Date: Feb. 24, 2016
First Pitch: 3 p.m.
Location: Tulsa, Okla.
Stadium: J.L. Johnson Stadium
Free Audio: www.goshockers.com/watch
Talent: Steve Strain
Free Video: www.goshockers.com
Series: Wichita State leads 32-27

Quick Hits
• Wednesday's game will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM with Steve Strain calling the action.  The game will also be on www.goshockers.com.
• WSU leads the overall series with Oral Roberts 32-27 and also leads the series in Tulsa 12-10.
• Junior Tyler Gibson will be making his first career start.
• Sam Tewes is the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week.
• Freshman Alec Bohm became the first freshman in Shocker history to hit a home run in his first collegiate plate appearance.
• Three Shockers are currently on four-game hitting streaks including Zach Reding, Tanner Kirk and Trey Vickers.
• Eleven current Shockers have played against ORU in their careers including Mikel Mucha, Tanner Kirk, Chase Rader, Trey Vickers, Gunnar Troutwine, Ryan Tinkham, Zach Reding, Keenan Eaton, Reagan Biechler, Cody Tyler and John Hayes.
• After the first weekend of play, Tanner Kirk is first nationally in on base percentage and fifth in batting average.
• The Shockers rank fourth nationally in doubles, second in doubles per game and 10th in walks.
• WSU is ninth in scoring margin at +8.3 and 20th in runs per game at 10.3.
• WSU is 8-2 on Feb. 24 since 1978.
• WSU is 28-11 in season openers since 1978.
• WSU is 36-3 in home openers since 1978.
• Mikel Mucha had his career-best 14-game hitting streak snapped on Sunday.
• Dayton Dugas became the first freshman to start on opening day since Casey Gillaspie and Tyler Baker in 2012.
• Ryan Tinkham is a preseason second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
• WSU plays 35 games in 2016 against teams that were in the top-100 in the RPI in 2015. Twenty-one of those are games against teams in the top-50.
• WSU unveiled a new scoreboard/videoboard in January that is the fourth-largest in college baseball.
• The Shockers are 79-7 all-time at home (Eck and Lawrence-Dumont) in the month of February.
• WSU is 144-49 all-time overall in the month of February.
• The Shocks were picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Senior first baseman Ryan Tinkham, sophomore starting pitcher Sam Tewes and sophomore catcher Gunnar Troutwine were named to the preseason all-Valley team.
• WSU's recruiting class was ranked No. 25 by Baseball America.
• The Shockers welcome 15 newcomers in 2016.
• Two of the Shocker newcomers were drafted in 2015 along with two returners: Willie Schwanke (22nd rd.), Chase Williams (25th rd.), Dayton Dugas (29th rd.), and Connor Lungwitz (35th rd.)
• The Shocks set the school record for times they were hit by a pitch in a season with 73 in 2015.
• Gunnar Troutwine tied the school record for fielding percentage by a freshman with a .994 fielding percentage in 2015.
• Chase Rader was hit by a pitch 17 times in 2015, which ranks third in the Shocker record books.
• Ryan Tinkham had a 21-game hitting streak last season that ranks as the 10th-best in school history.
• WSU returns six starters and 15 letterwinners from the 2015 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns three starters including Sam Tewes, Willie Schwanke and Chase Williams.
• WSU has ranked in the top 25 in attendance since 1999.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his third 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 Oral Roberts
The Golden Eagles opened the season in Little Rock, Ark., last weekend. They dropped two games to Indiana State by scores of 9-5 and 3-2. As a team, they are hitting .213 with a team ERA of 4.58. They are led offensively by Michael Hungate who is hitting .375. ORU is led by head coach Ryan Folmar.

Series History vs. the Golden Eagles
Wichita State leads the overall series with Oral Roberts, 32-27. WSU also leads the series in Tulsa 12-10. Head Coach Todd Butler is 2-2 in his career against the Golden Eagles.

Last Meeting vs. ORU
The last meeting between the two teams was May 12, 2015, in Wichita. The Shockers won 7-6. Chase Rader went 2-for-4 with two RBI, while Mikel Mucha went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Reliever John Hayes earned the win. Rader's RBI single in the bottom of the ninth gave the Shockers the win.

Tewes Named MVC Pitcher of the Week
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Sam Tewes is the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week after the opening weekend of baseball season.
Tewes, a redshirt sophomore from Lincoln, Neb., led the Shockers to a season opening victory over Northern Colorado on Friday.
He pitched six shutout innings and allowed just one hit, while walking two and striking out six. The Bears hit just .053 against the right-hander.
After giving up a one-out double in the first inning, he did not allow another hit in his final 5.2 innings. His two walks both came in the fourth inning, but he also struck out three in the inning.
It is the first MVC Pitcher of the Week honor of his career.

