Midweek Schedule
(Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field // Wichita, Kan.)
vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Tuesday, Feb. 25, 1 p.m. CT
Audio // Stats // WatchESPN
vs. Kansas State: Wednesday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m. CT
Audio // Stats // WatchESPN

Game Notes (PDF) | Buy Tickets | Promotions

SCENE SETTER: Wichita State University baseball (4-2) is scheduled to wrap up its five-game homestand with a pair of midweek contests against the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions (3-5) and Kansas State Wildcats (3-4) Tuesday, Feb. 25, and Wednesday, Feb. 26, at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field. First pitch Tuesday is scheduled for 1 p.m., with Wednesday's game slated to start at 3 p.m.
 
PROMOTIONS: $4 weekday tickets: Purchase grandstand tickets for only $4 at all 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. home, weekday games (excluding Kansas State) during the months of February and March.
 
POW6RFUL MINDS: As part of the American Athletic Conference's Mental Health Awareness Week, players will have special stickers on the back of their batting helmets Wednesday in an effort to spread awareness about mental health issues and end the stigma surrounding them.
 
SHOCKER BASEBALL ON THE RADIO: KFH Radio 97.5 FM and 1240 AM will serve as the flagship home for Wichita State baseball throughout the 2020 season. Former WSU standout pitcher (1991-94), and Pizza Hut Shockers Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis and "The Voice of the Shockers" and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy will split play-by-play duties until the conclusion of the Wichita State men's basketball season. Coverage will include a pregame and postgame show.
 
WHERE TO WATCH: Both games are scheduled to be televised live on COX YurView Kansas channel 22 and online at WatchESPN.com. Shane Dennis will provide play-by-play.
 
SERIES HISTORY: Arkansas-Pine Bluff: Tuesday's game vs. UAPB will mark the sixth meeting in the all-time series dating back to 2007. The Shockers lead the series, 4-1. The two teams last met in Wichita in 2009, with WSU winning two of three games in the series (W, 21-1; L,10-7; W, 5-4) ... Kansas State: Going into Wednesday's midweek contests, the Shockers and Wildcats have met 94 times dating all the way back to 1906. Wichita State leads the series, 54-40. Last season, WSU and K-State split a pair of midweek games, with the Shockers winning at Eck Stadium, 8-5, before falling in Manhattan, 7-2.
 
SHOCKER NOTES: Wichita State enters the week at 4-2 overall after sweeping a three-game series against Texas Southern Feb. 21-22 at Eck Stadium ... Through six contests, the Shockers are led at the plate by junior first baseman Garrett Kocis (.286 avg., 6 H, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 9 RBI, 16 TB, .762 SLG%, 3 BB) and freshman utility player Couper Cornblum (.368 avg., 7 H, 5 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 13 TB, .684 SLG%, 3 BB, 3 SB) ... Kocis ranks second in The American in RBI and third in total bases going into Tuesday's game vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff ... On the mound, WSU is paced by junior right-handed starters Jake Hamilton (1-1, 1.80 ERA, 10.0 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 BB, 18 SO) and Liam Eddy (1.38 ERA, 1-0, 13.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 14 SO), senior right-handed starter Preston Snavely (1-1, 1.32 ERA, 13.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 20 SO), redshirt sophomore reliever Ryan Stuempfig (0-0, 1-93 ERA, 4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO) and junior reliever Foster Gifford (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 SV, 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 SO) ... Snavely is currently tied for second in the American Athletic Conference in strikeouts, and is ranked fourth in both opposing batting average (.128) and innings, while Hamilton is third in opposing BA (.097) and tied for fourth in Ks ... Eddy is fifth in the conference in innings pitched ... As a team, the Shockers are hitting .242 with a 3.12 ERA and .980 fielding percentage.  
 
KOCIS PUTS ON A HITTING CLINIC: Garrett Kocis put on a hitting clinic in the Shockers 9-1 win over Texas Southern in game two of a doubleheader Saturday, Feb. 22. The Omaha native went a career-best 3-for-4 at the plate and fell a single shy of hitting for the cycle, tallying a double, triple and homer, going along with a career-high six RBI. The six runs driven in were the most since Alec Bohm batted in six at ECU in 2018.
 
QUICK START: Freshmen Couper Cornblum, Derek Shaver and Cade Clemons have a combined 17 hits, including five extra base hits, and have started all six games for Wichita State. Cornblum and Clemons both have one home run on the season.
 
SWING AND A MISS: The Wichita State starting trio of Jake Hamilton, Liam Eddy and Preston Snavely struck out a combined 52 batters with only 13 walks in 36 2/3 innings.
 
