Game 1: Wichita State (18-18, 3-6 American) vs. UCF (22-15, 4-8 American)
Thursday, April 18 | 6 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Mike Kennedy, pxp)
Promotion: Salute to Service - FREE admission for all service men & women in uniform, or with valid military ID
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 2: Wichita State vs. UCF
Friday, April 19 | 6 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Mike Kennedy, pxp)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game 3: Wichita State vs. UCF
Saturday, April 20 | 10:30 a.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field)
TV: COX YurView Kansas (Shane Dennis, pxp)
Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM (Mike Kennedy, pxp)
Promotion: Bark in the Park (more info)
Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

Game Notes | 2019 Fact Book | @GoShockersBSB

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            SCENE SETTER: The Wichita State University baseball team (18-18, 3-6 American) will look to snap a six-game skid when it hosts the UCF Knights (22-15, 4-8 American) in a three-game American Athletic Conference series April 18-20 at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field. The series opener and game two are slated for 6 p.m. first pitches on Thursday, April 18, and Friday, April 19, with the series finale scheduled for a 10:30 a.m. start Saturday, April 20. Thursday's series opener is the "Salute to Service" game, with free admission for all service men and women in uniform, or with a valid military ID, while Saturday's contest is the annual "Bark in the Park" contest at Eck Stadium. Please visit GoShockers.com for more information.
 
            MEDIA COVERAGE: Television - The three-game series against UCF will be televised live on COX YurView Kansas (HD 2022) with Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer and former WSU standout pitcher Shane Dennis calling the action ... Radio - KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM will carry the series live, with Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer and "The Voice of the Shockers" Mike Kennedy on the call ... Live video - Free live video will be available at YurView.com/Kansas ... Live audio - Complimentary live audio for the series will be available at GoShockers.com/listen ... Live stats - Live stats can be accessed at ShockerStats.com. 
 
            SERIES RECORD: The three-game set against the Knights will mark meetings 4-6 in the all-time series. In the inaugural meetings between WSU and UCF last season, the Shockers dropped two of three games in Orlando, Fla., losing game one, 9-5, before taking game two, 5-4, and dropping the series finale, 8-4.
 
            WICHITA STATE UPDATE: The Shockers enter the series with an overall record for 18-18 and an American Athletic Conference tally of 3-6 after being swept by Houston in a three-game conference series April 12-14 ... WSU has dropped its last six contests ... Through 36 games, Wichita State is led at the plate by senior infielders Luke Ritter (.374 avg., 35 R, 52 H, 12 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 28 RBI, .640 SLG%, 20 BB, 11 HP, .485 OB%, 9 SB) and Jordan Boyer (.368 avg., 26 R, 46 H, 10 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 27 RBI, .568 SLG%, 11 BB, 12 HP, .448 OB%, 3 SB) ... Entering the weekend, Ritter is second in The American in hitting, while Boyer is fifth ... On the mound, the Shockers are paced by sophomore right-handed starter Liam Eddy (4.50 ERA, 3-4, 46.0 IP, 43 H, 26 R, 23 ER, 16 BB, 26 SO) and junior closer Mitchell Walters (2.42 ERA, 1-2, 5 SV, 22.1 IP, 15 H, 7 R, 6 ER, 8 BB, 24 SO) ... WSU is slated to start Eddy in game one, junior right-hander Preston Snavely (5.55 ERA, 3-3, 48.2 IP, 47 H, 31 R, 30 ER, 29 BB, 43 SO) in game two and junior right-hander Tommy Barnhouse (5.23 ERA, 2-2, 31.0 IP, 36 H, 29 R, 18 ER, 18 BB, 26 SO) in the series finale ... As a team, the Shockers are hitting .281 with a 5.49 ERA and .963 fielding percentage. 
 
            BREAKING DOWN UCF: The UCF Knights enter the weekend at 22-15 overall and 4-8 in The American after dropping a midweek home game to Florida Atlantic Tuesday ... Through 37 games, the Knights are led offensively by redshirt senior infielder/outfielder Tyler Osik (.336 avg., 31 R, 46 H, 9 2B, 7 HR, 30 RBI, .555 SLG%, 17 BB, .418 OB%, 7 SB), redshirt junior outfielder Ray Alejo (.333 avg., 36 R, 53 H, 10 2B, 4 3B, 6 HR, 20 RBI, .560 SLG%, 10 BB, 11 SB) and junior catcher/infielder Dallas Beaver (.294 avg., 21 R, 35 H, 9 2B, 6 HR, 34 RBI, .521 SLG%, 31 BB, .466 OB%, 2 SB) ... UCF is slated to start redshirt senior left-hander Grant Schuermann (2.18 ERA, 4-3, 1 CG, 57.2 IP, 43 H, 19 R, 14 ER, 12 BB, 36 SO) in game one and redshirt senior right-hander Chris Williams (5.49 ERA, 3-3, 39.1 IP, 49 H, 28 R, 24 ER, 5 BB, 38 SO) in game two. UCF's game three starter is to be determined ... Schuermann ranks third in the American in ERA, and leads the conference in innings pitched entering the series ... UCF's leading reliever is sophomore closer Jeffrey Hakanson (3.91 ERA, 1-0, 5 SV, 23.0 IP, 13 H, 10 R, 10 ER, 13 BB, 45 SO) ... As a team, the Knights are hitting .268 (4th in American) with a 3.93 ERA (4th in American) and .976 fielding percentage (3rd in American) ... UCF is under the direction of third season head coach Greg Lovelady.
 
            RITTER NAMED FINALIST FOR SENIOR CLASS AWARD: Luke Ritter was named as one of 10 finalists for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award which honors student-athletes who excel both on and off the field. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: character, classroom, community and competition. A native of Overland Park, Kan., Ritter was a first team all-conference honoree in The American last season, and has been named to the conference's weekly honor roll three times so far this season. He currently leads the team and ranks second in The American with a .374 batting average. Ritter has a 3.24 cumulative grade-point average as a finance major. For more information and to vote, please visit seniorCLASSaward.com.
 
            NOTABLE STREAKS: Sophomore Paxton Wallace has reached base safely in a team-best 11 consecutive games, while fellow sophomore Garrett Kocis has reached in his last eight contests.
 
            NOTABLE CAREER RANKINGS: Luke Ritter ranks third in Wichita State career history with 31 hit by pitches.
 
            NOTABLE CONFERENCE RANKINGS: Luke Ritter - 2nd in batting average (.374) and hit by pitch (11), 3rd in on-base percentage (.485), tied for 4th in hits (52) and doubles (12), tied for 5th in homers (7), 5th in slugging percentage (.640); Jordan Boyer - 1st in hit by pitch (12), tied for 1st in sac flies (6), tied for 2nd in triples (3), 5th in batting average (.368); Jacob Katzfey - tied for 2nd in triples (3); Mitchell Walters - tied for 4th in saves (5); Alex Segal - tied for 4th in appearances (19).
 
            TURNING TWO: Through 36 games, the Shockers are second in The American and 11th in the country in double plays turned with 35. Wichita State turned four double plays against Oklahoma State April 10 -- tying for third-most in program single-game history. Cincinnati leads the conference with 37 double plays.
 
            REACHING BASE...THE PAINFUL WAY: The Shockers lead The American and rank 20th nationally with 59 hit by pitches entering the weekend.
 
            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 wrap-up their eight-game homestand with a midweek contest against the Oklahoma Sooners Tuesday, April 23, at 6 p.m. 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.