Oklahoma (11-5, 0-0 Big 12) vs. Wichita State (8-7, 0-0 American)
Tuesday, March 14 | 6:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. LHP Caden Favors (1-1, 2.95 ERA)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State hosts 2022 College World Series runner-up Oklahoma on Tuesday night at Eck Stadium, with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 pm. The Shockers are seeking their first midweek win of the season after dropping games to Oral Roberts and Kansas last week. Over the weekend, Wichita State made it three straight series wins by taking two of three at home against Stetson, winning 8-4 on Friday and 9-3 on Saturday before falling 3-1 in Sunday's finale. Big innings carried the Shockers in the victories; WSU scored five times in the fourth on Friday and seven times in the third on Saturday, but stranded six runners over the final two innings in their quest for the sweep on Sunday. Through the first 15 games, the Shockers have had just one stretch of more than two wins or losses in a row (three straight wins, February 24-25 at Utah Tech).

SHOCKER BASEBALL ON THE RADIO AND ESPN PLUS: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM will once again serve as the radio home for Wichita State baseball broadcasts in 2023. "The Voice of the Shockers" and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy returns to the airwaves on Tuesday for the remainder of the season. Tuesday's game will also be streamed live on ESPN+ ($) with Former Shocker pitcher (1991-94) and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis on the call. 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 33 times, with Oklahoma holding a 19-14 lead in the all-time series. The two teams played one another three times in 2022, a first in the history of the series. Oklahoma bested the Shockers twice in Norman by scores of 6-2 and 9-5, though the Shockers got a measure of revenge with an 18-0 win in the home finale. Three Wichita State pitchers held the Sooners to just one hit in the largest margin of victory in series history. The Shockers have not had back-to-back wins in the series since a 4-2 win in 2017 and a 2-1 victory in 2018. 

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA: Oklahoma enters play on Tuesday with a record of 11-5 following a three-game sweep of American Athletic Conference foe Houston over the weekend. The Sooners have bounced back from a slow start with nine wins in the last ten games, the only blemish a loss to Ohio State in the Frisco Classic championship game. Oklahoma lost their only other road midweek game of the season, a 4-3 decision against Abilene Christian at Globe Life Field. Oklahoma heads to Wichita with a team batting average of .303, averaging 7.6 runs and 10 hits per contest. The Sooners are also one of the nation's most aggressive base-stealing teams, with 46 swipes in 57 attempts entering play on Tuesday. In last season's first meeting, the Sooners stole 11 bases against the Shockers, including three from three different players. On the mound, the Sooners have a 4.43 team ERA with only 61 walks in 142.1 innings. Oklahoma is led sixth-year head coach Skip Johnson. Johnson has led the Sooners to a 168-109 record since taking over as head coach prior to the 2018 season, highlighted by a trip to the CWS finals last season where the Sooners were bested by Ole Miss.

THE (BULL)PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE SWORD: It was a nearly flawless weekend for the Wichita State bullpen, which utilized six different relievers over the course of three games against Stetson. The group combined to allow just four hits (three singles and one double) in nine innings of work, highlighted by 3.2 innings of hitless, scoreless relief in Sunday's series finale. Sophomore Robert Cranz also earned his first career save with three spotless innings on Saturday.

BASES LOADED BLUES: The Shockers offense has had no issues generating baserunners so far in 2023, with a healthy .370 team on-base percentage. In prime scoring opportunities, however, the bats have faltered; Wichita State is just 4-for-19 (.211) this season with the bases loaded. The trend appeared late in Sunday's loss when the Shockers loaded the bases in both the eighth and ninth innings, but failed to produce a hit in either instance in a 3-1 defeat.

PUMP THE BRAKES: Opposing basestealers have had success running against the Shockers in 2023. Wichita State has cut down a runner only twice over the course of 26 stolen base attempts so far this season. Stetson went 6-for-6 in attempts over the weekend.

BOUNCING BACK: Shocker reliever Matt Wilkinson had an inauspicious start to his Wichita State career, allowing a home run on his first pitch against Utah Tech on February 22. Since that pitch, Wilkinson has faced 11 batters over the span of four outings and retired them all, six of them via the strikeout.

BENCH BOOST: Wichita State's eighth and ninth inning rallies on Sunday were spurred by three players who did not start the game. Freshmen Alex Birge and Jaden Gustafson each recorded pinch-hit singles in the eighth, and junior Kyte McDonald singled in his first at-bat in the ninth after previously entering as a pinch runner. Prior to those base hits, Shocker pinch-hitters were just 1-for-9 on the season. Gustafson's eighth inning single was the first of his collegiate career.

WORKING ON THE WEEKEND: The WSU weekend rotation of Clark Candiotti, Payton Tolle and Grant Adler has been remarkably consistent through the first four weekends of the 2023 season. The trio has combined for a 7-3 record, a 3.21 ERA, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 75:17. This past weekend against Stetson, Wichita State's weekend rotation allowed just three earned runs in 18.0 innings of work with 24 punchouts.

LOT OF STRIKES: Wichita State enters play on Tuesday averaging 2.81 walks per nine innings, the 13th-best rate in the country. Shocker pitchers have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.55:1, the 12th best nationally. Both marks lead the American Athletic Conference. Shocker hurlers have recorded 140 strikeouts while handing out just 40 walks.

MAKING THE MOST OF IT: Redshirt freshman catcher Alex Birge has been an effective offensive weapon over the course of two starts and seven total games played. With his pinch-hit single on Sunday, Birge has now reached base in 9 of 14 plate appearances (four walks, four hits, one hit by pitch), good for a .643 on-base percentage.

CUTTING DOWN ON THE K'S: If Wichita State is to take a major step forward offensively in 2023, a key metric to monitor will be the Shockers contact rate. WSU struck out 514 times last season, the most in a single campaign in program history. 10 different Shockers fanned more than 30 times. Through 15 games, Wichita State is averaging 7.5 strikeouts per contest, down from 9.0 a year ago.