The RoundHouse | 2/5/2020 5:17:00 PM

 
Fall practices loaded the mind of Wichita State catcher Madison Perrigan. Senior season. Last time for all of this. She needed to lead, needed to hit every ball, needed to get back to the NCAAs. Needed to be perfect.
 
It wasn't her ideal fall and coach Kristi Bredbenner could see it unfolding. 
 
"It kind of hit me a little bit, overwhelmed me," Perrigan said. "I came in and talked to Coach B, said 'Can I just talk to you.' She was like, 'Yeah, come in. I've been waiting.'"
 
The talk helped. Perrigan saw nobody expected perfection. This spring, Perrigan – better known by her nickname "Butters" - is trusting in the skill that made her a three-season starter and a 2019 All-American Athletic Conference pick.
 
"She said 'You can't put this much pressure on yourself,'" Perrigan said.
 
Perrigan, from Mustang, Okla., led the American with 11 home runs, 105 total bases, 40 walks and 43 runs batted in. Her slugging percentage of .656 ranked second and her on-base percentage of .460 ranked fourth.
 
That is plenty of ability to trust, which is what Bredbenner emphasized.
 
"She hit a little bit of a panic button," Bredbenner said. "She started focusing on the wrong things. She's a great softball player. She just has to learn to take it one pitch at a time, enjoy it, and not make it bigger than it really is."
 
The Shockers (32-24 last season) open 2020 on Thursday in the Texas Classic in Austin with games against Maryland (1 p.m.) and No. 6 Texas (3:30). Perrigan is part of an experienced group of returners and will work with the program's deepest pitching staff since the 2016 NCAA regional team.
 
It is a team that went 12-9 in the American last season after a 2-5 start, a finishing run that included a series victory over first-place USF. Six members of the roster played in the NCAA regional championship round at Arkansas in 2018. That experience and confidence characterized the fall practices and flowed into the spring.
 
The Shockers also remember how unexpected losses in non-conference tournaments ruined their NCAA at-large resume last season. Weather ended the conference tournament prematurely in Houston, robbing the Shockers of a chance to extend their late-season improvement into NCAA play. 

They start the season focusing on winning those kind of games and aiming to add upsets. 
 
"We're working hard, but we're keeping it a little lighter than in years past, and I think that's the experience showing through," Bredbenner said. "We've done this. A lot more smiles. A lot more energy. When somebody makes a mistake, you just can tell there's somebody there that's going to pick them up."
 
Bredbenner is excited about the speed and versatility in her lineup. She loves the infield defense and the pitching staff appears comparable to the 2016 group that helped the Shockers to an NCAA regional with two strong starters and experience in relief.
 
In addition to Perrigan, the lineup returns third baseman Ryleigh Buck, also an all-conference pick, second baseman Sydney McKinney and first baseman Neleigh Herring. Junior Kaylee Huecker, who started 35 games last season, moves from second to shortstop. She replaces Laurie Derrico, a four-year starter at shortstop and a two-time all-conference pick.
 
 In the outfield, junior Bailee Nickerson is a returning starter with experience in center and right. Junior Wylie Glover, and freshmen Lauren Johnson and Bailey Urban are working to play alongside Nickerson, who started 52 games last season.
 
"I put our infield up with anybody in the conference right now," Bredbenner said. "Kaylee Huecker, to me, is easily one of the best shortstops in the league, which is nice because I felt the same way about (Derrico)."
 
After two seasons of rebuilding the pitching staff, the Shockers are set with three experienced starters and depth behind them. 
 
Redshirt senior Bailey Lange, an all-conference pick in 2018, is back after missing most of last season with a leg injury. In 2018, she went 20-13 with a 2.90 earned run average. She started all four games in the NCAA regional and finished two.
 
Junior Erin McDonald took over Lange's spot atop the staff and earned second-team all-conference honors in 2019 with a 15-12 record and a 2.90 ERA. Junior Caitlin Bingham made 23 starts and threw eight complete games on her way to a 13-9 record and 3.90 ERA.
 
"We took a year off with Bailey and Erin got to throw, and she got so much experience," Perrigan said. "The team is 'Ok, we have two pitchers who pitched a tremendous amount of innings against these teams, so we know exactly what we're going to do."
 
The bullpen also looks like a strength with junior Hailey Martinez and redshirt sophomore McKenzie Weber and Bingham an option when she doesn't start.
 
"We're all very different," Lange said. "Me and Erin, we have the same pitches, but we throw them completely different."
 
Lange's return also helps the offense. She hit .285 with seven home runs in 2018 and will serve as the designated player when she doesn't pitch. 
 
McKinney hit .329 with 20 walks and eight doubles. Buck hit .298 with nine home runs and Herring added six home runs. Sophomore Lauren Mills will serve as the DP when Lange pitches. Mills hit three home runs and walked 22 times to 12 strikeouts with 60 at-bats last season.
 
After Sunday's scrimmage, Bredbenner reminded the Shockers that the start of the season means playing time changes.
 
"The true challenge of chemistry starts when the actual lineup gets read off," Bredbenner said. "Everybody has to understand they still have a role on this team. If you're the leadoff batter or you're the one sitting on the bench yelling out 'changeups' or keeping the chart or the first one off the bench as a base runner, you still play a vital role in our success. I think our team really gets that."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.