WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State opens the 2018 campaign with a three-game weekend series in Lake Charles, La., against McNeese State. The first pitch of the season will be Friday night at 6 p.m.
Quick Hits
• All three games will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM and on goshockers.com with Shane Dennis calling the action.
• Wichita State leads the overall series with McNeese State 2-1. This will be the first meeting between the two teams in Lake Charles.
• WSU is 29-11 in season openers since 1978.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is from Sulphur, La., and was the head coach at McNeese State from 2001-03 and an assistant coach from 1993-94.
• Junior outfielder Dayton Dugas is from Lake Charles, La., and played at Sam Houston High School. He will be playing against seven of his former high school teammates who now play at McNeese State.
• Jordan Boyer enters the 2018 season on a six-game hitting streak, while Gunnar Troutwine is on a four-game streak, Greyson Jenista, Travis Young and Alec Bohm are on two-game streaks and Jacob Katzfey is on a one-game hitting streak.
• Eight of nine returning starters have homered in their last 61 at bats.
• Seven Shockers have double-digit errorless streaks heading into the 2018 season including Jacob Katzfey at 22, Dayton Dugas at 18, Jordan Boyer, Josh DeBacker and Noah Croft at 13, Travis Young at 12 and Greyson Jenista at 11.
• Junior Greyson Jenista has made 97-straight starts entering the 2018 season, while senior Trey Vickers has started 89 straight and junior Alec Bohm 80 straight.
• Greyson Jenista and Alec Bohm have both been named preseason All-Americans and to the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
• WSU is 150-53 all-time overall in the month of February.
• WSU is 5-4 on Feb. 16 since 1978. The Shockers are 5-4 on Feb. 17 and 12-4 on Feb. 18.
• The Shockers are 85-7 all-time at home (Eck and Lawrence-Dumont) in the month of February.
• WSU is 37-3 in home openers since 1978.
• The Shocks were picked sixth in The American Preseason Poll.
• Junior third baseman Alec Bohm and junior outfielder Greyson Jenista were named to the preseason all-conference team.
• The Shockers welcome nine newcomers in 2018.
• WSU returns nine starters and 24 letterwinners from the 2017 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns five pitchers who started games in 2017 including Codi Heuer, Cody Tyler, Keylan Killgore, Tommy Barnhouse and Robby Evans.
• Wichita State is playing its first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Shocker baseball program was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1948-2017
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his fifth season as coach of the Shockers.
• Assistant Coach Sammy Esposito is the third base coach and Volunteer Assistant Coach Willie Schwanke is the first base coach.
Scouting McNeese State
The Cowboys return five position starters and three starting pitchers from a team that went 37-20 a year ago and won the Southland Conference regular-season with a 22-8 record. MSU is picked third in the Southland preseason poll. The Cowboys return two of their top hitters from last season in first team all-conference selections Joe Provenzano and Shane Selman. Provenzano hit .336 with 12 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 54 RBI, while Selman hit .333 with 16 doubles, one triple, 14 home runs and 59 RBI. The Cowboys are led by head coach Justin Hill.
Series History vs. the Cowboys
Wichita State leads the overall series 2-1. McNeese State won 4-3 in Lafayette, La., in 2003, while the Shockers won 13-4 and 7-5 in Wichita in 2005.
Last Meeting vs. MSU
The last meeting between the two teams was March 16, 2005, in Wichita. The Shockers won the game 7-5. Blake Hurlbutt went 2-for-4 with a RBI, while reliever Brandon Ast threw 2.2 shutout innings for the win.
Homecoming
It is a homecoming for two Shockers as Wichita State opens the season at McNeese State in Lake Charles, La. Head Coach Todd Butler is from Sulphur, La., and he was the head coach at McNeese State from 2001-03 and an assistant coach from 1993-94. Junior outfielder Dayton Dugas is from Lake Charles and played at Sam Houston High School. He will be playing against seven of his former high school teammates who now play for McNeese State.
WSU a Winner in Season Openers
Since 1978, the Shockers are 29-11 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 37-3 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.
Jenista and Bohm Named to Watch List
Two Wichita State baseball student-athletes have been named to the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list. Junior third baseman Alec Bohm and junior outfielder Greyson Jenista are both on the 55-player list. The award goes to the top amateur baseball player in the country and will be presented on June 28 in Los Angeles. Darren Dreifort is the only Shocker to win the award. He won it in 1993 after being a finalist in 1992.
