Next Up: The Shockers wrap up their five game road swing on Wed., March 23 in Macomb, Ill. with a double-header against Western Illinois. The two game series begins at approximately 3:00 p.m. Wichita State comes into the match-up with a 6-21 overall record. Western Illinois has the edge on Wichita State, as the Shockers have a 12-15 all-time record against the Leathernecks. The Shocks are 4-1 against WIU in the Mike Perniciaro era. They last met in 2009 at Wilkins Stadium and Western won that one, 7-2.
Scouting Western Illinois: Western Illinois is 7-12 overall and 4-2 in the Summit League coming into the match-up with the Shockers. They are returning home after a three-game series on the road at Southern Utah. The Leathernecks went 1-2 in that series and picked up the lone win by scoring five runs with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to cap off an 11-7 come-from-behind victory. WIU returns six starters along with one pitcher that helped the team to a 35-19 overall record and a first place finish in the Summit League one year ago.
First Trip to Malcomb, Ill.: The Shockers are 4-1 against Western Illinois in the Mike Perniciaro era, but they have never traveled to Malcomb, Ill. to play the Leathernecks. All five meetings against WIU have been at Wilkins Stadium. Wednesday's double-header will be the first road games for the Shockers at Western under Perniciaro's direction.
A Look at the Valley: The 2011 Missouri Valley Conference regular season kicked-off this past weekend. Southern Illinois, Illinois State, and Drake all went undefeated for the weekend. Missouri State and Creighton both went 2-1 in Valley play, and Northern Iowa and Evansville went 1-2. Indiana State, Bradley, and Wichita State are all still looking for their first MVC wins on the season.
Last Time Out: The Wichita State softball team opened up the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference season on the road in Carbondale, Illinois. The Shockers dropped three games to league favorite Southern Illinois. WSU is now 6-21 overall and 0-3 in Valley play.
Jamie Hull Leads the Shocks: Preseason all-MVC honoree, Jamie Hull, leads the Shockers' offense at the plate. She is batting .329 with 24 hits, six doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI, and 13 runs scored in 73 at bats. She has a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 143 putouts and eight assists. Hull leads the Shockers in seven different offensive categories and three defensive categories. She leads the team in fielding percentage, chances, and putouts. Offensively, she leads the team in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, RBI, home runs, and walks.
Spring Break: The Shockers hit the road for spring break as they travel to Southern Illinois and Western Illinois for a five game road swing. Wichita State opens up the conference season on the road in Carbondale starting with a double-header on Sat., March 19 at 12:00 p.m. They will wrap up the series with the Salukis on Sun., March 20 with a single game at 12:00 p.m. The Shockers will then travel to Macomb, Illinois for a double-header with Western Illinois on Wed., March 23 starting at 3:00 p.m.
Conference Opener: Wichita State opens up the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference regular season on the road at Southern Illinois. The Salukis were picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference along with Illinois State. The Shockers are 25-42 against SIU all-time, including a 6-6 record in the Mike Perniciaro era. The Shocks are 5-1 in MVC openers in the Perniciaro era. Wichita State hosted a three-game series against the Salukis last season, while finishing with a 1-2 record. The Shocks won the last game of the series, 5-2, at Wilkins Stadium in 2010. The Shockers are 10-20 all-time on the road in Carbobdale, Ill.
Scouting Southern Illinois: Illinois State and last year's runner-up, Southern Illinois, have been picked as this year's preseason favorites in the Missouri Valley Conference. Both team's earned 94 points with the Redbirds' getting five first-place votes and the Saluki's receiving four first-place votes. SIU finished the 2010 season with a 38-20 overall record, including 20-5 in MVC play, which was good enough for first place. They return seven starters along with all three pitchers. SIU comes into the conference opener with a 13-9 record in non-conference play, including a 2-4 record at home.
Last Time Out: Iowa State took three games from the Shockers to sweep Wichita State in its first homestand at Wilkins Stadium. The Shocks dropped a double-header against the Cyclones on Saturday and then a single game on Sunday.
