Kansas State (17-17, 3-9 Big 12) vs. Wichita State (13-22, 2-7 American)
Monday, April 18 | 6:00 pm | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN Plus | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP German Fajardo (1-1, 3.21) vs. RHP Robert Cranz (0-1, 6.75)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State continues the homestand with a rare Monday night matchup against in-state foe Kansas State, with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 pm at Eck Stadium. It's the first of two meetings between the Shockers and Wildcats in 2022, with the return game in Manhattan scheduled for May 3. The Shockers are coming off a weekend sweep at the hands of Cincinnati, and are in danger of losing five consecutive home games for the first time since the 1970 season. Wichita State has lost nine of the last ten games dating back to April 2, dropping the Shockers to a season-worst nine games below .500. In Saturday's series finale, Wichita State was held to a season-low two hits, and have managed just three singles over the last 16 innings of play. The Shockers are coming off a 31-23 season a year ago, including an 18-13 mark in the American Athletic Conference that produced a third-place finish, WSU's best since joining the AAC in 2017. Wichita State is seeking their first appearance in the NCAA tournament since the 2013 season, a regional bid that was later vacated by the NCAA.

SHOCKER BASEBALL ON THE RADIO AND ESPN PLUS: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM will once again serve as the radio home for all Wichita State baseball broadcasts in 2022. "The Voice of the Shockers" and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy will have the call on Monday, with the pregame show beginning approximately 20 minutes prior to first pitch. All WSU home games at Eck Stadium in 2022 will air live on ESPN Plus (WatchESPN.com) with former Shocker All-American pitcher Shane Dennis handling the broadcasting duties. Live audio, in addition to live statistics, will be available for all games at GoShockers.com/listen and ShockerStats.com.

SERIES HISTORY:  The Shockers and Wildcats will be meeting for the 97th time in program history on Monday, with the Shockers holding a 56-40 lead in the all-time series. Since restarting the baseball program in 1978, Wichita State has gone 53-28 against the Wildcats, including wins in four of the last six matchups. The Shockers claimed the only meeting in 2021, a 5-1 victory at Eck Stadium behind a strong start from Jace Kaminska and a career-best five strikeouts in relief from Ryan Stuempfig. Kansas State won nine of ten games in the series from 2013-2017, highlighted by a 20-11 win at the 2013 Manhattan NCAA regional, the last postseason appearance for Wichita State. Neither team has reached double-figure runs in a game since the 2015 season.

SCOUTING KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats enter play on Monday with an overall record of 17-17, including a 3-9 mark in Big 12 play. Kansas State took two of three games over the weekend at home against No. 7-ranked Texas, winning 8-5 and 8-1 before dropping the series finale 4-2. The Wildcats are fourth in the conference with a .287 batting average, and tied for the fewest strikeouts in the league with 263. They have stolen only 24 bases on the season in 34 games, tied for the fewest in the Big 12. Kansas State pitchers have combined for a 5.35 ERA, seventh-best on the circuit, a number hampered by a league-worst 167 walks and a defense that has committed 44 errors for a .965 fielding percentage. Dominic Johnson paces the Wildcats offensively, bringing an OPS of 1.040 into play on Monday thanks in large part to a .379 batting average and 15 doubles. Dylan Phillips is the main source of power in the Wildcats order, with 11 home runs to go along with a .328 average. Expected starter German Fajardo leads Kansas State with a 3.21 ERA, albeit in only 14.0 innings pitched. The Arizona transfer has struck out 25 for a K/9 of of 16.1. He struck out eight over 3.0 innings  of work against Northern Colorado on March 29. Head Coach Pete Hughes returns for his fourth year at the helm of the Wildcats in 2022. The former Oklahoma skipper guided Kansas State to a 34-23 record a season ago, and the Wildcats were picked seventh in the 2022 Big 12 preseason poll. Kansas State is in search of its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2013 season.

COLD STRETCH: One of the main culprits of Wichita State's 1-9 record over the last ten games is a scuffling lineup that has combined for a .229 batting average. The Shockers are averaging just 3.7 runs per game during the stretch.

