Game 1: Wichita State (3-5) vs. Creighton (5-1)
Friday, March 1 | 1 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium)
Promotion: $3 admission
Radio: 97.5 FM/1240 AM (Mike Kennedy, pxp)
TV: COX YurView (Ch. 22 and 2022)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats
Game 2: Wichita State vs. Creighton
Friday, March 1 | 4:30 p.m. (approx.) | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium)
Promotion: $3 admission
Radio: 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Mike Kennedy, pxp)
TV: COX YurView (Ch. 22 and 2022)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats
Game 3: Wichita State vs. Creighton
Saturday, March 2 | 2 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium)
Radio: None
TV: COX YurView (Ch. 22 and 2022)
Live Video | Live Stats
Game Notes | 2019 Fact Book | @GoShockersBSB | Promotions | Tickets
SCENE SETTER: The Wichita State University baseball team (3-5) is scheduled to host the Creighton Bluejays (5-1) for its 2019 home-opening series Friday, March 1, and Saturday, March 2, at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field. The Shockers and Bluejays will play a doubleheader Friday at 1 p.m. before closing out the series with a single contest on Saturday at 2 p.m.
MEDIA COVERAGE: Television - All three games in the series will air live on COX YurView (Ch. 22 or 2022) with Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer and former Wichita State standout pitcher Shane Dennis calling the action ... Live video - A free, live webcast of all three games will be available at GoShockers.com ... Radio - Game one of the twin bill will air live on KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM, while the second contest will air live on KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM. "The Voice of the Shockers," Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy, will call the action. Radio will not be available for the third game ... Live Audio - Free, live audio for games one and two will be available at GoShockers.com/listen ... Additional coverage options - All games will feature live stats, which can be accessed at GoShockers.com.
SERIES RECORD: The three-game series will be meetings 162-164 in the storied all-time series that dates all the way back to 1970. Wichita State leads the series, 113-47-1. Last season in Omaha, Neb., the Shockers split two games with the Bluejays, dropping game one, 3-1, before winning game two, 7-4.
WICHITA STATE NOTES: Wichita State enters Friday with an overall record of 3-5 after going 2-2 in the UT Arlington Classic Feb. 22-24 in Arlington, Texas ... Through eight games, the Shockers are paced at the plate by senior infielders Luke Ritter (.452 avg., 10 R, 14 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, .774 SLG%, 7 BB, 2 SB), Jordan Boyer (.414 avg., 8 R, 12 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 5 BB, 1 SB) and Mason O'Brien (.400 avg., 5 R, 10 H, 4 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI, .680 SLG%, 5 BB) ... Ritter ranks third in The American in hitting, while Boyer is fifth and O'Brien is tied for sixth ... On the mound, WSU is led by sophomore RHP Liam Eddy (2.13 ERA, 1-1, 12.2 IP, 11 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 2 SO) and freshman LHP Cal Carver (0.00 ERA, 7.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 SO) ... As a team, Wichita State is hitting .276 with a 4.69 ERA and .943 fielding percentage.
SCOUTING THE BLUEJAYS: Creighton enters Friday with an overall record of 5-1 after going 2-1 in the Lake Area Classic in Lake Charles, La., Feb. 22-23 ... The Bluejays were picked to finish tied for second in the BIG EAST preseason coaches' poll ... Through six contests, Creighton is led offensively by junior infielder Jake Holton (.348 avg., 10 R, 8 H, 1 3B, 4 HR, 11 RBI, .957 SLG%, 4 BB, 1 SB) and senior infielder Jack Strunc (.357 avg., 4 R, 10 H, 4 2B, 6 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SB) ... Holton is the reigning BIG EAST Player of the Week ... On the mound, the Bluejays are paced by senior RHPs Mitch Ragan (4.85 ERA, 2-0, 13.0 IP, 12 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 1 BB, 13 SO) and Bobby Kametas (0.00 ERA, 1-0, 2 SV, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 SO) ... Creighton is hitting .297 as a team, and has a 6.71 ERA and .960 fielding percentage ... The Bluejays are under the leadership of 15th season head coach Ed Servais.
WEEKLY HONORS: Senior infielder Luke Ritter was named to the American Athletic Conference's Weekly Honor Roll for the week of Feb. 18-24. It's his fourth career honor roll appearance.
RITTER ROLLING: Luke Ritter has continued his hot start at the plate through eight games. The Overland Park, Kan., native is hitting a team-best .452 with 14 hits in 31 at bats and has two doubles, a triple, and two homers, going along with nine RBI, a .774 slugging percentage and .585 on-base percentage. He has reached base safely in 20 consecutive contests dating back to last season.
BOYER BLAZING IN BATTER'S BOX: Senior infielder Jordan Boyer is off to the best start of his career at the plate. The Oklahoma City native is hitting .414 with 12 hits, including a pair of doubles and a triple, in eight games and 29 at bats, going along with five RBI and five walks.
O'BRIEN ON FIRE: Senior first baseman Mason O'Brien is hitting .400 with 10 hits in 25 at bats, including a team-high four doubles and a homer. The Owasso, Okla., native has driven in five runs and has a .680 slugging percentage through eight contests.
MILESTONE WATCH: Senior right-hander Clayton McGinness is 13 strikeouts away from 100 career Ks ... Luke Ritter is 15 RBI shy of 100 for his career ... Jordan Boyer recently eclipsed 100 career hits. He sits at 108 going into Friday.
CARVER CARVING UP OPPONENTS: Freshman left-hander Cal Carver has yet to allow an earned run in three appearances out of the bullpen. The San Antonio, Texas, native has only given up five hits in seven innings of work. He earned his first collegiate win in the Shockers' 8-6 win at UT Arlington Feb. 24 after throwing 4 2/3 scoreless innings.
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). FreshmenJack 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 20-game on-base streak dating back to last season (has reached base safely in all eight games in 2019) ... Jordan Boyer is on a team-high seven-game hitting streak, and has reached base safely in all eight contests ... Junior Jacob Katzfey is on a four-game hitting streak, and sophomore Paxton Wallace has three straight games with a hit ... Both Katzfey and Wallace have reached base safely in their last five contests.
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 are slated to travel to Stillwater, Okla., for a midweek contest against Oklahoma State Tuesday, March 5, before heading to Lubbock, Texas, for a three-game series against preseason top-five Texas Tech March 8-10.
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.
