Feb. 13-15 - #32 Wichita State (0-0) at Sam Houston State (0-0), 6:30, 3, 1 p.m.

Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

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Date: Feb. 13-15
First Pitch: 6:30, 3, 1 p.m. CST
Location: Huntsville, Texas
Stadium: Don Sanders Stadium
Radio: KNSS 1330 AM
Talent: Shane Dennis
Series: Wichita State leads 3-2

Probable Pitching Matchups
Feb. 13 — Sam Tewes (RHP, 0-0, 0.00) vs. Andrew Godail (LHP, 0-0, 0.00)
Feb. 14 — Isaac Anderson (RHP, 0-0, 0.00) vs. Sam Odom (RHP, 0-0, 0.00)
Feb. 15 — Willie Schwanke (RHP, 0-0, 0.00) vs. Logan Boyd (LHP, 0-0, 0.00)

Quick Hits
• All three games will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM with Shane Dennis calling the action.  All three games will also be on www.goshockers.com.
• WSU leads the overall series with Sam Houston State 3-2.
• WSU head coach Todd Butler is 6-3 in his career against Sam Houston State and 1-2 in Huntsville.
• WSU is 27-10 in season openers since 1978.
• The Shockers open the season in the state of Texas for just the third time in program history. WSU opened the 1978 season in Fort Worth and the 2012 season in San Marcos.
• WSU has six players from the state of Texas including Ray Ashford (Sachse), Willie Schwanke (Frisco), Zach Reding (Dallas), John Hayes (Pottsboro), Sam Hilliard (Mansfield) and Cody Tyler (Terrell).
• WSU plays 37 games in 2015 against teams that were in the top-100 in the RPI in 2014. Nineteen of those are games against teams in the top-50.
• The Shockers are 75-4 all-time at home (Eck and Lawrence-Dumont) in the month of February.
• WSU is 143-40 all-time overall in the month of February.
• WSU is 5-2 on Valentine's Day since 1978. The Shockers are 3-1 on Feb. 13 and 7-1 on Feb. 15.
• The Shocks were picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Junior outfielder Daniel Kihle and sophomore starting pitcher Sam Tewes were named to the preseason all-Valley team.
• WSU's recruiting class was ranked No. 2 by Collegiate Baseball.
• The Shockers welcome 24 newcomers in 2015.
• Six of the Shocker newcomers were drafted in 2014: Chase Rader (16th rd.), Isaac Anderson (19th rd.), Sam Hilliard (31st rd.), Chase Williams (37th rd.), Keenan Eaton (39th rd.) and Taylor Sanagorski (39th rd.)
• The Shocks set the school record for fewest home runs allowed in a season with 18 in 2014.
• WSU returns three starters and nine letterwinners from the 2014 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns one starting pitcher in Sam Tewes.
• WSU has ranked in the top 25 in attendance since 1999.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his second season as coach of the Shockers.
• Assistant Coach Brian Walker is the third base coach and Volunteer Assistant Coach Mike Sirianni is the first base coach.

Scouting Sam Houston State
The Bearkats return 16 letterwinners and five starters from a team that went 43-19 a year ago. The Bearkats are picked first in the Southland preseason poll. SHS has won three-straight Southland titles and went to the NCAA Tournament last season for the sixth time in the last eight years. Last season, the Bearkats hit .282 and the pitching staff had a 2.73 ERA. Returning offensively for SHS  is outfielder Colt Atwood who hit .306 with 10 doubles, two triples, 40 RBI and six stolen bases in 2014. Pitcher Sam Odom returns after going 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA and 38 strikeouts in 79.1 innings in 2014. The Bearkats are led by first-year head coach Matt Deggs.

Series History vs. the Bearkats
Wichita State leads the overall series with Sam Houston State 3-2. The Bearkats lead the series in Huntsville, Texas 2-0. The Shockers won all three games of a series in Wichita in 2004, while the Bearkats won both meetings in Huntsville in 1959. Head Coach Todd Butler is 6-3 in his career against Sam Houston State and 1-2 against the Bearkats in Huntsville.

Last Meeting vs. SHS
The last meeting between the two teams was a three-game series in Wichita March 12-14, 2004. The Shockers swept the series by scores of 18-2, 8-4 and 10-5. Joe Muich hit .583 in the three games, while Drew Moffitt hit .500 with three home runs and seven RBI. Mike Pelfrey, Steve Uhlmansiek and Mat Jakubov each earned a win in the series.

WSU a Winner in Season Openers
Since 1978, the Shockers are 27-10 in season openers.  The last time WSU lost a season opener was in 2013, a 6-4 loss to Pittsburgh.  

WSU a Winner in Home Openers
Since 1978, the Shockers are 34-3 in home openers.  The three losses were to New Mexico, 11-13, in 1988 at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, to Richmond, 10-11, in 2007 and 4-6 to Pittsburgh in 2013.

Shocks on Valentine's Day
Wichita State is 5-2 on Valentine's Day since 1978. The seven previous games were at Northern Arizona (1981), at Arizona State (1981), a doubleheader at Miami (1983), a doubleheader at Hawaii-Hilo and against SIU-Edwardsville (2014).

