Classy Rice Fans

Kansas State's loss capped its biggest season in the 109-year history of the program. The Wildcats, who were picked to finish ninth in the Big 12 before the season, finished off a 43-18-1 campaign in which they made their first tournament berth.

Hill acknowledged the magnitude of their accomplishment when he removed key players Justin Bloxom, Drew Biery, Jordan Cruz, Rob Vaughn and Dane Yelovich while they were playing defense with one out in the eighth inning. The sellout crowd of 4,589 -- mostly packed with Rice fans -- responded by giving the KSU players a long standing ovation.

"It was a pretty emotional time for me," Hill said. "It hits hard what these guys have done. These guys did something that people have been trying to do for 109 seasons at Kansas State. I thought they deserved a little credit."

And it was even more touching for the players.

"Those Rice fans had been heckling us all weekend and for them to do that [the standing ovation] really meant a lot to us," said Vaughn, who played high school baseball in nearby Humble, Texas. "It's something I can honestly say I'll never forget."