ALL-CENTURY TEAM In celebration of 100 years of K-State Baseball in 2000, the university named 21 former players to the All-Century Baseball Team as voted on by a select group of head coaches and letterwinners. The group included five Major League players, five that received recognition to 10 All-America teams and 15 players that earned first team, second team or honorable mention honors a total of 30 times in their careers at K-State. The honorees came from nearly every decade that Kansas State fielded a baseball team, including one from each the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, six from the 1960s, four from the 1970s, four from the 1980s and four from the 1990s. The list is broken down by position with six pitchers, one catcher, seven infielders and seven outfielders. STEVE ANSON [1973-76; Mishawaka, Ind.] Four-year starter as a first baseman and outfielder for the Wildcats from 1973-76... Named first team All-Big Eight Conference as an outfielder in 1974... Ranks among KState’s Top 10 in six career categories, including at-bats (579), triples (19) and total bases (325)... Owns the career mark for triples with 19 in his four-year career... Led the team in hits and batting average each of his four seasons as a Wildcat... Posted an impressive senior year in 1976, hitting a team-high .356 in 54 games with team-bests in runs (45), hits (62), 2B (11), 3B (six) and RBI (48).
six years when he was named to the league’s first team in 1984... Ranks among K-State’s Top 10 in career batting average (.371) and home runs (24)... Also places among the school’s Top 10 in single-season batting average (.403) and RBI (62)... Led the team each of his three seasons in home runs and RBI... Turned in a nice senior season primarily as a designated hitter, leading the team in runs (27), hits (37), average (.346), RBI (41) and HR (nine).
BILL HUISMAN [1969-70; Goldfield, Iowa] Two-year starter at second base for the Wildcats from 196970... Named first team All-Big Eight Conference in both 1969 and 1970... Led the 1969 team in four categories, including hits (44), runs (32), doubles (nine) and triples (four), while he ranked second in average (.386) and home runs (four)... Dropped off offensively as a senior, but still produced a .278 batting average with 18 runs on 37 hits and 12 RBI and six doubles... Signed as a free agent by the Chicago Cubs in 1974.
SEAN COLLINS [1988-89; Venice, Calif.] ELDEN AUKER [1930-32; Norcatur, Kan.] One of the greatest athletes in Kansas State history... Played football, basketball and baseball at Kansas State in the late 1920s and early 1930s and was selected as an All-American in all three sports... Upon graduation, he had offers to play both professional football and baseball, but chose baseball where he embarked on a 10-year major league career... Played with three different teams in his major league career, including the Detroit Tigers (1933-38), Boston Red Sox (1939) and St. Louis Cardinals (1940-42)... Saw action in 333 games in his major league career with 261 starts... Compiled a 130-101 career pitching record and 4.42 ERA with 126 complete games and 594 strikeouts in 1,963.1 innings pitched... Struck out the legendary Babe Ruth on four pitches in his first visit to venerable Yankee Stadium in New York... Elected to numerous Halls of Fame, including the state of Kansas and the inaugural Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame class in 1990... Named to Sports Illustrated’s Top 50 greatest sports figures of the century in the state of Kansas... Auker passed away in Vero Beach, Fla., in 2006.
DAVID CHADD [1987-88; Wichita, Kan.] Two-year starter at first base for the Wildcats from 198788... Named second team All-America by both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America in 1988... First All-American at K-State for head coach Mike Clark... Earned first team All-Big Eight Conference honors in 1988... Owns the Kansas State career record for batting average with a .388 mark... Ranks among the school’s Top 10 in four single-season records, including batting average (.418), hits (84), runs (66) and home runs (11)... Led the team his senior season in hits (84), runs (66), average (.418), while ranking second in doubles (18) and home runs (11)... Transferred from Barton County (Kan.) Community College in 1987... Currently a scout for the Detroit Tigers... Was a 2010 inductee to the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame.
