Bearkat Classic | Feb. 11-13 | Huntsville, Texas | Bearkat Softball Complex

Friday:
#25 Wichita State vs. Dayton | 2:30 PM
#25 Wichita State at Sam Houston State | 7:00 PM

Saturday:
#25 Wichita State vs. South Dakota | 12:15 PM
#25 Wichita State vs. Houston Baptist | 4:45 PM

Sunday:
#25 Wichita State at Sam Houston State | 12:30 PM

QUICK HITS
• No. 25 Wichita State opens the 2022 campaign with five games in three days at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas.
• Wichita State is 19-25 in season openers and 7-3 under 11th year head coach Kristi Bredbenner.
• Wichita State has won seven of its last eight season openers.
• Wichita State is ranked No. 25 (NFCA, USA Softball, Softball America) in three of the four major polls entering the season.
• Junior Sydney McKinney enters the season riding a 6-game hitting streak.
• Sydney McKinney and sophomore Addison Barnard were named preseason All-Americans by Softball America, becoming the first Shocker duo to earn preseason All-American honors in school history.
• Wichita State was picked by the league's coaches to repeat as American Athletic Conference Champions in the preseason coaches poll.
• The Shockers garnered four first place votes and finished with 33 points in the preseason coaches poll. South Florida was picked second with 31 total points, followed by UCF (29), Houston (19), Tulsa (18), Memphis (9) and East Carolina (8).
• Wichita State has only 11 home games on the schedule for 2022, which is tied for the fewest in school history (1983).
• Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner is just 28 wins away from becoming Wichita State's all-time winningest coach. Jim Maynard sits in first with 313 career wins.
• Wichita State returns its single season home run record holder in Addison Barnard. After hitting 22 as a true freshman, Barnard is just two shy from entering the Top 10 at Wichita State for career homers.
• Sydney McKinney is just 27 hits away from cracking the top 10 list for hits at Wichita State. McKinney set the single season record a season ago with 87.
• Wichita State was 6-5-1 vs. ranked opponents in 2021.
• Wichita State only lost one series last season, the conference matchup vs. USF.
• Wichita State ranked in the top 30 nationally in home runs (2nd), home runs per game (3rd), slugging percentage (5th), walks (9th), scoring (9th), OBP (16th) and Avg. (30th) in 2021.
• Wichita State cleaned up in conference awards a season ago - 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).

SCOUTING DAYTON
Dayton is coming off a 21-26 record in 2021, including a 14-8 mark in Atlantic 10 play. Senior Alyssa Cacini returns for the Flyers after hitting .319 with eight home runs, 12 doubles, two triples and 33 RBI as a junior. Junior pitcher Sarah Bailitz is Dayton's top returner in the circle. Bailitz appeared in 26 games (12 starts) and went 4-8 with a 3.78 ERA in 79.2 innings pitched. Dayton was stout defensively in 2021, ranking 37th nationally in fielding percentage at .972.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and Dayton have met only one time prior to the Bearkat Classic. The Shockers won the lone meeting back in 1998, 3-2. That matchup also took place on a neutral field.

LAST MEETING WITH THE FLYERS
Wichita State won a 3-2 battle with Dayton back on March 21, 1998.

SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON
Sam Houston went 19-31 and 14-13 in the Southland Conference in 2021. Ellie Grill put together a solid freshman campaign for the Bearkats, logging five doubles, two triples, a home run and 17 RBI, while hitting .277. Grill is the team's top returning hitter, followed closely by Sheridan Fisher who hit .271. In the circle, Sam Houston brings back its top pitcher in Mika Vento. Vento appeared in 31 games, making 16 starts. She went 8-8 with a team-leading 3.21 ERA in 120.0 innings, while striking out 76.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State is 5-2 all-time vs. Sam Houston with the Shockers winning the last five meetings. Sam Houston won the first two matchups back in the late 1980s, but it's been all Wichita State since. Six of the seven meetings have taken place on a neutral field with Wichita State going 4-2 in those games.

