WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State wraps up a four-game road swing in Omaha, Neb., vs. Creighton Tuesday night at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
Quick Hits
• Tuesday's game will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM and on goshockers.com with Mike Kennedy calling the action. The game will also be televised on COX Channel Kansas with Shane Dennis and Ben Fogarty.
• Wichita State leads the overall series with Creighton 113-47-1. The Shockers also lead the series in Omaha 43-21.
• WSU is 135th in the April 24 NCAA RPI, while Creighton is 172nd and Illinois State is 270th. The Shockers are 1-13 against the top-50 and 2-15 against the top-100.
• Alec Bohm is currently on a 12-game hitting streak.
• WSU turned a triple play against Valpo on April 2. It was the first one since 2002.
• Willie Schwanke had his first at bat of the season on April 5 against Oklahoma State and his first since March 10, 2015.
• WSU is 3-15 this season on the road.
• In those 18 road games, WSU is hitting .227 with a 7.42 ERA and .969 fielding percentage.
• On the road this season, Alec Bohm is hitting .338, Noah Croft is hitting .293, Greyson Jenista is hitting .257 and Alex Jackson is hitting .250.
• WSU is 3-7 in the last 10 games.
• In those 10 games, WSU is hitting .297 with a 7.90 ERA and .961 fielding percentage.
• In the last 10 games, Alec Bohm is hitting .409, Noah Croft is hitting .370, Trey Vickers is hitting .341, Greyson Jenista is hitting .333 and Alex Jackson is hitting .317.
• The Shockers are just one of eight teams (Alabama, George Washington, College of Charleston, UNC Asheville, Cincinnati, St. John's, Boston College) to turn a triple play this season.
• WSU collected a season-high 16 strikeouts on March 22 against Sacramento State. It was the most by the pitching staff since 2009.
• WSU collected back-to-back shutouts on Feb. 25 of Grand Canyon. The last time WSU had two-straight was in 2013.
• WSU had a scoreless innings streak of 24.1 from Feb. 19-26. The streak ranks as the eighth longest in WSU history.
• Senior pitcher Reagan Biechler needs 13 more appearances to move into a tie for fifth in the Shocker record book for career appearances.
• Four Shockers have double-digit errorless streaks including Travis Young at 70, Gunnar Troutwine at 27, Alex Jackson at 29, and Jacob Katzfey at 15.
• WSU struck out seven-straight batters in the season opener against Utah Valley. It was the first time with six or more consecutive strikeouts since 2010.
• WSU is 658-279 overall in the month of April.
• Since 1978, the Shockers are 22-9 on April 25.
• WSU plays 24 games in 2017 against teams that were in the top-100 in the RPI in 2016. Fifteen of those are games against teams in the top-50.
• The Shocks were picked tied for fourth in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Sophomore designated hitter Alec Bohm and sophomore utility player Luke Ritter were named to the preseason all-Valley team.
• In 2016, Greyson Jenista was the first freshman to lead the Shockers in hitting since Pat Magness in 1997 and was just the fifth freshman overall.
• The Shockers welcome 13 newcomers in 2017.
• WSU returns seven starters and 15 letterwinners from the 2016 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns four starters including Willie Schwanke, Cody Tyler, Zach Lewis and Connor Lungwitz.
• Last season, Travis Young tied the freshman record for sacrifice hits in a season with seven and it was also the 12th most in the single season record books.
• Last season, Gunnar Troutwine had the fifth most assists by a catcher with 59.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his fourth season as coach of the Shockers.
• Assistant Coach Brian Walker is the third base coach and Volunteer Assistant Coach Codey McElroy is the first base coach.
Scouting Creighton
The Bluejays are 18-16 overall and 8-1 in the Big East and have won 10-straight games. Wins this season have come against Santa Clara, Utah Valley three times, Kansas, UC Davis twice, Winthrop, St. John's twice, South Dakota State, Georgetown three times, Nebraska and Villanova three times. Losses have come against UAB three times, Michigan, Saint Louis, Abilene Christian three times, Air Force twice, Utah Valley, UC Davis, Winthrop twice, Nebraska and St. John's. As a team, CU is hitting .267 with a 3.80 ERA and a .968 fielding percentage. They are led offensively by Michael Emodi who is hitting .277 with nine doubles, six home runs and 31 RBI. The Bluejays are led by head coach Ed Servais.
