to pass onto his teammates. His teammates obliged, but nevertheless failed. “Shooters shoot — if you miss, whatever, you’ve just gotta keep shooting,” Gordon said. Maybe this team simply does not have shooters. But is K-State losing confidence after another disappointing performance from the field? Sophomore forward Antonio Gordon doesn’t think so.
To read more, visit kstatecollegian.com
MEDIUM (17’ to <3-point line) Time
Field Goals Made
Field Goals Attempted
16.80%
34
106
32.10%
LONG (3 point jump shots) Time
Field Goals Made
Field Goals Attempted
74%
136
466
29.20% INFOGRAPHIC BY JULIE FREIJAT