WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Since he was drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft last summer, former K-State baseball star Kaelen Culpepper has been climbing through the ranks of professional baseball. Once the realization set in that he’d have the chance to play in Kansas once again, he’d had a call-up to AA circled as a goal.

Tuesday night at Equity Bank Park for the Wichita Wind Surge, less than a year from that night he was drafted, he stepped to the plate for the first time in the Sunflower State since his time as a Wildcat.

“I think I worked really hard to get back here,” Culpepper said. “I guess I’m here now and it feels really good because hopefully I’ll get to see some familiar faces. I’m just glad to be back in an area that I’m really familiar with.”

Culpepper is currently the No. 4 ranked prospect in the Minnesota Twins system and has quickly risen through the ranks of the team’s farm system, impressing eyes at every level.

“I wouldn’t say fast tracking because it’s all on my time and on their time,” he said. “It’s just what I’m doing and whenever they feel like I’m ready, that’s when they’ll pull the trigger.”

In his first two nights back in Kansas, he continued to impress. Culpepper crushed home runs in back-to-back nights in his return to his former state.

“Oh, he’s a baller man,” said Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins. “He goes out there and gives it his all. Absolute stud.”

Now as he continues to chase his big league dreams, he will do so for the time being in front of fans that know him well.

“I had a lot of friends, family, ex-teammates and parents reach out to me and say ‘Hey, we’re really excited. Hopefully we can come out and catch a game,’” he said. “So, I’m really looking forward to that.”

Although he is a native of Memphis, Culpepper said that Kansas holds a special place due to his time at Kansas State. He says he will savor his time playing in the state that helped make him the player he’s become.

“I definitely made the right decision [to go to Kansas State,]” he said. “The coaches at Kansas State treated me with a lot of hospitality and treated me like family. I’ll always cherish that. I’m very grateful for the opportunity they gave me.”

“Look where I’m at now. The sky is the limit.”

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The Cowboys will hit the road to check out a new-look stadium and face a Jayhawks team that’s also looking the freshen things up from last year. Let’s continue your run through Oklahoma State’s 2025 football schedule with a look at OSU-Kansas.

Be sure to catch up on our previous previews: Noncon | Baylor | Arizona | Houston | Cincinnati | Texas Tech

Week 10: Kansas | Nov. 1 | Lawrence, Kansas

Series history: 42-30-2

Last meeting: OSU 39, KU 32 (2023)

As Terry Miller was honored in BPS, Ollie Gordon continued to cement himself as an all-time OSU great. No. 0 accounted for 284 yards from scrimmage, including a career-high 116 receiving yards to go along with 168 rushing yards and a score each by land and by air.

KU scored on a pair of consecutive long TD passes to take a 32-24 lead early in the third before OSU scored the final 15 (three Alex Hale FGs and a Brennan Presley touchdown run).

Kansas in 2024: After coming into the season with a decent amount of Big 12 title buzz, the Rock Chalk contingent was humbled out of the gate.

The Jayhawks ranked in the bottom half of the Big 12 in scoring and total offense as well as points allowed and total defense. Those numbers played out on the field to a rough start, but KU was able to figure some things out down the stretch.

After starting 2-6, and not earning an FBS win until mid-October, the Jayhawks finish their season 3-1 to finish with five wins. That three-game win streak came against then-ranked teams Iowa State (15), BYU (13) and Colorado (25). They narrowly missed the postseason for the first time since Lance Leipold’s first year in 2021.

Kansas’ Offense in 2025: The Jayhawks’ offense lost a big playmaker but has some things working for it as they approach fall camp.

Leading rusher Devin Neal is now a New Orleans Saint, but Jayhawks do return veteran quarterback Jalon Daniels, a career Jayhawk who had a career year in 2024. The dual-threat QB played every game for his first time in his five years. Daniels logged 20 total TDs, though with his increased reps his picks also went up. He recorded a career-high interception rate of 4%, good for 12 giveaways.

Kansas’ Defense in 2025: Former Pitt and South Carolina linebacker Bangally Kamara headlines a slew of defensive transfers as the Jayhawks look to rebuild their back seven.

The Jayhawks’ strength was up front last year, ranking third in the Big 12 in sacks. They return sack leader Dean Miller (six sacks) but will have to replace both outgoing seniors JB Brown and Jereme Robinson who combined for 10.5 last year.

Of note: The Cowboys will get their first look at the newly remodeled David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium. Improvements include a new field surface, a video board nearly twice the size as the old one and a completely rebuild west side of the stadium with a new bowl. The Jayhawks played their home games in Kansas City last season.

The Kansas City Chiefs most recently signed quarterback Chris Oladokun to a one-year contract on February 11, 2025, but he is entering his fourth season with the Chiefs this year.

Oladokun began his career in professional football with the Pittsburgh Steelers, who selected him with the No. 241 pick in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft.

When Oladokun was released by the Steelers on August 23, 2022, the Chiefs quickly signed him to their practice squad.

Despite a series of transactions that have seen him signed and released by Kansas City on multiple occasions, Oladokun has been a constant presence for the Chiefs as a third-string quarterback.