The RoundHouse | 5/12/2022 9:04:00 AM

 
Kansas softball coach Jennifer McFalls watched Sydney McKinney and Addison Barnard hit almost everything her pitchers threw and came to strong conclusions about confidence and how the brain guides hitting.
 
"They have an incredible mindset to be at the top of the order," McFalls said after a 9-1 loss to the Shockers in April. "Our game is built on failure. They don't think about failure. They think about getting on, finding ways however they can, to score runs."
 
That mindset comes from many sources for McKinney and Barnard – work ethic, superior hand-eye coordination, and strength. It also comes from leaning on each other and resolve that comes from success.
 
"When you're in a slump, you want more at-bats, because you're like 'I'm going to get it,'" Barnard said.
 
McKinney went four games without a hit in early April against Oklahoma State and USF. She has a hit in all 13 since. Failure isn't on her mind for long.
 
"I go up and I expect to get a hit," McKinney said. "I always believe that I can do it."
 
Second-seeded Wichita State (32-15) opens play on Thursday (1 p.m. ESPN+) against seventh-seeded Memphis (16-37) in the American Athletic Conference Championship in Greenville, N.C.
 
 

LEADOFF. BOMB.@sydneyrmckinney got juuuust enough of this one to give us an early 1-0 lead!

Her 13th and our 111th of the season 💣 pic.twitter.com/Hpq3V6G1Ux

— Wichita State Softball (@GoShockersSB) May 8, 2022

The Shockers can secure back-to-back NCAA regional appearances for the first time in program history with three wins to grab the automatic bid. Short of that, wins Thursday and Friday could add to a solid at-large resume for Wichita State, which is No. 37 in the NCAA's RPI ranking.
 
McKinney, a junior shortstop who bats leadoff, and Barnard, a sophomore right fielder, will play a significant role in whatever post-season success the Shockers enjoy. As the top two hitters in the order, they put immediate stress on the defense and give an immediate boost to their teammates.
 
"Power and ability, athleticism, speed – they've got it all," Wichita State coach Kristi Bredbenner said. "It puts a little pressure on them, because when those two do well, our program's probably going to win that game. They've handled that pressure pretty well."
 
On Wednesday, Barnard earned conference Player of the Year honors. She is hitting .409 and leads the nation with 30 home runs, 77 runs batted in and 160 total bases. In conference play, even after going 2 for 11 in last weekend's series against top-seeded UCF, she is hitting .435 with 15 home runs. She is second on the program's career list with 52 home runs.
 
McKinney, American Player of the Year in 2021, is an all-conference pick for the third time. She leads the nation with a .497 batting average and 83 hits. After hitting 10 home runs in her first three seasons, she owns 13 this season. She is the career hits leader at Wichita State with 261.
 
Wichita State's philosophy of putting its best hitters in the top two spots is simple – it guarantees them more at-bats.
 
It works because McKinney and Barnard hit for power and average and because the bats behind them are dangerous. Center fielder Lauren Lucas hits third and is batting .409 (.491 in conference games) with 12 doubles and 10 home runs. Second baseman Zoe Jones is second on the team with 15 home runs. First baseman Neleigh Herring hits .344 and has 14 home runs. Designated player Lauren Mills has 12 home runs.
 
The lineup also works because McKinney and Barnard won't let it fail.
 
 

ADDIE FREAKING BARNARD

No. 22 with just a flick of the wrists.@addieb30: 2-2, 2 HR, 4 RBI pic.twitter.com/rPpmZij7FF

— Wichita State Softball (@GoShockersSB) April 20, 2022

There is no easy way to get through those early at-bats for a pitcher. McKinney is expert at adjusting her swing when down in the count and flicking pitches out of the strike zone into empty spots. Barnard is strong enough to power balls deep even without a full swing – as she did during a two-homer game against Kansas.
 
"They're not consumed with hitting a perfect pitch that's right over the middle of the plate," McFalls said. "They've made those adjustments and that commitment to finding ways to hit bad pitches, or better yet, better pitching. They lead the team and, fortunately, the rest of the team is following. That mindset becomes contagious. That's what they've done for this program."
 
They can hurt pitchers at their best and hurt pitchers when they don't expect it. The Shockers can use pitching machines to test them with difficult pitches and the type of unappealing pitches a great hitter might see.
 
"I dislike hitting off the blue pitching machines, because they're hard, it really does help in a game, knowing that 'Hey, this pitch isn't perfect, but I can still hit it and still get a base hit,'" McKinney said.
 
Barnard enjoyed a fabulous freshman season as the new hitter nestled in an experienced lineup. She knew to expect tougher conditions as a sophomore.
 
"You're not going to get very many good pitches," she said. "Sometimes, I try to practice pitches that I don't like to hit, or aren't very good, so I am able to hit them."
 
While their numbers don't reflect it, the duo has had brief struggles this season. In a series at USF in early April, Barnard went 2 for 9 without an extra-base hit. McKinney went 0 for 11 and the Shockers dropped two of three games.
 
"Syd knows exactly what we're both going through," Barnard said. "We were both at a point where we were both "Oh my gosh, this is exhausting. What do we do?'"
 
Wichita State director of operations Nicole Pendley assigns roommates randomly for road trips to mix things up and build bonds within the team.
 
It was coincidence, yet perfect, that two of the nation's top hitters returned together to the Hyatt Place Busch Gardens about two miles from the USF Softball Stadium each night. They talked through their struggles, guided by the optimism that one good at-bat can turn things, and came to practice in Wichita determined to work hard.
 
"We were really going through it," McKinney said. "I think that weekend for me and Addie was really important. That kind of lit a fire under our butts. Tuesday, we came out and we were ready to hit. We wanted to get back in the game."
 
McKinney and Barnard lean on each other to talk hitting. Most of their discussion is about that confidence and swagger other coaches admire.
 
"It's never our swings," McKinney said. "Our swings work for us, and they're two completely different swings. It is positive self-talk, helping each other out. Finding the right mindset."
 
That mindset usually works for the Shockers.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.