American Athletic Conference Championship | Championship
Saturday, May 15 | 1 pm
Wichita State vs. UCF
ESPN2 (Mark Neely & Carol Bruggeman) 

WICHITA, Kan. - No. 1 seed Wichita State squares off with No. 3 UCF in the American Athletic Conference Championship game Saturday at 1 p.m. on ESPN2.

QUICK HITS
• Wichita State is 6-4 in its last 10 games.
• Wichita State is 6-3-1 vs. ranked opponents in 2021.
• Wichita State only lost one series this season, the conference matchup vs. USF.
• Shortstop Sydney McKinney ranks 2nd in the NCAA in hits with 78. She had a career-long 14-game hit streak snapped in the final at Tulsa. McKinney has two hitting steaks of 11 straight games or more this season.
• McKinney broke the single season record for hits on May 1 at Tulsa. Her 78 hits are the most in school history.
• Wichita State matched the school record with its 13-game win streak. The 2005 Shockers also won 13.
• Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner recorded her 600th career win on April 13 vs. Kansas City.
• The Shockers have hit five grand slams this season.
• Freshman Addison Barnard broke the single season home run record on April 13 vs. Kansas City with her 17th home run of the season. Cacy Williams set the mark with 16 in 2014. Barnard now has 19 home runs.
• Barnard also has 53 RBI this season, the most in a single season in program history. She passed Cacy Williams (50) on April 25.
• Wichita State had back-to-back conference series sweeps (Memphis and Houston) for the first time since joining the American Athletic Conference.
• Home Run Queen: Madison Perrigan became Wichita State's all-time home run leader vs. Missouri State on March 5 with her 40th career home run. She now has 54 round-trippers.
• Perrigan became the program's all-time RBI leader on March 11 vs. Missouri State with 154 career runs batted in.
• Eight players on the roster have hit five or more home runs so far this season.
• Wichita State ranks in the top 40 nationally in home runs (3rd), home runs per game (4th), walks (9th), slugging percentage (8th), scoring (14th), on base percentage (19th), doubles (31st), batting average (38th) and fielding percentage (39th).
• 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 cleaned up in conference awards - Sydney McKinney (Player of the Year, 1st Team), Addison Barnard (Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team, 1st Team), Kaylee Huecker (Defensive Player of the Year), Coaching Staff of the Year, Madison Perrigan (1st Team), Neleigh Herring (1st Team), Bailey Lange (2nd Team), Ryleigh Buck (2nd Team) and Bailee Nickerson (2nd Team).

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State defeated No. 4 seed Tulsa in the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Championship, 9-4. Wichita State advanced to the championship game for the first time as a member of the American. Lauren Mills hit her second grand slam of the season and 10th home run of the season in the contest. Kaylee Huecker had a pair of RBI doubles and Addison Barnard was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate. Bailey Lange recorded her 20th win of the season in 5.0 innings of work.

SCOUTING UCF
The Knights' will make their third appearance in an AAC championship game. Their last time out came in 2015, when UCF took down Tulsa, 1-0 to secure their fi rst ever AAC tournament title. It was also the fi rst time UCF earned both the regular season and the tournament title in the same season. In 2014, UCF lost 3-2 to Louisville in the league championship. In total, the Knights have won three conference tournament titles in program history. The Knights' have three wins over top-fi ve ranked teams in the country to this point in the season with wins over No. 5 Florida (twice - March 24, 8-6 and April 14, 7-0) and No. 2 Arizona (March 8, 2-0).

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and UCF have met 11 times prior to Saturday's championship matchup. The Shockers are 9-1-1 all-time vs. the Knights, including a 1-0 mark on a neutral field. The two programs met in 2019 in the first round of the American Athletic Conference Championship, a 2-1 win for Wichita State.

LAST MEETING WITH THE KNIGHTS
Wichita State and UCF met in mid April when both teams were ranked in the Top 25. The Shockers won the first three games of the series down in Orlando, before the final game ended in a 0-0 tie. The Shockers outscored the Knights in the four games, 15-2, including three shutouts. Wichita State is 3-0-1 vs. the Knights in 2021.

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
Wichita State won its first American Athletic Conference regular season championship in program history after an 18-5-1 record in league play. The 2021 Shockers recorded the third conference title in school history, joining the 2014 and 2016 teams. Wichita State will be the No. 1 seed in the conference championship and receive a first round bye.

WICHITA STATE AT THE AAC CHAMPIONSHIP
Wichita State is the No. 1 seed in the American Athletic Conference Championship for the first time in program history. The Shockers were the No. 3 seed in their inaugural season in 2018 and then the No. 4 seed in 2019. Wichita State is 2-1 all-time at the American Athletic Conference Championship. The 2019 championship was cut short due to weather and then canceled in 2020 due to COVID-19.