Two Games on ESPNU in 2015
The Wichita State baseball team will be featured on ESPNU two times during the 2015 season.
The Shockers will play Indiana State on Sat., April 4 and the game will be televised on ESPNU. The game will start at 1 p.m. at Eck Stadium.
WSU will also play Oklahoma on Tue., April 28 and that game will air on ESPNU at 7 p.m. at Eck Stadium.
Every game on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU and ESPN3 will also be available through WatchESPN, accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app, through ESPN on Xbox LIVE to Gold members, on Apple TV and Roku to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

Shocks Picked Third in the Valley
The Shockers were third in the Valley preseason poll done by the league's coaches.  WSU totaled 43 points. Dallas Baptist received seven first-place votes and 62 points to finish first.  Missouri State was picked second with one first-place vote and 53 points.

Two Named to Preseason All-MVC Team
Junior outfielder Daniel Kihle and sophomore starting pitcher Sam Tewes were named to the preseason all-Valley team.  Kihle earned second team honors in 2014, while Tewes earned Freshman All-America honors.

WSU Has No. 2 Recruiting Class
Wichita State has landed the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball's annual evaluation of NCAA Division I baseball classes.
It is the highest recruiting class in school history, according to Collegiate Baseball, as the Shockers previous best was fourth in 1983. It is WSU's fifth top-10 class as the Shockers were fourth in 1983, fifth in 1989, seventh in 1992 and ninth in 1999.
Six of the recruits were drafted including third baseman Chase Rader (16th round), right-handed pitcher Isaac Anderson (19th round), left-handed pitcher and first baseman Sam Hilliard (31st), right-handed pitcher Chase Williams (37th), outfielder Keenan Eaton (39th) and catcher Taylor Sanagorski (39th).
Rader and right-handed pitcher Jon Ferrendelli earned first team NJCAA All-America honors in the spring, while freshman left-handed pitcher Jeb Bargfeldt and freshman outfielder Bret Fehr earned Collegiate Baseball High School All-America honors in the spring.
It is Butler's highest-ever recruiting class and his 10th top-10 recruiting class overall (5 at Arkansas and 4 at Alabama).

Shockers Ranked in Preseason Poll
Wichita State is ranked in one preseason poll.  The Shockers are ranked 32nd by Collegiate Baseball.  The Shockers also received votes in the NCBWA preseason poll.

Hitting Streaks Alive for Mucha and Kihle
Mikel Mucha comes into the 2015 season on a four-game hitting streak, while Daniel Kihle is on a three-game hitting streak.  Mucha had a hit in four-straight games in 2014 before breaking his leg and missing the rest of the season. Kihle finished the 2014 season with a hit in the final three games against Evansville, Southern Illinois and Illinois State.   

Three Starters Return
WSU returns three starters from the 2014 team in juniors Daniel Kihle, Tanner Dearman and Tanner Kirk.   

Shocks to Play 30 Home Games
WSU will play 30 home games in 2015 including preseason top-20 UC Santa Barbara and 2014 NCAA Tournament participants Kansas and Indiana State.  The Shockers also host Texas State, Nebraska-Omaha, Central Michigan, Arkansas-Little Rock, Western Illinois, Illinois State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas State, Evansville and Oral Roberts.

Newcomers Look to Make Impact
WSU welcomes 24 newcomers to the 2015 team including juniors Jordan Farris, Willie Schwanke, Jon Ferrendelli, Chase Rader, Zach Reding, John Hayes, Isaac Anderson, Ryan Tinkham, and Sam Hilliard, sophomore Chase Williams and freshmen Keenan Eaton, Gunnar Troutwine, Taylor Sanagorski, Trey Vickers, Jeb Bargfeldt, Taylor Goshen, Jordan Boyer, Bradley Kinsey, Chandler Sanburn, Josh DeBacker, Matt Whalen, Tyler Jones, Bret Fehr and Travis Young.

WSU Baseball on Facebook & Twitter
Become a fan of Wichita State Baseball on Facebook.  Also follow the Shockers on Twitter @GoShockersBSB for in game updates.

The Todd Butler Show
The Todd Butler radio show airs on 1330 KNSS from 8-9 p.m. on Monday's.  It is hosted by Mike Kennedy and starts on Feb. 23.

The Brent Kemnitz Show
The Brent Kemnitz radio show airs on KNSS 1330 around 4:30 p.m. on Saturday's.  It is hosted by KNSS play-by-play analyst Mike Kennedy.  It starts on Feb. 21.

2014 Season Review
In 2014, the Shockers finished 31-28 overall and 13-8 in the Valley.  Casey Gillaspie was a consensus first team All-American and was named Joe Carter Valley Player of the Year. Gillaspie, A.J. Ladwig and Dayne Parker earned first team all-Valley honors, while Cale Elam, Tyler Baker, Chase Simpson and Daniel Kihle were named to the second team.  Aaron LaBrie was named honorable mention, while Gillaspie, Baker and Elam were named to the All-Defense Team.  Sam Tewes earned Freshman All-America honors.

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