MANHATTAN, Kan. (KSNT) – Jordan Wicks has been breaking K-State records for the past three seasons.
He holds the freshman record for innings pitched at 84.2, strikeouts with 86, and his current career ERA of 2.60 is sixth in program history.
“It’s become my favorite day of the week, Friday, because I get to write Jordan Wicks’ name in our line up,” K-State coach Pete Hughes said.
Now, the lefty has the opportunity to break another one, by becoming the first Wildcat to be a first-round draft pick.
“It’s something I started to hear at the end of the summer,” Wicks said. “It’s something I always believed I had the capability to do ever since I stepped on campus.”
Wicks is the #16 ranked prospect according to MLB.com’s prospect rankings in the upcoming draft.
Wicks posted a 0.35 ERA over 26 innings before the Coronavirus pandemic. Stopping this performance was tough, but he took the summer to add to his go-to fastball and changeup.
“The one weakness in my game I’ve had was having a true breaking ball to counter it,” he said.
Wicks is the first Wildcat named a preseason All-American by any publication since 2014. He’s sitting at a 1.72 ERA and 42 strikeouts through 31 innings pitched.
“He’s consumed with becoming great at his craft, and those kids usually reach their potential in their draft year,” Hughes said. “To see where he is this year, where he’s projected and how he’s handled that, has not been a surprise.”
That competitive spirit is also apparent to his teammates.
“In the dugout, you can’t really get in his mojo,” outfielder Kaden Fowler said. “He’s always in the zone. But, then you get him in the locker room, off the field, and the dude’s just a totally different person.”
A major component of Wicks’ game is his changeup. Instead of gripping the ball how most people coach it, with a large circle between his thumb and pointer finger, he tightens it up to give the ball more dive.
Wicks is focusing on playing for his teammates, despite what this season could mean for his draft stock.
“I’m going to go out there and try to win games for Kansas State,” he said. “That’s priority No. 1. The only thing I’m thinking about is how to get this team to Omaha.”