LAST MEETING WITH THE BEARKATS
Wichita State and Sam Houston last met on Feb. 16, 2018 in Huntsville. The Shockers shut out the Bearkats in a 3-0 contest. Bailey Lange tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just two hits and striking out six. Madison Perrigan and Caitlin Bingham drove in a run apiece. Bailee Nickerson had a perfect day at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double.

SCOUTING SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota had a tough go in 2021, finishing the season 13-38 overall and 8-12 in the Summit League. Lauren Eamiguel returns for the Coyotes after hitting a team-high .275 with two home runs, 10 doubles and 20 RBI. South Dakota graduated its top three pitchers and will look to Peyton Maher in 2022. Maher started 11 games (2-8 W-L) in the circle and finished with a 5.21 ERA in 49.2 innings.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State enters the matchup with a 3-1 record all-time vs. the Coyotes. The Shockers won the first three meetings, but it was South Dakota who came out on the winning end in the last matchup. Wichita State is 1-1 vs. South Dakota on a neutral field.

LAST MEETING WITH THE COYOTES
South Dakota held off the Shockers for a 3-2 victory on Feb. 17, 2017 in Tempe, Ariz. South Dakota scored the game's first two runs before the Shockers tied it in the bottom of the 6th, only to see South Dakota push across the go-ahead run in the top of the 7th. Wichita State was only able to collect three hits in the contest, while Laurie Derrico hit a solo home run.

SCOUTING HOUSTON BAPTIST
Houston Baptist finished 2021 with a winning record, going 22-17 and 15-12 in the Southland Conference. Houston Baptist brings back its second-best hitter from 2021 in Jasie Roberts. Roberts hit .336 with five home runs, eight doubles, two triples and 29 RBI. Shelby Echols also returns after posting a .328 batting average. Echols tied for the team lead in hits with 42. The Huskies also have their top two home run hitters in the lineup for 2022. Autumn Sydlik (9) and Caitlyn Brockway (8) combined to hit 17 of Houston Baptist's 30 home runs in 2021. In the circle, Houston Baptist will turn to Lyndie Swanson. Swanson was 9-3 in 25 appearances with a 1.25 ERA as a freshman. The Huskies were an elite fielding team in 2021, posting a .976 fielding percentage good for 17th nationally. Houston Baptist also had a team ERA of 2.39, which was 38th in the NCAA.

SERIES HISTORY
This will be the first-ever meeting between Wichita State and Houston Baptist.

POLL FOR THOUGHTS
Wichita State is ranked No. 25 in the preseason USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, ESPN/USA Softball Top 25 and Softball America Top 25. The polls were announced on Jan. 25 and Feb. 1, making it the first time a Wichita State team has entered a season ranked in the national polls.

A PAIR OF PRESEASON ALL-AMERICANS
Wichita State junior Sydney McKinney and sophomore Addison Barnard picked up All-American honors on Feb. 7. The duo were named Preseason Third Team All-Americans by Softball America after producing stellar, record-breaking seasons for Wichita State in 2021.

TOP 50 WATCH LIST
Sydney McKinney was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List on Jan. 26. McKinney is one of only two players from the American Athletic Conference on the prestigious list, joining South Florida's Georgina Corrick. McKinney is coming off an All-American campaign in 2021 where she ranked third nationally in hits.

PRESEASON TOP 100 LOVE
Junior Sydney McKinney and sophomore Addison Barnard were named to the Softball America Preseason Top 100 and the first-ever Extra Elite Top 100 College Player Rankings. McKinney checked in at No. 38 in the Softball America Top 100 and No. 40 in the Extra Elite Top 100 by Extra Inning Softball. Barnard was ranked No. 42 by Softball America and No. 64 by Extra Inning Softball.

MCKINNEY TABBED AAC PRESEASON POY
D1 Softball tabbed Sydney McKinney as the preseason American Athletic Conference Player of the Year on Feb. 1. The publication predicts McKinney will repeat as the conference's top player in 2022 after earning the honor in 2021.

