WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita State Softball team concludes its week long road travels with a three game series at the University of Houston, Friday through Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. on Friday. 
 

WICHITA STATE SOFTBALL

Houston, Texas.

Cougar Softball Stadium

Game Notes: WSU

GAME 38

Wichita State (22-15, 5-4)   vs. Houston (25-15, 4-5)

Friday, April 13

6:00 P.M. CDT

Live Stats

Houston Stream ($)

GAME 39

Wichita State (22-15, 5-4)   vs. Houston (25-15, 4-5)

Saturday, April 14

2:00 P.M. CDT

Live Stats

Houston Stream ($)

GAME 40

Wichita State (22-15, 5-4)   vs. Houston (25-15, 4-5)

Sunday, April 15

12:00 p.m. CDT

Live Stats

Houston Stream ($)

SOCIAL

@GoShockersSB | #watchus

@goshockers | #watchus

Go Shockers

SCOUTING HOUSTON
The Cougars split a doubleheader in Lamar on Wednesday night, both games went to extra innings. This week Houston have the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week in sophomore second base Arielle James; last week the Shockers earned the honor through Mackenzie Wright. The Cougars pitching ace is Savannah Heebner who sports a 0.93 ERA, the second pitcher the Shockers have faced this week whose ERA is under 1.00, and is 17th in the NCAA. Houston were tabbed for second place in The American preseason poll but have fallen in both their last two conference series to UCF and USF. Both times they picked up one win but fell twice. Notable victories for the Cougars include Texas, who the Shockers also beat, a victory over #15/18 Ole Miss in February and a 1-0 loss to #3/3 Oregon the same weekend. 
  QUICK HITS
• The Shockers sit #29 in the latest RPI rankings; they are 4-5 against teams with RPI's 1 -25, 1-3 against those 26-50 and 5-4 against 51-100.
• Wichita State are 5-7 against teams either inside the top-25 poll or receiving votes in the poll.
• The Shockers took down Tulsa, 14-5, (5) last weekend scoring in every one of the five innings; the last time the Shockers scored in every inning was vs. UMKC in 2014.
• The Shockers are averaging 1.03 home runs per game; good for 25th in the nation. WSU are also leading The American in doubles per game and slugging percentage (correct as of Apr. 11).
• Bailey Lange's five saves on the year lead the American Athletic Conference and rank her third in the NCAA. She is also 45th in the nation in strikeouts (correct as of Apr. 11).
• Paige Luellen is averaging a single RBI per game this season; that ranks her 50th in the nation.
• The Shockers swept Uconn in Storrs for their first conference three-game road series sweep since April 2016.
• Mackenzie Wright became the first Shocker in history to be named the American Athletic Conference softball player of the week on April 1st. Her 7-for-10 weekend at UConn included her 100th career RBI, 200th career hit and 600th career at-bat.
• The Shockers took down #23/24 Oklahoma State in Stillwater on March 27 for their first win over a ranked opponent in two years.
• Wichita State holds a 9-4 record on the road with notable wins against Oklahoma State, Texas, Creighton and Nebraska (twice).
• Paige Luellen took sole possession of the career RBI record list at the WSU Tournament by going 6-for-14 with three home runs including a grand slam and three-run walk-off home run to move into first place; she is now two RBI from pushing her record to 150.
• The Shockers strong schedule in 2018 is ranked sixth in the nation in strength of schedule.
• Laurie Derrico became the fifth different Shocker this season to be named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll (March 19) and followed up with a second straight nod on March 26. Wright became the sixth.

COULDN'T HAVE GOT CLOSER
The Wichita State softball team nearly earned the biggest win in program history on Wednesday night in Norman, Okla. The Shockers hit two three-run home runs from Laurie Derrico and Caitlin Bingham in the third inning over #2/2 Oklahoma to stun the Sooners and potentially could have run-ruled the reigning College World Series Champions after stranding two runners at third and second in the fifth. But a Sooner rally in the bottom of the sixth saw them score seven runs through four hits and six walks to come away with the rally victory and deny the Shockers a huge win.

