2019 Angels College Classic
Game 1: Wichita State (0-0) at Grand Canyon (0-0)
Friday, Feb. 15 | 6 p.m. MT | Phoenix, Ariz. (Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark)
Radio: 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
TV: Fox Sports Arizona/Fox Sports Midwest (Barry Buetel, pxp; Mike Rooney, color; Jody Jackson, reporter)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 2: Wichita State vs. Grand Canyon
Saturday, Feb. 16 | 4 p.m. MT | Tempe, Ariz. (Tempe Diablo Stadium)
Radio: 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 3: Wichita State vs. No. 5 Stanford
Saturday, Feb. 16 | 7:30 p.m. MT | Tempe, Ariz. (Tempe Diablo Stadium)
Radio: 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 4: Pepperdine vs. Wichita State
Sunday, Feb. 17 | 10 a.m. MT | Tempe, Ariz. (Tempe Diablo Stadium)
Radio: 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Live Audio | Live Stats

Game Notes | 2019 Fact Book | @GoShockersBSB

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SCENE SETTER: The Wichita State University baseball team will take to the diamond to begin its 116th season Feb. 15-17 at the Angels College Classic in Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz. The Shockers will play Grand Canyon in the 2019 season opener Friday, Feb. 15, at 6 p.m. MT at Brazell Field and GCU Ballpark in Phoenix before taking on GCU again in the first of two games at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 4 p.m. MT. Saturday's second contest will be against 2018 NCAA tournament qualifier and preseason No. 5 (Collegiate Baseball) Stanford at approximately 7:30 p.m. MT. The Shockers close out the Angels College Classic with a game against Pepperdine in Tempe at 10 a.m. MT Sunday, Feb. 17. 
 
MEDIA COVERAGE: Television/live video - Friday's opening night contest vs. Grand Canyon will be televised live on Fox Sports Arizona and Fox Sports Midwest (Barry Buetel, pxp; Mike Rooney, color; Jody Jackson, reporter). The game will also be streamed for free at GCULopes.com and on Fox Sports GO ... Radio -Wichita State's four games in the Angels College Classic will air live on 1330 AM, 98.7 FM and GoShockers.com/listen with Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer and former Wichita State standout pitcher Shane Dennis calling the action ... Additional coverage options -All games will feature live stats, which can be accessed at GoShockers.com.
 
SERIES RECORDS: Grand Canyon - Friday and Saturday's games against Grand Canyon will mark meetings 12-13 in the all-time series that dates back to 1981. Wichita State leads the series, 9-2, and has won the last six meetings in the series, including sweeping a three-game series in Wichita during the 2017 season ... Stanford - Saturday's scheduled game against the Cardinal will be just the second meeting all-time. Wichita State's lone other meeting vs. Stanford was a 10-1 loss back in 1990 in Minneapolis, Minn. ... Pepperdine - The Shockers and Waves will meet for the ninth time in the all-time series Sunday in Tempe. The series is currently tied, 4-4, after the waves won two of three games in Wichita in 2009. 
 
