Oral Roberts (8-4, 0-0 Summit) vs. Wichita State (6-4, 0-0 American)
Tuesday, March 7 | 3:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
LHP Caden Favors (1-0, 1.42) vs. RHP Joshua Caravalho (1-1, 5.87)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State continues the first homestand of 2023 with the first midweek game of the season, a Tuesday afternoon battle against long-time regional foe Oral Roberts. The Shockers are coming off a series win against Oakland, dropping Friday's opener before outscoring the Golden Grizzlies 33-7 over the final two games of the series. WSU enters play on Tuesday having won five of their last six games, and have scored 10 or more runs in five of six victories this season. Midweek contests are an opportunity for significant improvement after Wichita State went just 3-10 in Tuesday/Wednesday games in 2022.

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 have the call against Oral Roberts. Tuesday's contest and all other home games this season will also be streamed live on ESPN+ ($). Former Shocker pitcher (1991-94) and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis will have the call of the action on Tuesday. 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 71st all-time meeting between the Shockers and Golden Eagles, with Wichita State holding a 39-31 lead in the series. WSU has claimed five of the last six matchups, with a modest four-game series winning streak snapped last season in Tulsa via an 11-6 defeat. Wichita State got their revenge a week later in the 2022 home opener, downing the Golden Eagles by the score of 6-4. 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 8-4, embarking upon a six-game road trip that will eventually take them down to Texas for a series at Dallas Baptist and midweeks at Tarleton State and Abilene Christian. The Golden Eagles are coming off a series loss at home to Stephen F. Austin, dropping the first two games before salvaging Sunday's series finale. ORU already has an impressive line on their 2023 resume, boasting a series win on the road against defending Sun Belt champions Texas State. 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. The Oral Roberts offense tops the Summit League in runs (80), hits (126), doubles (24), triples (4), home runs (17), RBIs (74) and total bases (209). On the mound, the Golden Eagles lead the circuit in ERA (3.65), WHIP (1.14), hits allowed per nine innings (6.9), and strikeouts (125). Head Coach Ryan Folmar is in his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has fashioned a 327-214 (.604) overall record.

BIG WEEK FOR THE BIG MAN: Wichita State sophomore sensation Payton Tolle had an impressive weekend series against Oakland, highlighted by one of the best individual performances in school history on Saturday. Starting on the mound and batting cleanup, Tolle fired six innings of two-hit ball with a career-high 10 strikeouts, allowing only a single unearned run. At the plate, the 6'6 slugger went 5-for-5 with a double, a home run, and six RBI as Wichita State rolled to a 17-5 victory. For the series, Tolle finished 9-for-14 with two home runs and nine runs batted in, earning American Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors.

DOUBLE VISION: In the third inning of Sunday's game against Oakland, the Shockers strung together four consecutive doubles (David Herring, Kyte McDonald, Brock Rodden, Sawyre Thornhill) the first time the Shockers have hit four straight two-baggers in a game since the 2018 season against Kansas. Wichita State finished the 16-2 win with six doubles, two shy of the program record set in the same game against the Jayhawks. WSU enters play on Friday 21st nationally with 2.70 doubles per game, led individually by Mauricio Millan with five.

RED (HOT) HERRING: After a slow start on the season-opening road trip, Wichita State infielder David Herring looked right at home in his Eck Stadium debut. The Cowley College transfer blistered Golden Grizzlies pitching for seven hits in 14 at-bats, including two doubles and his first home run as a Shocker. Herring entered the weekend with two RBI through his first six games, then drove in eight runs over the weekend.

BOMBS AWAY: Dating back to Wichita State's road series at Utah Tech, the Shockers have now homered in six consecutive games, totaling 14 home runs during that stretch. WSU has not homered in seven straight since April 30-May 9, 2021.

DENTING THE SCOREBOARD: The Shockers will also have an opportunity on Friday to score ten or more runs for a third straight game, something Wichita State has not accomplished since February 16-18, 2018 when the Shockers opened the season with 10, 11, and 11 runs against McNeese State. WSU has scored 62 runs over its last 40 offensive innings.