Wichita State (10-8, 0-0 American) vs. Oral Roberts (13-8, 3-0 Summit)
Tuesday, March 21 | 6:00 pm CT | Tulsa, Oklahoma (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
TV: ORU Sports Network | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Grant Adler (3-1, 2.59 ERA) vs. RHP Joshua Caravalho (2-1, 4.67)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State kicks off another five-game week with a trip to Tulsa on Tuesday evening to battle Oral Roberts. The Shockers are coming off a series split against Creighton, losing a 14-inning marathon Friday that lasted more than five hours before run-ruling the Bluejays in Sunday's series finale. The series was originally scheduled to be played in Omaha but was moved to Wichita and shortened to two games due to freezing temperatures in the midwest. Due to the rescheduling, WSU is in the midst of a stretch that will see the Shockers play 15 of 17 games at home. Through the first 18 games of 2023, 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). WSU aims to rebound from a 21-36 season a year ago, the second-most losses in program history. Interim head coach Loren Hibbs was appointed to lead the Shockers in December following the departure of Eric Wedge, who compiled a 65-61 record in three seasons at the helm. Wichita State is hunting 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 Wichita State baseball broadcasts in 2023. "The Voice of the Shockers" and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy will handle the play-by-play duties against Oral Roberts, with Denning Gerig on color. The game will also be streamed live on the Oral Roberts Sports Network. Live audio, in addition to live statistics, will be available for all games at GoShockers.com/listen and ShockerStats.com. 

SERIES HISTORY:  Tuesday represents the 72nd all-time meeting between the Shockers and Golden Eagles, with Wichita State holding a 39-32 lead in the series. WSU has claimed five of the last seven matchups, but Oral Roberts picked up a 6-5 win earlier this season on March 7 at Eck Stadium. WSU trailed 5-0 into the bottom of the sixth inning, but rallied to put the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth before Golden Eagles closer Cade Denton escaped the jam. This year's schedule is the first time since the 2013 campaign that Wichita State and Oral Roberts will play one another three times in a season. The two teams alternated wins and losses over the course of seven games in the series from 2015 to 2018. WSU and ORU have also met seven times in NCAA tournament play, with the Golden Eagles holding a 4-3 edge in postseason contests.

SCOUTING ORAL ROBERTS: Oral Roberts enters play on Tuesday with a record of 13-8 following a dominant series sweep at home against St. Thomas to open Summit League play. The Golden Eagles outscored the Tommies 39-6 in the three games, including 21 runs on Saturday. Outfielder Matt Hogan was named Summit League Player of the Week and received several national honors after going 11-for-20 with three home runs and 18 RBI during the week. Oral Roberts has an elite defensive unit that ranks fifth nationally in both fielding percentage (.986) and double plays turned (21). ORU is also sixth in the country with 233 hits. Expected starter Joshua Caravalho blanked the Shockers over five innings in the first meeting, but was tagged for four runs in 4.2 innings last time out against Abilene Christian. The Golden Eagles are coming off their 20th Summit League Tournament Championship and 29th NCAA Regional appearance after posting a 38-20 record in 2022. ORU returns 15 players from last year's NCAA Regional squad, which went 0-2 at the College Station regional. Head Coach Ryan Folmar is in his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has fashioned a 332-218 (.604) overall record.

PILING UP THE PUNCHOUTS: Wichita State pitchers combined to record 32 strikeouts over the course of the two-game series against Creighton, an incredible 40% of all Bluejays at-bats for the weekend. In Saturday's 14-inning loss, the Shockers struck out 20, the second-most in a single game in program history (21 vs. Illinois State, 1994).

TRACKMAN TITLE: Designated hitter Payton Tolle's fourth inning RBI single on Sunday was registered by Eck Stadium's Trackman system at an exit velocity of 119.5 miles per hour, the hardest-hit ball since the technology was installed in the facility in 2021. That mark of 119.5 miles per hour would have been the third-best in Major League Baseball last season, trailing only O'Neil Cruz (122.4 mph) and Giancarlo Stanton (119.8).

WORKING OVERTIME: Saturday's 14-inning, 13-6 loss to Creighton was a frustrating one in a number of ways for Wichita State. The Shockers left the potential winning run in scoring position for five consecutive frames from the ninth through the 13th, including two instances in which WSU stranded the bases loaded. All told, WSU left 16 runners on base in the contest, just two shy of the program record. The game lasted five hours and seven minutes, the longest game time since Wichita State and Evansville played  17 innings in six hours and 13 minutes in 2017.

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.

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 16 batters over the span of five outings and retired 14 of them, notching eight strikeouts without allowing a run.

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 an 8-3 record, a 3.28 ERA, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 95:19 (5:1). Due to the shortened series against Creighton, normal Sunday starter Grant Adler will get the ball against Oral Roberts on extended rest

LOT OF STRIKES: Wichita State enters play on Tuesday averaging 3.13 walks per nine innings, the 15th-best rate in the country. Shocker pitchers have a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.33:1, the 11th best nationally. Both marks lead the American Athletic Conference. Shocker hurlers have recorded 183 strikeouts while handing out just 55 walks.

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 18 games, Wichita State is striking out in 21.4% of at-bats, down from 26.3% a year ago.