WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita State softball team wraps up a month long road schedule with a three game, two day series, at Nebraska March 3-4. The Shockers will face the Huskers in a doubleheader on Saturday with a lone game on Sunday; all three games will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network Plus.
SPENDING TIME IN TEXAS
The Shockers have spent the last two weekends in Texas (Hunstville and Austin), only falling to teams ranked inside the top-25 nationally on both occasions. The Shockers have only lost one game to a team not ranked on a two-run walk-off homer.
History repeated itself against #21 Ohio State this past weekend, a two-run walk-off completing the comeback for the Buckeyes.
The Shockers also rallied from a four-run hole against the Longhorns in their own backyard while also taking down Virginia Tech to close out the tournament.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA
The Huskers started the 2018 season in emphatic fashion, downing two nationally ranked opponents and pushing a third close at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. This past weekend Nebraska took down #6 Texas A&M, but fell to Mississippi State and #3 UCLA. The Huskers also pushed #1 Washington close in a 4-2 loss to the Huskers.
The Shockers fell to the Huskies twice the week before in Huntsville, Texas, becoming the first team all year to push them to a full seven innings; Nebraska became the third.
The Huskers are led by Kaylan Jablonski both at the plate and in the circle. The right handed pitcher has a 3.11 ERA with a 5-4 record and 34 strikeouts. At the plate she is hitting .388, leading the team in hits, doubles, triples, home runs, total bases, on base percentage and slugging percentage.
Tristen Edwards is hitting .360 and leads the team in RBI's.
SERIES HISTORY
The Huskers lead the overall series 17-33 with Wichita State trailing 2-13 in Lincoln. It's a little closer in Wichita with the Shockers trailing 13-15 and 2-5 at neutral sites.
LAST MEETING WITH THE HUSKERS
The teams last faced off last season for the fourth time in six years with the fixture becoming a staple of
Kristi Bredbenner's schedule. The Shockers defeated Nebraska in a lone game at Wilkins Stadium in March, 7-5, with
Mackenzie Wright going 1-for-2 with a walk. She hit a sacrifice fly into right field for an RBI to help secure the win.
THOSE TOP-25 TEAMS
In a similar profile to the Shockers, Nebraska have also only dropped
one game all year to a team not recieving votes or within the top-25 nationally.
The Shockers fell on a walk-off two-run homer to Furman back on the first weekend of the season in Auburn, Ala., with the Huskers falling to Boston College 3-0 in Atlanta, Ga.
ALL EYES ON LINCOLN
All three games this weekend will be broadcast live on the BTN PLUS/ BTN2Go network which is an online streaming platform. The service is free to customers of participating TV Providers
INCLUDING Cox, Dish, DirecTV and DISH and will require signing in on the BTN2Go website. Zach Penrice and Caelan Debban will be on the call for the two games Saturday with Colton Stone and Brock Birkholtz calling the lone game on Sunday.
QUICK HITS
• The Shockers complete their month long road travels with a two day, three game, series at Nebraska. The Cornhuskers are the eighth team this season the Shockers have faced that are recieving national attention.
• Sophomore
Ryleigh Buck continued her strong start to the year this past weekend. Buck led the team for the second week straight in batting average (.357) and hits (5). The week before she was tabbed for The American Honor Roll after the Shockers picked up three wins in Hunstville.
• A young pitching staff has contributed early in the circle for the Shockers. With only one upperclassmen, freshman pitchers contributed 19.1 innings through five games at the Texas Invitational.
Caitlin Bingham led the team with five appearances, starting two games and striking out seven.
Sophomore
Bailey Klitzke pitched seven key innings, including 4.2 in the win over Texas, only giving up one hit and striking out two.
• Even when the opponent scores up to five runs, the Shockers still hold a winning record (7-2).
Ignoring the four blowouts to ranked opponents, the other three Shocker losses have been decided by a combined four runs; two by one and one by two.
• Since 2014, the Shocker batters have dominated the record books. The '14, '15, '16, '17 squads hold top-six records in highest batting average, highest slugging percentage, highest on base percentage, most runs scored, most hits, most doubles, most home runs and most RBI's.
•
Paige Luellen needs 12 RBI to take first position in the individual career record. Current director of operations
Cacy Williams holds the record with 135.
• In her seven seasons at WSU, head coach
Kristi Bredbenner has moved into second position in both victories (177) and winning percentage (.518) in the history books.
• Wichita State has been picked fifth in the preseason American Athletic Conference poll behind Tulsa, Houston, USF and UCF. The Shockers are currently on a six game win streak against the Golden Hurricane.
• WSU won their first MVC Tournament title in 2016.
• The Shockers have won two MVC regular-season championships (2014, 2016).
• Six Shockers earned all-conference honors last season including
Kelli Spring,
Mackenzie Wright,
Katie Malone and
McKenzie Adams on the first team and
Madison Perrigan and
Laurie Derrico on the second team Perrigan was also named to the all-defensive squad.