PREVIEWING 2019: Wichita State returns 14 letterwinners, including eight pitchers and three starters from last season's team that posted an overall record of 35-21-1 ... The key returning position players for the Shockers include senior infielders Luke Ritter (.341, 56 R, 76 H, 12 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 31 RBI, 24 BB, 6 SB), Jordan Boyer (.248, 28 R, 36 H, 9 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBI, 20 BB, 2 SB) and Mason O'Brien (.267, 27 H, 3 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI), junior infielder Alex Jackson(.239, 13 R, 21 H, 3 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI, 2 SB), junior outfielder Jacob Katzfey (.250, 14 R, 13 H, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 SB), junior catcher/first baseman Noah Croft (.275, 9 R, 19 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI) and sophomore outfielder/pitcher Paxton Wallace (.281, 7 R, 16 H, 4 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 9 RBI) ... Ritter led the team in batting average and tied for the team lead in hits, and was named first team all-conference in The American last season ... On the mound, WSU welcomes back 2018 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American Liam Eddy (3.84 ERA, 7-4, 65.2 IP, 62 H, 29 R, 28 ER, 20 BB, 48 SO) to go along with key pitchers senior Clayton McGinness (4.93 ERA, 2-0, 34.2 IP, 30 H, 22 R, 19 ER, 12 BB, 38 SO), juniors Tommy Barnhouse (2.96 ERA, 3-2, 3 SV, 27.1 IP, 24 H, 13 R, 9 ER, 5 BB, 31 SO) and Preston Snavely (5.18 ERA, 4-1, 40 IP, 37 H, 25 R, 23 ER, 29 BB, 35 SO), and sophomore Alex Segal (3.80 ERA, 0-0, 21.1 IP, 14 H, 10 R, 9 ER, 12 BB, 30 SO). 
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Grand Canyon - The Grand Canyon Lopers are coming off a 2018 season that saw them tally an overall mark of 33-24 and capture their second straight WAC regular season title ... GCU was picked first in the WAC preseason coaches' poll ... The Lopes return their top two starting position players from last season in junior outfielder and reigning WAC Player of the Year Quin Cotton (.390, 62 R, 94 H, 19 2B, 5 3B, 5 HR, .573 SLG%, 43 RBI, 22 BB, 13 SB) and senior infielder Pikai Winchester (.355, 36 R, 77 H, 13 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 38 RBI, 20 BB) ... On the mound, Grand Canyon welcomes back senior right-handed reliever Nick Ohanian (4.89 ERA, 4-3, 38.2 IP, 26 H, 22 R, 21 ER, 19 BB, 61 SO) ... GCU lost six players to the majors last season, including two MLB draft picks and four individuals who inked professional contracts ... The Lopes are under the direction of eighth season head coach Andy Stankiewicz... Stanford - The Stanford Cardinal posted an overall record of 46-12 and captured the Pac-12 regular season crown with a 22-8 conference tally last season ... Stanford was selected as a regional host in the NCAA tournament and won two games before falling to Cal State Fullerton to end its season ... The Cardinal are picked as a preseason top-10 team in several NCAA Division I baseball preseason polls and were voted second behind UCLA in the Pac-12 preseason coaches' poll ... On the diamond, the Cardinal return three position players who started all 58 games in 2018, including sophomore outfielder Tim Tawa (.296, 44 R, 66 H, 18 2B, 3 3B, 7 HR, 41 RBI, 15 BB, 7 SB), junior infielder/outfielder Andrew Daschbach (.287, 42 R, 62 H, 10 2B, 1 3B, 17 HR, 63 RBI, 18 BB, 4 SB) and junior outfielder/pitcher Kyle Stowers (.286, 39 R, 59 H, 10 2B, 3 3B, 10 HR, 42 RBI, 30 BB, 6 SB) ... Stowers was named a first team preseason All-American by Baseball America ... On the mound, the Cardinal return 2018 consensus first team All-American reliever Jack Little (0.60 ERA, 3-0, 16 SV, 45.1 IP, 26 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 8 BB, 58 SO), and sophomore right-handed starter Brendan Beck (2.43 ERA, 8-0, 1 SV, 66.2 IP, 56 H, 19 R, 18 ER, 12 BB, 38 SO) ... Both Little and Beck are preseason All-American picks ... Beck was a freshman All-American in 2018 ... Stanford is under the leadership of second season head coach David Esquer ...Pepperdine - The Pepperdine Wave tallied an overall record of 31-24 and went 17-10 in the WCC last season, winning the conference's regular season championship ... Pepperdine welcomes back second team All-WCC infielder Quincy McAfee (.269, 33 R, 47 H, 18 2B, 18 RBI, 26 BB, 9 SB), and the reigning WCC Pitcher of the Year, senior right-hander Jonathan Pendergast (2.69 ERA, 7-4, 1 CG, 1 SHO, 87 IP, 84 H, 32 R, 26 ER, 18 BB, 67 SO), and WCC Freshman of the Year, right-hander Cooper Chandler (3.99 ERA, 6-3, 70 IP, 80 H, 40 R, 31 ER, 28 BB, 44 SO) ... The Wave were picked second in the WCC preseason coaches' poll ... Pepperdine is under the direction of fourth season head coach Rick Hirtensteiner.  
         
