Kansas State running back John Hubert and defensive back Ty Zimmerman were named to the preseason watch lists for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards, respectively, the Maxwell Football Club announced Monday.

Both players were named to the lists for the first time in their careers. Hubert is the third Wildcat to be a candidate for the Maxwell Award – given to the collegiate player of the year – and the second in the last two years as Collin Klein was a finalist for the award in 2012. Zimmerman is the fourth Wildcat, including the third in the last two years, to be up for the Bednarik Award as the collegiate defensive player of the year. Linebacker Arthur Brown was one of 16 semifinalists last year, while defensive back Nigel Malone was a preseason candidate.

Hubert, one of six Big 12 players up for the Maxwell Award, is coming off a season in which he led the Wildcats and ranked fourth in the Big 12 with 947 yards and 15 touchdowns on 189 carries. The Waco, Texas, product earned All-Big 12 First Team honors from the league’s coaches and became the school’s 25th career 1,000-yard rusher in last year’s season opener. He enters his senior campaign 15 yards shy of entering the school’s career top-10 list with 1,945 yards.

An All-Big 12 performer in each of his first three seasons, Zimmerman is one of seven Big 12 defenders included on the initial watch list for the 2013 Bednarik Award. An All-American by multiple outlets last season, Zimmerman carded 50 tackles and tied for 10th nationally with five interceptions, each of which came in Big 12 play to lead the league. An All-Big 12 First Team performer, Zimmerman recorded picks in four-straight games and enters his senior season seventh in school history in career interceptions and eighth in interception return yards (146).

Semifinalists for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards will be announced October 29, while the three finalists for both awards will be unveiled November 25. The winners of the 2013 Maxwell and Bednarik awards will be announced as part of the Home Depot ESPNU College Football Awards Show held on December 12. The formal presentations of the awards will be made at the Maxwell Football Club Awards Gala in Atlantic City, N.J., on March 7, 2014.

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

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State wide receivers and special teams stars Tyler Lockett and Tramaine Thompson were named to the preseason watch list for the 2013 Paul Hornung Award, the Louisville Sports Commission announced Friday.

The award, given to the most versatile player in major college football, is in its fourth year of existence and includes 44 players on the preseason watch list. Lockett and Thompson are the second and third Wildcats up for the honor as Daniel Thomas was a candidate for the award in its inaugural season of 2010. In addition, K-State is one of three schools with multiple players on this year’s watch list.

A junior in 2013, Lockett is one of the most dangerous kick returners in the country aside from being a threat as a wide receiver. An All-Big 12 Second Team performer as an all-purpose player, Lockett ranked third nationally in kickoff-return average at 32.76 last season, while his career 33.8 yards per return are tops among active players. His career average and four kickoff-return touchdowns rank second in both school and Big 12 history entering the 2013 campaign.

Lockett, who was a member of the initial Walter Camp Player of the Year Award watch list in 2012, started 11 games at wide receiver and ranked second on the team with 44 receptions for 687 yards and a team-high tying four touchdowns. He had a career night at West Virginia when he hauled in nine receptions for 194 yards and two touchdowns. His 194 receiving yards were the fifth-most in school history.

Thompson has been one of the Wildcats’ top receiving threats in each of his first three years but has burst on to the scene as one of the nation’s top punt returners. A career 1,122-yard receiver to rank 24th in school history, Thompson led the nation with a 19.75-yard punt return average in 2012 thanks to six that went for 20 or more yards. An honorable mention All-Big 12 performer, Thompson returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown in the 2012 season opener against Missouri State, while his career return average of 13.7 ranks fifth in K-State history.

A four-game starter at wide receiver, Thompson hauled in 37 passes for 526 yards and tied Lockett for team-high honors with four receiving touchdowns. A reliable playmaker, Thompson was on the receiving end of a team-best 14 catches that were third-down conversions last season and had one of the best performances of his career against North Texas when he caught five passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Fans will have the opportunity to vote for their favorite player for the Paul Hornung Award during the regular season and again during the bowl season. Fan voting will open in late September and factor into selection of the finalists and winner. In addition, a selection committee is comprised of 16 national sports journalists and former college and NFL players who vote for finalists then a winner. The winner will be honored at the official Paul Hornung Award Banquet held at the Galt House in downtown Louisville in late January 2014.

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

— KSU Sports Information —

Right-handed reliever Jake Matthys, the Kansas State record holder for wins and saves by a freshman, picked up his second Freshman All-America accolade Monday as he was named to the second team by Baseball America.