Attendance Record: Wichita State broke into the top ten attendance at Wilkins Stadium with its first homestand of the season. The Shockers had a crowd of 449 fans behind them in the double-header against Iowa State on Saturday. That attendance number is good for 10th best all-time at Wilkins Stadium.
Freshman Milnark Leads the Way: This past weekend was the first weekend a senior did not lead the Shockers' offense. Freshman second baseman Rachel Milnark finished the Iowa State three-game series with a .556 batting average. She went 5-for-9 at the plate with one double and one run scored. Milnark finished the weekend with a .667 slugging percentage and .556 on base percentage. She was perfect at second base with seven putouts and three assists for a 1.000 fielding percentage.
New Face in Right-Field: There is a new face in right field for the Shockers. After starting only one of the first 12 games for the Shockers this season, Sophomore Danika Miller has started the past eight games. She is batting .257 on the year and has three multiple hit games in the past eight games.
Hayley Still Humming: Sophomore Hayley Temple is still making a huge impact for the Shockers both offensively and defensively. She is batting .338 on the year with two home runs and 11 RBI. She has played three different positions on the year, including second base, short, and third base. She has 40 putouts on the year, along with 46 assists. She currently leads the teams with hits, doubles, and total bases.
Opening Weekend: The Shockers open up spring action at Wilkins Stadium as they welcome Iowa State for a three game series starting Sat., March 12. WSU has a double-header with the Cyclones starting at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday and then wrap up the weekend with a single game on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.
Shockers in Home Openers: The Shockers have called Wilkins Stadium home since the 1998 season. In that time, they are 9-5 in home openers and 14-8 in home opening series. Last season, Wichita State opened its 2010 season with a 6-3 win over Rutgers on March 15, 2010.
Scouting ISU: Iowa State is 11-8 coming into the weekend at Wilkins Stadium. They currently are looking for their first road win of the season as they are 0-4 away from Ames, Iowa. The Cyclones return four starters from a squad that went 26-29 to finish ninth in the Big 12 in 2010. ISU was picked to finish 9th in the Big 12 in 2011. The Cyclones are under the direction of fifth year head coach, Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. ISU is led by sophomore Tori Torrescano. She is batting .367 with 22 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 17 RBI, and 15 runs scored in 18 at bats.
History Against ISU: Wichita State leads the series all-time against Iowa State. They have a 5-3 record against the Cyclones and a 2-2 record in the Perniciaro era. They last met each other in 2009 and the Cyclones won that match-up 1-0.
Next Up: The Shocks hit the road for spring break as they travel to Southern Illinois and Western Illinois for a five game road swing. Wichita State opens up the conference season on the road in Carbondale starting with a double-header on Sat., March 19 at 12:00 p.m. They will wrap up the series with the Salukis on Sun., March 20 with a single game at 12:00 p.m. The Shockers will then travel to Macomb, Illinois for a double-header with Western Illinois on Wed., March 23 starting at 3:00 p.m.
#20 Cowgirls Top Wichita State: #20 Oklahoma State beat Wichita State, 10-1, at Cowgirl Stadium in Stillwater, Okla. on Wednesday night. OSU was the third ranked opponent WSU faced this season. Heather Gerritse led the Shockers at the plate going 2-for-2 with one run scored.
Hull Homering for History: Jamie Hull has hit three home runs this season to bring her career total up to 19 homers. She currently sits in fifth place all-time in the program's history and is only five shy of Patti Oleson's 24 (fourth place) and six shy of Julie Darling's 25 (third place).
Wednesday's Match-up: The Shockers look to bounce back from the Courtyard Classic as they travel to Stillwater, Okla. for a non-conference match-up with #20 Oklahoma State. The Cowgirls are the third ranked opponent Wichita State will see this season.
Scouting OSU: #20 Oklahoma State is 15-5 coming into the match-up with the Shockers. They return seven starters from a team that went to the NCAA Regionals one year ago. They finished fourth in the Big 12 in 2010 with a 44-16 overall record. The Cowgirls have three two-time All-Big 12 selections in the infield, including Julie Ward at first base, Alysia Hamilton at second and Mariah Gearhart at third base. Right-handed pitcher Kat Espinosa, an All-Big 12 First Team and All-Midwest Region Second Team pick last season, returns in the circle for the Cowgirls.
