Oklahoma (31-18, 13-8 Big 12) vs. Wichita State (19-32, 8-13 American)
Monday, May 16 | 6:00 pm | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Aaron Calhoun (0-0, 7.50) vs. LHP Caden Favors (1-1, 2.66)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State hosts Oklahoma on Monday night in the 2022 home finale at Eck Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for March 22, but was postponed due to inclement weather. This is the second Monday game of the season for Wichita State, who dropped a 12-1 decision to Kansas State on April 18. The Shockers are coming off a three-game series sweep over the weekend against Tulane, their first-ever sweep of the Green Wave. After three pitchers combined for a 2-0 shutout on Friday night, the Shockers banged out a season-high 16 hits Saturday in a run-rule victory before hanging on to win 4-3 on Sunday. This weekend also represented Wichita State's first sweep of a single opponent this season; the Shockers did win all three games in early March to claim the Frisco Classic championship. 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 Sooners have met 32 times, with Oklahoma holding a 19-13 lead in the all-time series. This is the first time in program history that the two schools have played one another three times in a season; the two did not meet in either 2020 or 2021. Oklahoma has emerged victorious in each of the first two meetings this season in Norman by scores of 6-2 and 9-5. The Shockers carried a 5-2 lead into the bottom of the sixth inning of the most recent matchup on April 19, but Oklahoma scored seven times in the frame to erase the deficit. Each of Wichita State's last three wins in the series (2018, 2017, and 2015) have come by two or fewer runs.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA: The Sooners bring an overall record of 31-18 into play on Monday, including a 13-8 mark good for a tie for third in the Big 12 conference standings. Oklahoma claimed a series win over West Virginia this past weekend, rolling to dominant run-rule wins Friday and Sunday sandwiched around a 9-8 defeat on Saturday. The Sooners are led by a dynamic offense that is hitting a combined .301 with a conference-best .424 on-base percentage. Oklahoma hitters have drawn 295 walks and been hit 70 times, most in the Big 12. Once on the bases, the Sooners are one of the best base-stealing clubs in the country, with 118 swipes on the season, sixth-most in the country. Closer Trevin Michael headlines the pitching staff, with seven saves and a 3.07 ERA over 44.0 frames so far in 2022. Defensively, the Sooners have committed 54 errors, second-most in the conference. Oklahoma is led by fifth-year head coach Skip Johnson, who brings a record of 143-98 into play on Monday. A former assistant coach at Texas under Augie Garrido, Johnson spent one season as the Sooners pitching coach before succeeding Pete Hughes, who is now head coach at Kansas State. Six-year major leaguer and OU alum Reggie Willits is in his first season on the staff as volunteer assistant coach. Oklahoma was picked sixth in the Big 12 Preseason Poll following a 27-28 (11-13) season a year ago.

MIXED BAG: The Shockers utilized an opener on both Friday and Saturday, deviating from the traditional Jace Kaminska-Cameron Bye pairing the typically starts a weekend series. On Friday, Caden Favors fired three scoreless innings to kickstart a 2-0 shutout, but on Saturday Adam Ketelsen recorded just one out while allowing three runs. Kaminska and Bye came on in relief Friday and Saturday, respectively, each picking up the win.

STANDINGS SHAKEUP: Thanks to the three-game sweep of Tulane, Wichita State has moved out of the cellar into sole position of sixth place in the conference standings entering play on Monday. With just one series remaining against last-place South Florida, the Shockers could theoretically end as high as fourth place with a sweep and losses by Tulane and Cincinnati. Wichita State has the tiebreaker against Tulane, while the Bearcats swept the Shockers earlier this season.

OFFENSE AWAKENING: One of the primary culprits in Wichita State's losing streak was an offense that averaged just 3.55 runs per game over the course of an 18-game stretch from March 25 through April 22. The Shockers slashed .222/.318/.349 as a team during the stretch. Beginning with the middle game of the UCF series, the Shocker bats have produced a .303/.381/.510 slash line in the succeeding 13 games, averaging 7.62 runs per contest.

JUST WANTED TO TAKE ANOTHER LOOK: Wichita State has scored 22 runs this season in the first inning, hitting .207 as a team with only 14 extra-base hits. The second time through the order against an opposing starter has proven statistically significant, as the Shockers are hitting .299 and .315 in the third and fourth innings, respectively.

BIG SPLIT: The Wichita State offense has produced good numbers this season against left-handed pitching, hitting .293 for the year (141-for-481), an average buoyed by the fact that the Shockers regular starting lineup features just two true left-handed hitters. Against right-handers, however, the Shockers dip to .246 (309-for-1257), a difference of 47 points.

STAT PADDING: Freshman infielder Xavier Casserilla entered Saturday's game against Tulane with four home runs and 11 RBI in 45 games. After starting the day 0-for-2, Casserilla blasted a grand slam and three-run homer in successive at-bats, finishing the day with two home runs and seven RBI, most by a Shocker in a single-game the season. The seven runs batted in represented 39 percent of his season RBI total.

LEADOFF STRUGGLES: A major factor in Wichita State's offensive struggles this season is the search for production out of the leadoff spot. Six different Shockers have started in the number one spot in the batting order, and the group has combined for a .236/.329/.404 slash line. Chuck Ingram has helped to solidify the leadoff spot, hitting .296 in that role with seven of his 13 home runs. For comparison, WSU hitters in the number nine spot in the order have combined to slash .301/.371/.422 this season.

CLUTCH ODDITY: Perhaps no single stat encapsulates the 2022 season quite like the disparity between the Shockers and their opponents in high-leverage situations. Wichita State is hitting just .228 as a team this season with runners in scoring position and two outs, while opponents are hitting .281 in the same spots.

MIDWEEK MISERY: With last Tuesday's defeat at Kansas State, the Shockers will end the 2022 season winless in midweek road games (0-7). In addition to the loss in Manhattan, Wichita State fell to Oklahoma (2x), Texas State, Oral Roberts, Oklahoma State and Kansas. All told, Wichita State is just 2-10 in midweek contests this season.

CHUCK AND DUCK: Shockers centerfielder Chuck Ingram continues to author some of the season's most impressive individual performances. In last Saturday's win over Memphis, Ingram went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a home run, driving in a career-high six runs and scoring a career-high three runs in the process. Earlier this season on March 20 versus New Mexico, Ingram established a Shocker single-game high in 2022 with five hits.

WALK IT OUT: The marathon 14-inning defeat to Cincinnati on April 15 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.

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 head to South Florida for the final series of the regular season on Thursday before opening the American conference tournament next Tuesday.