Kansas State head baseball coach Brad Hill has agreed to a new five-year contract, locking in the two-time Big 12 Coach of the Year through the 2018 season, Director of Athletics John Currie announced Tuesday.

The agreement is retroactive to June 15, 2013, and extends through June 14, 2018. It replaces the five-year contract that Hill signed following the 2010 season. Hill’s base salary will increase from the $220,000 that he was scheduled to earn in the 2013-14 contract year to $265,000.

“It is an exciting time for K-State Baseball,” Currie said. “Under Coach Hill’s leadership, our program has continued to develop as evidenced by our first conference championship in 80 years and hosting and winning the school’s first-ever NCAA Regional at Tointon Family Stadium. The persistent success of our program is a testament to our staff and the tremendous student-athletes that are committed to championship performances both athletically and academically.”

The contract calls for an average annual compensation of $292,000 over the five years and also includes retention incentives of $125,000 should Hill remain as coach through the 2015 season and $150,000 should he stay at K-State through the life of the agreement. Totaling the base salary and two retention incentives, Hill is guaranteed $1.735 million over the next five years.

Hill can also earn an additional 4- to 32-percent of his base salary contingent on annual performance incentives, including appearances in the Big 12 Championship and NCAA Tournament, as well as winning regular-season and postseason championships, and individual coaching awards.

The new contract rewards Hill after completing the most successful season in school history as the Wildcats won a school-record 45 games and captured the program’s first regular-season conference championship in 80 years. K-State made the biggest jump by a regular-season champion in league history as the Cats were predicted to finish seventh in the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

K-State was selected to host a NCAA Regional for the first time in program history and used the home-field advantage to go 3-0 with victories over in-state rival Wichita State, No. 30 Bryant and No. 12 Arkansas to advance to its first Super Regional. Paired against No. 3 Oregon State in Corvallis, Ore., the Wildcats lost the finale of the three-game series, 4-3, to finish the season one victory shy of earning a trip to the College World Series.

“The support we have received at K-State since the day my family and I arrived has been second to none, including the last few years under John Currie,” Hill said. “The rise of the program is centered on the players and coaching staff, both current and former, that have dedicated themselves to K-State Baseball. I am also thankful for the contributions of those who laid the groundwork for this program to be successful, especially Mike Clark’s hard work during his 17-year tenure, as well as Bob and Betty Tointon and John Allen.

“Our continued success is also due in large part to the enthusiasm the Manhattan and K-State communities bring to Tointon Family Stadium,” Hill continued. “Last season’s Big 12 Championship and 3-0 record in the NCAA Regional were directly tied to the home-field advantage our fans created. We are excited to build upon last year’s accomplishments with the overriding goal of reaching the College World Series, while we continue to support the vision of Kansas State under the leadership of President Schulz and Mr. Currie.”

The 2013 season was the next step in the successful development of the baseball program during Hill’s 10-year leadership. Since 2009, the Wildcats have finished in the top four of the Big 12 standings three times and made its only four NCAA tournament appearances in that span. A native of Galva, Kan., Hill has accumulated the second-most wins in school history and enters his 11th season with a 338-243-3 (.581) record, including a 188-115-1 (.620) mark over the last five years.

A keen eye for talent, Hill has recruited and developed 57 players that have been drafted since 2005, including 27 who were undrafted out of high school. This season, Hill tutored his fifth top-five round draft pick in Jared King to double the school’s total from the previous 43 years.

The 2009 and 2013 Big 12 Coach of the Year, Hill has guided four players to the conference’s highest honor as A.J. Morris was the 2009 Pitcher of the Year, Nick Martini (2010) and Ross Kivett (2013) were named Players of the Year, and Jake Matthys was tabbed Freshman of the Year in 2013.

Academically under Hill’s guidance, the Wildcats have produced 53 Academic All-Big 12 selections as well as seven academic all-district honorees and two academic All-Americans. In addition, K-State’s Academic Progress Rate (APR) has steady improved to reflect an outstanding four-year average of .954.

Hill was named the 20th head baseball coach in Kansas State history on June 3, 2003, after an ultra-successful nine-year stint as the head coach at Central Missouri State (now the University of Central Missouri) as he left CMSU as the winningest active coach in Division II that included a National Championship in 2003. Coupled with his 418-91 mark at CMSU, Hill’s career record at four-year institutions stands at 756-334-3 (.693) to rank seventh nationally among active coaches.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State’s Collin Klein was awarded for one of the greatest seasons in Wildcat history Thursday as the record-setting quarterback was named the Big 12 Athlete of the Year Thursday, the conference office has announced.

