Game 1: Wichita State (0-0) vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State (0-0)
Sunday, Feb. 21 | 2 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium)

Game 2: Wichita State vs. No. 17 Oklahoma State
Monday, Feb. 22 | 2 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Eck Stadium)

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SCENE SETTER: The Wichita State University baseball team is scheduled to open its 2021 season with a pair of games against longtime rival Oklahoma State Sunday, Feb. 21, and Monday, Feb. 22, at Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field. Both games are scheduled for 2 p.m. first pitches.

TICKETS: All Wichita State baseball season ticket holders may use their season tickets from games one and two of the canceled Northern Colorado contests to receive admission to the Oklahoma State games. Ticket holders may use their game one ticket from Northern Colorado for game one vs. Oklahoma State (Sunday), and game two for the second OSU contest (Monday) ... There will be single-game tickets available for purchase for both games, however, capacity at Eck Stadium is limited due to COVID-19 guidelines. To purchase tickets, please visit www.GoShockers.com/tickets or call (316) 978-FANS ... NOTE: Due to accumulated snow and safety concerns, the outfield will not be available for spectators for both games.

SHOCKER BASEBALL ON THE RADIO: KFH Radio 97.5 FM and 1240 AM will air both games against the Cowboys. 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.

SERIES HISTORY: Wichita State and Oklahoma State have a storied history on the diamond, meeting 97 times dating back to 1914 heading into Sunday and Monday's games in Wichita. Oklahoma State leads the series, 60-37. The last meetings vs. OSU occurred during the 2019 campaign, with the Cowboys downing the Shockers, 10-7 in Stillwater, Okla., and 1-0 in Wichita. Sunday and Monday's games will mark the inaugural meetings against Oklahoma State for second season head coach Eric Wedge. WSU was scheduled to play OSU in 2020, but the games were never played after the season was suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

SHOCKER NOTES: The Shockers return 21 letterwinners, including seven position players and 10 pitchers from last season's team that posted a 13-2 overall record and won its final 12 games before the 2020 season was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic ... Returning starting position players include freshman outfielder Couper Cornblum (.354 avg., 4 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR, 12 RBI), junior outfielder Hunter Gibson (.316 avg., 4 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBI), junior catcher Ross Cadena (.271 avg., 4 2B, 6 RBI, 1.000 fld%), junior infielder Garrett Kocis (.250 avg., 3 2B, 4 3B, 2 HR, 14 RBI), sophomore infielder Jack Sigrist (.250 avg., 4 2B, 4 RBI, 10 BB, 9 SB), freshman infielder Cade Clemons (.238 avg., 1 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and senior infielder Alex Jackson (.235 avg., 2 2B, 5 RBI, 4 SB) ... On the mound, Wichita State returns its entire 2020 starting rotation in junior right-handers Liam Eddy (2-0, 1.73 ERA, 26.0 IP, 7 R, 5 ER, 22 SO, 6 BB) and Jake Hamilton (2-1, 4.26 ERA, 19.0 IP, 9 R, 9 ER, 33 SO, 9 BB), and senior right-handers Preston Snavely (2-1, 2.95 ERA, 21.1 IP, 8 R, 7 ER, 28 SO, 6 BB) and Tommy Barnhouse (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.2 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 14 SO, 2 BB) ... Returning relievers are junior right-handed closer Foster Gifford (1-0, 0.00, 4 SV, 8.0 IP, 0 R, 0 ER, 7 SO, 1 BB), in addition to junior RHPs Aaron Bechtel (2-0, 2.08 ERA, 8.2 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 9 SO, 4 BB) and Jacob Lindemann (0-0, 7.71 ERA, 2.1 IP, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 SO, 3 BB), and sophomore RHPs Connery Peters (1-0, 1.23 ERA, 7.1 IP, 1 R, 1 ER, 9 SO, 1 BB) and Aaron Haase (0-0, 6.75 ERA, 9.1 IP, 9 R, 7 ER, 11 SO, 5 BB), as well as redshirt sophomore righty Ryan Stuempfig (1-0, 1.93 ERA, 14.0 IP, 3 R, 3 ER, 15 SO, 7 BB) ... Last season, Eddy ranked ninth in The American in pitching with a 1.73 ERA ... Cornblum was 13th in the conference in hitting with a .354 batting average.

WELCOME TO THE ICT: WSU welcomes 18 newcomers to Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field, this season, including infielders Andrew Stewart (So.), Jalon Mack (Fr.), Jordan Rogers (Fr.); outfielders Chuck Ingram (Fr.), Seth Stroh (Fr.) and Corrigan Bartlett (Sr.); catchers Noah Greise (Fr.), Gage Williams (Fr.) and Cooper Harris (Fr.); right-handed pitchers Jace Kaminska (Fr.), Cameron Bye (Fr.), LJ McDonough (So.), Josh Hansell (Fr.) and Konnor Lewis (Fr.); and left-handed pitchers Spencer Hynes (R-Jr.), Christian Clack (Fr.), Gareth Stroh (Sr.) and Ryne Schooley (R-Fr.).

PRESEASON All-CONFERENCE HONORS: Freshman outfielder Couper Cornblum and junior right-hander Liam Eddy were both named to the American Athletic Conference Preseason All-Conference Team. Cornblum, a native of Woodway, Texas, led the Shockers at the plate in 2020 with a .354 average, while Eddy, who hails from Brighton, Colo., paced WSU on the rubber with a 1.73 ERA in 26 innings pitched.

CORNBLUM, EDDY HONORED BY D1BASEBALL.COM: Couper Cornblum and Liam Eddy were both listed on D1Baseball.com's Preseason Power Rankings for 2021. Cornblum was 76th on the Top-100 Outfielders list while Eddy was 87th on the Top-150 Starting Pitchers list.

NOTABLE STREAKS: On-Base: Jack Sigrist has successfully reached in 24 games dating back to the 2019 season. He reached base at least once in all 15 of the Shockers' games in 2020. Hunter Gibson has reached successfully in his last 14 games going into 2021 ... Hitting: Gibson is on a team-best nine-game hitting streak entering the season.

THE FRIENDLY CONFINES: The Shockers posted a flawless 10-0 record at Eck Stadium in 2020. In its 10 home contests, WSU is hit .253 with a 1.90 ERA, while its opponents had a .220 average and 5.02 ERA. In its 10 home games in 2020, the Wichita State pitching staff struck out a combined 98 batters and walked just 30 while allowing only 19 earned runs in 90 innings.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE: Oklahoma State posted an overall record of 13-5 in 2020 before having to cut its season short due to the COVID-19 pandemic ... OSU appears in several preseason national polls, checking in as high as No. 17 in the Collegiate Baseball rankings. The Cowboys are 18th in the USA Today coaches poll and are ranked No. 20 by D1Baseball.com ... Oklahoma State welcomes back seven position players and its entire starting weekend rotation for 2021 ... OSU was picked to finish fourth in the Big 12 standings in a preseason vote of the league's head coaches, who also named three Cowboys to the Preseason All-Big 12 Team (Max Hewitt, INF; Hueston Morrill, INF; Justin Campbell, UTL) ... OSU is under the direction of ninth season head coach Josh Holliday.

ON DECK: WSU is slated to host SIU Edwardsville in a three-game series at Eck Stadium Feb. 26-28.