Creighton (6-6, 0-0 Big East) vs. Wichita State (9-7, 0-0 American)
Saturday, March 18 | 1:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Ryan Windham (0-1, 2.45) vs. RHP Clark Candiotti (1-2, 4.05 ERA)

Sunday, March 19 | 2:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Justin Kleinsorge (1-0, 5.79) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (3-0, 3.13 ERA)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State hosts long-time rival Creighton on Saturday and Sunday at Eck Stadium, a series that was originally scheduled as a three-game set in Omaha. Forecasted freezing temperatures in the upper midwest forced the series to be relocated to Wichita and shortened to just two games. Admission for both games is free. The Shockers are coming off a midweek win against 2022 College World Series runner-up Oklahoma on Tuesday night, downing the Sooners, 6-2. The win was the first midweek victory of the season for the Shockers. Through the first 16 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 will handle play-by-play duties for both games of this weekend's series. The two games 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 Bluejays have met 164 times times, the most frequent opponent in program history for Wichita State. The Shockers lead the all-time series 115-51-1, the most victories against any one opponent. Last season, Creighton won two of three games in Wichita, taking the first two games by scores of 6-1 and 8-3 before WSU salvaged the finale, 6-3. The Shockers have claimed seven of the last eleven games, including Creighton's final game as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference in 2013, when Wichita State eliminated the Bluejays from the MVC tournament with an 11-4 win. Perhaps the most memorable meetings between the two came in the 1991 College World Series, with Wichita State defeating Creighton twice to advance to the CWS Championship Game. "The Throw" from WSU centerfielder Jim Audley preserved a 3-2 Wichita State win in the first meeting, and is considered one of the most famous plays in program history.

SCOUTING CREIGHTON: Creighton enters play on Saturday with a 6-6 record following a 3-0 midweek loss to Kansas State in the Bluejays home opener. Prior to Tuesday, Creighton had played only weekend series, taking two of three at McNeese State, losing two of three at Coastal Carolina and Cal State Northridge, and sweeping a series shortened to two games against BYU (moved to Lawrence due to weather). The Bluejays are known as a consistently excellent defensive team, and boast a .977 fielding percentage that ranks top-50 nationally. Offensively, Creighton is hitting .259 as a team, averaging 6.8 runs per game. Preseason all-conference designated hitter Jack Grace has already clubbed five home runs, but no other Creighton player has more than two. The Bluejays have stolen just six bases in 12 games, and have been thrown out in half their attempts. The pitching staff enters the weekend with a 5.97 ERA. Head Coach Ed Servais returns for a 20th season at the helm, already the program's all-time leader in career victories. He has taken Creighton to the NCAA tournament five times, most recently in 2019. Former Wichita State pitcher Mitch Mormann (2012) is in his second season as Creighton pitching coach. The Bluejays were picked second in the Big East preseason poll behind defending champion UConn.

RUNNING MEN: Entering Tuesday's game against Oklahoma, Wichita State had stolen just 11 bases in 15 games, and only twice had a game with multiple thefts. The Shockers broke that trend by going a perfect 4-for-4 in stolen base attempts, getting one bag apiece from Jack Little (first of his career) and Garrett Pennington, plus a career-best two steals from Chuck Ingram.

CLOSER COMMITTEE: While the Shocker bullpen has produced solid numbers across the board this season, one interesting aspect of the group is the absence of a traditional closer. Wichita State has three saves this season, one each from Robert Cranz, Jace Miner and Nate Snead. Each of those saves has been a multi-inning effort.

OKLAHOMA, OKAY: Sophomore left-handed pitcher Jace Miner is already establishing quite the track record of success against Oklahoma in his young career. Over the course of three outings, Miner has combined for 8.2 scoreless innings, allowing just a single hit in that span. Miner has struck out 13 Sooners, including two games with five punchouts that mark his career high. The southpaw's first win and save have both come against Oklahoma.

STAT SHEET STUFFER: Junior outfielder Chuck Ingram filled out almost every column in the box score with a breakout performance on Tuesday night. Ingram finished 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored, three RBI and two stolen bases. Two of Ingram's four hits had an exit velocity of 103 miles an hour or more, and his home run traveled a Trackman-confirmed 414 feet.

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.

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 rotation allowed just three earned runs in 18.0 innings of work with 24 punchouts.

LOT OF STRIKES: Wichita State enters play on Saturday averaging 2.95 walks per nine innings, the 13th-best rate in the country. Shocker pitchers have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.36:1, the 11th best nationally. Both marks lead the American Athletic Conference. Shocker hurlers have recorded 151 strikeouts while handing out just 45 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 16 games, Wichita State is averaging 7.4 strikeouts per contest, down from 9.0 a year ago.