WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State begins a seven-game homestand beginning with a midweek doubleheader vs. South Dakota State on Tuesday, March 9 at 3 p.m.

QUICK HITS
• Wichita State is coming off a 5-0 weekend in Arlington, Texas at the Boerner Invitational.
• Home Run Watch: Madison Perrigan became Wichita State's all-time home run leader vs. Missouri State on March 5 with her 40th career home run.
• Wichita State is 8-2 in its last 10 games.
• Wichita State is 19-25 in season openers and 7-3 under 10th-year head coach Kristi Bredbenner.
• Wichita State is 31-12 in home openers and 5-4 under Bredbenner.
• The Creighton series was Wichita State's first home game since May 6, 2019.
• Wichita State has won seven of its last eight season openers.
• Wichita State picked up where it left off at the end of 2020 at the plate. The Shocker bats have been busy through the first two weekends of play. Wichita State ranks in the top 25 nationally in home runs per game (2nd), slugging percentage (3rd), scoring (6th), on base percentage (7th), batting average (9th) and doubles per game (24th).
• Sophomore Lauren Mills set the single game home run record vs. Lamar on Feb. 20 when she hit three home runs - two in the same inning.
• Wichita State returns nine starters from a season ago and 16 letterwinners in all.
• Wichita State was picked to finish fifth by the league's coaches in the 2021 preseason poll.
• Wichita State led the American Athletic Conference in batting average, runs scored, hits, RBI, doubles, total bases and walks in 2020. On the defensive side, the Shockers topped the conference in assists and double plays.
• Wichita State had six players in the lineup hitting .345 or better in 2020.
• Sydney McKinney ranked fifth in The American in batting average and third in on-base percentage, hits and walks.
• Madison Perrigan led The American in total bases and walks, ranked third in home runs, doubles and fourth in slugging percentage.
• Wichita State returns four All-Conference performers from 2019: Madison Perrigan (First Team), Ryleigh Buck (First Team), Sydney McKinney (First Team, All-Rookie Team) and Erin McDonald (Second Team).
• No postseason awards were handed out in 2020 due to the shortened season.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State is coming off a 5-0 weekend at the Boerner Invitational in Arlington, Texas. The Shockers defeated Missouri State (8-1), Texas A&M Corpus Christi (5-4), North Texas (13-2), UT Arlington (6-3) and No. 23 Iowa State (3-1). Wichita State extended its winning streak to eight straight and is off to its second best start in program history. Ryleigh Buck and Madison Perrigan both homered twice over the weekend driving in a combined 13 runs. Bailey Lange was 2-0 with a save in 14.1 innings.

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
South Dakota State enters the tournament at 9-1 so far this season. The Jackrabbits were picked to finish second in the preseason Summit League poll. The Jackrabbits have won 20 or more games four times under coach Krista Wood, and prior to the cancellation of the 2020 Summit League Championships had reached the league's year-end tournament in each of her first five seasons, including a championship series run in 2018. Peyton Daugherty leads SDSU with a .419 batting average and five stolen bases. Cylie Halvorson (4 HR, 10 RBI) and Rozelyn Carrillo (3 HR, 11 RBI) have seven of the team's 10 home runs and are the top two run producers. The Jackrabbit pitching staff has a 1.87 ERA and opponents are hitting just .191 so far this season. Tori Kniesche is 3-0 with a 1.11 ERA, 28 strikeouts and two complete games in 19.0 IP. Grace Glanzer is 3-1 with a 2.07 ERA in 27.0 IP.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and South Dakota State have met on the diamond three times with the Shockers owning a 4-0 record. Wichita State is 1-0 against the Jackrabbits under head coach Kristi Bredbenner. The first meeting between the two programs was back on March 11, 1983 - a 5-2 victory for the Shockers.

LAST MEETING WITH THE JACKRABBITS
Wichita State and South Dakota State haven't met since 2012 in Denton, Texas. The Shockers won the matchup, 4-1.

A START FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Wichita State is 10-2 through its first 12 games of the season. That mark is tied for the best 12-game start to a season in school history. The 1994 team also opened the campaign at 10-2.

DOWN GOES NO. 23
Wichita State's win over No. 23 Iowa State last Sunday in Arlington was its first victory over a ranked foe since May 2019 when the Shockers took two games of a weekend series vs. No. 25 USF.

LANGE NABS THIRD HONOR ROLL, BUCK FIRST
Senior Ryleigh Buck and redshirt senior Bailey Lange were both named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll on March 8. For Lange, it marked her third straight week on the Honor Roll, while Buck picked up her first of the season. Lange went 2-0 with a save during Wichita State's 5-0 week in Arlington. Buck hit .357 with 2 HR, 3B and 6 RBI.

BARNARD TABBED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman Addison Barnard was named the American Athletic Conference Player of the Week on March 1. Barnard started all three games vs. Creighton at second base and went 5-for-9 (.556) at the plate with three home runs, a triple, three runs scored and eight RBI. Additionally, redshirt senior Bailey Lange recorded her second straight American Weekly Honor Roll nod. Lange made two appearances in the circle, both complete games, and went 2-0 with a 0.58 ERA on five hits and one earned run. She struck out 13 batters and allowed only four walks in 12.0 innings of work.

BOMB SQUAD
Wichita State belted 13 home runs last weekend in the series vs. Creighton. The Shockers hit five in game one, six in game two and two in the finale. The six home runs in game two were tied for the second-most in school history for homers in a single game. Addison Barnard (3), Madison Perrigan (2), Neleigh Herring (2), Lauren Mills (2), Ryleigh Buck (1), Jessica Garcia (1), Bailee Nickerson (1) and Sydney McKinney (1) all hit long balls in the three-game sweep.

BACK-TO-BACK 2X IN THE SAME INNING
In Wichita State's 13-3 run-rule of Creighton in game two of the series, Addison Barnard and Madison Perrigan hit back-to-back home runs twice in the same inning. Barnard started the third inning with a two-run shot followed by Perrigan's solo homer. After the lineup batted around, Barnard drove in three on a blast to left, immediately followed by Perrigan's second solo shot of the inning.

YOLO LOLO
No Shocker had ever hit three home runs in a single game... until Feb. 20, 2021. Sophomore Lauren Mills stamped her name into the record book in a big way vs. Lamar. The Topeka, Kan., native set a new school record with three bombs in the game, including two in the same inning, while also driving in a career-high six RBI.

STAYING IN THE LOOP
Follow the Shocker softball program on Twitter (@GoShockersSB) for content and in-game updates. You can also become a fan of Wichita State Softball on Facebook (GoShockersSB) and Instagram (goshockerssb).

UP NEXT
Wichita State continues its seven-game homestand this weekend when they welcome four teams for the Wichita State Tournament at Wilkins Stadium. Wichita State will face Missouri State, Omaha and North Texas over three days.