The RoundHouse | 4/14/2023 2:08:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Wichita State is No. 24 in the NCAA's power ranking, which is an indication of a great season and a precarious position.
The Shockers are in such good shape for an at-large NCAA bid they are focused on hosting one of 16 regionals for the first time. The American Athletic Conference regular-season title is included in that path.
Neither of those goals offers much room for error. Every win helps, some more than others, and losses are painful.
"For our kids, it's continuing to climb and understanding that we're playing for something a little bit more now," coach
Kristi Bredbenner said. "They see their hard work is paying off and they're competing at a high level. The challenge is just continuing to be consistent."
The 20
th-ranked Shockers (34-7, 8-1 American Athletic Conference) are tied in the loss column with Houston (18-19, 5-1) atop the American standings. The teams meet this weekend at Wilkins Stadium, beginning Friday (6 p.m.).
"This year, there's that new goal because we haven't been able to host before," shortstop
Sydney McKinney said. "We haven't been in the talk about it before. That really gets us pumped up, the fact we can, my senior year, be here for regionals."
Part of that quest is maintaining a strong RPI to avoid a repeat of 2021, when the Shockers were sent to No. 1 Oklahoma's regional. They defeated Texas A&M twice and became the national symbol for unfair seeding. Even if the Shockers don't host, they want to finish strong in hopes of traveling to a regional not at the home field of softball's dominant power.
With a No. 24 RPI, the Shockers can't afford setbacks during their final 12 regular-season games if they want to host. Houston, at No. 96, is the highest-ranked conference opponent remaining. A sweep at No. 237 Memphis dropped Wichita State seven spots.
The Shockers own two resume-building wins over No. 3 Oklahoma State and No. 16 Arkansas, RPI trophies that put them in the regional-host picture. They play No. 1 Oklahoma at home and at Oklahoma State later this month. A May 3 game at No. 59 Kansas also awaits.
The Shockers demonstrated their ability to finish strong by playing so consistently to this point. They lead the conference in batting average (.343), doubles (56) and home runs (60). They also lead the AAC in earned run average (2.40) and fielding (.981).
"We have the pitcher's back," second baseman
Sami Hood said. "The pitcher has our back. Keep trusting each other as a team. Just believing in each other."
With that well-rounded roster, Wichita State has lost back-to-back games once, owns winning streaks of 11 and 10 and is 9-3 in road games, 8-1 in games on neutral fields.
"My defense and my team – they just make it to where I can pitch freely and I don't have to worry about anything," pitcher
Alex Aguilar said. "I'm not a strikeout pitcher, so I have to rely on my defense a lot."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
