Arizona's Smith Bailey's Career Night Not Enough in Loss to Kansas State

Sophomore pitcher strikes out 15 but bullpen struggles in 11-1 defeat

Apr. 19, 2026 at 10:27pm

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A fragmented, geometric painting depicting a baseball game, with sharp planes of color and overlapping perspectives, conveying the intensity and unpredictability of the game.A cubist interpretation of the dramatic highs and lows of Arizona's pitching performance against Kansas State.Nogales Today

Arizona sophomore pitcher Smith Bailey had a career-high 15 strikeouts and held Kansas State scoreless through six innings, but the Wildcats' bullpen imploded late, allowing Kansas State to score 11 unanswered runs and run-rule Arizona 11-1.

Why it matters

This loss continues a tough season for the Arizona baseball team, which has struggled to a 14-24 record so far. The strong outing from Bailey provided a bright spot, but the inability of the bullpen to hold the lead highlights an area the team needs to improve on going forward.

The details

Bailey was dominant through six innings, striking out 15 batters and allowing just one hit. However, with his pitch count at 99, the decision was made to turn the game over to the bullpen rather than pushing Bailey further. The bullpen then gave up a three-run homer in the seventh and an eight-run eighth inning to Kansas State, turning a close game into a blowout loss. Arizona's offense was also held in check, managing just four hits and one run on a solo home run from Carson McEntire.

  • On Saturday, Bailey threw a career-high 15 strikeouts through six innings.
  • In the seventh inning, Kansas State hit a three-run homer to take the lead.
  • Kansas State then scored eight runs in the eighth inning to run-rule Arizona 11-1.

The players

Smith Bailey

Arizona sophomore pitcher who threw a career-high 15 strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

Nick English

Kansas State player who hit a three-run homer in the seventh inning to give Kansas State the lead.

Carson McEntire

Arizona player who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for the Wildcats' only run.

Chip Hale

Arizona's head coach who made the decision to remove Bailey after six innings due to his high pitch count.

Lincoln Sheffield

Kansas State pitcher who threw a complete game to shut down the Arizona offense.

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What they’re saying

“If he's at 99, we put him back out there, all of a sudden something goes weird. He's at 110 I've got to take him out in the middle of an inning and put a reliever in there, that's tough.”

— Chip Hale, Arizona head coach

“He always does, I chart. We have the starting pitcher of the next game chart the game before just to kind of watch. I think I kind of took a lot of stuff from him in front of their guys that I was like 'that will work for me' so it helps.”

— Smith Bailey, Arizona pitcher

What’s next

Arizona will look to avoid a series sweep when they face Kansas State in the final game of the series on Sunday at 12 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.

The takeaway

This game highlighted both the strengths and weaknesses of the Arizona baseball team this season. While Bailey's dominant pitching performance was a bright spot, the inability of the bullpen to hold the lead ultimately doomed the Wildcats. Arizona will need to shore up its relief pitching if it hopes to turn its season around in the coming weeks.