WICHITA, Kan. - After downing the Arkansas Razorbacks to kick off a week-long home stand, the Wichita State softball team plays host to Missouri State and Western Illinois in the Wichita State Tournament at Wilkins Stadium this weekend. The Shockers will play both teams twice, once each on Saturday and Sunday, with the Bears and Leathernecks facing off to kick off both days.
Tickets for the tournament are priced at $6 which allows entry to all six games.
SCOUTING MISSOURI STATE
The Bears, a 20-year rival in the Missouri Valley Conference, hold an identical record to the Shockers entering the weekend with 10 wins and eight losses. Two of those losses came last weekend in Norman, Okla., to the No. 4 Sooners (both shutouts) with the Bears picking up two wins against Abilene Christian the same weekend. On the road the Bears are struggling with a 1-5 record. Arkansas, who the Shockers took down on Tuesday afternoon, run-ruled the Bears last week in Fayetteville. Erika Zimmer, named on the MVC Preseason Team, is leading the Missouri State offense and is one of three Bears batting over 300. Kaitlin Beason and Daphne Plummer are the other two; Plummer leads the team with 12 RBI's on the season. Holly Kelley leads the pitching staff with a 2.16 ERA and a 4-2 record.
SERIES HISTORY
The teams have met 107 times on the softball field with the Shockers holding a one game lead overall (54-53). In Wichita the lead is larger (25-17) with the Shockers currently on a two-game win streak (one on the road, one at home). This will be the first time in 20 years the teams have not met in a conference matchup.
LAST MEETING WITH THE BEARS
The Shockers last met the Bears in 2017 in Springfield; Wichita State won 6-1.
Mackenzie Wright went 3-for-3 in that matchup with a walk, run scored and an RBI.
SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS
Western Illinois come to Wilkins Stadium with a 6-13 record having dropped all four road games in 2018. #12 Auburn, where the Shockers fell 2-0 to open the 2018 season, took down the Leathernecks twice last week 6-2 and 7-0. Jasmine Lara leads the offense with a .370 average; Hailey Duwa and Ashley Minyard are the other two Leathernecks batting over .300. Emily Ira and Megan Lotarski hold identical ERA's (3.29) with Ira striking out 51 through her 10 appearances. She was named the Summit League Pitcher of the Year in 2017 with the Leathernecks picked to finish second in the 2018 conference slate.
SERIES HISTORY
The teams have met 31 times overall with the Leathernecks holding a one game lead (Shockers trail 15-16). In Wichita, the Shockers hold a one game lead, 10-9.
LAST MEETING WITH THE LEATHERNECKS
The Shockers and Leathernecks last met in March 2016 at Wilkins Stadium with
Paige Luellen going 3-for-3 and scoring three;
Cacy Williams went 2-for-4 with three RBI,
Mackenzie Wright went 1-for-1 with two RBI with the Shockers winning 9-4.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
The Shockers opened a week-long home stand with an impressive victory over (RV) Arkansas Tuesday afternoon behind a solo home run from
Madison Perrigan (her second homer in three games).
Bailey Lange, currently on the AAC Honor Roll, pitched her sixth complete game of the year en-route to a five-hit shutout of the Hogs (the first time they failed to score a run this season) who came into the matchup averaging seven runs a game. In Lange's last three matchups she's given up two runs and only ten hits while striking out 18.
THOSE TOP-25 TEAMS
The Shockers have only dropped
one game all year to a team not receiving votes or ranked 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 every other loss in 2018 coming to a team in the national poll.
ONE IS BETTER THAN NONE
The Wichita State softball team received a single vote in the March 6, USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll after picking up five wins over 'power five' schools in 11 days. This is the first time the Shockers have entered one of the main two softball polls since the 2006 ESPN.com/USA Softball Preseason Poll released prior to that season.
HONORED BY THE AMERICAN
Bailey Lange earned a spot on the first American Athletic Conference Softball Honor Roll Feb. 26 - March 4 with sophomore
Ryleigh Buck earning the honor the week before. Freshman
Bailee Nickerson also earned an Honor Roll nod Feb. 12-18. All are first time honorees with Lange proving her worth in the circle, Buck starting all 17 games at first base and Nickerson starting as a freshman in center field.
MAKING AN IMPACT
Ryleigh Buck is currently sitting in a number of top-10 conference categories at first base. She is second in chances and putouts and tied second in fielding double plays. Senior
Paige Luellen would be high in a number of batting categories but has only played in 50% of the Shocker games so far this season due to an injury, The American requires 75% to be eligible for conference statistics.
ADJUST AND REWARDS
After going 5-for-30 through the first 13 games of the year, catcher
Madison Perrigan has stepped up considerably by going 7-for-15 in the past five games with nine RBI. The sophomore has hit two home runs in four games, reached base 16 times and scored three runs for a .467 batting average.
Paige Luellen is the other Shocker batting over .400 in the past five games and is 6-for-13 at the plate.
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? The 2016 NCAA Regional game against #3 Oklahoma in Norman.
ROAD WARRIORS NO MORE
After traveling roughly 2010 miles to three tournaments, the Shockers begin a run of 15 straight games back in the Midwest. 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 in which the Shockers will welcome former MVC rival Missouri State alongside Western Illinois. The weekend after Wichita State will face off against Iowa and Creighton in Omaha, Neb.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S COMING
Junior pitcher
Bailey Lange leads the Shocker pitching staff in wins and strikeouts despite missing most of the Texas Invitational with an illness. She returned in emphatic fashion against Nebraska, pitching 12.0 innings, striking out 12 and only giving up two runs for two Shocker wins. Against Arkansas she gave up five hits, struck out six en-route to her third shutout of the season. The lefty pitcher also has the second most looking strikeouts in the American Athletic Conference and is averaging 7.64 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 [.327],
Laurie Derrico is third in slugging percentage [.577] with
Paige Luellen [third with .433] and Wright [fifth with .420] seperated by 13 percentiles in on-base percentage.
GETTING 'EM AROUND
Senior
Paige Luellen needs 9 RBI to move into first place in the Shocker record books. Currently in third with 127, 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 fourth in stolen bases with 47 [needs 10 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 Shockers face off against 11 teams that reached the 2017 NCAA Tournament; including two teams that reached the College World Series in Washington (played twice at the Sam Houston State Tournament) and defending National Champion Oklahoma (the Shockers travel to Norman in April). Wichita State dropped games to #4 Washington and #13 Auburn but beat R.V. Marshall in Auburn, Ala.
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.
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).
