vs.    

No. 7 Wichita St. (21-30) vs No. 6 Drake (32-21)

 

Tournament Central |  Game Notes

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Date: May 13
First Pitch: 1:30 p.m.
Location: Des Moines, Iowa
Venue: Buel Field
Series: WSU leads 44-27
In the MVC Tournament: WSU leads 5-2 

 

• No. 7 Wichita State will face tournament host, No. 6 Drake, on Thursday in the 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament and it will mark WSU's second trip to Des Moines this season. In early April, the Shockers took two of three from the Bulldogs. Kasha Kolb was named MVC Pitcher of the Week after going 2-0 with a 0.50 ERA against DU.

• Drake along with potential opponent Creighton have plenty of MVC Tournament history with Wichita State. Drake is 2-1 against WSU in the MVC Tournament under Mike Perniciaro and eliminated the Shockers in 2008 on their way to winning the tournament. Creighton is 1-1 against WSU in the tournament under Perniciaro and eliminated the Shockers in the 2007 tournament.

•The last time Wichita State finished seventh in the league standings was 2002. At that time only six teams made the MVC Tournament. In the years that the No. 7 team has made the conference tournament WSU has claimed that spot just once, back in 1984, going 1-2 with the lone win coming in the team's opening round game against Drake.

• Several Shockers will look to stay hot against the Bulldogs. Kiersten Dixon hit .375 against DU this season and has a lifetime .286 average. Fellow outfielder Lindsie Mitts is hitting .321 against DU all-time while Kasha Kolb is 4-1 with a 1.85 ERA in her career against the Bulldogs.

• CU swept a three-game series from WSU back in mid-April in Wichita. The Blujays outscored WSU 25-7 in the series, aided by a 12-0 rout in the final game. CU has won four out of five meetings in the MVC Tournament, including the 2005 MVC Tournament Championship game in Wichita.

• Heather Gerritse is one of the few Shockers to have success against Creighton. The junior is hitting .346 in her career against the Jays. Freshman Hayley Temple had some success against CU pitching, going 3 for 9 with a home run and three RBI earlier this season. In the circle, Kasha Kolb will be looking to get her first win against the Jays as she holds a 0-5 mark with a 2.59 ERA. Brianna Smet is the only current WSU pitcher with a win over Creighton on her record. She is 1-1 with a 2.90 ERA all-time, with the win coming back in 2009.