Matthys, who became the sixth Wildcat to earn Freshman All-America honors since 2006 when he was honored by Collegiate Baseball last month, was one of just two relief pitchers and the lone Big 12 player to be mentioned by Baseball America.

A product of Spring Lake Park, Minn., Matthys finished his rookie campaign with a 9-2 record and a stellar 2.05 ERA to go along with nine saves. Aside from the school freshman records, Matthys broke the school record for single-season appearances, tied for second in K-State history in wins and tied for fifth in saves. He also recorded the most wins by a K-State relief pitcher in the Big 12 era and finished the year ranked eighth in single-season ERA. Matthys continually performed well under pressure, allowing just three of his 31 inherited runners to score and retiring 25 of his 33 first batters faced out of the bullpen.

Matthys earned two saves during the NCAA Manhattan Regional to help the Wildcats win their first-ever regional title. He was also the winning pitcher against No. 19 Oklahoma when K-State claimed its first conference championship in 80 years and tallied a victory in the opener of the Corvallis Super Regional as the Wildcats won, 6-2, in 10 innings.

The honor from Baseball America continued a long list of accolades for the right-hander as he was named the Big 12 Freshman of the Year, an All-Big 12 First Team performer and a member of the Big 12 All-Freshman team.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State outfielder Jared King earned his first-career All-America citation as Perfect Game placed the junior on its second team Thursday. King is the second Wildcat to earn All-America accolades this season as Ross Kivett was honored by Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America.

King, a First Team All-Big 12 performer, hit .335 with 16 doubles, two triples, seven home runs and a team-leading 53 RBI this season. The Dublin, Ohio, product also paced the team with a .523 slugging percentage and was third on the squad with 14 steals. He placed in the top 10 of the Big 12 in 10 offensive categories, including top-five rankings in RBI (second), slugging percentage (fourth), home runs (fourth), total bases (114; fourth) and walks (34; fourth).

A fifth-round draft pick by the New York Mets, King ranks highly in K-State history in several career offensive categories, placing seventh in sacrifice flies (12), ninth in extra-base hits (73) and 10th in home runs (22). He was a three-time all-conference honoree, the 2013 Big 12 co-Scholar Athlete of the Year, a 2012 American Baseball Coaches Association First Team All-Midwest Region recipient and a two-time Academic All-Big 12 performer.

K-State concluded the 2013 campaign with a 45-19 record to produce the most wins in program history, while the Wildcats captured their first conference championship since 1933 by earning a 16-8 record in Big 12 play. Kansas State was selected to host its first NCAA Regional and swept Wichita State, No. 30 Bryant and No. 12 Arkansas to register the program’s first Super Regional appearance.

Led by King and Kivett, Kansas State placed seven players on the All-Big 12 First Team, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year Jake Matthys. In addition, head coach Brad Hill earned his second Big 12 Coach of the Year designation as K-State became the first institution in Big 12 history to have its football, men’s basketball and baseball coaches register coach-of-the-year honors in the same academic year.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State second baseman Ross Kivett picked up his second All-America designation of the year as he was honored by Baseball America Wednesday.

Kivett, who was named to the third team, also obtained All-America accolades from Collegiate Baseball following the conclusion of the regular season. The 2013 Big 12 Player of the Year, Kivett is the fourth Wildcat since 2009 to earn multiple All-America honors in the last five years as he joins pitchers A.J. Morris (2009) and James Allen (2011), and outfielder Nick Martini (2010).

A product of Broadview Heights, Ohio, Kivett finished his junior campaign hitting .360 with 15 doubles, four triples, three home runs and 39 RBI. He helped lead K-State to its first conference championship in 80 years as he ranked second in the Big 12 with a .376 average against league foes. He also went 6-for-12 with two home runs and five RBI to earn MVP honors in the NCAA Manhattan Regional, leading the Wildcats to their first regional title.

Kivett’s season numbers rank highly in Kansas State history as he set the school records for games played (64), starts (64) and at-bats (261). He also placed in the top 10 in singles (second; 72), hits (third; 94) and steals (seventh; 26). A 10th-round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians, Kivett finished the season in the top-10 of nine offensive categories in the Big 12, including top marks in hits and runs scored (57), and second-place rankings in steals and total bases (126).

Kansas State finished the 2013 season at 45-19 to set the school record for wins, while they captured their first conference championship since 1933 by going 16-8 in Big 12 play. The Wildcats were selected to host their first-ever NCAA Regional and defeated Wichita State, No. 30 Bryant and No. 12 Arkansas to registered their first Super Regional appearance.