• As a senior last season,
Katie Malone became the first pitcher in nine years and only the fourth in school history to be named a first team all-conference honoree.
• WSU has won 30 or more games for three straight years.
• Wichita State is playing its first season in the American Athletic Conference. The Shockers were a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1992-2017.
HONORED BY THE AMERICAN
Ryleigh Buck earned a spot on the first American Athletic Conference Softball Honor Roll Feb. 19-25 with freshman
Bailee Nickerson earning an Honor Roll nod Feb. 12-18. Both were first time awards with Buck becoming a standout at first base and Nickerson starting in center field in her first year as a Shocker.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Ryleigh Buck is currently sitting in a number of top-10 conference categories. The sophomore, having a standout season so far, is 10th in batting average, eighth in slugging percentage, tied fifth in runs scored and tied sixth in doubles.
At first base she is second in chances and putouts and tied second in fielding double plays.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
There's something about playing on a Friday night under the floodlights. The Shockers are currently on a seven game win streak, including two this season, in regular season games played on Friday evenings at 5:30 p.m. or later dating back nearly
two years to March 2016. The last time the Shockers lost on a late Friday evening was in the 2016 NCAA Regional to #3 Oklahoma.
ROAD WARRIORS NO MORE
After traveling roughly 2010 miles to three tournaments, the Shockers begin a run of 17 games in the Midwest kicking off with the three game series at Nebraska. Next week the Shockers take to Wilkins Stadium for the first time this season with six games in a week beginning with a doubleheader against Arkansas (R.V.) Tuesday night and the Wichita State Tournament Saturday and Sunday.
IT DOESN'T GET ANY EASIER
After facing seven teams recieving national votes, the Shockers continue with five games against two teams in four days also recieving national attention. Both Nebraska and Arkansas are in similar positions, receiving 12 and 16 votes this week in the NFCA/USA Today Poll.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING
Junior pitcher
Bailey Lange leads the Shocker pitching staff in wins and strikeouts despite missing most of last week to an illness. The lefty pitcher has the second most looking strikeouts in the American Athletic Conference and is averaging 7.83 strikeouts per game. Lange and fellow pitcher
Bailey Klitzke are also contributing at the plate; both are tied third in sacrifice bunts.
500 NOT OUT
Head coach
Kristi Bredbenner earned her 500th career victory as a head coach when the Shockers took down Northern Colorado in Huntsville, Texas. Bredbenner is in her seventh year at Wichita State and is currently second in wins and winning percentage in the Shocker record books.
MOVING ON UP
Multiple current Shockers have individual career records in the top-10 record books.
Mackenzie Wright is seventh in batting average [.328],
Laurie Derrico is third in slugging percentage [.577] with
Paige Luellen [third with .432] and Wright [fourth with .422] seperated by ten percentiles in on-base percentage.
GETTING 'EM AROUND
Senior
Paige Luellen needs 12 RBI to move into first place in the Shocker record books. Currently in third with 125, if Luellen reaches 136 she will overtake current softball director of operations
Cacy Williams who played at Wichita State from 2014-16.
DRAWING AND STEALING
Seniors
Paige Luellen and
Mackenzie Wright both continue to climb the Shocker record books in walks and stolen bases. Luellen is tied third in walks with 93 [needs 12 to move into first] with Wright fifth in stolen bases with 45 [needs 12 to move into first].
Bailey Lange is 7-for-7 this season in stolen bases, the second most in The American so far this year.
STACKED SCHEDULE
The 2018 Shockers have the toughest schedule in the history of the program by facing off against 11 teams that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament; including two teams that reached the College World Series in Washington (play twice at the Sam Houston State Tournament) and defending National Champion Oklahoma (the Shockers travel to Norman in April).
YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR AFTER YEAR
Since
2014, every Shocker softball squad has entered the batting record books with the
'14, '15, '16 and
'17 teams all holding top-six positions in multiple categories including highest batting average, highest slugging percentage, highest on base percentage, most runs scored, most hits, most doubles, most home runs and most RBI's.
ALL EYES ON WILKINS
Every Shocker softball home game in 2018 will be broadcast live through ShockerHD with the voice of Shocker women's basketball Steve Strain on the play-by-play call for the second straight season.
SHOCKER MANIACS
Attendances at Wilkins Stadium continue to rise under
Kristi Bredbenner. Through 13 fixtures at home last season, Wichita State welcomed 511 fans per game; the highest average attendance figure in program history.
STAYING IN THE LOOP
Follow the Shocker softball program on twitter (
@GoShockersSB) for up-to-date content and in-game updates. You can also become a fan of Wichita State Softball on Facebook (
WichitaStateSoftball) and Instagram (
GoShockersSB).