THAT NUMBER 10
Mackenzie Wright became the first athlete in Shocker softball history to earn American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors. Her 7-for-10 weekend at UConn saw her bat in her 100th runner, get her 200th career hit, see her 600th appearance at the plate and hit her first home run of the season. Wright is also on a 12 game hit streak and a team leading 19 game reached base streak. She is the seventh conference honoree this season for Wichita State; the other five were named to the weekly honor roll. Those include Laurie Derrico (twice), Paige Luellen, Bailey Lange, Ryleigh Buck and Bailee Nickerson.

NOTED AND VOTED
The Wichita State softball team have received votes in six consecutive USA Today/ NFCA Weekly Poll's in 2018. They have were recieving votes in three consecutive ESPN. com/USA Softball polls before dropping out on April 10. The Shockers received one vote on March 6, 14 on March 13, 10 on March 20 and one on March 27. To open the polls in April they saw five in the USA Today on April 3 before receiving two on April 10. 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.

HOME RUNS ON HOME RUNS
Laurie Derrico and Paige Luellen are on course to break more records; this time in home runs. Luellen is currently third all-time with 32 and needs just two to move into second and six to tie first with current Director of Operations Cacy Williams. Derrico is fifth with 29 with current Shocker HD color commentator Jamie Hull in jointeighth with 24.

WE WAITED AND WAITED
It took over 80 at-bats but Ryleigh Buck finally hit her second home run of the season against UConn on March 29 and also struck her first career triple against UConn the following day (March 30). It then only took three games to hit back-to-back home runs for the first time in her career with two in two games vs. Tulsa on April 8th.

TOUGH SCHEDULE, BIG WINS
After defeating three teams recieving votes in 2018, the Shockers finally took down an opponent inside the top-25 in a 5-3 victory over #23/24 Oklahoma State; the first victory over a ranked team since a 2-1 victory over #23 Nebraska in 2016. A solo home run each for Paige Luellen and Asea Webber, helped by Madison Perrigan's two RBI's, saw the Shockers come out on top with Bailey Lange and Bailey Klitzke pitching key innings in the win.

STREAKS ON STREAKS
Mackenzie Wright owns the longest active reached base streak at 18. Wright also owns the hot bat with an 11 game hitting streak; the second longest of her career. She reached 15 in 2015 and also reached base in 23 consecutive games that season. The Wichita State record in Bredbenner's era is 15 hits (set by Wright in 2015) and 28 bases (set by Macklin Hitz in 2016).

DOING IT IN STYLE
Senior Paige Luellen took control of the career RBI record book after a stellar weekend at the WSU Tournament. The senior struck three home runs that included a grand slam to lift the Shockers out a six-run hole and a threerun walk-off home run to go 4-0 over the weekend. After taking control of the record book, Luellen is streaking clear and on course to make history as the first Shocker to reach 150 career RBI; she is also second on the team in slugging percentage.

MONEY IN MARCH
After hitting .205 and .244 through the whole month of February, Laurie Derrico and Mackenzie Wright improved dramatically at the plate in time for conference play. Derrico hit .406 through March with 19 RBI and 6 home runs. Wright hit .403 with 5 doubles and 8 RBI; good for a .487 on base percentage.

BIG HITTERS
Four Shockers are slugging over .600 in American Athletic Conference play with just Mackenzie Wright batting over .500. Wright is hitting .500 and slugging .700 while Ryleigh Buck is slugging .857 with a team leading 24 bases through nine conference matchups. Laurie Derrico and Bailee Nickerson are the other two Shockers slugging over .600 after both have reached 22 and 23 bases.

KEEP 'EM GUESSING
Junior pitcher Bailey Lange leads the Shocker pitching staff in wins (12), innings pitched (127.2) and strikeouts (138). She also leads The American in saves (5) and is second in looking strikeouts. She is third in strikeouts per game with 7.57 and is also 45th in the NCAA in total strikeouts (correct as of Apr. 11).