Feb. 28 - Wichita State (6-2) vs. Long Beach State (3-5) (DH), 1 p.m.

March 1 — Wichita State (6-2) vs. Long Beach State (3-5), 2 p.m.

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Date: Feb. 28-March 1
First Pitch: 1, 4, 2 p.m. CST
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Stadium: Eck Stadium
Radio: KFH 1240 AM
Talent: Mike Kennedy & Shane Dennis
Series: Long Beach State leads the series 25-24

Probable Pitching Matchups
Feb. 28 (1) — A.J. Ladwig (RHP, 1-0, 0.00) vs. Nick Sabo (LHP, 1-1, 0.66)
Feb. 28 (2) — Sam Tewes (RHP, 2-0, 1.93) vs. Andrew Rohrbach (RHP, 0-1, 5.87)
March 1 — Cale Elam (RHP, 1-0, 0.79) vs. Jason Alexander (RHP, 0-1, 7.50)


Quick Hits
• All three games will be broadcast on 98.7 FM/KFH 1240 AM.  The games will also be on www.shockerradio.com.
• The doubleheader on Friday will start at 1 p.m. and the game on Saturday will start at 2 p.m.
• Long Beach State leads the overall series 25-24. WSU leads the series in Wichita 13-11.
• The Shockers are 73-3 all-time at home (Eck and Lawrence-Dumont) in the month of February.
• WSU is 142-39 all-time overall in the month of February.
• Junior Casey Gillaspie is on an 11-game hitting streak.
• Gillaspie has had multiple-hits in all eight games this season.
• Gillaspie is hitting .778 with two outs and leads the Shockers with six two-out RBI.
• Micah Green and Daniel Kihle are both on six-game hitting streaks.
• Garrett Bayliff is hitting .357 in his career against Long Beach State, while Dayne Parker is hitting .500.
• The Shocker pitching staff recorded its first shutout of the season on Feb. 24 against Coastal Carolina. It was the first shutout since May 23, 2013, against Indiana State.
• Head Coach Todd Butler has used the same lineup just once in 2014 and that was for the first two games of the season.
• The Shocks were picked first in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Junior first baseman Casey Gillaspie, junior catcher Tyler Baker, senior outfielder Garrett Bayliff and senior relief pitcher Aaron LaBrie were named to the preseason all-Valley team.
• WSU set a school record with a .977 fielding percentage in 2013.  The entire infield returns for 2014.
• The Shocks set the school record for fewest errors in a season with 61 in 2013.
• WSU returns eight starters and 20 letterwinners from the 2013 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns four starting pitchers including Cale Elam, A.J. Ladwig, Kris Gardner and Garrett Brummett.
• WSU has ranked in the top 25 in attendance since 1999.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his first season as coach of the Shockers.
• Butler is looking for his 100th career win as a head coach. He is currently 96-85 overall.
• Assistant Coach Brian Walker is the third base coach and Volunteer Assistant Coach Jon Coyne is the first base coach.

Scouting Long Beach State
Long Beach State is 3-5 and coming off of a win over USC on Tuesday.  Wins this season have come against No. 18 Arizona State, Wright State and USC.  Losses have come against No. 8 Vanderbilt three times, Pepperdine and UC Irvine. As a team, the Dirtbags are hitting .193 with a team ERA of 3.73. Richard Prigatano leads LBSU offensively as he is hitting .280 on the year.  The Dirtbags are led by fourth-year head coach Troy Buckley.

Series History vs. the Dirtbags
Long Beach State leads the overall series with Wichita State, 25-24. The Shockers lead the series in Wichita, 13-11.  LBSU has won nine of the last 13 meetings overall.

Last Meeting vs. LBSU
The last meeting between the two teams was a three-game series in Long Beach, Calif, March 15-17, 2013. The Dirtbags swept the series by scores of 4-1, 3-1 and 5-4. Tyler Baker went 2-for-7 in the series, while Casey Gillaspie went 2-for-8 with five walks. Albert Minnis, Kris Gardner and A.J. Ladwig each took a loss.