History Against OSU: Wichita State is 6-71 against the Cowgirls all-time, and three of those wins have come in the Mike Perniciaro era, as he has a 3-6 record against Oklahoma State. The Shockers played the Cowgirls twice last season and both games were decided by no more than two runs. They lost the first game 1-0 and the second 2-0.
Next Up: The Shockers host their first spring softball action this weekend when they welcome Iowa State to Wilkins Stadium for a double-header on Sat., March 12 and a single game on Sun., March 13.
Non-Conference Tournament Play: The Shockers wrapped up their non-conference tournament play with their fourth and final tournament in Denton, Texas over the weekend. They participated in tournaments in Santa Barbara, Calif., College Station, Texas, Lubbock, Texas, and Denton, Texas. WSU finished with a 6-14 record in those tournaments. They have a team batting average of .279 and are averaging 7.3 hits per game and 3.9 runs per game.
2011 Courtyard Classic Recap: The Wichita State softball team played in its fourth and final non-conference tournament of the season this past weekend in Denton, Texas. They took part in the North Texas Invitiational where they finished with a 2-3 record. The Shockers picked up a pair of wins against Ole Miss and UTEP. They lost to both UT-Arlington and North Texas.
Three Seniors Named to All-Tournament Team: Senior softball student-athletes Kiersten Dixon, Heather Gerritse, and Jamie Hull were named to the 2011 Courtyard Classic All-Tournament team as announced by North Texas officials Sunday night. The three seniors were honored along with ten other student athletes from North Texas, UTEP, UT-Arlington, Lousiana Tech, and Ole Miss for their play over the weekend. The trio helped lead the Shockers to a pair over wins of both UTEP and Ole Miss.
Hull Shines in Texas: After being named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week one week ago, senior Jamie Hull followed the honor up with another standout performance in her home state of Texas. Hull finished the weekend with the second highest batting average of the tournament. She hit .538 with seven hits, one home run, three RBI, and three runs scored in 13 at bats. She started all five games for the Shockers at first base. She finished the tournament with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage and led the Shockers with 29 putouts. Hull had a team high .769 slugging percentage and .647 on base percentage. She led the team in nine different offensive categories over the weekend, including: batting average (.538), slugging percentage (.769), on base percentage (.647), hits (7), runs batted in (3), runs scored (3), walks (4), home runs (1), and total bases (10).
Senior Standouts: Cather Heather Gerritse and center fielder Kiersten Dixon both had standout weekends for the Shockers. Gerritse hit her first home run of the season and 11th of her career at the North Texas tournament over the weekend. She finished with a .462 batting average with six hits, one home run, one double, three RBI, and two runs scored in 13 at bats for the Shockers. Gerritse tied Hull for a team high .769 on base percentage and then came in a close second with a .500 on base percentage. She started all five games for WSU behind the plate. The senior catcher finished the weekend with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 19 putouts. Dixon rounded out the trio of seniors that were honored on the all-tournament team. She was recognized for her play in the outfield as she started all five games for the Shockers in center field. Dixon had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with nine putouts and two assists. She finished the Courtyard Classic with a .333 batting average with six hits, one double, three RBI, and two runs scored in 18 at bats. Dixon was a perfect 1-for-1 on the base path with one stolen base.
Shockers Mercy UTEP: Nine different Shockers recorded a hit as Wichita State beat UTEP, 11-3, in the second game of the Courtyard Classic hosted. WSU scored at least one run in all six of the innings before the game was called in the bottom of the sixth because of the mercy rule. The second win of the day improved Wichita State to 6-11 on the season and the Miners fell to 9-7on the year. A balanced effort led to the Shockers' victory as nine different Shockers picked up at least one hit, eight recorded at least one RBI, and eight scored at least one run. Four different Shocks had multiple hits as Hayley Temple led the way going 3-for-4 at the plate with one RBI, one double, and one run scored.