Two-year starter as a second baseman and outfielder for the Wildcats from 1988-89... Named honorable mention AllAmerica in 1989... Earned first team All-Big Eight Conference honors as an outfielder in 1989... Selected honorable mention All-Big Eight Conference in 1988 as a second baseman... Ranks fourth in career stolen bases in K-State history with 54 successful attempts, while he places ninth in career batting average with a .356 mark... Ranks third in school history in single-season stolen bases with 33 and fifth in runs with 64... His best season as a Wildcats came in 1989 when he posted a .361 batting average with a team-high 52 runs on 53 hits... Also tallied 33 RBI and a team-best seven home runs in 1989... Transferred from El Camino (Calif.) Community College in 1988... Drafted in the 13th round by the Kansas City Royals in 1989.
BILL DROEGE [1969-72; St. Louis, Mo.] Three-year starter as an outfielder for the Wildcats from 1969-72... Earned first team All-Big Eight Conference honors as a junior and senior at Kansas State in 1971 and 1972... Posted his finest season as a junior, leading the team with a .373 average as well as 30 RBI, six doubles and four triples in 1971... Ranked second on the 1971 team in hits (41), runs (24) and home runs (three)... Led the team as a senior in RBI (28) and triples (four), while he ranked second in hits (36) and runs (20)... Drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago Cubs in 1972.
Two-year starting pitcher for the Wildcats from 1965-67... Ranks second in school history in career ERA with a 2.25 average... Owns the school’s single-season record for ERA with a 1.09 average in 1966... Saw action in 27 games on the mound in his K-State career with an 11-10 record and 111 strikeouts... Had a remarkable junior year in 1966, posting a 6-2 record and 1.09 ERA with 55 K in 10 games... Allowed just eight earned runs (21 total runs) and issued just 18 BB in 66.1 IP.
MATT KOEMAN [1995-96; Grand Junction, Colo.] Two-year starting pitcher for the Wildcats from 1995-96... Earned first All-Big Eight Conference honors as a starting pitcher in 1995 and 1996... Named to the 1995 Big Eight Conference All-Tournament Team after tossing a one-run, three-hit complete game victory over nationally-ranked and No. 2-seeded Oklahoma State in an 8-1 Kansas State win... He struck out six Cowboy batters... Appeared in 28 games for KSU in his career with 25 starts and three complete games... Posted a strong senior campaign, compiling a 7-5 record and 4.90 ERA in 104.2 innings pitched with 84 strikeouts... Earned Big Eight Conference Pitcher of the Week honors after he tossed a two-hit complete game in a 7-1 win over defending NCAA champion Oklahoma on April 4, 1995... Led the Big Eight Conference in 1995 in strikeouts per nine innings at 10.51... Transferred from Barton County (Kan.) Community College after a one-year stint... Drafted in the 30th round by Cleveland in 1996.
DAVID HIERHOLZER [1988-90; Overland Park, Kan.]
Three-year starting pitcher for the Wildcats from 1988-90... Earned first team All-Big Eight Conference honors as a starting pitcher in 1989 and 1990... Ranks fifth in school history in career strikeouts (192), eighth in wins (15) and 10th in innings pitched (217.1)... Appeared in 43 games for K-State in his career with 28 starts,13 complete games and two saves... Had an impressive senior campaign for the Wildcats in 1990, posting a 3.13 ERA and 7-5 record in 15 games with eight complete games... Led the 1990 team in game starts CARY COLBERT [1982-84; Manhattan, Kan.] (14), wins (seven), ERA (3.13), complete games (eight), inTwo-year starting catcher, outfielder, first baseman and des- nings pitched (97.1) and strikeouts (90)... Transferred from ignated hitter for the Wildcats from 1982-84... Became K- Johnson County (Kan.) Community College in 1988... Signed State’s first All-Big Eight Conference selection in more than as a free agent by the Kansas City Royals in 1990. 102
WADE JOHNSON [1965-67; Salina, Kan.]
GREG KORBE [1975-78; Hays, Kan.] Three-year starter as an outfielder for the Wildcats from 1975-78... Twice selected as a first team All-Big Eight Conference honoree in 1977 and 1978... Ranks among the school’s Top 10 in seven career categories, including at-bats (633), hits (218), runs (150), RBI (135), home runs (23) and total bases (338)... Places eighth on K-State’s single-season list for batting average with a .406 mark in 1977... Led the team in runs, hits and doubles in his junior and senior seasons... Posted an impressive junior campaign, leading the team in hits (67), runs (39), average (.406), RBI (36), dou-