‘He’s the gold standard’: K-State pitcher Jordan Wicks validating MLB Draft hype

Three professional baseball scouts armed with radar guns and notepads are sitting behind home plate ready to document every pitch that Jordan Wicks will throw on an overcast Saturday afternoon at Tointon Family Stadium.

Wicks is set to take the mound as Kansas State’s starting pitcher during a home game against Oklahoma, and a strong showing in front of these visitors could mean a great deal for his future. The 6-foot-3 lefty from Conway, Ark. entered his junior season with the Wildcats surrounded by all kinds of hype and he is currently projected to be a first-round draft pick later this year.

Perhaps he will validate his potential over the next few hours.

But Wicks isn’t focused on the experts dressed in matching black windbreakers and hats behind home plate. His only goal is to throw pitches that will help K-State win an important game and possibly send the Wildcats on a late-season charge to the NCAA Tournament.

“Whenever I get to the field and get around my teammates it’s pretty easy to block all that stuff out,” Wicks said. “I’m all about Kansas State and helping us win games. I see all that draft stuff on on Twitter and Instagram, but it’s pretty easy to turn off your phone and get away from. I just go out and play ball. That’s what I love to do. I don’t like to buy into the noise and the hype and all that other stuff.”

That is a commendable approach when you consider what possibilities await Wicks after college. He is on pace to become the Wildcats’ only first-round pick in school history. Previously, K-State has never had a pitcher selected in the top three rounds of the MLB Draft.

True to his words, Wicks quickly gets lost in the moment as he throws his first pitch against the Sooners. He shows excellent power with a fast ball that tops out in the low 90s. He displays an impressive change up that drops all the way down to 80. That’s his best pitch. He also flashes good command by mixing in curve balls and sliders.

The scouts in attendance check their radar guns and scribble notes after every pitch in unison as if they are synchronized. They seem to like what they see.

Wicks will give them plenty to dissect over the next seven innings, as he holds the Sooners to one run and three hits. Wicks strikes out seven over 123 pitches and lowers his season ERA to 3.42.

He has been roughed up in his previous three starts, but on this day Wicks is in total command.

Best of all, the Wildcats win the game 3-2 with a walk-off single in extra innings that propels them to a much-needed series victory. That meant more than anything else to Wicks, and he proved it by pounding his chest and screaming with enthusiasm on his way to the dug out, or staring down opposing batters, after every clean inning.

“He’s the gold standard as far as handling being a prospect and having that bullseye on your back and eliminating the noise that comes with that,” K-State baseball coach Pete Hughes said. “He’s all about winning for the purple and white. He doesn’t see all the radar guns. He doesn’t read the publications. Believe me, he just wants to win.”

More than anything, that has made the past two years somewhat stressful for Wicks. After being named Big 12 Freshman of the Year, his sophomore season was cut short after just four starts because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Then, with opponents motivated to get hits against the guy everyone is talking about, he slumped his way through three consecutive clunkers at the start of the conference play as a junior.

“I knew going into the year that everyone was going to be gunning for me,” Wicks said. “Whenever you get the sort of publicity I got over the summer, it’s inevitable. It’s a good thing, because you get your name out there and it helps you reach your goals but it also means you get everybody’s best shot. That’s not always easy, but I love that. I’m a competitive guy, and I want to get everybody’s best shot every time I go out.”

He has mostly met the challenge head on. His strikeout numbers (73 over 55.1 innings) are eye-popping. But batters have taken advantage of the rare bad pitches he leaves up in the zone for eight home runs.

Maybe last week’s victory over Oklahoma will get him and the Wildcats back on track.

Wicks doesn’t seem concerned. When he’s not on the baseball field he likes to relax at the golf course or unwind at home watching his two favorite pro sports teams (the Dallas Cowboys and Manchester United) play on TV.

That helps him put all his energy into pitching when K-State needs him. The better he throws now, the better he will ultimately become at the next level.

“You always think about your dream, and the ultimate dream is to pitch in a major-league stadium,” Wicks said. “But you can’t look ahead. The mentality I’ve had the entire time here is go out there every day and get a little bit better. I stare straight ahead, not trying to look around at anything else. At the end, I will look up and see how much better I got.”