The RoundHouse | 3/27/2018 10:33:00 AM

By Paul Suellentrop
 
Under cover of March Madness, Wichita State baseball is nationally ranked, hasn't lost a weekend series and riding a pitching staff that strikes out batters at a record pace.
 
It is a great start by any measure and fabulous by recent standards. The Shockers are 17-4, their best 21-game record since the 2008 team went 18-3 on its way to an NCAA super regional.
 
"We're all kind of synced together as one," Shocker junior reliever Clayton McGinness said. "We just want to do our jobs every day, and we show up and have fun."
 
The Shockers start a four-game road swing at Central Arkansas (15-9) at 1 p.m. Tuesday before heading to East Carolina for a three-game series that starts Thursday to begin American Athletic Conference play.
 
With the bulk of the non-conference schedule finished, the Shockers can look at their five-week resume with satisfaction.
 
They won close games. They won with grand slams. They showed resiliency with a late-inning rally at McNeese State and a 10-inning win over Texas Arlington. They are 15-1 when leading after six innings, thanks to a deep, versatile bullpen and good defense. They're winning with former coach Gene Stephenson watching practice and games, smiling and laughing and fist-bumping Shockers in the dugout.
 
All that work shows up with a bit of national attention. The Shockers, ranked in a top 25 for the first time since 2011, appear in four national polls, topping out at No. 18 by Collegiate Baseball. While it is too early to celebrate computer power rankings, Wichita State is No. 6 in the warrennolan.com RPI.
 
"We've pitched well, and that was the No. 1 thing," coach Todd Butler said.
 
The Shocker story starts on the mound, where strikeouts are back.
 
Last season, the Shockers totaled an earned run average of 4.75 and opponents hit .257. This season, the ERA is 3.11 and opponents are batting .195. Pitchers are striking out 10.2 batters per nine innings (the Shocker record is 9.05 in 2009) and allowing 6.2 hits per nine innings (which ranks No. 2 nationally).
 
Junior Codi Heuer and freshman Liam Eddy started the first two games of every weekend series and they've gone at least five innings in 11 of those 12 starts. Heuer is 4-0 with a 3.18 earned run average and 38 strikeouts in 34 innings. Eddy is 5-0 with a 1.57 ERA.
 
The Shockers are capable of winning games with their bats. The pressure to do is less this season because of starters who work into the middle innings and a bullpen that holds leads. Wichita State's fielding percentage of .982 ranks 14th nationally and it's played 10 errorless games.
 
"The pitching staff's picked us up," shortstop Trey Vickers said. "Just because we're only up by one, there's no reason to panic because we know our pitchers will go out there and throw the ball. It's nice to win those games in different ways."
 
Two wins – both over top-40 RPI opponents – showed off the bullpen strength. When Creighton knocked Eddy out with three runs in the third inning, five relievers combined to hold the Bluejays without an earned run in a 7-4 win earlier this month.  In a 2-1 win over Oklahoma, five relievers held the Sooners to three hits and no runs over seven innings.
 
"We have a lot of combinations to match up late in the game," Butler said. "I like our end-of-game pitchers. They know their roles and they've been good."
 
The bullpen is built largely with experienced pitchers who learned through ups and downs earlier in their careers.
 
"We try to attack guys, and that's a good mentality," McGinness said. "There's definitely a better understanding of what our jobs are. Everyone in the bullpen knows what we want to do."
 
McGinness (1.93 ERA) ranks 13th nationally with 14 appearances. Senior Chandler Sanburn, who didn't record a save in three previous seasons, has three this season to go with 27 strikeouts in 15 innings. Sophomore Tommy Barnhouse, who also has three saves, started his first game of the season on Sunday in a 3-1 win over Furman and struck out eight in four innings. Sophomore lefty Keylan Killgore hasn't allowed a run in his last four appearances.
 
"I really like the fact a McGinness and a Killgore are starting to grow and show consistency – and that can win for you," Butler said.
 
Those five weeks put the Shockers in a good spot with eight American weekends and mid-week games against teams such as Oklahoma State, Kansas and Kansas State remaining.  
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.