The Wichita State softball team faces the USF Bulls with the fate of its first season in the American Athletic Conference firmly in its own destiny. If the Shockers sweep the Bulls in Tampa, Fla., they will win the regular season championship outright while two wins will secure a share alongside USF. Game one is set for Friday night with a 5:30 p.m. CT first pitch.
The Bulls are defending a 34-19 record with a 12-6 record in The American. USF can win the regular season championship outright on its own field with two wins over the Shockers this weekend. One win for the Bulls would split the championship between the two teams. Notable wins for USF this season include No. 18 Michigan with the Bulls winning every conference series this season but one at ECU; the Shockers defeated ECU in Greenville last weekend.
The teams have met four times in history, the last coming more than 10 years ago in February 2007. Wichita State leads the series 3-1 with a single loss in Tampa, Fla., and three wins at neutral sites.
• Wichita State is 7-3 in its last 10 games.
• The Shockers sit at No. 31 in the latest NCAA RPI Rankings. WSU is 1-4 against those ranked 1-25, 6-6 against those 26-50, 11-7 against those 51-100 and 5-1 against 101-150.
• With 16 votes in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll on May 1, the Shockers continue to be in one of the two main polls for the ninth consecutive week. WSU is also in the USA Today/NFCA poll this week (R.V.).
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Mackenzie Wright is hitting .384 on the year; good for fifth in The American. In conference play only she leads The American in batting average with .483.
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Mackenzie Wright leads the conference in hits, runs scored and total bases during conference play.
Ryleigh Buck leads The American in RBI and triples,
Laurie Derrico leads it in home runs.
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Madison Perrigan was named to the American Athletic Conference Honor Roll for her performance at ECU. A 3-for-8 weekend with three RBI and a two-run home run.
• The American Athletic Conference ranks fourth nationally in the RPI just behind the SEC, Pac-12 and Big-12. Notable conferences behind The American include the ACC and Big Ten.
• In conference play, the Shockers lead The American in batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI's, doubles, home runs and total bases. The pitching staff allow the second lowest opponent batting average in the AAC.
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Ryleigh Buck leads the conference in chances and putouts; she also leads The American in fielding double plays. Buck is also 17th in batting average.
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Bailey Lange's six saves on the year lead the American Athletic Conference and place her 8th in the NCAA. She leads the conference in batters struck out looking (50) and is third in total strikeouts (172).
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Laurie Derrico's team leading ten home runs over the season rank her second in the conference and third all-time at WSU; she is fourth in slugging percentage, total bases and RBI.
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Bailey Klitzke has given up the least hits, least runs and least earned runs allowed during conference play. She has also not given up a home run during The American play.
GIVE YOURSELVES A CHANCE
After being picked to finish a mid-table fifth in Wichita State's inaugural season in The American, the Shockers have exceeded expectations. A three-game showdown for the regular season conference title will take place this weekend between the top two teams in the conference with WSU looking to pick up two wins to secure a share, a sweep to win it outright.
WE'LL LEAD THE WAY
The Shocker bats lead all but two batting categories during conference play in The American. WSU has the highest batting average, slugging percentage, on base percentage, runs scored, hits, RBI's, doubles, home runs and total bases. They are also hitting 1.17 home runs per game, good for 11th in the nation. The season slugging percentage of .482 ranks 21st in the NCAA while the 1.34 doubles per game leads the AAC and is 70th in the nation.
THAT WAS FOR THE SENIORS
The Shockers honored their senior class with a thrilling series win over UCF highlighted by two back-to-back walk-off home runs in the doubleheader on Friday night and emphasized by a 10-0 run-rule on Sunday to complete the win.
Mackenzie Wright went 10-for-14 at the plate on her senior weekend with
Mauriana Jamele hitting her first career grand slam alongside walk-offs from
Bailey Lange and
Laurie Derrico. Each of the three seniors also had a hit over the weekend.
BOMBS ON BOMBS
With 55 home runs on the year, the Shockers have hit the third highest amount in school history with at least four games to go, second to only the 2016 NCAA Regional team [58] and the 2014 MVC Championship squad [56].
THE STATS DON'T LIE
Leading off for the Shockers in 2018, senior
Mackenzie Wright has reached base in her first at-bat of the game in 22 of the 47 contests, good for just short of a 50 percent clip.
FIRST YEAR DONE RIGHT Junior pitcher
Bailey Lange leads the Shocker pitching staff in wins (17), innings pitched (168.2) and strikeouts (172) in her first full season at WSU. She also leads The American in saves (6), is fifth in wins [17] and leads the conference in looking strikeouts [50].
NOTED AND VOTED The Wichita State softball team has received votes in either of the main softball national polls for nine straight weeks. After flirting with the top-25 all season, notable victories over powerhouses such as Oklahoma State, Nebraska, Arkansas and UCF have solidified WSU as a NCAA Regional team come the end of the season.
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).
