Series Schedule vs. Louisiana Tech
(Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field // Wichita, Kan.)
Game 1: Friday, March 6, 3 p.m.
Audio // Stats // Video
Game 2: Saturday, March 7, 1 p.m.
Audio // Stats // Video
Game 3: Sunday, March 8, noon
Audio // Stats // Video

Series Notes (PDF) | Promotions | Buy Tickets

Probable Starting Pitchers
 

Wichita State	Louisiana Tech
G1: Jake Hamilton (1-1, 4.50 ERA), RHP Jr., Asher, Okla.	G1: Jonathan Fincher (2-1, 1.42 ERA), LHP R-So., Shreveport, La.
G2: Liam Eddy (2-0, 1.35 ERA), RHP Jr., Brighton, Colo.	G2: Tyler Follis (0-0, 3.86 ERA), RHP Sr., Sulphur Springs, Texas
G3: Preston Snavely (2-1, 1.53 ERA), RHP Sr., Fort Collins, Colo.	G3: Jarret Whorff (3-0, 1.21 ERA), RHP Jr., Winnsboro, Texas

SCENE SETTER: Wichita State baseball (10-2) -- winners of nine straight games -- is slated to welcome the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (10-3) to Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field, for a three-game series March 6-8. The series opener is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, March 6, with game two penciled-in for 1 p.m. Saturday, March 7, and the series finale slated for noon Sunday, March 8.
 
PROMOTIONS: Chicken N Pickle Saturdays: Enjoy tailgating games on the concourse courtesy of Chicken N Pickle at ALL Saturday home games this season ... $4 Weekday Tickets: Purchase grandstand tickets for only $4 at all 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. home weekday games during the month of March.

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: COX YurView Kansas will air the three-game series against Louisiana Tech in HD on Ch. 22. In addition, the series will be streamed live on WatchESPN.com.
 
SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Bulldogs have met just three times, all-time. The two teams met in Ruston, La., in 2017, with the Bulldogs sweeping a three-game series over WSU, winning 6-2, 15-1 and 12-10.
 
SHOCKER NOTES: Wichita State enters the weekend with an overall record of 10-2 after sweeping a pair of home games against Air Force Tuesday and Wednesday ... The Shockers have won nine consecutive games going into Friday's opener against Louisiana Tech -- the longest winning streak since 2008 when they won 10 in-a-row ... At the plate through 12 contests, WSU is paced by freshman infielder/outfielder Couper Cornblum (.410 avg., 13 R, 16 H, 3 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 28 TB, .718 SLG%, 9 BB, .521 OB%, 4 SB) and junior outfielder Hunter Gibson (.319 avg., 5 R, 15 H, 4 2B, 13 RBI, 19 TB, 4 BB) ... Cornblum ranks second in The American in batting average and on-base percentage, first in triples and fifth in slugging percentage ... On the mound, Wichita State is led by senior right-handers Tommy Barnhouse (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.2 IP, 8 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 14 SO, .195 opp. avg.) and Preston Snavely (2-1, 1.53 ERA, 17.2 IP, 10 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 23 SO), and junior right-handers Liam Eddy (2-0, 1.35 ERA, 20.0 IP, 13 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 4 BB, 18 SO) and Jake Hamilton (1-1, 4.50 ERA, 14.0 IP, 10 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 7 BB, 26 SO) ... Out of the bullpen, the Shockers are paced by junior closer Foster Gifford (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 3 SV, 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO), sophomore right-hander Connery Peters (0-0, 1.80 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 SO) and redshirt sophomore righty Ryan Stuempfig (1-0, 1.86 ERA, 9.2 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4  BB, 10 SO) ... Gifford is tied for second in the conference in saves, while Eddy is third in innings pitched and Hamilton is fifth in total strikeouts ... As a team, WSU is hitting .271 with a 2.72 ERA and .974 fielding percentage.
 
YOU GET A RUN; YOU GET A RUN: Wichita State has scored a combined 34 runs in two of its last four contests. WSU plated 19 runs in a 19-10 victory over Hofstra in Reno, Nev., Feb. 28, before scoring 15 in a 15-4 triumph over Air Force Tuesday at Eck Stadium. WSU hit a combined .413 with 33 hits, nine doubles, three triples and 33 RBI in the two contests.
 
STELLAR START: Senior RHP Tommy Barnhouse continued his stellar start on the mound to his senior season in WSU's 2-0 shutout win vs. Air Force Wednesday. The Lansing, Kan., native tossed six scoreless innings and scattered five hits with one walk and five strikeouts. In his first two starts, he has thrown a combined 11 2/3 scoreless innings, allowing eight hits with no earned runs, two walks and 14 Ks.
 