Klein ended his career as the only quarterback from a Bowl Championship Series automatic qualifier school in the BCS era to rush for at least 20 touchdowns and pass for at least 10 in multiple seasons. He also set the FBS record for rushing touchdowns by a signal-caller in consecutive seasons, a mark that now stands at 50, and had a nation’s-best 18 games with at least one passing and rushing touchdown since the beginning of the 2011 campaign.

The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, Davey O’Brien Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year and Manning Award. Klein was named a Second Team All-American by Walter Camp and the Associated Press, while conference coaches selected him the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and All-Big 12 First Team. He established K-State top 10 marks in 35 career, season or single-game categories, including eight school records.

A Loveland, Colo., native, Klein was named to the Academic All-Big 12 Second Team and achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average in the Fall of 2012 during football season. He was named to the AFCA Good Works Team and was a Senior CLASS Award and ARA Sportsmanship Award finalist. Klein also served on the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and participated in many community service projects including Read to Achieve, Adopt a Family, Special Olympics and local church and youth groups.

In addition to Klein, Oklahoma pitcher Keilani Ricketts earned top female honors from the Big 12. Other male nominees for the award were Nick Florence (Baylor), Scott Fernandez (Iowa State), Ben McLemore (Kansas), Kendric Maple (Oklahoma), Marcus Smart (Oklahoma State), Charles Silmon (TCU), Ryan Crouser (Texas), Kennedy Kithuka (Texas Tech) and Harrison Musgrave (West Virginia).

Other female candidates for Big 12 Athlete of the Year included Brittney Griner (Baylor), Betsy Saina (Iowa State), Maggie Hull (Kansas), Petra Niedermayerova (Kansas State), Natalja Piliusina (Oklahoma State), Lorraine Ugen (TCU), Haley Eckerman (Texas), Kim Kaufman (Texas Tech) and Amanda Nugent (West Virginia).

Nominees are submitted by each Big 12 institution and selected, based on athletic performance, academic achievement and citizenship, by a media panel as well as fan voting conducted through the Big 12’s social media outlets.

K-State had a banner 2012-13 athletics year, becoming just the second Big 12 school and fourth BCS program since the BCS era began in 1998 to win league championships in football, men’s basketball and baseball in the same academic year, joining Stanford (1999-2000), Texas (2005-06) and Louisville (2012-13). With Bill Snyder (football), Bruce Weber (men’s basketball) and Brad Hill (baseball) all earning Big 12 Coach of the Year honors in 2012-13, K-State also became the first school in league history to win top coaching honors in those respective sports in the same season.

In addition, a total of 95 Wildcat student-athletes earned Academic All-Big 12 recognition in all sports during the 2012-13 athletic season, while senior women’s basketball player Brittany Chambers, junior baseball outfielder Jared King and junior women’s tennis player Petra Niedermayerova all earned the inaugural Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year award in their respective sports.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State senior running back John Hubert was one of 50 players nationally and five from the Big 12 Conference named to the 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year Watch List, the organization announced Friday.

Hubert, also a preseason candidate for the Maxwell and Doak Walker Awards, ranked fourth in the Big 12 in rushing at 72.8 yard per game last season, while he had 15 rushing touchdowns to finish third. Also a Preseason All-Big 12 pick, Hubert earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2012 from the league’s coaches and enters the 2013 season just 15 yards shy of K-State’s career top-10 for rushing yardage.

The watch list will be narrowed to 10 semi-finalists in mid-November. The 2013 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, which is voted on by the 125 NCAA Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be announced live on ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday, December 12. The winner will then receive his trophy at the Foundation’s annual national awards banquet on January 11, 2014 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

Kansas State travels to Dallas to participate in the 2013 Big 12 Football Media Days on Monday. Representing the Wildcats along with head coach Bill Snyder will be wide receiver Tyler Lockett, defensive back Ty Zimmerman, center B.J. Finney and linebacker Tre Walker. Complete media day coverage will be available at both www.k-statesports.com and www.big12sports.com.

The Wildcats kick off the 2013 campaign and open the new West Stadium Center by taking on back-to-back FCS National Champion North Dakota State on Friday, August 30. The contest is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m., and will be televised nationally by FOX Sports 1.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State senior running back John Hubert was named a candidate for the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top college running back for the second-straight year, the PwC SMU Athletic Forum announced Thursday.