Earliest Meeting Ever
February 28 will be the earliest-ever meeting between Wichita State and Long Beach State. The two teams usually play a two or three-game series in the middle of March. The previous earliest meeting was Feb. 29, 2008 in Long Beach. The earliest meeting in Wichita was March 9 in 2001.

Hitting Streak Alive for Gillaspie
Casey Gillaspie came into the 2014 season on a three-game hitting streak.  He has had a hit in all eight games this season to increase the streak to 11 games. Gillaspie has also had two or more hits in every game this season.

Gillaspie Named Valley Player of the Week
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Casey Gillaspie has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 17-23.
Gillaspie, a junior first baseman from Omaha, Neb., hit .688 in four games last week for the Shockers. He went 11-for-16 with five runs, two doubles, one triple, four RBI, six walks, a .938 slugging percentage and a .773 on base percentage. He also had a perfect fielding percentage in 36 total chances.
On Tuesday against Central Arkansas, he went 3-for-4 with two RBI, a double and a walk. On Friday against UConn, he went 2-for-4 with a walk and on Saturday against George Mason he went 3-for-5 with two runs, an RBI, a double, a triple and two walks. On Sunday against Coastal Carolina, he went 3-for-3 with three runs, an RBI and two walks. He has had two or more hits in all seven games this season and is currently on a 10-game hitting streak.

Mucha Out Up to Eight Weeks
Wichita State junior outfielder Mikel Mucha will miss up to eight weeks after sustaining a lower leg fracture on Sat., Feb. 22 against George Mason.
“As of today, we have been informed by our medical staff that Mikel Mucha will be out for eight weeks due to a fracture to his left lower leg,” said Head Coach Todd Butler.  “The injury occurred on Saturday against George Mason on a communication fly ball in left center.  This is a huge loss for our team as Mikel was improving with each start and he is a big part of our team's future success.  We have enjoyed watching Mikel play and his energy and effort were outstanding during his short time of playing.  We will need other players to step up to fill his role during these eight weeks. We will review Mikel's recovery as time progresses and we hope to have him back on the field soon.”
In five games this season, Mucha was 5-for-14 (.357) with a double and an RBI.

Tewes Off to a Good Start
Freshman pitcher Sam Tewes has had a brilliant start to his collegiate career. He has made two starts and is 2-0 with a 1.93 ERA. He has pitched 9.1 innings and allowed two runs on six hits with three walks and six strikeouts. He earned the wins against Central Arkansas and Coastal Carolina, both NCAA Tournament teams in 2013.
 
Bullpen With 10 Shutout Innings
The Shocker bullpen was impressive in a 13-inning game against George Mason on Saturday. Three of the four relievers combined for 10 shutout innings. Senior Drew Palmer went four innings and did not allow a hit, while walking one and striking out three. Freshman Cody Tyler pitched one shutout inning while allowing two hits with two walks and one strikeout and freshman Reagan Biechler went five innings and allowed just three hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

Looking for 100
Head Coach Todd Butler is getting closer to his 100th career win as a head coach. Butler is currently 96-85 in his career and needs just four wins to reach 100.

Weekly Nominees
Pitcher of the Week Nominee - A.J. Ladwig
Junior pitcher A.J. Ladwig threw six shutout innings on Friday against UConn. He allowed just six singles with one walk and five strikeouts in the no decision. So far this season, Ladwig has pitched 11.2 innings with a 0.00 ERA and one walk and 11 strikeouts.
Scholar-Athlete of the Week - Daniel Kihle
Daniel Kihle hit .350 in four games last week for Wichita State. He went 7-for-20 with three runs, one double, one home run, two RBI and two walks. In Tuesday's win over Central Arkansas, he went 3-for-5 with two runs, a double, an RBI and a home run and on Sunday against Coastal Carolina, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI. He finished with a hit in all four games and is now hitting .367 on the season. Kihle has a 3.21 GPA in exercise science.