The RoundHouse | 2/11/2022 10:11:00 AM

 Podcast with first baseman Neleigh Herring and infielder Madyson Espinosa

Wichita State opens softball season today (Friday) with two games in the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas.
 
The Shockers swept the American Athletic Conference regular-season and tournament titles. They finished with a program-best 75.5 winning percentage (41-13-1) and defeated Texas A&M twice in NCAA play. They ranked No. 24 in the NCAA's power ranking
 
The goal for the Shockers is to make 2022 their own kind of special. How? An easy start is to point out Wichita State owns five NCAA regional appearances, but none in consecutive seasons.  
 
Who is going to hit?
 
The Shockers mashed at a record-setting pace last season – 103 home runs as the prime example. There are many more records, which has been a trend in the program under coach Kristi Bredbenner, not a one-off.
 
Hitting will be a strength of the team again in 2022. The production might look different, with more doubles and more speed.

The losses from 2021 are significant - both in big-game experience and well-struck softballs.

Catcher Madison Perrigan, the program's career leader in home runs (58), RBI (191), total bases (460) and walks (113), is gone. So are third baseman Ryleigh Buck (11 home runs), centerfielder Bailee Nickerson (10 doubles) and second baseman Kaylee Huecker (six home runs).
 
There is plenty of power returning with right fielder Addison Barnard (22 home runs), first baseman Neleigh Herring (10 home runs) and designated player Lauren Mills (11 home runs). Barnard, a third-team Softball America All-American, set WSU's season record for home runs and runs batted in (61).
 
Shortstop Sydney McKinney, a third-team NFCA All-American, returns as leadoff hitter after hitting .439 with seven home runs and 10 doubles.
 
That is a strong starting point. Returners such as Camryn Compton, Bailey Urban, Wylie Glover, and Lauren Lucas will get a chance to show they can help with their bats.
 
"The new people that are filling spots – they still hit bombs," McKinney said.
 
Two experienced newcomers should help the new lineups.
 
Arielle James, a transfer second baseman from Houston, hit .380 with 17 doubles in 2019 for the Cougars before sitting out the past two seasons. Zoe Jones, a transfer third baseman from Texas Tech, struggled in 2021 after hitting seven home runs in 26 games in the abbreviated 2020 season. In 2019, she hit .333 in 2019 with five home runs.
 
"For us, it's going to be about moving our lineup around and figuring out who the best option is," Bredbenner said. "You're going to see more fluctuation in our lineups, because of the options we have, than ever."
 
Who plays on the infield?
 
Herring is a three-season starter who earned All-American Conference honors last season with a .375 batting average, 10 home runs and a team-leading 13 doubles. Compton started 24 games at first as a freshman.
 
Those two will hold down first base and, with Mills, fill out the designated player spot most games.
 
James takes over for Huecker at second base. McKinney, the 2021 conference Player of the Year, returns at shortstop. Bredbenner likes her depth at third with Jones and freshman Krystin Nelson.
 
"(James) is somebody who's kind of a steady Eddie," Bredbenner said. "A little better offensively than Kaylee. Maybe not as (much) range and the arm's not as strong as Kaylee's, so you're going to have a little give and take there."
 
How do the Shockers replace Perrigan?
 
Wichita State is looking for a new catcher for the first time since the 2017 season when Perrigan grabbed the job.
 
The Shockers will look at three options. Redshirt freshman Lainee Brown played in three games in 2020 and redshirted last season. She is a strong defender. Sophomore Jessica Garcia started three games at third and two in right field last season and played in 27 others. She homered three times, twice as a pinch-hitter.
 
Freshman Cassie Passwaters, from Mustang, Okla., joined the Shockers for the spring semester. She signed with the Shockers in November and graduated from high school early.
 
What is the possible new look in the outfield?
 
There might be more than one.
 
Barnard, who played right field last season, practices at center. She will be in the lineup at one of those spots. If she doesn't play right, Bredbenner said she may look at Mills or Compton in that spot if their hitting demands playing time.
 
"That right-field spot is going to be strictly offensive, most likely, unless we know we're going to face a team that hits a lot of balls to right field," Bredbenner said.
 
Bredbenner is confident in the team's defense in the outfield and will use the early weeks to sort out hitting. Urban started 40, mostly in left field. She is working to flatten her swing and cover more of the strike zone.
 
Glover started in the outfield in 2019 and 2020 – when she hit .369 in 27 games – and started 16 games last season. Lucas started five games last season. Tatum Long is another option.
 
"Lauren Lucas has really played great and has gotten stronger and more confident up at the plate," Bredbenner said. "She's giving herself a really good chance."
 
What are the big games on the schedule?
 
The Shockers, as usual, spend much of February and March on the road at tournaments.
 
They will play at Arkansas, a 2021 Super Regional team, on Feb. 17. They also play the Razorbacks on Feb. 19 to conclude four games in the Razorback Invitational.
 
Wichita State will play Oklahoma State three times – twice in a mid-March tournament in Stillwater and April 6 at Wilkins Stadium. The Shockers visit Oklahoma, defending NCAA champions, on March 29.
 
The Shockers open their home schedule on March 23 against Kansas. They play three conference series at home, highlighted by UCF's visit May 6-8. They travel to USF April 8-10. All three of those teams advanced to regional championships rounds last spring. Conference coaches voted the Shockers the preseason favorite, followed by USF and UCF.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.