Series History vs. the Bluejays
Wichita State leads the overall series with the Bluejays 113-47-1. The Shockers also lead the series in Omaha 43-21.
Last Meeting vs. CU
The last meeting between the two teams was May 10, 2016 in Wichita. The Shockers won the game 7-3. Travis Young went 3-for-4 with two RBI, while Josh DeBacker and Mikel Mucha each went 2-for-4. Reliever Zach Lewis earned the win.
Shutout of the Jayhawks
Wichita State beat in-state rival Kansas 8-0 on Wednesday night in Wichita. It was the first shutout of the Jayhawks by WSU since April 5, 2006 in Wichita. In that game, the Shockers won 4-0.
Home Run for Schwanke
Senior designated hitter Willie Schwanke hit his first home run of the season on Saturday at Missouri State. It was his first home run as a Shocker and the second of his career. He had 118 at bats between his two home runs and a little more than four years and two months. He hit his other home run on Feb. 19, 2013 against New Orleans when he was a freshman at Arkansas.
Bohm's Streak
Sophomore third baseman Alec Bohm had a hit in all four games last week to push his hitting streak to 12 games, which ties his career-best. During the streak, he is 21-for-50 (.420) with nine runs, three doubles, one triple, four home runs, 16 RBI, five walks and one stolen base.
Back-to-Back
Wichita State hit back-to-back home runs in the April 15 game at Bradley. It was the first time the Shockers went back-to-back since April 17, 2015 at Bradley when Ryan Tinkham and Sam Hilliard did it. This time around, it was Dayton Dugas and Noah Croft.
Croft's Big Day
Redshirt freshman catcher Noah Croft hit the first home run of his career in the second inning at Bradley on Saturday. He finished the game with another home run in the seventh inning, a three-run shot that tied the game. He ended up going 3-for-4 in the game with a career-high five RBI and a double.
Triple Play
In the ninth inning of the April 2 game against Valparaiso with runners on first and second, the Shockers turned a 5-6-3 triple play to keep the game tied. It was the first triple play turned by the Shockers since April 16, 2002 against Kansas.
Walk-Offs for Young
Sophomore outfielder Travis Young collected the first walk-off hit of the season for the Shockers in the March 31 4-3 win over Valparaiso. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, he singled to left field to drive in Alex Jackson for the game-winning run. He followed that up with another walk-off on April 2 in another 4-3 win. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, he singled to right field to drive in Noah Croft for the game-winning run. They were the first two walk-off hits of his career.
Lewis Sets Career-High
Senior pitcher Zach Lewis put together a career performance on March 25 against No. 3 Texas Tech. He tied his career-best with seven innings pitched and struck out a career-high 10 in the game.
Season-High K's
The Shocker pitching staff collected a season-high 16 strikeouts on March 22 against Sacramento State. It was the most strikeouts by the WSU pitching staff since March 18, 2009 when the Shockers struck out 16 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Boyer's Grand Slam
Sophomore infielder Jordan Boyer hit his first career home run on March 15 against Northern Colorado. The home run was a grand slam, which was the Shockers first of the season.
Legends Weekend Scheduled for April 28-29
The Wichita State baseball program will be hosting Legends Weekend April 28-29 vs. Illinois State.
All Shocker Baseball alumni will be celebrated, honored and recognized at the first Legends Weekend.
On Fri., April 28, all alumni that are present will be introduced on the field before the game.
On Sat., April 29, there will be a College World Series pennant giveaway to the first 2,000 fans in attendance. Fans will also be able to take their photo for the first time with the 1989 National Championship trophy.
There will also be postgame autographs on Saturday with all Shocker legends and alumni in attendance.
Memorable Shocker Baseball moments will be highlighted on the video board all weekend long.
