Feb. 20-21 - Wichita State (1-2) vs. Texas State (0-3-1), 12, 3, 1 p.m.

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Date: Feb. 20-21
First Pitch: 12, 3, 1 p.m. CST
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Stadium: Eck Stadium
Radio: KNSS 1330 AM (Games 2 & 3)
Talent: Mike Kennedy
Series: Texas State leads 1-0

Probable Pitching Matchups
Feb. 20 (1) — Sam Tewes (RHP, 0-0, 3.60) vs. Lucas Humpal (RHP, 0-0, 2.84)
Feb. 20 (2) — Isaac Anderson (RHP, 1-0, 4.50) vs. TBA
Feb. 21 — TBA vs. TBA

Quick Hits
• Games two and three of the series will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM with Mike Kennedy calling the action.  All three games will also be on www.goshockers.com.
• Friday's doubleheader will start at 12 p.m. and Saturday's single game will start at 1 p.m.
• Texas State leads the overall series 1-0. The only meeting was in 2012 in San Marcos, Texas.
• WSU is 34-3 in home openers since 1978.
• 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 144-42 all-time overall in the month of February.
• WSU is 7-2 on Feb. 20 since 1978 and 5-3 on Feb. 21.
• Junior Sam Hilliard will celebrate his 21st birthday on Feb. 21.
• Junior outfielder Mikel Mucha is the only current Shocker to play against Texas State in 2012.
• Newcomers Ryan Tinkham and Jordan Farris and returning shortstop Tanner Kirk each had a hit in all three games against Sam Houston State.
• 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 Texas State
The Bobcats are 0-3-1 to start the season. Texas State lost two games to UC Davis over the weekend and also had a tie due to the travel curfew. On Tuesday, the Bobcats loss 10-0 to Sam Houston State. TSU is picked to finish second in the Sun Belt and Lucas Humpal was selected as the preseason Pitcher of the Year. TSU is hitting .211 as a team with a team ERA of 4.74. Leading the way offensively is Cory Geisler, a preseason all-Sun Belt pick, who is hitting .417 with five hits, a double and a RBI. Geisler is also a starting pitcher and he has pitched 5.1 innings and allowed no earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts. The Bobcats are led by head coach Ty Harrington.

Series History vs. the Bobcats
Texas State leads the overall series with Wichita State, 1-0. The only meeting between the two teams was in 2012 in San Marcos, Texas.

Last Meeting vs. TSU
The last meeting between the two teams was Feb. 19, 2012 in San Marcos, Texas. The Bobcats won the game 7-4. Ryan Hege went 3-for-4 for the Shockers, while starter Mitch Mormann gave up five runs in 1.2 innings.  

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.

Farris Impressive in Debut
Jordan Farris was impressive in his Shocker debut over the weekend at Sam Houston State. He went 5-for-9 (.556) with one run, one double, one home run, two RBI and three walks along with a 1.000 slugging percentage. In the season opener, he went 3-for-4 with a run, a RBI and his first home run as a Shocker. In game two, he went 1-for-3 with a walk and a double and in the finale he went 1-for-2 with a RBI and a walk. The three hits in the opener tied his career-high and the home run was the fourth of his career. He hit three as a freshman at Arkansas in 2013.

Back-to-Back
In the season opener on Friday, Wichita State's Jordan Farris and Daniel Kihle hit back-to-back home runs in the seventh inning. It was the first time the Shockers hit back-to-back home runs in a game since April 15, 2012 when Casey Gillaspie and Micah Green hit back-to-back home runs at Evansville in the second inning.
 
Newcomers Debut
Fourteen Shockers made their Wichita State debuts over the weekend including juniors Jordan Farris, Chase Rader, Ryan Tinkham, Zach Reding, Sam Hilliard, Isaac Anderson, Willie Schwanke, and Jon Ferrendelli, sophomore Chase Williams and freshmen Michael Burns, Taylor Sanagorski, Keenan Eaton, Chandler Sanburn and Taylor Goshen.
 
Junior College Phenoms
Three junior college transfers had impressive debuts over the weekend for Wichita State. Junior Jordan Farris, who transferred from Oxnard Community College, went 5-for-9 (.556) with a double, a home run and two RBI. Junior Chase Rader, who transferred from Coffeyville Community College, went 5-for-11 (.455) with four runs, a home run and two RBI.  Junior Ryan Tinkham, who transferred from Oxnard Community College, went 5-for-12 (.417) with two runs, a RBI and two stolen bases.

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.