Led by Kivett, Kansas State placed seven players on the All-Big 12 First Team, including Big 12 Freshman of the Year Jake Matthys and Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year Jared King. Additionally, head coach Brad Hill earned his second Big 12 Coach of the Year designation as Kansas State became the first school in conference history to have its football, men’s basketball and baseball coaches pick up coach-of-the-year honors in the same academic year.

— KSU Sports Information —

As it did all season long, Kansas State battled until the very last out as the 13th-ranked Wildcats scored two runs in the eighth inning and put the tying run on base in the bottom of the ninth, but No. 3 Oregon State held on for a 4-3 victory and earned a trip to the College World Series Monday evening in the final game of the Corvallis Super Regional.

K-State finished its season at 45-19 to set the school record for wins, while the 2013 campaign marked the first conference championship in 80 years and the program’s first ever trip to the Super Regional round. The Beavers, who improved to 50-11, will take on Mississippi State in the first game of the College World Series on Saturday.

With little offense to speak of through the first seven innings, the Wildcats put two runners on base with two out in the eighth, trailing 4-1. Blair DeBord pulled a 0-2 pitch that landed just inside the left-field line to score a pair of runs and get the Wildcats to within one.

The double knocked Oregon State starting pitcher Ben Wetzler (9-1) out of the game and the Beavers called upon Matt Boyd – who opened the series on the mound – for his first relief outing of the year. The left-hander battled RJ Santigate, who looped a single into left field that fell in front of a diving Michael Conforto. K-State sent DeBord home, but the Oregon State sophomore was able to pick up the ball and throw a strike to the plate, ending the inning and preserving the one-run lead.

Matt Wivinis tossed a scoreless ninth, tying to set up the Wildcat offense for same ninth-inning heroics they displayed in the first game of the series. Ross Kivett beat out an infield single with one out to put the tying run on base, but Boyd forced two fly outs to end the contest.

“This is one of the only times that I have been speechless all year,” head coach Brad Hill said. “I have to give a lot of credit to Oregon State – they have great starting pitching and really held us down. We could never really gain any momentum until late in the game. We made a couple mistakes that exposed us early, and that is baseball. We fought back and did what we have done all year long. We didn’t quit and we fought back and had an opportunity, but just came up a run short tonight unfortunately.”

Wetzler threw a career-high 131 pitches in his 7.2 innings and was able to effectively work around nine hits and five walks. The Wildcats out-hit the Beavers, 11-6, but K-State hit into two double plays, stranded nine runners and surrendered a pair of unearned runs.

Danny Hayes got the Beavers on the board with a two-run homer in the second inning before unearned runs in consecutive frames. Ryan Barnes reached on a two-out error in the fourth and came around to score on a Kavin Keyes double off the right-field wall. However, the Wildcats were able to limit the damage as they threw out Keyes at third base to end the frame.

With a runner on third and two out in the fifth, Andy Peterson hit a weak ground ball to Austin Fisher, who couldn’t find the handle, as Oregon State built a lead to 4-0.

The Wildcats scored their first run in the sixth inning when Kivett laced a leadoff single into center field and scored on a Jared King single into right-center field. Kansas State looked for the big inning as Tanner Witt followed Kivett with a single of his own, but a double play prior to King’s hit helped Oregon State’s cause.

Catcher Jake Rodriguez paced the Beavers offensively by going 2-for-3. Santigate led K-State with a 3-for-4 effort, while DeBord and Kivett registered two hits apiece. Kivett finished the year with a team-leading 94 hits to tie for third place in school history, just three shy of the school record.

Kansas State right-hander Jake Matthys (9-2) suffered the loss in his first-career start by allowing four runs – only two of which were earned – on three hits with a walk and a career-high tying five strikeouts. The 2013 Big 12 Freshman of the Year tied his career-long outing by lasting 4.1 innings, while his 75 pitches were a career high.

The bullpen team of Wivinis, Gerardo Esquivel and Nate Williams kept K-State in the game as they combined for 4.2 scoreless innings, giving up only three hits with three walks and four strikeouts.

— KSU Sports Information —

Following a year that saw K-Sate reach unprecedented athletic, academic, administrative and fundraising success, John Currie was named an FBS Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year, the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) announced today.

The honor, one of only four given to FBS athletic directors across the country, was revealed in this week’s edition of SportsBusiness Journal in conjunction with NACDA’s annual convention in Orlando, Fla. Currie will accept the award during a Saturday luncheon at the convention.