NEW FACES: The Shockers have 21 newcomers to the program in 2019, including 19 freshmen and two junior college transfers. The freshmen on the active roster include Aaron Haase (RHP/UT), Calvin Marley (RHP/OF), Miller Pleimann (RHP), Connery Peters (RHP), Adam Stephenson (OF/LHP), Carson Cox (OF), David VanVooren (OF), Seth Morrow (OF), Ryan Koval (OF), Cal Carver (LHP), Brady Slavens (INF), Cooper Elliot (INF), Jack Sigrist (INF), Josh Killeen (C) and Jake Plastiak (3B). WSU's two junior college transfers are sophomore Tristan McCraw (RHP) and junior Mitchell Walters (RHP). Freshmen Jack Brimacombe (RHP), Reece Koon (LHP), Quinten Albrecht (C) and Mason Miller (C) are redshirting in 2019.
 
PRESEASON HONORS: Senior infielder Luke Ritter was voted to the American Athletic Conference's preseason all-conference team. He is also ranked 31st on the D1 Baseball's list of 2019 Top Senior Prospects and 15th on the organization's preseason second base power rankings list. Fellow senior, right-hander Clayton McGinness, is ranked 65th on the D1 Baseball Top Senior Prospects list. 
 
NOTABLE STREAKS: Luke Ritter is riding a 12-game on-base streak dating back to last season. 
 
PRESEASON PICKS: Wichita State was picked to finish seventh in the American Athletic Conference preseason coaches' poll. Defending tournament champion ECU was picked first with 60 points and six first-place votes, while reigning regular season champion Houston was tabbed second with 55 points and two first-place votes. UConn was third with 52 points and the remaining first-place vote, followed by UCF (44 points), USF (35 points), Tulane (30 points), the Shockers, Cincinnati (16 points) and Memphis (nine points). The American ranked fourth in conference RPI in division I baseball last season. 
 
UP NEXT: The Shockers travel to Arlington, Texas, to play four games in the UT Arlington Classic Feb. 22-24 before hosting the Creighton Bluejays in the 2019 home opening series at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field March 1-3. 
 
LOOKING BACK AT 2018: The Shockers played their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference last season. WSU finished 35-21-1 overall and 9-14-1 in conference play. Junior third baseman Alec Bohm earned All- America honors and was selected third overall in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, becoming the second-highest draft pick in program history. Bohm was one of 10 Shockers selected in the 2018 MLB Draft, tying for the most in program history. In December of 2018, legendary Wichita State head coach and current College Baseball Hall of Famer Gene Stephenson was inducted into the Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Fame.  
 
THE COACH: Todd Butler is in his sixth season as the head coach of the Wichita State University baseball team. He came to WSU in June 2013 after spending the previous eight seasons as the hitting instructor, outfield coach and recruiting coordinator at the University of Arkansas. During Butler's 26-year tenure as a NCAA Division I assistant or head coach, he has guided his teams to five College World Series appearances and four NCAA super regionals. In addition, his teams have been ranked No. 1 five times in his career. He has coached a combined 35 All-Americans and Freshman All-Americans, 167 players drafted in the MLB Draft and 45 Major League players. In his tenure at WSU, Butler has coached 26 student-athletes who were drafted, and five players who combined for 10 All-American and Freshman All-American honors. He played his college ball at McNeese State (1985-86) and Oklahoma (1987-88). A team captain for the Sooners in 1988, Butler still holds the OU single-season record for stolen bases with 46 steals in 1988, including 26 consecutive successful stolen base attempts. Butler was a third-team All-American in 1988 and also earned All-Big Eight Conference honors and all-region honors. He played on two NCAA Tournament teams for the Sooners for legendary coach Enos Semore. Butler's coaching career began as a student-assistant coach at McNeese State, where he earned his bachelor's degree in liberal studies in 1991. He was born in Alexandria, La., and is married to the former Melissa Borrel. The couple has two daughters, Caitlyn and Kendyll.