The RoundHouse | 2/20/2021 9:36:00 AM

Three questions for Wichita State softball:
 
Where does Sydney McKinney play?
 
McKinney, a sophomore, hit .410 with a team-leading .485 on-base percentage as the leadoff hitter in 2020. She played second and third base.
 
She's worked to return to shortstop, the position she played in high school in Norborne, Mo. Where McKinney lands will determine a lot about how the Shocker infield looks.
 
"She feels that's a spot she wants to earn and it's a big role on our team," coach Kristi Bredbenner said. "She has really pushed hard to play shortstop."
 
Bredbenner likes McKinney's quick release of the ball on throws. Kaylee Huecker, who played shortstop last season, owns a stronger arm and slightly better range. 
 
"You have a little bit of a tradeoff with two really good options there," Bredbenner said.
 
McKinney is working on positioning and paying attention to pitch calls to help her defense.
 
"There's so much to think about – it's really important covering bases, knowing plays, making sure everybody is on the same page on the infield, so I like that," she said. "It challenges me more than what I'm used to playing, which is third and second."
 
McKinney earned All-American Athletic Conference honors as a freshman in 2019. She hit .329 while starting at second and third.
 
"Syd is somebody that is all-in, bought-in, great shape," Bredbenner said. "She has really been zoned in and is one the toughest outs for our pitchers."
 
Wichita State opens the season this weekend in Houston and Bredbenner expects to take a look at several lineups in the early weeks of the season. While McKinney and Huecker are likely to play in the middle infield, freshman Addison Barnard is pushing for playing time with her bat on the infield.
 
At first base, junior Neleigh Herring returns after hitting .378 with five home runs in 2020. Freshman Camryn Compton is also playing first base. At third base, senior Ryleigh Buck hit .284 with three home runs in 2020. She was an all-conference pick in 2019.
 
Designated player Lauren Mills hit .286 with two home runs in 2020 and started 12 games.
 
In the outfield, Bredbenner likes the depth and competition. Wylie Glover started all 27 games last season and hit .369 and teams with freshman Lauren Lucas in left. In center, returning starter Bailee Nickerson hit .359 last season. Lauren Johnson, who started three games in the outfield in 2020, also plays center. In right, Bailey Urban started as a freshman in 2020 with freshman Tatum Long also an option. 
 
What's the main concern?
 
The Shockers invested a lot of time over the fall and into the spring on defense. In 2020's abbreviated season (27 games), Wichita State committed 26 errors, six more than their opponents.
 
"We made too many errors last year, and we did not pitch well, either," Bredbenner said. "When you're not pitching well and you're giving a lot of free bases and all of a sudden you get a ball hit at you pretty hard, you've got to be able to make that play. They've all challenged themselves to be better and to be able to make those plays."
 
An infield loaded with experience should help.
 
"We have a lot of upperclassmen, so we have a lot of communication and a lot of trust," catcher Madison Perrigan said.
 
The Shockers went 11-16 last season while hitting .326 with 30 home runs and 50 doubles. There is plenty of pop in the lineup waiting on improved pitching and defense. At the end of 2020, Wichita State ranked in the top 25 nationally in doubles, slugging percentage, walks, batting average and scoring.
 
"I think the defense looks really good, a lot of depth," McKinney said. "We started doing every-day defense, a lot of flips, throwing it around, short hops. We include the pitchers, so it's helpful for them, too. A lot of live looks off of pitchers and live looks with base runners in the field has helped."
 
Wichita State is picked fifth in the conference. UCF is the preseason favorite, followed by USF.
 
What's the record update?
 
Perrigan returns as three-plus season starter at catcher. She has 37 career home runs and is two short of the team record. She can also extend her mark as conference career home run leader in 2021.
 
Perrigan, Buck and pitcher Bailey Lange all return for a second senior season after the abbreviated 2020. They also remember that 2019 ended in an unsatisfying fashion when rain ended the conference tournament before a semifinal matchup against USF in Houston.
 
"We all have that itch to get back on the field again," Perrigan said. "Everybody is so excited."
 
That trio has played in NCAA games in 2018. The 2019 Shockers went 32-24 and entered the conference tournament after winning the final regular-season series against top-seeded USF.
 
"Their leadership is going to be huge," Bredbenner said. "They all felt like they still had something to prove. It's an exciting time for them and their families to get to watch them this one last time and not have last year be the end."
 
Perrigan also can climb on Wichita State's list for doubles, where she ranks fourth with 42 (the record is 58 by Brittany Fortner). She is also fourth with 134 runs batted in, a list led by Paige Luellen's 153.

Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.