“John’s outstanding leadership the past four years has resulted in the recognition of K-State having a model intercollegiate athletics program,” said K-State President Kirk Schulz. “The combination of tremendous athletic, academic and administrative achievements, as well as national acclaim for our university, is extraordinary. This is a special honor, and I am so proud of John and his team for bringing pride to all members of the Wildcat family.”

Since Currie’s introduction as director of athletics on May 18, 2009, K-State’s intercollegiate program has experienced a tremendous turnaround and enjoyed accomplishments and national attention that are unmatched in program history, including a record-setting 2012-13 academic year.

This past year K-State achieved a milestone that only four other BCS schools have obtained since 1998 when the Wildcat football, men’s basketball and baseball teams won conference championships in the same season. K-State also became the first Big 12 school to have league coach of the year honorees in football, men’s basketball and baseball in the same year as Bill Snyder, Bruce Weber and Brad Hill took top coaching honors.

“Thanks to our terrific fans, the best collective group of head coaches in the country, over 450 dedicated student-athletes and a determined and hard-working staff, we have made tremendous progress towards our vision of a model intercollegiate athletics program,” Currie said. “It is humbling to receive an award such as this, and I am pleased to accept this honor on behalf of our team, fans and university community.”

A BCS bowl berth in football and second straight NCAA Tournament appearance in volleyball highlighted the fall season. Both the men’s and women’s basketball teams advanced to the postseason with Weber leading the men’s team to the most wins ever by a first-year head coach in school history and the program’s first league title in 36 years.

Five track and field athletes were crowned Big 12 champions in the spring and Hill’s baseball squad – picked seventh out of nine teams in the Big 12 preseason poll – won the program’s first conference championship in 80 years. The Wildcats made even more history by hosting their first NCAA baseball regional and winning on their home field to advance to their first Super Regional.

K-State has also had another outstanding academic year in 2012-13 with  73 current or former student-athletes earning degrees, while a total of 236 earned Big 12 Commissioner’s honor roll accolades this spring, the most since 2008.

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 outfielder Jared King and Petra Niedermayerova from women’s tennis all earned the inaugural Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year award in their respective sports.

With the friendly slogan of “Welcome to K-State” symbolizing the goal of providing The Best Fan Experience in the Big 12, K-State’s marketing and fundraising efforts have been completely overhauled in Currie’s tenure.  Responding to a new emphasis on personal interaction and communication, K-State supporters have pushed attendance to new heights, while  the Ahearn Fund’s fiscal year 2012’s record of $25.8 million means that annual cash giving totals have doubled since Currie’s arrival.

Thanks to the grass-roots support of the 9,000-plus members of the Ahearn Fund, more than $125 million of facility enhancements are also currently underway, including the new West Stadium Center at Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The transformational project will provide new amenities for all Wildcat fans including improved ADA access, 200 percent more general restroom and concession facilities as well as new revenue-generating premium seating capacity. A key element of the facility will be a long-desired dining hall to serve the nutritional needs of all K-State teams.

Other notable facility enhancements completed under Currie are the new $18 million award-winning Basketball Training Facility, a new outdoor tennis complex, indoor rowing facility as well as incremental upgrades that have benefitted each of K-State’s 16 athletics programs.

Currently a member of the NCAA Division I Administrative Cabinet and the Fiesta Bowl Board of Directors, Currie was named to SportsBusiness Journal’s 2011 prestigious Forty Under 40 list of national sports leaders and currently serves the Big 12 as a member of the Game Management/Officiating Subcommittee as well as the Championship and Awards committee.

— KSU Sports Information —

Third-ranked Oregon State jumped out of the gate with nine runs in the first three innings – including five in the first – and never looked back as the Beavers forced a decisive third game of the Corvallis Super Regional with a 12-4 victory over Kansas State Sunday evening at Goss Stadium.

First pitch for the third game between the Beavers (49-11) and Wildcats (45-18) was moved to 9 p.m. (CT) Monday and will be televised on either ESPN2 or ESPNU.

The Beavers carded 13 hits in the first four frames, including seven with two strikes. After two quick outs in the first inning, Oregon State put together six-straight hits, beginning with back-to-back home runs by Michael Conforto and Dylan Davis. Danny Hayes continued the inning with a double down the right-field line before Ryan Barnes singled to center, extending the lead to three and knocking K-State starter Blake McFadden out of the game.

The Beavers weren’t done there as Kavin Keyes and Jake Rodriguez singled off Levi MaVorhis, the latter driving in two runs, to build the early 5-0 lead.

“Obviously the top of the first told the story of the game,” head coach Brad Hill said. “Back-to-back home runs really got the crowd involved, and you could tell the team just fed off of that. Our freshman on the mound just got a little shell-shocked, and we couldn’t shut it down, so that was pretty much it.”