Jenista & Bohm Named Preseason All-Americans
Greyson Jenista and Alec Bohm enter the 2018 season with many preseason accolades. Jenista has been named a preseason All-American by five publications, while Bohm has been honored by four. Jenista was named to the first team by Baseball America and College Sports Madness, second team by Collegiate Baseball and Perfect Game and to the third team by D1Baseball. Bohm was named to the first team by Perfect Game, College Sports Madness and Baseball America and the third team by Collegiate Baseball. Bohm, a junior from Omaha, Neb., hit .305 last season with 71 hits, 44 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, 11 home runs, 40 RBI and five stolen bases to earn first team all-conference honors. During the summer, he helped the Falmouth Commodores to the Western Division Cape Cod League Playoffs and earned All-Star honors, while finishing second in the Cape in batting average (.351), third in RBI (28), third in doubles (10) and 10th in home runs (5). Jenista, a junior from Eudora, Kan., hit .320 last season with 73 hits, 45 runs, 14 doubles, one triple, nine home runs, 41 RBI and six stolen bases to earn second team all-conference honors. During the summer, he helped the Cotuit Kettleers to the Western Division Cape Cod League Playoffs and earned Cape Cod League MVP honors after hitting .310 with 24 runs, 44 hits, four doubles, three home runs, 16 RBI and nine stolen bases.
Family Tradition
Junior first baseman Mason O'Brien is carrying on a Shocker baseball family tradition. His uncles Charlie O'Brien (1980-82) and Erik Sonberg (1981-83) and cousins Chris O'Brien (2009-11) and Tim Kelley (2008-11) all played for the Shockers.
WSU Joins The American
On April 7, 2017, Wichita State accepted an invitation to the American Athletic Conference. Commissioner Mike Aresco announced the addition of Wichita State to the American Athletic Conference beginning on July 1, 2017. The American's Board of Directors unanimously voted to accept Wichita State as its newest member. The Shockers officially joined The American on July 1, 2017 and conference members include the University of Central Florida, the University of Cincinnati, the University of Connecticut, East Carolina University, the University of Houston, the University of Memphis, Southern Methodist University, the University of South Florida, Temple University, Tulane University, University of Tulsa, the U.S. Naval Academy and Wichita State University. Navy is a football-only member and Wichita State is a basketball and Olympic sports-only member.
Shocks Picked Sixth in The American
The Shockers were sixth in The American preseason poll done by the league's coaches. WSU totaled 29 points. Houston received five first-place votes and 59 points to finish first. UConn was picked second with three first-place votes and 50 points.
Two Named to Preseason All-Conference Team
Junior third baseman Alec Bohm and junior outfielder Greyson Jenista were named to the preseason all-conference team. Bohm earned first team all-Valley honors in 2017, while Jenista was named to the second team.
Hitting Streaks Alive
Six Shockers enter the 2018 season with hitting streaks that carry over from 2017. Jordan Boyer is on a six-game hitting streak, while Gunnar Troutwine is on a four-game streak, Greyson Jenista, Travis Young and Alec Bohm are on two-game streaks and Jacob Katzfey is on a one-game hitting streak.
Nine Starters Return
WSU returns nine starters from the 2017 team in senior shortstop Trey Vickers, junior third baseman Alec Bohm, junior outfielders Dayton Dugas and Travis Young, junior utility player Luke Ritter, junior second baseman Jordan Boyer, junior first baseman Greyson Jenista, sophomore catcher Noah Croft and sophomore outfielder Alex Jackson.
Shockers to Play 32 Home Games
WSU will play 32 home games in 2018 including 2017 NCAA Tourney participants Nebraska, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Oral Roberts and USF. The Shockers also host Omaha, SIUE, UT Arlington, Furman, Tulane, UConn, Central Arkansas, Kansas, Cincinnati, South Dakota State and Kansas State.
Newcomers Look to Make Impact
WSU welcomes nine newcomers to the 2018 team including junior Mason O'Brien and freshmen Logan Easley, Ross Cadena, Hunter Gibson, Paxton Wallace, Tyler Davis, Liam Eddy, Garrett Kocis, and Jacob Lindemann.
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 6-7/7-8/8-9 p.m. on Monday's. It is hosted by Mike Kennedy and starts on Feb. 19.
2017 Season Review
In 2017, the Shockers finished 28-30 overall and 10-11 in the Valley. Alec Bohm and Zach Lewis earned first team all-Valley honors, while Greyson Jenista was named to the second team. Trey Vickers and Noah Croft were named honorable mention.
