WICHITA, Kan. - Weather altered the weekend series this weekend in Omaha to a two-game series beginning with game one on Saturday, March 17 at 2 p.m. CT. The Shockers and Bluejays will wrap up the series on Sunday with a 12 p.m. first pitch.
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Quick Hits
• Both games will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM and on goshockers.com with Shane Dennis calling the action.Â
• Wichita State leads the overall series with Creighton 113-48-1. WSU also leads the series in Omaha 43-22.
• The Shockers are ranked No. 20 in the Collegiate Baseball poll.
• Liam Eddy is a member of The American Honor Roll this week.
• WSU's 8-0 start was the best since the 2005 team started 11-0.
• Alec Bohm already has three grand slams this season and is the national leader.
• The Shockers lead the nation in grand slams with five.
• Liam Eddy is just the second freshman pitcher in school history to win his first four starts. The other was David Haas in 1985.
• Redshirt freshman Alex Segal will be celebrating his birthday on Sun., March 18.
• The Shockers are 6-for-9 with the bases loaded this season with five grand slams. Alec Bohm is 3-for-3 with three grand slams with the bases loaded.
• The Shockers are 3-2 on the road this season.
• In five road games, WSU is hitting .241 with a 6.07 ERA and .972 fielding percentage.
• WSU is 7-3 in the last 10 games.
• In the last 10 games, WSU is hitting .290 with a 3.30 ERA and a .981 fielding percentage.
• Head Coach Todd Butler collected his 200th career victory on Feb. 24 against Omaha.
• 10 of 11 Shockers, who have a home run in their career, have homered in their last 35 at bats.
• Eight Shockers have double-digit errorless streaks including Jacob Katzfey at 28, Dayton Dugas at 33, Josh DeBacker at 19, Noah Croft at 16, Mason O'Brien at 14, Gunnar Troutwine at 12, Travis Young at 12 and Trey Vickers at 11.
• Junior Greyson Jenista has made 112-straight starts while junior Alec Bohm has started 95 straight. Senior Trey Vickers had his streak of 89 straight starts broken opening weekend.
• Shocker pinch hitters are 7-for-20 (.350) this season.
• Freshman Hunter Gibson homered in his first collegiate plate appearance on Feb. 25 against Omaha. He is just the second Shocker to do that joining teammate Alec Bohm who did it in 2016.
• Greyson Jenista and Alec Bohm have both been named preseason All-Americans and to the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
• The Shockers are 24-8 on March 17 and 21-8 on March 18.Â
• WSU is 586-239-2 all-time in the month of March.
• WSU is now 30-11 in season openers since 1978.
• WSU is now 38-3 in home openers since 1978.
• Greyson Jenista and Alec Bohm have both been named preseason All-Americans and to the watch list for the Golden Spikes Award.
• The Shockers 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 Creighton
The Bluejays are 9-5 overall with wins over Northeastern, UC Davis three times, Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Minnesota twice and Kansas State. Losses have come against Northeastern twice, Central Arkansas twice and Minnesota. Leading the way offensively is Michael Emodi who is hitting .407 with six home runs and 26 RBI. The team is hitting .279 with a 5.27 ERA and .955 fielding percentage. The Jays are led by head coach Ed Servais.
Series History vs. the Bluejays
Wichita State leads the overall series with the Bluejays 113-48-1. The Shockers also lead the series in Omaha 43-22.
Last Meeting vs. CU
The last meeting between the two teams was April 25, 2017 in Omaha. The Bluejays won the game 4-3. Alex Jackson went 3-for-5 with two RBI, while Trey Vickers and Alec Bohm each had two hits. Reliever Ben Hecht took the loss.
Shockers Ranked 20th
The Wichita State baseball team is ranked No. 20 in the March 12 Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Shockers were ranked No. 22 in the March 5 poll. It was the first time the Shockers have been ranked in the top-25 since March 27, 2011 when they were No. 24. WSU is also receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches Poll and the NCBWA poll.
Butler to Miss Two Games
Wichita State head baseball coach Todd Butler will serve a two game suspension administered by the NCAA for excessive arguing of balls and strikes.
Butler was ejected from Sunday's game against UT Arlington in the bottom of the seventh inning. He missed the Tue., March 13 game at Missouri and will miss the Sat., March 17 game at Creighton.
National Leaders
Wichita State already has five grand slams this season, which leads the NCAA. New Mexico State, Santa Clara and Kansas State are in second with three grand slams. Individually, Alec Bohm is the national leader with three grand slams, while three others are tied for second with two each.
Another Grand Slam
Greyson Jenista hit his first career grand slam in the 12-3 win over UT Arlington. It was the Shockers fifth grand slam of the season. The school record is six set in 1998.
Vickers' Debut
Senior shortstop Trey Vickers made his first start of the season in game one against UT Arlington after missing the first part of the season with a hamstring injury. In his debut, he went 3-for-5 with two runs and a home run. He pinch hit in game three against the Mavericks and singled to right, which led to the tying run scoring in the eighth inning.