EIGHTH-INNING KEY: The eighth inning has been very kind to WSU through its opening six games, with the Shockers outscoring opponents in the frame, 6-1. The fourth inning has also treated Wichita State quite well early, as WSU has outscored adversaries in the inning, 5-2.
 
ONE-HITTER: WSU pitchers and Brighton, Colo., natives Liam Eddy and Foster Gifford teamed up to spin the program's 36th one-hitter and first since 2014 in the Shockers' 5-1 triumph at Northwestern State Feb. 15.
 
AMERICAN WEEKLY HONORS: Garrett Kocis was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll for the first time in his career for his performance during the week of Feb. 17-23. Kocis is the second consecutive WSU student-athlete to earn weekly accolades from the conference, as Liam Eddy garnered Pitcher of the Week honors last week.
 
NEW FACES: The Shockers welcome 13 newcomers in 2020, including eight freshmen and five junior college transfers. Incoming junior college transfers include senior catcher Chris Diehl (Arizona Western), junior right-handed pitchers Jake Hamilton (Rose State College), Foster Gifford (Dodge City CC) and Aaron Bechtel (Coffeyville CC), and junior left-handed pitcher Trevor Munsch (McLennan CC) ... New freshmen position players are infielders Couper Cornblum, Blake Marsh, Derek Shaver and Cade Clemons, while new freshmen pitchers include Kyle Wilson (RHP), Beau Leonards (LHP), Creighton Hansen (RHP) and Connor Oliver (LHP).
 
NOTABLE STREAKS: On-Base: Jack Sigrist has successfully reached in 15 games dating back to last season. He reached base at least once in all six of the Shockers' games this season. Alex Jackson has reached base in his first six contests, while Ross Cadena, Hunter Gibson and Couper Cornblum ... Hitting: Cornblum has tallied at least one hit in his first five games.
 
PRESEASON HONORS: Paxton Wallace was selected to the American Athletic Conference's preseason all-conference team. Wallace, who hails from Greenbrier, Ark., belted a team-high-tying nine homers, going along with 13 doubles and 35 RBI in 2019.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS: Arkansas-Pine Bluff: The Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions out of the SWAC enter the week at 3-5 overall after winning two of three home games against Lane College Feb. 21-22 in Pine Bluff, Ark. ... Through eight games, UAPB is paced offensively by junior infielder Humberto Moldanado (.406 avg., 13 H, 2 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 19 TB, 1 BB, .444 OB%) and senior infielder Nick Kreutzer (.233 avg., 7 H, 4 R, 5 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 15 TB, 6 BB) ...  As a team, Arkansas-Pine Bluff is hitting .253 with a 5.62 ERA and .961 fielding percentage ... The Golden Lions were picked to finish fifth in the Western Division SWAC preseason poll ... UAPB is under the direction of ninth season head coach Carlos James ... Kansas State: The Kansas State Wildcats out of the Big 12 come into the week with an overall mark of 3-4 after dropping two of three contests in the Kleberg Bank College Classic Feb. 21-23 in Corpus Christi, Texas ... K-State defeated Missouri, 5-1, ,before falling to the host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, 5-2, and Utah, 2-1 ... Through seven games, the Wildcats are led at the plate by a pair of sophomores in infielder Daniel Carinici (.348 avg., 8 H, 3 R, 1 2B, , 9 TB) and outfielder/LHP Dylan Phillips (.240 avg., 6 H, 1 R, ,1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 BB) ... As a team, Kansas State is hitting .199 with a 3.02 ERA and .988 fielding percentage ... The Wildcats were picked to finish eighth in the Big 12 preseason poll ... K-State is under the leadership of second season head coach Pete Hughes.
 
NEW DIGS: The Shockers played their first game in a newly renovated Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field, against Texas Southern on Friday, Feb. 21. The renovations were completed in January, 2020, and include a 10,000-square foot performance facility that features a strength and conditioning center, two athletic training rooms, student-athlete locker room, coaches' locker room, media room, refueling station, classroom, offices for coaches and staff, equipment and laundry room, a new dugout on the third base side and a ticket office. The facility was privately funded by donors of Wichita State University. As part of a separate project, new, Major Play artificial turf was installed on Tyler Field in December, 2019.
 
ON DECK: Wichita State is scheduled to head to Reno, Nev., to play three games in the Nevada tournament Feb. 28-March 1. The Shockers will face Hofstra Friday, Feb. 28, and Saturday, Feb. 29, before taking on host Nevada Sunday, March 1.