Kansas

Kansas State Baseball 2026 at Utah

Published

3 months ago

March 27, 2026

After a rough homestand that saw the Cats go 1-3, your Kansas State Wildcats are back on the road for a Big 12 series against Utah — K-State’s first trip out to Salt Lake City for a baseball game.

The Cats sit at 17-8 on the season and 3-3 in Big 12 play, and after starting the season strong have really struggled since the Sunday game against Houston two weekends ago. Either the bats go wild and they win in a rule-ruled game, or they lose. Not exactly a recipe for confidence moving into the heart of the season.

And a lot of that struggle is on the bullpen and the K-State defense, with the former struggling to throw strikes and avoid giving up easy homeruns, and the latter struggling with staying focused and committing unforced errors at the worst times. But if ever there was a good weekend in conference play to get back on track, it would be this one for K-State. Utah enters today 13-9 and 3-3 in Big 12 play, but currently rank dead last in hitting in conference play despite putting up runs and picking up wins. If K-State can avoid errors and letting bad plays snowball, they will have a good opportunity to sweep this series.

But the Cats have to be more consistent than they’ve shown the past couple weeks.

All games here in Salt Lake City are at the America First Ballpark, a park that opened last spring and is also the home of Triple-A Salt Lake Bees, and will be available on online via KMAN and at KStateSports.com/watch with Matt Walters calling the action there. All three games will be streamed on ESPN+, with a Bill Riley on the broadcast.

James Guyette takes the mound Friday night at 7:000pm CT for his seventh start of the season. The junior righty went into the sixth inning last Friday against Arizona State before getting lifted after recording just one out. He gave up three runs on five hits, one of those over the fence, and five free bases while tossing five strikeouts. Through six games he’s got an ERA of 5.51, the highest of K-State’s weekend starters.

The Cat batters will face junior right-hander Colter McAnelly to open the game. McAnelly finished 2025 as an All-Big 12 First Team selection, and the Wyoming native earned Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors three times as a sophomore. He’s not been quite as productive so far in 2026, sitting at just 2-3 in six starts this season with an ERA of 3.94. But that number is way up after last week, when he gave up six runs on six hits in five innings in what ended up as a 4-13 loss to Cincinnati.

Saturday’s game is set for a 3:00pm CT first-pitch. Lincoln Sheffield moves up a day as Pete Hughes looks to shake things up in his maligned bullpen, also making his seventh start of the season. Last Sunday, the senior lefty pitched a run-ruled complete game, giving up just one run on five hits and two free bases, but tossing six strikeouts enroute to a 12-1 K-State victory, and Sheff’s fifth of the season. He leads K-State starters with a 3.97 ERA that dropped back under 4.00 after his 1.29 effort last Sunday.

Utah will send to the mound Payton Riske to face the Cat batters. The right-handed junior is also making his seventh start of the season, all as the Saturday starter — a role the Las Vegas-native earned last season and has yet to relinquish. Last week he went just three innings against Cincinnati, giving up five runs on six hits — but no walks — in what became a 10-20 loss to the Bearcats.

Sunday’s start time is set for 2:00pm CT, and Tanner Duke will take the bump for the Cats in the swap with Sheffield. Duke was solid in his first two Saturday starts, before struggling against Arizona State last Saturday. The junior righty lasted just three innings, giving up seven runs (five earned) on six hits, including two over the fence, before leaving the game with the Sun Devils up 5-7. But ultimately it didn’t matter as the bullpen was just as giving, with the Cats eventually falling 12-18. After falling to 3.43, Duke’s ERA ballooned back up to 4.88 for the season.

Utah has not named a starter for Sunday’s game, but sophomore Cameron Nielson made the start last Sunday for the Utes in their 13-11 finale win over the Bearcats. Last week, the right-hander was solid through the first two innings before getting lifted after snagging just one out in the third. His final line was two runs (one earned) on four hits and two walks (one of those was intentional), tossing just one strikeout. He’s got a season ERA of 3.86, but has only pitched more than three innings one time in his seven appearances so far this season.

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Kansas

Chicken chain expanding to Kansas and five other Midwest states

Published

2 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Chicken chain expanding to Kansas and five other Midwest states

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Colorado-based chicken restaurant Birdcall is expanding into Kansas.

The company announced Friday its plans to expand into Kansas and five other Midwestern states over the next five years. Birdcall plans to add six to eight fast-casual restaurants in Wichita and Topeka.

“The Midwest represents a tremendous opportunity for Birdcall,” CEO Mark Lohmann said. “From our award-winning chicken sandwiches and other handcrafted menu offerings to our commitment to innovation and community, we believe Birdcall offers an experience that resonates with today’s guests and is a natural fit for the region.”

Other locations announced are:

Indiana – 10 to 15 restaurants across Indianapolis, Bloomington, Evansville and Fort Wayne
Missouri – Up to 18 restaurants across St. Louis, Columbia, and Kansas City
Nebraska – Seven to 10 restaurants across Omaha and Lincoln
Ohio – Up to 20 restaurants across Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Toledo
Wisconsin – 10 to 15 restaurants across Milwaukee, Madison and Appleton

Birdcall’s menu features a variety of chicken sandwiches, chicken fingers and nuggets, salads, tater tots, fries, and more. The restaurant also makes its own in-house sauces and serves up draft beer and house-made margaritas, with happy hour specials.

The company said each restaurant will use self-service kiosks and occupy about 2,300 square feet, with indoor and outdoor seating that can serve up to 150 people.

Birdcall currently operates 17 restaurants across Colorado, Arizona and Texas.

For more Kansas news, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news by downloading our mobile app and signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track 3 Weather app by clicking here. To watch our shows live on our website, click here.

