K-State's Day returned to K-State after being drafted, now shining in final season

MANHATTAN (KSNT) - K-State redshirt junior Brady Day is making his fourth, and likely final, season of college baseball count.

Day, through 47 games in the 2024 campaign, is top 20 in the Big 12 stat listings in batting average, OPS, hits, doubles, total bases and RBI. He's drawn 40 walks on the season while striking out just 29 times.

"If Brady is confident and Brady knows he can do damage, Brady will do damage," Day's teammate, catcher Cayden Phillips said.

That confidence was enough to get K-State head baseball coach Pete Hughes to Cape Cod last summer for breakfast with the Hampstead, New Hampshire native after he was selected in the 20th round of the MLB draft by the Atlanta Braves.

"I wanted my face to be the last face he saw before he made a decision," Hughes said. "Not some agent he just met or some scout he doesn't know."

After much consideration, Day temporarily turned down pro ball, opting for one more spring in Manhattan, Kansas.

"It was like 'Am I really going to turn this down?'" Day said. "People don't get this opportunity all the time, how could I turn it down?"

"There were some things I wanted to work on in college before going to pro ball," he said. "So I just felt like it was best to work on it here with a bunch of great coaches and great teammates."

His loyalty is just one reason Hughes calls him a rare breed in 2024.

"He redshirted as a freshman which you won't see happen these days with the portal and kids just jumping in and out and automatically eligible," Hughes said.

"Brady just puts his head down and works," Phillips said. "He's not looking for anything else. He's just one of those guys that loves the game, plays the game hard. That will always show up and that will always give you results."

Day and the Wildcats have 28 wins and counting after taking two of three in the Sunflower Showdown weekend series.