Game 1: Wichita State (9-11, 0-0 American) vs. Memphis (10-9, 0-0 American)
Friday, March 22 | 6 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas HD 2022 (Steve Strain, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Promotions: Mini Helmet giveaway (first 500 fans receive Flying W mini helmet)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 2: Wichita State vs. Memphis
Saturday, March 23 | 2 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas HD 2022 (Steve Strain, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 3: Wichita State vs. Memphis
Sunday, March 24 | 1 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas HD 2022 (Steve Strain, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game Notes | 2019 Fact Book | @GoShockersBSB

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            SCENE SETTER: The Wichita State baseball team (9-11) is scheduled to host the Memphis Tigers (10-9) in a three-game series March 22-24 at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field, to open American Athletic Conference play. The game times are slated for 6 p.m. Friday, March 22, 2 p.m. Saturday, March 23, and 1 p.m. Sunday, March 24.
 
            MEDIA COVERAGE: Television - The three-game series against Memphis will air live on COX YurView Kansas (HD 2022) with Steve Strain calling the action ... Live video - A free, live stream of the series will be available at YurView.com/Kansas for every game ... Radio - KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM will air the series vs. the Tigers, with Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer and former WSU standout pitcher Shane Dennis providing play-by-play ... Live audio - Free, live audio will be available at GoShockers.com/listen ... Additional coverage - Live stats will be available at ShockerStats.com.
 
            SERIES RECORD: The three-game series against Memphis will mark meetings four through six in the all-time series. In the inaugural series with the Tigers last season in Memphis, Tenn., the Shockers won two of three games (L, 4-3; W, 8-4; W, 13-6).
 
            CATCHING UP WITH THE SHOCKERS: The Shockers are 9-11 overall entering the weekend after defeating the Kansas Jayhawks in a midweek contest Wednesday, 3-2, in 13 innings ... Through 20 games, Wichita State is led at the plate by senior infielders Jordan Boyer (.435 avg., 17 R, 27 H, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI, .581 SLG%, 7 BB, .532 OB%, 3 SB) and Luke Ritter (.405 avg., 18 R, 32 H, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 18 RBI, .671 SLG%, 9 BB, .505 OB%, 5 SB), and sophomore outfielder Hunter Gibson (.329 avg., 11 R, 23 H, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 15 RBI, 9 BB, 2 SB) ... Boyer is second and Ritter is third in The American in hitting entering the weekend ... On the mound, the Shockers are paced by freshman left-hander Cal Carver (4.29 ERA, 3-1, 21.0 IP, 19 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 10 BB, 14 SO), junior right-hander Preston Snavely (5.27 ERA, 1-2, 27.1 IP, 28 H, 17 R, 16 ER, 15 BB, 31 SO), and sophomore reliever Alex Segal (5.11 ERA, 0-0, 2 SV, 12.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 8 BB, 17 SO) ... As a team, WSU is hitting .286 with a 6.18 ERA and .962 fielding percentage.
 
            ABOUT MEMPHIS: The Memphis Tigers enter the weekend at 10-9 overall after losing at Southeast Missouri Tuesday, 7-6 ... Through 19 games, Memphis is paced offensively by sophomore infielder Ben Brooks (.342 avg., 15 R, 26 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, 9 BB) and freshman catcher/utility player Hunter Goodman (.333 avg., 14 R, 28 H, 10 2B, 21 RBI, 3 SB) ... The Tigers are slated to start senior LHP Hunter Smith (5.00 ERA, 2-2, 27.0 IP, 27 H, 18 R, 15 ER, 8 BB, 36 SO) Friday, senior RHP Alex Hicks (1.82 ERA, 2-1, 29.2 IP, 20 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 4 BB, 34 SO) Saturday and redshirt junior LHP Chris Durham (5.32 ERA, 1-1, 22.0 IP, 26 H, 13 R, 13 ER, 5 BB, 29 SO) Sunday ... Memphis' closer is senior LHP Colton Neel (0.00 ERA, 0-0, 3 SV, 5.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 8 SO) ... As a team, the Tigers are hitting .270 with a 4.56 ERA and .962 fielding percentage ... Memphis is under the leadership of 15th season head coach Daron Schoenrock.
 
            WALK IT OFF, GIBSON: Hunter Gibson hit a towering walk-off homer down the right field line, leading off the bottom of the 13th inning, to give the Shockers a 3-2 victory over Kansas Wednesday evening at Eck Stadium. It was his second home run of the season. Luke Ritter also homered in the contest, hitting a two-run shot to right-center in the bottom of the first inning.
 
            HOT START: Jordan Boyer is off to the best start of his career at the plate. The Oklahoma City native is hitting a team-best .435 with 27 hits, including four doubles, a triple and homer, in 17 games and 62 at bats, going along with 12 RBI and seven walks. He ranks second in The American and 17th in the nation in hitting (batting average), and is 24th nationally in on-base percentage (.532) going into Friday's conference opener. In three games against Rhode Island last weekend, Boyer hit a blistering .600, going 6-for-10 with a double and three RBI.
 
            CADENA FINDING HIS SWING: Ross Cadena is hitting .444 with eight hits in 18 at bats. The Southlake, Texas, native has a double, homer, four RBI, a .667 slugging percentage, two walks and a .545 on-base percentage during that span.
 
            MCGINNESS REACHES CAREER MILESTONE: Senior right-hander Clayton McGinness surpassed 100 career strikeouts after fanning six batters in the Shockers' extra-inning triumph over Kansas Wednesday. Entering Friday, he has 101 Ks.
 
            NOTABLE STREAKS: Luke Ritter is riding a 32-game on-base streak dating back to last season (has reached base safely in all 20 games in 2019), and has at least one hit in his last 10 contests -- a team-high ... Senior Mason O'Brien has gotten on-base successfully in his last 15 games, while sophomore Ross Cadena has reached in his last 11, and Hunter Gibson has reached in 10 straight contests.  
 
            PLATE CONSISTENCY: Luke Ritter is hitting .405 with 32 hits in 79 at bats and has seven doubles, a triple, and four homers, going along with 18 RBI, a .671 slugging percentage and .505 on-base percentage Entering the weekend, Ritter ranks third in The American and 46th in the nation in hitting (batting average). In total hits (32), he ranks 30th in the country.
 
            MILESTONE WATCH: Luke Ritter is six RBI shy of 100 for his career, and currently is third in career hit by pitch, having been hit 28 times.
 
            WEEKLY HONORS:  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.
 
            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.
 
            UP NEXT: The Shockers host Omaha March 26 and Kansas State March 27 in a pair of midweek games at Eck Stadium.
 
            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.