Power Surge
The Shockers hit their 19th home run of the season on March 10 against UT Arlington. That is just 13 games into the season. Last season, it took the Shockers 35 games to hit 19 home runs.
Troutwine's Walk-Off
Senior catcher Gunnar Troutwine's walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning gave Wichita State a 5-4 win in 10 innings against UT Arlington on March 11. It was the first walk-off win for the Shockers since May 16, 2017 when Luke Ritter hit a walk-off home run against Kansas State. It was the first extra innings walk-off hit since Greyson Jenista's single against Oral Roberts in the 10th inning on May 9, 2017.
School Record
Junior Alec Bohm already has three grand slams this season, which is a school record for grand slams in a season. He needs just one more to tie for the career record of four at Wichita State held by Phil Stephenson and Randy Walter.
Back-to-Back
The Bash Brothers went back-to-back for the first time this season in game three against Omaha. Greyson Jenista hit a two-run home run to left field and on the very next pitch Alec Bohm homered to right-center. The Bash Brothers went back-to-back for the second time this season in game two against Nebraska. Greyson Jenista hit a three-run home run to right field and Alec Bohm followed with a homer to left field.
Bohm Honored
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Alec Bohm has been named a Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week and to the American Athletic Conference honor roll for the week of Feb. 26-March 4. Bohm, a junior third baseman from Omaha, Neb., led the Shockers to a series win over Nebraska. In the three-game series, he went 3-for-11 (.273) with seven runs, three home runs (two grand slams), nine RBI and three walks. He homered in each game of the series and hit grand slams in games one and three. In the game one win, he went 1-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, a walk and a grand slam. In the game two win, he went 1-for-4 with a run, a RBI and a home run and in game three he went 1-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, two walks and a grand slam. He pushed his hitting streak to 11 games and is now hitting .452 this season with five home runs and 17 RBI.
O'Brien Gets Hot vs. Nebraska
Junior first baseman Mason O'Brien led the Shockers to a series win over Nebraska. In the three-game series, he went 7-for-12 (.583) with one run, one home run (a grand slam) and nine RBI. In the game one win, he went 3-for-3 with a run, five RBI and a grand slam. In the game two win, he went 1-for-4 with a RBI and in game three he went 3-for-5 with three RBI.
Stout Defense
The Shockers continued to play great defense this season in the three-game series with UT Arlington and already has seven errorless games in 15 total games this season. The Shockers are fielding .984 overall.
8-0 Start
Wichita State started the 2018 season 8-0 which is the best start since 2005 when the Shockers started 11-0.
Sanburn Emerges
Senior reliever Chandler Sanburn has emerged as the Shockers top relief pitcher. In his last six appearances, he has pitched 8.2 shutout innings and has allowed just two hits. He has one save with two walks and 13 strikeouts.
Grand Slams for Everyone
On March 2 in game one of the series against Nebraska, Mason O'Brien and Alec Bohm both hit grand slams for the Shockers. It was the first time the Shockers had two grand slams in a game since April 25, 2008 when Dusty Coleman and Conor Gillaspie did it at Indiana State.
Bohm's Slams
Alec Bohm already has three grand slams this season (Feb. 16 at McNeese, March 2 vs. Nebraska, March 4 vs. Nebraska). The last Shocker to have multiple grand slams in a season was Casey Gillaspie in 2013 with two.
Four-Straight
Alec Bohm hit a home run in four-straight games this season (Feb. 25-March 4). He is the first Shocker to do that since Sam Hilliard hit one in four-straight from May 14-20, 2015.
Bases Loaded
With the bases loaded this season, the Shockers are 4-for-6 with four grand slams. Alec Bohm is 3-for-3 with the bases loaded with three grand slams.
Steady Eddy
Freshman pitcher Liam Eddy picked up his third win of the year in the game two victory over Nebraska. He pitched six innings and gave up one run on six hits with one walk and two strikeouts. He improved to 3-0 on the year and lowered his ERA to 1.45.
Gibson Homers in Debut
Freshman Hunter Gibson pinch hit in game three of the series against Omaha for his first collegiate at bat. He hit an opposite field home run and became just the second player in Shocker history to hit a home run in their first collegiate plate appearance. The other is his teammate Alec Bohm who did it in 2016.
Newcomers Debut
Five Shockers made their collegiate debut in the three-game series at McNeese State. Redshirt freshmen Alex Segal and Preston Minor both pitched, while true freshmen Ross Cadena, Tyler Davis and Liam Eddy also played. Three more made appearances in the series with Omaha including Hunter Gibson, Paxton Wallace and Garrett Kocis and Trent Allen made his debut against Nebraska.
Road Series Win
With the sweep of McNeese State, Wichita State won its first road series since 2015 at Southern Illinois. It was the first non-conference road series win for the Shockers since sweeping Hawaii in 2007.
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.
Shockers 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.
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.