2011 Courtyard Classic Hosted by North Texas: The Shockers travel to Denton, Texas for their fourth and final non-conference tournament of the 2011 season. They will see action against Ole Miss, UTEP, and North Texas all for the first time this season. The Shockers will see UT-Arlington for the third and fourth time this season, as they have two match-ups set up with the Mavericks.
TTU Recap: The Wichita State softball team played in its third non-conference tournament of the season this past weekend in Lubbock, Texas. They took part in the Texas Tech Invitational where they finished with a 1-4 record. The Shockers picked up their lone win of the weekend against St. John's. They lost to Northern Illinois twice, St. John's once, and #19 Texas Tech once.
Going Yard: Wichita State had only hit two home runs on the season going into the Texas Tech Invitational. They almost tripled that number in the tournament alone as they hit five on the weekend. Senior Jamie Hull hit two and Holly Eckert, Erin Carney, and Sammie Shook all had one. Eckert's home run was a grandslam and her first of her career.
Seniors Lead the Way: For three consectuvie weekends, a different senior has the led the Shockers at the plate. Heather Gerritse led WSU in Santa Barbara, Calif., Kiersten Dixon led the way in College Station, Texas, and Jamie Hull led the Shockers this past week in Lubbock, Texas. Senior Jamie Hull picked up at least one hit in all five games for the Shockers this past weekend in Lubbock, Texas. She finished the tournament with a .500 average picking up eight hits, one double, two home runs, six RBI, and three runs scored in 16 at bats. She concluded the Texas Tech Invitational with a .938 slugging percentage and .529 on base percentage. Defensively, she recorded 26 putouts at first base and finished with a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage. Hull went a perfect 4-for-4 against Northern Illinois with two home runs, four RBI, and two runs scored. She now has 18 career home runs which puts her at fourth place in the program's record books. Hull was honored at the end of the Texas Tech Invitational as part of the all-tournament team and later awared as the Missouri Valley Conference Player-of-the-Week.
Hummin' Hayley: After batting .357 going 5-for-14 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs scored one week ago in College Station, Texas, sophomore Hayley Temple kept that offensive power going in Lubbock, Texas. She finished the Texas Tech invitational with a .389 batting average picking up seven hits, two doubles, two RBI, and two runs scored in 18 at bats. She currently leads the team with a .370 batting average, 17 hits, and is second on the team with eight RBI.
Slammin' Sammie: Sophomore Sammie Shook hit .417 with five hits, one home run, one RBI, and four runs scored in twelve at bats for the Shockers in the Texas Tech invitational. She finished the tournament with a .667 slugging percentage and .500 on base percentage. Shook's overall batting average is up to .310 on the season.
Freshman Standout: Freshman Erin Carney started all five games at third base for the Shockers this past weekend. She has started 10 of Wichita State's 15 on the year. For the weekend, Carney hit .333 with three hits, one home run, two RBI, and six runs scored in nine at bats. She was also walked six times and was a perfect 2-for-2 in stolen bases. She was walked four times against St. John's and scored three runs. She led the Shockers against #19 Texas Tech, going 2-for-2 at the plate with two singles and two runs scored.
Scouting Ole Miss: The Rebels are 6-12 coming into the Courtyard Classic Hosted by North Texas. Like the Shockers, they have already faced two ranked opponents this season in Oregon and BYU. Ole Miss is coming off of the program's second winning season in school history, but they had to replace eight members, including seven seniors, from that 2010 squad. The Rebels are led by Brittany Broome, who is hitting .471 with 16 hits, one home run, and four RBI in 34 at bats. Defensively, the Rebels are holding their opponents to a .230 batting average. The Shockers last faced Ole Miss in 1997 and have an 0-1 all-time record against the Rebels.
Scouting UTEP: The Miners come into the North Texas tournament with an 8-6 overall record. They return 12 letterwinners from a team that went 11-13 to finish sixth in the Conference USA last season. UTEP is led by senior Camilla Carrera who was chosen as the 2011 Conference USA Preseason Player of the Year. In 2010, she was honored as a part of the Louisville Slugger/NFCA All-Midwest Region first team. The three time All-Conference USA honoree is batting .375 for the Miners, with 12 hits, two doubles, two home runs, and 13 RBI. The Shockers last faced UTEP in 2010 and have an 0-1 all-time record against the Miners.