ROGERS RAKES: One of the bright spots from the weekend against Cincinnati was the emergence of redshirt freshman Jordan Rogers, who notched a pair of career firsts. On Thursday night he produced his first career three-hit game, including a pair of doubles, and then followed it up Saturday with his first collegiate home run. The native of Robinson, Texas has raised his batting average 56 points over the last two weeks to its present .241 mark.

WALK IT OUT: Saturday's marathon 14-inning defeat featured just the fifth occurrence in program history of a Wichita State player drawing five walks in a single game, as Sawyre Thornhill accomplished the feat over the course of seven plate appearances. It was the first instance since the 2006 season a WSU player has walked five times, when Derek Schermerhorn drew five free passes in a game against Northern Colorado.

NOT SO WILD THING: Closer Connor Holden put together his best outing of the season on Friday night against Cincinnati, firing four scoreless frames out of the Shocker bullpen with six strikeouts, both season-bests. For the season, Holden has not issued a walk over 20.0 innings of work, while piling up 25 punchouts. Despite the sterling overall numbers, Holden has not recorded a save since Wichita State's home opener on March 8 against Oral Roberts.

AIN'T NO LIE: Despite taking the loss in Saturday's series finale against Cincinnati, Cameron Bye continued his incredible start to the 2022 season with another quality outing. Bye conceded just four hits and two runs over 7.0 innings, striking out six and walking five. Despite surrendering season highs in both hits and earned runs, Bye's ERA remains a nation-best 0.61, and his 3.65 hits allowed per nine innings ranks second. Over 44.0 total innings this season, Bye has given up just two extra-base hits.

STILL STREAKING: Junior Sawyre Thornhill already has a 19-game hitting streak to his credit during the 2022 season, and has reached base via a hit or a walk in all 34 games played. Oddly enough, despite leading Wichita State with nine multi-hit games this season, Thornhill has not recorded a three-hit game. He extended the streak with a ninth-inning walk on Saturday against Cincinnati.

PRESS THE CLUTCH: Wichita State's recent offensive struggles have been exacerbated by a lack of success in high-leverage situations. The Shockers are hitting just .225 with runners in scoring position, and only .214 with two outs. Opponents, meanwhile, are hitting .283 and .262 respectively in those same two categories.

RUNNING MAN: Outfielder Couper Cornblum has established himself as Wichita State's primary baserunning threat. On a team that has stolen just 27 bases in 40 attempts, Cornblum is now 9-for-9 after swiping second base in Saturday's loss vs. Cincinnati For his career, the sophomore has been successful on 28 of 33 stolen base attempts (85%).

LINEUP JUGGLING: Eric Wedge continues to tinker with the starting lineup in search of consistent production. Through 35 games, the Shockers have not used the same starters and batting order in consecutive games. Couper Cornblum, Chuck Ingram and Xavier Casserilla have all started at seven different spots in the batting order this season.

SENIOR SLUMPS: Two of Wichita State's most productive hitters during the 2021 season have gotten off to slow starts during the 2022 campaign. Garrett Kocis led the Shockers with 12 home runs in only 36 games played last season, while Jack Sigrist was the leading returning hitter after a .321 average a season ago. The tandem is hitting .183 and .176 through the first 35 games of the season, with five combined extra-base hits.

HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: Eck Stadium, home of Tyler Field, has consistently been one of the toughest places for opponents to win in its storied history. The Shockers own an all-time home record of 1,272-385-2, including an 862-282-2 mark at Tyler Field (first season 1988). Since taking over as head coach in 2020, Eric Wedge has put together a 36-17 record at Eck, highlighted by a spotless 10-0 mark during the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.

KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY: Shocker coaches Eric Wedge, Mike Pelfrey, Mike Sirianni and Director of Operations Loren Hibbs all have ties to the WSU baseball program. Wedge powered the Shockers to a national championship as the starting catcher in 1989, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors along the way. Pelfrey was an All-American starter who ranks second in program history in ERA (2.18) and strikeouts (366). Sirianni was a volunteer assistant coach for the Shockers in 2015 and 2016 before taking the head coaching position at Regis University. Hibbs helped WSU to the program's first-ever CWS appearance in 1982, and still holds the NCAA record for single-season runs scored with 125.

ON DECK: The Shockers make the short trip south to Norman, Oklahoma for a Tuesday night matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 pm.