Hubert, one of 63 players nationally and nine from the Big 12 up for the award, is K-State’s fourth two-time candidate, joining J.J. Smith (1993 and 1994), Darren Sproles (2003 runner-up, 2004) and Daniel Thomas (2009, 2010 semifinalist).

A product of Waco, Texas, Hubert ranked fourth in the Big 12 in rushing at 72.8 yard per game last season, while he had 15 rushing touchdowns to finish third. Also a candidate for the Maxwell Award and a Preseason All-Big 12 pick, Hubert earned All-Big 12 First Team honors in 2012 from the league’s coaches and enters the 2013 season just 15 yards shy of K-State’s career top-10 for rushing yardage.

The PwC SMU Athletic Forum Board of Directors will name the semifinalists on November 14, and the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee will cast votes to determine the finalists, who will be announced on November 25. The committee will cast a second vote beginning on December 2 to determine the recipient, while the winner will be announced as part of The Home Depot College Football Awards show on ESPN on December 12.

Kansas State travels to Dallas to participate in the 2013 Big 12 Football Media Days on Monday. Representing the Wildcats along with head coach Bill Snyder will be wide receiver Tyler Lockett, defensive back Ty Zimmerman, center B.J. Finney and linebacker Tre Walker. Complete media day coverage will be available at both www.k-statesports.com and www.big12sports.com.

The Wildcats kick off the 2013 campaign and open the new West Stadium Center by taking on back-to-back FCS National Champion North Dakota State on Friday, August 30. The contest is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 p.m., and will be televised by nationally by FOX Sports 1.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State junior center B.J. Finney captured his third watch list honor Monday as he was named a candidate for the Rotary Lombardi Award, the award’s committee announced.

Finney, one of 107 nationally and 12 from the Big 12 up for the honor, is also a candidate for the Rimington and Outland trophies. He is the first Wildcat offensive lineman to be a candidate for three major college football awards since Nick Leckey in 2003.

A 26-game starter, Finney is a two-time team captain and has helped lead K-State to a 21-5 record over the last two seasons. The Andale, Kan., product was an All-Big 12 First Team honoree in 2012 in addition to earning votes for Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year.

Eligibility for the Rotary Lombardi Award is limited to down linemen, end-to-end, either on offense or defense, who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball, or linebackers who set up no further than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage.

Semifinalists for the award will be announced on November 7, while finalists will be selected on November 21. The 44th Rotary Lombardi Award will be presented on December 11, 2013, at the Wortham Center in Houston, Texas.

Kansas State opens the 2013 campaign and the new West Stadium Center on August 30, when the Wildcats welcome back-to-back FCS National Champion North Dakota State to Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The game, which kicks off at 7:30 p.m., will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1.

— KSU Sports Information —

For a second-straight year, Kansas State center B.J. Finney has been named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s premier center, the Boomer Esiason Foundation announced Tuesday.

Finney’s inclusion on this year’s watch list marks the fifth time a Wildcat has been up for the award, while the Andale, Kan., product is the first two-time candidate in school history. Nick Leckey was a finalist in 2003, while Jordan Bedore (2008) and Wade Weibert (2010) were both preseason candidates. Finney has also been named to the spring watch list for the award each of the last two years.

One of three candidates from the Big 12, Finney is a former walk-on who has turned into a team leader for the Wildcats. During K-State’s Big 12 Championship season in 2012, he was an All-Big 12 First Team selection and a semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy, which honors the nation’s top walk-on. The two-time team captain has started all 26 career games, including the last 25 at center heading into his junior campaign.

Finalists for the 2013 Rimington Trophy will be named on December 9, while the winner will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show held on December 12.

Since its inception, the Rimington Trophy has raised over $2 million. The 14-year old award is overseen by the Boomer Esiason Foundation, which is committed to finding a cure for cystic fibrosis and has raised over $100 million for CF Research.

Dave Rimington, the award’s namesake, was a consensus first-team All-America center at the University of Nebraska in 1981 and 1982, during which time he became the Outland Trophy’s only double winner as the nation’s finest college interior lineman. For more on the Rimington Trophy and a list of past recipients, visit www.rimingtontrophy.com.

K-State opens the 2013 season and the new West Stadium Center against North Dakota State – the two-time FCS National Champion – on Friday, August 30. The sold-out contest kicks off at 7:30 p.m., and will be televised nationally on FOX Sports 1.

— KSU Sports Information —