Scouting North Texas: The Mean Green are 6-5 coming into their own tournament in Denton, Texas. North Texas is led by seven seniors, including Mallory Cantler. The three-time All-Sun Belt honoree first baseman is hitting .250 for North Texas this season. North Texas was picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll; its highest ranking since the Sun Belt Conference expanded to nine teams in 2007. The Shockers are 10-1 all-time against the Mean Green and are 3-1 in the Perniciaro era. They last faced in 2009.
Scouting UT-Arlington: The Shockers faced UT-Arlington earlier this season in College Station, Texas. They went 0-2 against the Mavericks and will face them two more times in the North Texas Courtyard Classic. UTA comes into the tournament with an 11-7 record. Rebecca Collom leads the Mavericks with a .396 batting average, while picking up 19 hits, six doubles, four home runs, 16 RBI, and seven runs scored in 48 at bats.
Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic: The Shockers will face their second ranked opponent of the season and face off against two other teams that have not met WSU in the Perniciaro era this weekend in Lubbock, Texas. The Red Raiders of #21Texas Tech have the edge on the Shockers all-time with a 6-7 record. Wichita State and Texas Tech met three times in 2010 as the Shocks picked up one win and dropped two. Wichita State is 1-0 against St. John's and last met in 2001 when the Shockers beat the Red Storm 4-1. WSU is 1-4 all-time against NIU and last met in 1993 when the Huskies edged the Shockers 2-1.
Last Time Out: The Wichita State softball team played its second weekend of the non-conference schedule at the 2011 Aggie Classic hosted by Texas A&M University. The Shockers finished the tournament 1-4 picking up one win against Texas Southern University. WSU lost two games to both UT-Arlington and Texas A&M.
Senior Leads the Way: Kiersten started all five games for the Shockers in center field this past weekend in College Station, Texas. She batted .500 going 8-for-16 at the plate while hitting two doubles, one triple, and one home run. Dixon picked up three RBI and scored five runs while finishing the weekend with a .938 slugging percentage and .556 on base percentage. Defensively, she had a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage with 6 putouts and one assist. Dixon led the Shockers in nine different categories in the Texas A&M tournament, including: batting average (.500), slugging percentage (.938), on base percentage (.556), runs scored (5), hits (8), triples (1), home runs (1), total bases (15), and steals (1).
Slugging Sophomores: Sophomores Meghan Boston and Hayley Temple contributed offensive power for the Shockers in the Texas A&M tournament as they combined for 10 RBI . Boston batted .385 going 5-for-13 at the plate with two doubles, four RBI, and two runs scored. Temple batted .357 going 5-for-14 with one home run, six RBI, and three runs scored. Boston finished the tournament with a .538 slugging percentage and .429 on base percentage. Temple had a .571 slugging percentage and .412 on base percentage in the Shockers' five games.
Senior Streaks: Seniors Heather Gerritse and Kiersten Dixon are both currently leading the team with hitting streaks. Dixon has a four game hitting streak going and Gerritse has a three game streak. Dixon and Gerritse have combined for 21 hits on the season, including five doubles, 10 RBI, and 10 runs scored.
Double Time: The Shockers' tied the career doubles in a single game against Texas Southern on Feb. 20, 2011. The record for doubles as a team in a single game is six. This is the third time six doubles have been hit one game, including games against North Texas in 2004 and UMKC in 2005.
Scouting Texas Tech: #21 Texas Tech (11-0) is undefeated coming into the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. For the first time in over a decade, Texas Tech is ranked in the softball polls. The Red Raiders appeared at #21 in the NFCA/USA Today poll this week. Tech took down two ranked teams earlier this season in Arizona. They ended the Arizona State Kajikawa Tournament with two wins over ranked opponents, including #16 BYU and #12 California in route to a perfect 5-0 record at the tournament. They are coming off of a 6-0 record at the Texas Tech Invitational where they picked up wins against Utah Valley and Bryant University. The Red Raiders return eight starters from a squad that went 38-18 and made it to an NCAA regional one year ago.