Bohm Impressive in Debut
Freshman Alec Bohm had an impressive debut for Wichita State over the weekend. In his first collegiate at bat, he hit a two-run home run as a pinch hitter in the season opener against Northern Colorado. He finished the weekend 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, four RBI and an intentional walk. He is the first Shocker freshman to ever hit a home run in their first collegiate plate appearance.
 
Newcomers Make Debut
Thirteen players made their debut for the Shockers in the Northern Colorado series. Juniors Zach Lewis and Justin Seiwald, redshirt freshmen Travis Young, Josh DeBacker, Bret Fehr and Jordan Boyer and true freshmen Alec Bohm, Dayton Dugas, Luke Ritter, Greyson Jenista, Clayton McGinness, Codi Heuer and Robby Evans all played against the Bears.

WSU a Winner in Season Openers
Since 1978, the Shockers are 28-11 in season openers.  The last time WSU lost a season opener was in 2015, an 8-5 loss at Sam Houston State.  

WSU a Winner in Home Openers
Since 1978, the Shockers are 36-3 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.

Hayes Named to Watch List
Wichita State baseball student-athlete John Hayes has been named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Stopper of the Year watch list. The award is given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I baseball.
Hayes, a senior from Pottsboro, Texas, made 26 appearances in relief in 2015. He finished the year 6-2 with four saves and a 2.79 ERA. He also struck out 55 in 51.2 innings and earned honorable mention all-Valley honors.
The 2016 Stopper of the Year Watch List will be updated with a midseason release on Wednesday, April 27, including the national saves leaders. At the conclusion of the regular season, the Division I national saves leader and four other relief pitching standouts will be selected as finalists and released Wednesday, June 8, prior to start of NCAA Super Regional competition.
The NCBWA's All-America Committee will select the winner, with this year's recipient to be announced at the 2016 College World Series.

Shocks Picked Third in the Valley
The Shockers were third in the Valley preseason poll done by the league's coaches.  WSU totaled 47 points and received one first-place vote. Missouri State received five first-place votes and 60 points to finish first.  Dallas Baptist was picked second with two first-place votes and 56 points.

Three Named to Preseason All-MVC Team
Senior first baseman Ryan Tinkham, sophomore starting pitcher Sam Tewes and sophomore catcher Gunnar Troutwine were named to the preseason all-Valley team.  Tinkham earned second team honors in 2015, while Troutwine was an honorable mention selection.

Tinkham Named a Preseason All-American
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Ryan Tinkham has been named a second team Louisville Slugger preseason All-American.
Tinkham, a senior first baseman from Simi Valley, Calif., hit .333 last season and started all 59 games. He had 70 hits, 53 runs, 19 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 46 RBI and seven stolen bases and earned second team all-Valley honors.

Shocks Unveil Fourth-Largest Scoreboard
Shocker fans will have a bigger reason to cheer when the 2016 baseball season begins as Wichita State University has partnered with Daktronics of Brookings, South Dakota, to provide a new LED video display that will be top-five in all of college baseball at nearly 1,300 square feet. The board was installed in January.
The display will measure approximately 20.5 feet high by 63.5 feet wide and will feature a 15HD pixel layout to provide crisp, clear imagery with wide angle visibility to appeal to every seat at Eck Stadium. It features variable content zoning which allows it to show one large image or it can be divided into multiple windows to show a variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics and game information, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages.

WSU Has No. 25 Recruiting Class
Wichita State's recruiting class has been ranked No. 25 by Baseball America. It is the second-straight top-25 ranking for the Shockers as last year's class was ranked No. 21 by Baseball America.
Two of the recruits were drafted in 2015 including outfielder Dayton Dugas (29th round) and right-handed pitcher Connor Lungwitz (35th round). Right-handed pitcher Zach Lewis was drafted in 2014 (33rd round).
The Shockers welcome 15 newcomers including 11 freshmen and four junior college transfers.

34 Games to be Televised in 2016
Wichita State is scheduled to have 34 baseball games televised in 2016. Thirty of the 34 televised games will be home contests, while four of WSU's 22 road contests will also be televised.
Twenty-five of the games will be televised on ESPN3, including twenty-two home games as part of The Valley on ESPN3 television package. The three road games on ESPN3 are April 8 and April 10 at Evansville and April 19 at Kansas.
Seven games will be televised on Cox Channel Kansas, which is available for Cox cable subscribers on channel 22 and 2022. Those games include April 12 against Oklahoma, April 16 against Missouri State, April 24 against Bradley, April 26 against Kansas State, May 10 against Creighton, May 17 against Kansas and May 19 against Dallas Baptist.
The other two televised games are April 2 against TCU on ESPNU and May 3 at Kansas State on FOX College Sports.
Four home games that will not be televised (Feb. 19-21 and March 5) will be available on a free video stream at www.goshockers.com.
Every game, home and away, can also be heard on KNSS 1330 AM and www.goshockers.com.