<figure>
 <img src="https://media.eaglewebservices.com/public/2025/3/1741568094263.png" alt="Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics" />
 <figcaption>Photo Courtesy Kansas State Athletics</figcaption>
 </figure><div>Kansas State Athletics
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MANHATTAN, Kan. &ndash;&nbsp;With two-home run efforts by&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/maximus-martin/12314" rel="smarttag" rev="12314">Maximus Martin</a></dfn>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/keegan-o-connor/12317" rel="smarttag" rev="12317">Keegan O'Connor</a></dfn>, K-State recorded its highest run total in two years, clinching a dominant 20-6 seven-inning-run-rule victory to complete the series sweep of William &amp; Mary on Sunday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium. "Awesome weekend," said head coach&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/coaches/pete-hughes/2603" rel="smarttag" rev="2603">Pete Hughes</a></dfn>&nbsp;on his team's fifth consecutive victory. "It's really difficult to sweep in college baseball. We'll never take that for granted, that's for sure. Proud of our guys' approach all weekend long." A day after setting season-highs in runs, home runs, and extra-base hits, K-State (9-5) reestablished those team bests against the Tribe (4-11) by tallying a season-high 20 hits with 11 going for extra bases. The Cats scored in each inning and plated a season-high nine runs in the fifth inning. Eleven different players produced a hit with five hitting multiple, while five drove in multiple RBI. The 20 total runs are the most in a game by the Wildcats since April 16, 2023, vs. Kansas (21), while it is the first time reaching 20 hits since March 2, 2024, against UMass Lowell. Alongside Martin and O'Connor,&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/shintaro-inoue/12311" rel="smarttag" rev="12311">Shintaro Inoue</a></dfn>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/cayden-phillips/12299" rel="smarttag" rev="12299">Cayden Phillips</a></dfn>&nbsp;each homered, recording back-to-back blasts in the fifth. With Phillips solo shot, 12 different players have sent one out this season. "Phenomenal offensive day. When you can score in every inning that speaks volumes to the capability of your offense &ndash; top to bottom," Hughes said. Martin homered in his fourth consecutive game, and third straight game with a homer in the first inning. The junior from Edgewater Park, N.J., sent out his sixth homer of the season 393-feet to left center in the fourth. He finished 5-for-5 on the day, falling short of a triple of completing the cycle, while he became the first player to record five hits in a single game since&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/brady-day/11461" rel="smarttag" rev="11461">Brady Day</a></dfn>&nbsp;at Houston on March 24, 2024. "Again, Max Martin set the tone for our offense. He's on a stretch that I have very rarely seen in my career, and I think the rest of the lineup is feeding off it." O'Connor, a native of Andover, Mass., homered in the second and fifth to record his first career multi-home run game. He ended the day 3-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. Starter&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/lincoln-sheffield/12332" rel="smarttag" rev="12332">Lincoln Sheffield</a></dfn>&nbsp;(3-1) was awarded his third consecutive victory, as the left-hander logged 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts. Sheffield surrendered five runs (four earned) on eight hits to finish his fourth outing. &nbsp; K-State has registered a home run in six straight games, totaling 20 in the stretch with Martin accounting for six of them followed by O'Connor with four. On the weekend, K-State finished the series hitting .400 with a .492 on-base percentage and slugging .800 with nine doubles and 12 home runs, while outscoring WM 41-13. Eleven players finished with a batting average over .300, led by Martin's .667 average. Martin ended the weekend with 12 RBI, seven runs scored and eight hits, that included one double and five home runs. HOW IT HAPPENED WM tagged a run to the board in the opening frame but was immediately answered, as Martin barreled his sixth homer of the season out to left center. K-State took advantage of a fielding error to take the one-run lead. Ben Parker launched a two-run homer in the second to make it 3-2 in favor of the Tribe. O'Connor evened the score with a leadoff solo blast to start off the Cats' four-run second inning. Inoue and Martin each singled before scoring on two straight base knocks from&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/seth-dardar/12320" rel="smarttag" rev="12320">Seth Dardar</a></dfn>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/dee-kennedy/12308" rel="smarttag" rev="12308">Dee Kennedy</a></dfn>. After surrendering two runs in the second, Sheffield retired seven of the next 10 batters he faced, that included striking out two to end the fourth. Leading 7-3, Martin belted his fifth homer of the series to left center to expand the Cats' lead. WM brought the game within three with a two-run homer from Derek Holmes, 8-5. The Wildcats put the game away in the fifth, exploding for a season-high nine runs on six hits, led by back-to-back home runs from Inoue and&nbsp;<dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/cayden-phillips/12299" rel="smarttag" rev="12299">Cayden Phillips</a></dfn>. INSIDE THE BOX
<ul>
<li>K-State scored a season-high 20 runs on a season-high 20 hits with one error committed and six left on base.</li>
<li>WM scored six runs on 10 hits, committed five errors and stranded eight on base.</li>
<li>Four different Wildcats homered &ndash; Martin (2), O'Connor (2), Inoue, Phillips.</li>
<li>K-State scored in each inning, that included a season-high nine in the fifth.</li>
<li>11 players registered a hit with five recording multiple hits and RBI.</li>
<li>Inoue drove in a game-leading four RBI, finishing 2-for-4 at the plate.</li>
<li>Martin went 5-for-5 with two home runs, a double and single. He drove in three RBI and scored four runs.</li>
<li>K-State drove in a season-high 18 RBI.</li>
<li>Sheffield (3-1) earned the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits in his 4 1/3 inning start.</li>
<li>Butler and Slack combined for 1 2/3 scoreless innings.</li>
<li>K-State hit .480 (12-for-25) with runners on base and went 8-for-17 with men in scoring position while WM was 4-for-14 (.286) with runners on and 2-for-11 (.182) in scoring position.</li>
<li>K-State hit .500 (8-for-16) with two-outs, driving in seven two-out RBI.</li>
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NOTES
<ul>
<li>Sunday marks the team's first 6-home run game since 2021 (Last: March 9, 2021, vs. South Dakota State).</li>
<li>Martin homers in his fourth consecutive game, and third straight game with a homer in the first inning.</li>
<li>K-State has registered a home run in six straight games, totaling 20 in the stretch with Martin accounting for six of them followed by O'Connor with four.</li>
<li><dfn><a href="https://www.kstatesports.com/sports/baseball/roster/maximus-martin/12314" rel="smarttag" rev="12314">Maximus Martin</a></dfn>&nbsp;launches his fifth homer of the series into left field.</li>
<li>Inoue and Phillips team up for K-State's fifth back-to-back home run performance of the season.</li>
<li>The Cats produced their first six-home run game of the season.</li>
<li>Phillips becomes the 12th player to homer this year.</li>
<li>Cats scored a season-high nine runs in the fifth inning, highlighted by a three home runs.</li>
<li>O'Connor became the second player today and this season to produce a multi-home run game.</li>
<li>The 20 total runs by the Wildcats were their most in a game in two years since April 16, 2023, vs. Kansas (21).</li>
<li>Sunday marked the first time reaching 20 hits since March 2, 2024, against UMass Lowell (20).</li>
</ul>
UP NEXT K-State will hit the road for a couple of midweek matchups, facing Creighton (7-4) and Omaha (3-10) on March 11-12. Following the games in Nebraska, the Cats will open Big 12 play on Friday, March 14 with a three-game series against Utah (11-3). Season and single-game tickets are now available. To purchase season tickets, fans can visit KStateSports.com, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stop by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.</div>

⚾ K-State completes sweep of William & Mary