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Kansas

Video shows disruption during Osawatomie City Council meeting with data center developer

Published

12 hours ago

June 26, 2026

Press Room

Video shows disruption during Osawatomie City Council meeting with data center developer

KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.

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A video shared by a viewer, shows a resident speaking at the Osawatomie, Kansas City Council meeting being escorted out by police on Thursday evening.

The video shows a man holding a “Hell No Alcove” sign, while commenting about a blighted property, which according to public records is owned by Pacific Apartments, LLC, operating out of the same address as Alcove Development in Lawrence, Kansas.

KSHB 41

A video submitted by a viewers shows a resident being escorted out of a city of Osawatomie, Kansas council meeting that included an appearance from a data center developer.

Alcove Development is behind the effort to build a $1 billion, 283-acre data center development in Osawatomie’s northland property.

The video, shared by a viewer, goes on the show two law enforcement officers approaching the individual, who is Lee Brewer, at the podium, after he begins to yell, while the crowd joins in behind him. Lee Brewer reached out to KSHB 41 late Thursday night, identifying himself as the person who was escorted out.

Osawatomie, Kansas Police Chief Dave Stutteville is seen in the video also approaching the man.

KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa reached out to the Police Chief, City Manager, and Mayor Nick Hampson for comment late on Thursday night and is waiting on a response.

Residents in contact with Gamboa attending the meeting shared the meeting was still in session after 9:30 p.m.

Thursday night’s meeting was the city and Alcove Development’s attempt at sharing potential benefits of a data center for the community.

Gamboa has long covered the data center project in Osawatomie, Kansas — and neighbors to the project have voiced their opposition to the proposed development.

This is the first time Alcove Development has approached the public, but not the first time it has worked with the city of Osawatomie.

In late 2025, Alcove Development approached the city with the project and weeks later, a pre-development agreement was signed giving Alcove exclusive rights to the development for three years.

But city council meeting records from 2023 show, the city of Osawatomie entered into a pre-development agreement with Alcove Development to redevelop a property known as Old Swenson School.

Alcove Development had six months to asses the condition of the property and determine a course of action for redevelopment, and the overall agreement would last 18 months, according to public records.

The pre-development agreements states, Alcove would consider asking for tax breaks on the project, including utilizing the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.

At the time, the property had sat in disrepair since 2016, according to the records, and was frequently found in violation of city code.

If the re-development were to fall through, the city would be on the hook to purchase the property from the developer for $25,000, with unclear total costs for infrastructure improvements.

KSHB 41 will follow up on the status on this project at a later date.

Earlier this week, Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa, sat down with Donna Ingram who doesn’t live far from the data center site.

Ingram expressed her concerns about the amount of infrastructure that would be built to operate a data center, and how it might overtake the land around her home.

She expressed concerns because the City of Osawtomie changed the public comment guidelines of a promise town hall with the developer.

“Watching this process play out is disheartening,” Ingram said in an interview on Monday. “A town hall was promised that didn’t come to fruition… I don’t believe it’s the definition. This is a city council meeting. We’re the ones that are gonna live next to it. We’re the ones that live in the path of the infrastructure.”

The city told KSHB 41 on Monday in a statement, they changed the format to prioritize the voices of city taxpayers, as county taxpayers have dominated the public comment periods over the past couple of months.

Mayor Nick Hampson also told Gamboa in an earlier interview he was hoping to have a productive “town hall” — instead, the first meeting with the public and the developer of the project was during a formal and regularly scheduled city council meeting.

The city also required residents to submit questions ahead of time, and the city would filter questions to the developer, while limiting public comment to three minutes.

“We have been and will continue to hear from the residents that are in the county and closest to this project,” Hampson told KSHB 41 in an email on Monday.

Alcove Development owned Property — A former school house in Osawatomie, Kansas, owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.

Residents shared a record to KSHB 41, submitted to the city for a formal investigation into 1009 Pacific Avenue in Osawatomie, which is owned by a company operating out of Alcove Development’s address.

The dilapidated property is the a former school house, that sits with broken windows, and other parts of the building breaking down.

The Miami County Republic reporting on Thursday, the city launched an investigation into the building.

Residents cite the buildings deteriorating condition and potential danger to the public, and lack of property maintenance.

Lee Brewer issued a comment regarding the incident at Thursday night’s meeting, stating he was escorted out after the Mayor closed public comment, and he was not on the list.

Brewer told KSHB 41, he has a time -stamped email of pre-submitted questions ahead of the meeting. KSHB 41 asked Brewer to review the email, and is waiting for an answer.

I am severely disappointed in our Mayor and the city council. They told us we were required to send in an email with our questions and our address to prove we were citizens of the town by Wednesday the 24th at noon. I have my email which is timestamped at 10:26 a.m. Wednesday the 24th. They shut me down and first told me I didn’t put the email in and then once I was kicked out of there I was told by people coming out that they were told I turned in my email too late. I’m not a math teacher but last time I looked at my clock 10:26 a.m. falls just over an hour and a half before noon. I mean correct me if I’m wrong. I thought because the mayor and I were having decent conversations on Facebook Messenger, whereas I would ask him questions and he would answer to the best of his ability. And I would thank him I thought we were pretty cordial. So to basically call me a liar in front of the entire town on video recording, take away my freedom of speech My first amendment right, and have me removed from a public building was completely wrong I am very disappointed in our city council and mayor. When I approached the podium all I was trying to do was point out that resolution number 1169 in Osawatomie Kansas refers to Alcove development LLC being the owner of the old Swenson School at 1009 Pacific. As I pointed out in these earlier messages to you Alcove has left this building dilapidated in ruins and a danger to our community. Our great city council and mayor seem to have other plans for me being able to speak though.

Lee Brew, via Facebook to KSHB 41 News

KSHB 41 reached out to Alcove Development late on Thursday night, and is waiting on a response.

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