Oregon State scored two runs in the second and third innings and plated single runs in the fifth, seventh and ninth frames. The Beavers, who had seven two-out RBI, were led offensively by Keyes Tyler Smith with four hits apiece. Smith and Davis each drove in three runs. The Wildcats allowed 21 hits, the most since giving up 27 to Oklahoma in 2009, while the 12 runs were the second-most given up this season.

Beaver freshman pitcher Andrew Moore (14-1) matched his offense by tossing nine-plus innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on six hits with three walks and a career-high nine strikeouts. Moore surrendered a second-inning solo homer to Jared King before consecutive sacrifice flies in the fourth, but the right-hander did not allow a run over the next four frames to keep the Wildcats at bay.

Six Wildcats recorded one hit in the game. Austin Fisher and Jon Davis teamed for the sacrifice flies in the fourth, giving K-State a school record 40 on the year. McFadden (6-3) suffered the loss as he could not make it out of the first inning, allowing four runs on four hits.

— KSU Sports Information —

Kansas State was down to its last strike in the ninth inning before Ross Kivett laced a double and Tanner Witt followed with a game-tying single, and the Wildcats promptly plated four in the 10th en route to a 6-2 victory over No. 3 Oregon State Saturday at the NCAA Corvallis Super Regional at Goss Stadium.

K-State improved its single-season record for wins as the 13th-ranked Wildcats are now 45-17 and one win away from advancing to the College World Series. The Beavers fell to 48-11.

Trailing 2-1, Kivett, the Big 12 Player of the Year, hammered a double into the right-center field gap on a full-count pitch and moved to third when OSU right-fielder Dylan Davis bobbled the ball. Two pitches later, Witt lined a single into center to tie the game.

After Jake Matthys (9-1) worked around a two-out base hit in the bottom half, the Wildcats exploded in the 10th as they sent nine men to the plate, including a go-ahead RBI single by Jon Davis, a pinch-hit RBI single by Mitch Meyer and a back-breaking two-run single through the left side of the infield by Witt.

“We found a way,” head coach Brad Hill said. “That’s the way it’s kind of been all year long. Down to our last strike, Ross comes up big and then Tanner follows it up to get it tied. And then you bring Matthys in, and I think we have a lot of confidence when he comes in to the game that we are going to be in pretty good shape.”

Witt led all hitters by going 3-for-6 with three RBI, while Kivett, Jared King and Blair DeBord each had two hits. Kivett scored two runs and Davis drove in two.

“When it got to 3-2, I wanted to put a good swing on it,” Kivett said of his ninth-inning double. “I really wasn’t trying to do too much. If I could pass the stick to this guy (Witt) and (Shane) Conlon and King, I knew we had a good chance to score a run. I don’t think there was anything special. It was just the same mentality we’ve had all year. You battle until your last strike and you battle until the last out.”

Matthys earned his ninth win of the year to move into a tie for second place in school history. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year allowed two hits in two scoreless innings with a strikeout, while middle reliever Nate Williams tossed three shutout innings and surrendered only one hit with a walk and two strikeouts.

Joe Flattery started the game on the mound for the Wildcats and was effective in his five-plus frames. The only mistake the left-hander made was on a 0-2 pitch to Michel Conforto in the fourth inning, who sent a ball over the right-field wall to give the Beavers a 2-0 lead. Flattery allowed four hits and walked two batters with three strikeouts.

“I know people talk a lot about our offense, but you have to give our pitchers a lot of credit today,” Hill said. “Flattery, Williams and Matthys – those guys had to match them today, and they did.”

The loss spoiled a solid outing by Oregon State starter Matt Boyd, who allowed just one run on five hits in seven innings of work. His only miscue came in the sixth when he hit Davis with the bases loaded and two outs to plate the Wildcats’ first run. The left-hander slammed the door on the Cats the next at-bat, while K-State also left the bases loaded in the eighth.

“Both teams pitched extremely well,” Hill said. “Obviously, I think Boyd was really tough on us. We looked really tight, confused. We just didn’t get any good swings off on him at all. He did a great job against us.”

Beaver relief pitcher Jace Fry was one strike away from his first save of the year, but ended up with the loss as he allowed the tying and go-ahead runs on four hits in 1.2 innings. Oregon State was led at the plate by Tyler Smith, who went 2-for-4.

Game two of the Corvallis Super Regional is slated for a 9 p.m. (CT) first pitch Sunday at Goss Stadium.

— KSU Sports Information —