Kansas State’s Shintaro Inoue was named the Big 12 Player of the Week for his efforts in the Wildcats’ series victory over Houston, the league office announced Monday.
It makes the first weekly award of his NCAA career, while he becomes the third Wildcat to earn a conference weekly award this season alongside Dee Kennedy (Player) and Grant Gallagher (Newcomer).
A product of Yamaguchi, Japan, Inoue delivered a standout performance at the plate last week that helped lead K-State to its ninth consecutive victory and third series win. Inoue paced the Wildcat offense with a .524 average, going 11-for-27 overall, while finishing second on the team with 10 RBI and posting 1.314 OPS.
In the Big 12 opener, he launched a three-run homer that secured the series-opening win and ended with a career-high five hits and six RBI. With his six-RBI, Inoue helped the Wildcats score a program-record 20 runs – the most ever scored in a conference opener, shattering the previous record of 17 that had stood since 1929.
Inoue became the first Wildcat to record five hits in a game since Keegan O’Connor at BYU on May 2, 2025, and is one of just three players in the Big 12 to produce a five-hit game this season.
He capped the series against Houston with a team-leading 10 hits (10-for-14), 1.000 slugging percentage and .733 on-base percentage, while he was second in RBI (8). He finished first overall in the Big 12 in total hits on the week and sixth nationally, while his 10 RBI ranked second in the league only to teammate Carlos Vasquez (12).
K-State (15-5, 2-1 Big 12) takes on Baylor (11-8, 1-2 Big 12) Tuesday night at Magnolia Field at Baylor Ballpark. The midweek contest is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. CT and can be seen on ESPN+.