By Jayson Henderson

MANHATTAN, Kan. – K-State junior shortstop Kaelen Culpepper was named to the D1Baseball All-American Second Team on Wednesday. Culpepper, from Memphis, Tenn., is the first position player in school history to earn this honor and the second Wildcat recognized during Pete Hughes’ tenure.

Projected as the No. 32 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Culpepper finished as one of the Big 12’s top offensive players. He ranked in the league’s top-10 in runs batted in (59), hits (80), and led in triples (6). He also recorded 15 doubles, 11 home runs, and a team-best .328 batting average.

Culpepper hit for the cycle in K-State’s NCAA Tournament opener against Louisiana Tech. His standout performance included a .474 batting average, .522 on-base percentage, and 1.053 slugging percentage during the tournament. This accolade is the 39th postseason All-America honor in program history and Culpepper’s first.