WE CLEAN UP PRETTY GOOD
Wichita State brought home a lot of hardware from the American Athletic Conference regular season awards. The Shockers claimed Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Coaching Staff of the Year, as well as four First Team All-Conference and three Second Team All-Conference selections. Sydney McKinney had a stellar 2021 campaign that saw her land Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honors. McKinney is the second Shocker to be named American Player of the Year, joining Mackenzie Wright. Addison Barnard broke on to the scene as a true freshman, earning Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team and First Team All-Conference honors. Kaylee Huecker was rewarded for her defensive prowess by being named Defensive Player of the Year. Huecker is the first Shocker to earn DPOY honors. Head coach Kristi Bredbenner, assistant coach Elizabeth Economon and graduate assistant Presley Bell led the team to a record-breaking season. They were named the 2021 Coaching Staff of the Year. Madison Perrigan and Neleigh Herring were both named All-Conference First Team members. Perrigan earned first team honors for the second time in her career. Bailey Lange, Ryleigh Buck and Bailee Nickerson were all chosen for the All-Conference Second Team.

POLL FOR THOUGHTS
Wichita State climbed into the USA Today/NFCA Top 25 Coaches Poll for the first time in program history on April 13. The Shockers received 61 votes to enter the rankings at No. 25. The following week the Shockers climbed two spots up to No. 23, the highest in school history, but dropped out after a 1-4 week. On April 20, Wichita State was ranked in all four major polls for the first time ever. Wichita State sits at No. 24 in the NFCA Coaches Poll released on May 11, No. 23 in the ESPN/USA Softball and No. 25 in the Softball America Top 25.

ALL SHE DOES IS HIT
Sophomore Sydney McKinney broke the Wichita State single season record for hits on May 1 at Tulsa. She had three hits in the contest, bringing her season total to 78. McKinney passed Brittany Fortner (2015) and Katie McGeeney (2005) who shared the record with 74. McKinney recently had a career-best 14-game hitting streak snapped at Tulsa. She has had at least one hit in all but eight games this season.

BARNARD NAMED TOP 30 FINALIST
Freshman Addison Barnard was named a Top 30 finalist for the Schutt Sports/NFCA National Freshman of the Year. She is the first Shocker to be named a finalist for the NFCA Freshman of the Year. On May 13, the list will be trimmed down to the top 10 and the three finalists will be released on May 27. The 2021 Schutt Sports / NFCA Division I National Freshman of the Year will be announced on June 1. With the cancellation of last year's season due to COVID-19, candidates hail from the 2020 and 2021 freshman classes. Due to having two freshman classes eligible for the award, an additional five players have been added to the traditional top 25.

A SEASON FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Wichita State is 38-11-1 so far this season. That mark is the best record through the first 50 games in program history. The 2021 Shockers were the fastest to reach 30 wins in school history, needing only 35 games.

BARNARD'S BOMBS
Freshman Addison Barnard broke the single season home run record on April 13 vs. Kansas City with her 17th of the season. She broke a tie with Cacy Williams who set the record in 2014. Barnard needed only 34 games to break the program record, as a true freshman. Additionally, her, now, 20 home runs are the most by a player in American Athletic Conference history. She is also four home runs away from cracking the Top 10 on the career charts at Wichita State, in just one season. Barnard is one of just seven players in the country with 20 or more home runs in 2021.

SCORCHING SYDNEY
Sophomore Sydney McKinney was a terror for opposing pitchers in league play. In 24 games, McKinney was 46-for-87 (.529) at the plate with a triple, four doubles, five home runs, 18 RBI, 12 stolen bases and 34 runs scored.

PITCHERS BEWARE
Through the 50 games, Wichita State has hit 91 home runs, a mark good enough to rank third nationally. Wichita State is one of only three schools in the country with 90 or more home runs. The school record for home runs in a single season was 59 set in 2018. The Shockers eclipsed that mark on April 10 vs. Houston in just their 31st game of the season.

SHOCKERS BOAST STRONG RPI
In the latest release of the 2021 RPI, Wichita State sits at No. 28 after posting a 38-11-1 record in the regular season. Wichita State opponents that sit in the top 50 include: Oklahoma at No. 5, Oklahoma State at No. 7, Texas at No. 12, UCF at No. 38, Iowa State at No. 40 and South Dakota State at No. 42. USF and Kansas are just outside at No. 52 and No. 61.

RANKED WINS
Wichita State has picked off three ranked teams so far this season. The Shockers defeated No. 11 Oklahoma State for a second time on April 27 in Wichita. Wichita State took 3-of-4 at No. 23 UCF over the weekend - the first time defeating a ranked team in three straight games. The Shockers' upset of No. 8/6 Oklahoma State on Thursday, March 18 was the program's highest ranked win in program history. The win in Stillwater was just the fifth-ever win at OSU and marked the largest margin of victory over the Cowgirls. Wichita State's win over No. 23 Iowa State on March 7 in Arlington was its first victory over a ranked foe since May 2019. The Shockers are 6-2-1 this season against teams ranked in the top 25.

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 will learn its NCAA Tournament fate Sunday at 8 p.m. during the Selection Show on ESPN2.