Scouting St. John's: The Red Storm are 4-6 coming into the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. They went 2-3 in the Seminole Kickoff Classic to kick-off their 2011 season. At the tournament, they upset #23 Florida State by the score of 11-5. They come into the weekend in Lubbock, Texas after going 2-3 at the Pirate Classic in Greenville, N.C. St. John's was picked to finish 11th in the Big East this season. They finished the 2010 season with an 18-33 record and finished 13th in the Big East. The Red Storm are led by four seniors, including all-Big East second team member, Kacee Cox. Junior outfielder, Kristi Cady, is leading St. John's with a .429 batting average.
Scouting Northern Illinois: The Huskies are 0-5 coming into the Jeannine McHaney Memorial Classic. The picked up losses against Tulsa, Louisville, and Texas in their opening weekend in the Texas Classic. NIU center fielder Dani Parrish was named Mid-American Conference West Division Player of the Week for her performance at the Texas Classic. She is batting .333 through five games with six hits, one double, and three RBI. The Huskies return eight starters from a squad that went 25-34 in 2010.
A Week in Review: The Wichita State softball team opened its season at the Gaucho Classic hosted by UC-Santa Barbara. The Shockers finished the tournament 2-3 picking up two wins against Seattle University. WSU lost two games to UC-Santa Barbara and one against Western Kentucky.
POW Nominee: Junior left fielder, Brittney Osborn, finished the tournament with a .429 batting average. Osborn had six hits in 14 attempts and picked up six RBI. She had one double and finished with a .500 slugging percentage.
Senior Leads the Way: Senior catcher Heather Gerritse led the Shockers hitting .467 with seven hits in 15 attempts. Gerritse hit one double and picked up two RBI in the tournament. Gerritse recorded a perfect fielding percentage and caught one runner stealing on the base path.
In the Circle: Pitchers Bianna Smet and Katie Armagost both went 1-1 in the circle for the Shockers. Armagost finished the tournament with a 1.00 ERA with 14 innnings pitched while recording 14 strikeouts. Smet had a 1.05 ERA in 13.1 innings pitched and picked up 12 strikeouts.
Scouting Texas A&M: # 25 Texas A&M (4-3) was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 this season. Coming into 2011, the Aggies have gone to nine straight NCAA Tournaments. They return seven letterwinners from last year's 44-16 team, including All-Big 12 first team member Rhiannon Kliesing. Sophomore catcher Meagan May was named to the 2011 ESPN.com/NFCA Preseason All-America first team. The Aggies opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., where three of their five opponents were nationally ranked. They came home with wins over Cal State Fullerton and Bradley, and fell to No. 14 Oregon, No. 16 BYU, and top-ranked Arizona. The Aggies are coming off of two wins against S.F. Austin.
Scouting UT-Arlington: UTA (2-3) was picked to finish fourth in the Southland Conference. Senior first baseman Rebecca Collom earned preseason first team all-Southland Conference honors. The Mavericks finished third in the regular season and finished with a 29-25 overall record one year ago. UTA opened its 2011 season at the Best Western Marina Grand Invitational in Corpus Christi, Texas. They finished the tournament with a 2-3 record and are coming off of a 5-1 win over Cleveland State. The Mavericks are led by Stephanie Gonzalez, who is batting .250 with four hits, one RBI, and one run scored in 14 at bats.
Scouting Texas Southern: Texas Southern (1-3) was picked to repeat as the Southwestern Athletic Conference West Division champs. TSU infielders Giana Robinson, Tenesha Skrine and Jessica Haynes were all named to the preseason Second Team All-SWAC squad. As was outfielder April White. The Tigers are coming off of a 7-1 loss to Sam Houston State in Huntsville, Texas. They play a double header against Prairie View A&M on Saturday before joining the Aggie Classic in College Station on Sunday.
Opening Weekend: The Wichita State softball team opens its 2011 season at the 2011 Gaucho Classic, Feb. 11-13, in Santa Barbara, Calif.
