Of all the times in his career when he tasked with a certain at-bat strategy, Jake Wodtke didn’t have much on his mind in the ninth inning Saturday evening.
The Kansas State senior second baseman had a man on third, and with no outs, he knew most any contact would break an 11-11 tie with Eastern Illinois and win it in walkoff fashion for his team.
So that’s what he did. Panther pitcher Michael Starcevich served up a first-pitch fastball, and Wodtke lofted it to center field. After smacking an RBI triple that tied things at 11, centerfielder Cameron Thompson scored easily from third, and the celebration was on for K-State, winners of a 12-11 decision over the Panthers.