NOTABLE STREAKS: On-Base: Jack Sigrist has successfully reached in 21 games dating back to last season. He reached base at least once in all 12 of the Shockers' games this season. Hunter Gibson has reached successfully in their last 11 games ... Hitting: Gibson is on a team-best six-game hitting streak.
 
THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: Entering the weekend, Wichita State is a perfect 7-0 at Eck Stadium. In its seven home contests, WSU is hitting .260 with a 1.14 ERA, while its opponents have a .199 average and 4.66 ERA. In its seven home games, the Wichita State pitching staff struck out a combined 67 batters and walked just 18 while allowing only eight earned runs in 63 innings.
 
DON'T RUN ON ROSS: Junior catcher Ross Cadena has thrown out an American Athletic Conference-high four runners through 12 games. He is tied for second in the conference in chances (132) and putouts (120).
 
 ON FIRE: Ross Cadena, Hunter Gibson and Couper Cornblum are hitting .444, .400 and .375 in their last five games. Cadena and Gibson have a team-high eight hits, while Cornblum has six. Cornblum has a team-best four extra-base hits (two doubles and triples) during that span. Gibson has a trio of doubles, while Cadena has two doubles. Gibson has driven in a team-high 11 runs, while Corblum has eight RBI and Cadena has three RBI in that span of games.
 
SWING AND A MISS: Wichita State starting pitchers Jake Hamilton, Liam Eddy, Preston Snavely, Tommy Barnhouse have struck out a combined 81 batters in 12 appearances this season. Hamilton leads the team and ranks fifth in The American and 53rd in the country in strikeouts with 26 in a trio of starts. Snavely (23) and Eddy (18) have also reached double-digit Ks through their first three starts, while Barnhouse has a combined 14 strikeouts in two starts. As a pitching staff, including relievers, Wichita State ranks fourth in the conference and 33rd in the nation in strikeouts per nine innings pitched at 11.
 
FIFTH-INNING KEY: The fifth inning has been very kind to WSU through 12 games, with the Shockers outscoring opponents in the frame, 12-4. The eighth inning has also treated Wichita State quite well, as WSU has outscored adversaries in the inning, 9-2.
 
AMERICAN WEEKLY HONORS: Couper Cornblum was named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll Monday, March 2. The freshman from Woodway, Texas, hit a team-best .429 with six hits, including a pair of doubles and a triple, going along with four RBI, four walks, a stolen base and zero strikeouts in WSU's pair of wins against Hofstra and Nevada in Reno, Nev., Feb. 28-29. He's the third Shocker to receive weekly accolades from the conference this season, joining Garrett Kocis (honor roll, Feb. 24) and Liam Eddy (Pitcher of the Week, Feb. 17).
 
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.
 
NEW FACES: The Shockers welcome 11 newcomers in 2020, including seven freshmen and four junior college transfers. Incoming junior college transfers include senior catcher Chris Diehl (Arizona Western), and junior right-handed pitchers Jake Hamilton (Rose State College), Foster Gifford (Dodge City CC) and Aaron Bechtel (Coffeyville CC) ... New freshmen position players are infielders Couper Cornblum, Blake Marsh, Derek Shaver and Cade Clemons, while new freshmen pitchers include Beau Leonards (LHP), Creighton Hansen (RHP) and Connor Oliver (LHP).
 
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 LOUISIANA TECH: The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs out of Conference USA enter the weekend at 10-3 overall after defeating Sam Houston State Tuesday in Huntsville, Texas, 9-3 ... The Bulldogs have won five straight games going into the series with the Shockers ... Offensively, Tech is paced by senior outfielder Parker Bates (.435 avg., 15 R, 20 H, 2 2B, 1 3B, 5 HR, 19 RBI, 39 TB, .848 SLG%, 9 BB, .557 OB%, 2 SB) and junior outfielder Steele Netterville (.409 avg., 12 R, 18 H, 4 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI, .773 SLG%, 5 BB, .491 OB%) ... As a team, the Bulldogs are hitting .298 with a 2.43 ERA and .972 fielding percentage ... Louisiana Tech was picked to finish third in the C-USA preseason poll ... Tech is under the leadership of fourth season head coach Lane Burroughs.
 
ON DECK: Wichita State is idle for a week before hosting Nebraska in a four-game series at Eck Stadium March 13-15. The Shockers will play a single game Friday, March 13, at 3 p.m., before playing a doubleheader Saturday, March 14, at noon and a single game at 1 p.m. Sunday, March 15.