A Look at 2011: The Wichita State softball team returns eleven players, including five starters and two pitchers, from a squad that went 22-31 overall and 10-14 to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2010. Amongst the starters returning are senior catcher Heather Gerritse and senior first baseman Jamie Hull. Both Hull and Gerritse were named all-MVC second team in 2010. Gerritse was a first team selection back in 2009.
Hull Honored: After being named second team all-MVC and honorable mention scholar-athlete last season, Valley coaches tabbed first baseman Jamie Hull as a pre-season all-MVC selection in 2011.
Offense Returns: Wichita State returns its top three players in terms of batting averages from last season in Heather Gerritse (.298), Jamie Hull (.293), and Kiersten Dixon (.270). The trio also had the highest slugging percentages, hits, runs batted in, and home runs.
Shockers Picked Eighth: With 36 votes, Wichita State was picked eigth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Last season, the Shockers (22-31, 10-14) finished seventh in the league.
A Look at the Competition: Wichita State will be looking at some new faces at the Gaucho Classic in Santa Barbara, Calif. The Shockers have never faced Seattle University or Western Kentucky and have a 2-2 record against UC-Santa Barbara. The Shocks lost to UCSB, 8-5, in February of 2009 at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz.
Perniciaro Signs Five: Sixth-year softball head coach Mike Perniciaro has announced the signing of five student athletes to National-Letters-of-Intent to play softball at Wichita State. Brianne Bond, Layne Greenlee, Kaitlyn Carey, Melanie Jaegers, and Sydney Stuever will all join the program for the 2012 season.
Brianne Bond: A 5'6 infielder from Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo. In 2010, Bond batted .467 for the Bruins with 46 hits, 30 RBIs, 13 doubles and four homeruns. For her efforts, Bond was named the team's most valuable player and first team all-district. As a senior, Bond helped the Bruins to a district and sectional championship. Throughout her four seasons at Rock Bridge High School, Bond had a career batting average of .396 with 132 hits, 30 doubles, and 53 RBIs. Bond has a 3.7 grade point average and hopes to become a physician's assistant.
Kaitlyn Carey: A 5'3 outfielder from Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita, Kan. Carey batted .520 for the Golden Eagles last season with a .788 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases. She led the Golden Eagles, 20-5, to a regional championship and a second place finish at the state tournament. For her efforts, she was named second team all-city. Her sophomore season, she helped Bishop Carroll to a regional championship and a fourth place finish at the state tournament. Carey has a 3.4 grade point average and plans on majoring in biology.
Layne Greenlee: A 5'3 utility player from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. As a sophomore, Greenlee was honored as the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year for District 5-4A. That same season she was also named first team all-district 5-4A. Greenlee helped her high school team to a 4A District 5-4A championship in 2010. For her efforts, she was named first team all-district 5-4A for the second consecutive season. Greenlee has a 3.4 grade point average and plans on majoring in business management at Wichita State University. Greenlee is a two-time All-Academic Award winner and was named Denton ISD Varsity Scholar Athlete.
Melanie Jaegers: A 5'9 catcher/first baseman from Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas. Jaegers batted .364 with an on base percentage of .480 for the Jaguars. Jaegers is a two-time all-district honoree. Jaegers helped lead the Jaguars to back-to-back undefeated district championships in her sophomore and junior seasons, also finishing both seasons as a regional semifinalist. Jaegers has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and plans to major in pre-med at Wichita State.
Sydney Stuever: A 5'8 outfielder from Andale High School in Andale, Kan. Stuever has helped the Andale Indians to an overall record of 72-3 in the past three seasons. Stuever's had a stellar high school career, helping her team win three straight league and regional championships. She helped her team to state championships in both 2008 and 2010, and were state runner-ups in 2009. Last season, as a junior, Stuever batted .509 with 44 hits, 27 RBIs, and 36 runs scored. Stuever is a two-time all-metro selection, three-time all-league selection, and two-time all-state selection. She has a 3.0 grade point average and plans on majoring in communication at Wichita State.
-Wichita State-