PENCIL HER IN
Sophomore Sydney McKinney is as dependable as they come. McKinney has been a starter since she arrived on campus. She has played and started every game, starting 137 straight games.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Wichita State will see at least three nationally ranked teams in 2022, highlighted by the preseason No. 1 team in the nation Oklahoma. Wichita State travels to Norman to face the defending National Champions on March 29. The Shockers also face No. 3 Oklahoma State twice in Stillwater and once in Wichita and No. 8 Arkansas twice in Fayetteville.

ROAD WARRIORS
Wichita State has only 11 home games on the schedule for the 2022 season, which is tied for the fewest in school history. The 1983 team also played only 11 home games, but competed in just 29 games total. The Shockers' first 29 games this season are all away from the friendly confines of Wilkins Stadium. Wichita State's home opener isn't until March 23 vs. Kansas.

STAFF ADDITION
Wichita State announced on Jan. 28 the addition of volunteer assistant coach Mary Stephens. Stephens comes to Wichita State after spending a season at Sam Houston and two seasons at Texas Tech as a volunteer assistant. She also spent the 2017 season as a graduate manager for Texas Tech where she earned a master's degree in sport management. She completed her collegiate playing career at Missouri State where she started 207 games in her career for the Bears. She graduated in 2017 with a degree in Park, Sport and Rec Administration. Stephens was a career .281 hitter with 170 hits, 27 doubles and 19 home runs. She drove in 103 runs with a career slugging percentage of .424 and drew 64 walks to finish with an on-base percentage of .353.

BIG SHOES TO FILL
Wichita State graduated five starters from the 2021 team: SP Bailey Lange, C Madison Perrigan, 2B Kaylee Huecker, 3B Ryleigh Buck and CF Bailee Nickerson. Those five combined for 1,024 career starts during their time as Shockers. Career starts lost:  Buck (205), Huecker (162), Lange (233), Nickerson (180) and Perrigan (244).

A SEASON FOR THE RECORD BOOKS
Wichita State is coming off its best season in school history in 2021. The Shockers won 75.5 percent (41-13-1) of their games, which was the best in program history. The 41 wins were the second-most in program history and Wichita State reached the NCAA Regional Final for just the second time in school history.

BARNARD'S BOMBS
As a true freshman Addison Barnard broke the single season home run record on April 13, 2021 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. She would finish the 2021 campaign with a school and American Athletic Conference record 22 home runs. She enters her sophomore season just three home runs away from cracking the Top 10 on the career charts at Wichita State. Barnard was one of just nine players in the country with 20 or more home runs in 2021.

AMERICAN HISTORY
Wichita State set a program record for conference wins as a member of the American in 2021. They finished 18-5-1 in league play, becoming the first team in American Athletic Conference history to win 18 conference games in a season. Prior to 2021, the Shockers hadn't won more than 12 American conference games. The Shockers went 12-9 (.571) to tie for third in the AAC standings in their debut season in 2018 and added a matching 12-9 record to take fourth in 2019.

HOMERS FOR HI-CHEWS
Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner started a new tradition in 2021 to reward players who hit home runs. Instead of a normal high-five for her players as they round the bases, Bredbenner began tossing a piece of Hi-Chew candy to her home run hitters. Sophomore Madyson Espinosa should be credited for introducing the chewy candy to Coach B at the first tournament of the season down in Conroe, Texas, and thus a new tradition was born. Be on the lookout for the tradition to continue again in 2022.

THE BRED-WINNER
Bredbenner is the second-longest tenured head coach in Wichita State softball history, which has resulted in more than 280 wins in 10 seasons. Bredbenner has the second-highest winning percentage in school history (.549) behind current Florida softball coach Tim Walton. She is just 28 wins away from becoming Wichita State's all-time wins leader.

UP NEXT
The schedule ramps up with a trip to Fayetteville, Ark., Feb. 17-19. Wichita State will face No. 8/9 Arkansas twice, Illinois, Longwood and Western Illinois at the Razorback Invitational.