EXCLUSIVE: K-State head baseball coach Pete Hughes on K-Nation
MANHATTAN (KSNT) - As Big 12 play gets underway, K-State head baseball coach Pete Hughes sat down with 27 Sports Director Glenn Kinley for a one-on-one interview, discussing a variety of topics.
Hughes dug into his expectations for the 2024 Wildcats, who started the season nationally ranked.
"It's an experience group of guys, we have a lot of pieces to the puzzle to get our program in the national picture... that's why we all came to Manhattan," Hughes said.
He also opened up about how the changing landscape of college athletics, including but not limited to NIL and transfer portal developments, have changed his job.
"We're still coaching everyday, but the name of this game is whoever has the best players is usually going to win," Hughes said. "Recruiting wise, I didn't evaluate one athlete this summer. My summers have [previously] been spent consumed recruiting and evaluating. I was talking to alums, I was educating alums on baseball's scholarship structure... Now I'm educating them about NIL and the market that's out there. We're compensating players through alumni money, that's just unheard of. Now, it's so part of the every conversation so you better be a part of it."
Despite the change in duties, Hughes still enjoys his job.
"I still love it," he said. "It's just the competitive nature of recruiting, it's just how I'm wired. I don't know how to do anything else. I don't see that love of college baseball and competition leaving me anytime soon, despite the landscape. It's just another arena to compete in... It's all about competing, that's why we're all here. That's how we're all wired."
Hughes has plenty of respect for K-State athletic director Gene Taylor, who he says is special.
"Everything that comes out of his mouth is real. That's not the case across the board, it's just not, I've been around," Hughes said. "He's not making decisions through social media or message boards. He's listening to his coach and the people he hired and believing them, supporting them. That goes a long way, in this day and age, when you know that that guy who runs your department, who hired you, has your back and your student-athletes back... The whole family chiche? It's real, and it doesn't happen without that leadership at the top."
Hughes also discussed standout pitcher Tyson Neighbors and infielder Kaelen Culpepper. Click here for Sunday's full K-Nation episode. Click here for more K-Nation content.