3 in the Kee: K-State baseball, Andrew Wiggins and license plates
Every Monday morning, FOX Sports Kansas City's Sean Keeler breaks down the winners and losers from the weekend that was …
:03 … 'CAT SCRATCH FEVER
And, just like that, the Kansas State baseball team is two wins — and one weekend — away from the College World Series.
More on that in a second.
In Manhattan, the hits just keep on coming, to say nothing of the runs. An already-historical season at K-State ticked off two more boxes Sunday night as coach Brad Hill's bunch advanced to the NCAA baseball Super Regional round for the first time ever, thanks to a 4-3 win over Arkansas in the Manhattan Regional.
The victory was also K-State's 44th, a new single-season school record, capping a 3-0 weekend at Tointon Family Stadium that saw the 'Cats outlast Wichita State, Bryant, and the Razorbacks in the four-team, double-elimination bracket.
Next stop: Corvallis, Ore. K-State (44-17) visits Oregon State (48-10) for a best-of-three series, with the winner moving on to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. The Super Regionals are slated to begin Friday or Saturday, with scheduling and television details expected to be announced by Tuesday.
The Wildcats won their first Big 12 regular-season title and the first league baseball title of any kind since 1933, capping the most successful men's sports school year — with conference championships in football, men's basketball and baseball — in K-State history.
Although if you're planning on a weekend out west, don't expect the airfare to be kind. According to Travelocity.com, as of early Monday morning, the cheapest Thursday-Sunday round-trip ticket from Kansas City to Portland is $484.49; the cheapest ticket from Wichita to Eugene, Ore., and back is $645.60. From Wichita, it's worse: $972.39 round-trip, to Portland, and $849.39 to Eugene.
:02 … PLACE YOUR ANDREW WIGGINS PROP BETS?
Seems as if everybody wants a piece of the Andrew Wiggins action — including online sports betting services.
The Crystal Sands Sportsbook (www.crystalsandssportsbook.com) recently posted a page of updated NCAA men's basketball odds that includes 'Andrew Wiggins Props,' designated specifically for the No. 1 incoming prep recruit in the country and the Kansas-freshman-to-be.
The book has set on odds on whether Wiggins will be "selected (No. 1) overall in the 2014 NBA Draft" (Yes, -300; No, +200) and on his projected average points per game during the 2013-14 season (over/under: 18.0 ppg; -120 either way). The last wager requires that Wiggins play at least 10 games for the Jayhawks.
And, by the way, the site has slapped KU with the second-best odds to win the national championship, at 11/2. Kentucky is tops, at 5/1.
:01 … JAYHAWKS, NO, BUT HOGS AND GORILLAS? MAYBE
You won't see a Jayhawk logo on a newly issued Missouri license plate, but you might see a return of a Razorback. Or a Gorilla.
In a case straight from the Proof That Lawmakers Have Too Much Time On Their Hands Department, the Missouri legislature in 2012 approved a measure that stopped the issuing of collegiate specialty license plates for organizations that represented schools from outside the state. The law took effect last August 28, but the Associated Press reports that state officials are now "looking to ease restrictions" for the University of Arkansas and for Pittsburg (Kan.) State University, and that lawmakers sent Gov. Jay Nixon "legislation that would carve out colleges and universities already approved to offer a specialty license plate before last year's law took effect."
Representatives with ties to Pittsburg State and Arkansas are also making a case for exceptions due to proximity. Pittsburg, Kan., is located just five miles from Missouri's western border. Fayetteville, Ark., meanwhile, is roughly 35 miles from the southern border. Kansas' campus in Lawrence? According to Google Maps, as a straight shot down K-10 and I-435, Lawrence is approximately 37 miles from State Line Road.
You can follow Sean Keeler on Twitter @seankeeler or email him at seanmkeeler@gmail.com.