March 27-29 - Wichita State (11-13) at No. 2 TCU (18-4), 6:30, 2, 1 p.m.

Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

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Date: March 27-29
First Pitch: 6:30, 2, 1 p.m. CDT
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Stadium: Lupton Stadium
Radio: KNSS 1330 AM
Talent: Shane Dennis
Series: Wichita State leads 8-4

Probable Pitching Matchups
March 27 — Sam Hilliard (LHP, 0-2, 6.08) vs. Mitchell Traver (RHP, 3-0, 1.07)

March 28 — Jeb Bargfeldt (LHP, 2-0, 2.16) vs. Preston Morrison (RHP, 5-0, 1.62)

March 29 — TBA vs. Alex Young (LHP, 4-1, 1.21)

Quick Hits
• All three games this weekend will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM with Shane Dennis calling the action.  The games will also be on www.goshockers.com.
• Wichita State leads the overall series with TCU, 8-4.
• Daniel Kihle is the Valley Player of the Week.
• WSU is 4-6 in road games in 2015. In those 10 games, the Shockers are hitting .250 with a 4.67 team ERA and a .949 fielding percentage.
• In those 10 road games, Ryan Tinkham is hitting .400, while Chase Rader is hitting .391 and Gunnar Troutwine is hitting .429.
• WSU is 7-3 in its last 10 games. In those 10 games, the Shockers are hitting .305 with a 4.18 ERA and a .963 fielding percentage.
• Daniel Kihle is hitting .385 in the last 10 games, while Sam Hilliard is hitting .364 and Gunnar Troutwine is hitting .333.
• Taylor Goshen has made four relief appearances in the last 10 games and is 3-0 with a 2.16 ERA with nine strikeouts in 8.1 innings.
• Daniel Kihle is on a six-game hitting streak and Gunnar Troutwine is on a four-game hitting streak.
• Ryan Tinkham is ninth nationally in doubles with 11.
• WSU is 10th nationally in stolen bases with 44.
• Daniel Kihle leads the Shockers with 10 multiple-hit games, while Ryan Tinkham and Chase Rader lead the team with five multiple-RBI games.
• WSU is 592-209-2 all-time overall in the month of March.
• WSU is 26-6 on March 27, 21-6 on March 28 and 22-6 on March 29 since 1978.
• Ryan Tinkham has been on base in 22 of 24 games this season.
• WSU is ranked 20th nationally in average attendance.
• 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 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.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is the third base coach and Volunteer Assistant Coach Mike Sirianni is the first base coach.

Scouting TCU
The Horned Frogs are 18-4 on the season. Wins have come against Southern Illinois three times, UT Arlington, Arizona State twice, Texas Southern, Rice, UCLA, Vanderbilt, Loyola Marymount, Baylor three times, UT Pan American twice and Oklahoma State. Losses have come against Arizona State, USC and Oklahoma State twice. TCU is hitting .279 as a team with a team ERA of 1.77. They also have a .982 fielding percentage. Leading the way offensively is Cody Jones who is hitting .376 with seven doubles, one triple, two home runs, 13 RBI and nine stolen bases. The Horned Frogs are led by head coach Jim Scholssnagle.

Series History vs. the Horned Frogs
Wichita State leads the overall series with TCU 8-4. TCU leads the series in Fort Worth, Texas 4-2. WSU won a 1986 meeting in Fort Worth and the two teams split two meetings in Fort Worth in 1987. WSU won in Wichita in 1989 and in 2006 in Norman, Okla., in the NCAA Tourney. The Shockers swept a three-game series in Wichita in 2008 and also defeated the Horned Frogs that season in the NCAA Tournament in Stillwater, Okla. TCU swept a three-game series in Fort Worth in 2009.

Last Meeting vs. TCU
The last meeting between the two teams was a three-game series in Fort Worth, Texas, March 6-8, 2009. TCU swept the series by scores of 6-5, 9-4 and 12-3. Will Baez went 5-for-9 with six RBI for the Shockers. Josh Smith, Jordan Cooper and Charlie Lowell each took a loss.
 
Kihle Named Valley Player of the Week
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Daniel Kihle has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week for the week of March 16-22.
Kihle, a junior outfielder from Goddard, Kan., led the Shockers to a 5-0 week and a 3-0 start to Missouri Valley Conference play. He went 10-for-20 (.500) with nine runs, two doubles, one home run, six RBI, four walks and five stolen bases. He also had a hit in all five games.
In game one against Western Illinois, he went 2-for-4 with three runs and four stolen bases. In game two against the Leathernecks, he went 2-for-5 with two runs, a RBI and a double. In game one against Southern Illinois, he went 1-for-2 with three walks and in game two he went 3-for-5 with three runs, four RBI and a grand slam. In the finale against the Salukis, he went 2-for-4 with a run, a RBI and a double.
It is the second Valley Player of the Week honor of his career.

Troutwine Makes His Debut
Freshman catcher Gunnar Troutwine made his collegiate debut on Tuesday against Western Illinois. He started all five games at catcher last week and went 6-for-18 (.333) with five runs, one double and eight RBI.
 
Kirk With Career Weekend
Junior shortstop Tanner Kirk had a career-day on Saturday at Southern Illinois. He went 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI and his first career home run. In the three-game series at Southern Illinois, he went 5-for-12 (.417) with four runs, two doubes, a home run and six RBI.

Opening Weekend of Valley Play
The Shockers opened Valley play this last weekend with Southern Illinois.  Since 1979, Wichita State is now 95-28 during the first series of Valley play.  In 37 seasons, WSU has lost just six Valley opening series and has also split three.  The Shockers went 0-2 against Illinois State in 1984, 1-3 against Bradley in both 1986 and 1987, 1-2 against Evansville in 2005, 1-2 against Southern Illinois in 2006 and 1-2 against Missouri State in 2011.  WSU split with Indiana State (2-2) in both 1988 and 1989 and split with Missouri State (1-1) in 1991.

Goshen Improving in Pen
Freshman pitcher Taylor Goshen has been a workhorse in the Shocker bullpen this season. In his last 10 appearances, he is 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA. He has pitched 15 innings and has allowed three earned runs on 13 hits with five walks and 16 strikeouts. He leads the Shockers will 12 appearances overall.