#25 Wichita State (24-15, 8-4 American) vs. #17 Oklahoma State (28-13, 11-7 Big 12)

Tuesday, April 25 | 6:00 pm CT | Stillwater, Oklahoma (O'Brate Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
LHP Caden Favors (2-4, 4.11) vs. TBA

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SCENE SETTER: Fresh off a three-game sweep of #7-ranked East Carolina, Wichita State puts their six-game winning streak on the line against another ranked foe with a Tuesday night battle at #17 Oklahoma State. The Shockers have a chance for their first season series win against the Cowboys since 2018, when WSU won both games against Oklahoma State. Monday's edition of the Collegiate Baseball poll ranked the Shockers #25, the first time Wichita State has been nationally ranked by a major publication since April of 2018. With 16 games still to play, WSU has already bested their win total from a season ago when the Shockers went 21-36. 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 the Cowboys, with Denning Gerig joining the broadcast as color commentator. The game will also be streamed live on ESPN+ ($). 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 Cowboys will be meeting for the 105th time on Tuesday, with Oklahoma State holding a 66-38 lead in the all-time series. The Cowboys have won 12 of the last 15 matchups, though the Shockers claimed a 13-6 win in the most recent meeting this season on April 4 in Stillwater. Oklahoma State won the first meeting of the year, a 10-1 decision on March 22 in Wichita. Prior to the WSU program's rebirth in 1978, the Shockers were just 2-25 against the Cowboys. The two programs have battled 15 times in NCAA postseason play, including a pair of matchups in the College World Series. Wichita State defeated the Cowboys in Omaha in 1982 and 1993.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE: Oklahoma State heads into play on Tuesday alone in second place in the Big 12 standings at 11-7, winners of five consecutive games to reach an overall record of 28-13. The highlight of that record is a 12-game winning streak that spanned from February 26-March 14. The Cowboys are ranked anywhere from #17 (Collegiate Baseball) to #21 (Baseball America) to #24 (NCBWA) to unranked (D1Baseball). Oklahoma State bludgeoned Kansas over the weekend, banging out 19 extra-base hits and 37 runs in a three-game sweep of the Jayhawks in Lawrence. The Cowboys lineup is one of the nation's most powerful, checking in to play on Tuesday third in the country in doubles and ninth in home runs, good for a .548 team slugging percentage that leads the Big 12. The lineup is paced by two-way talent Carson Benge (.351/.463/.588), who also serves as Oklahoma State's Sunday starter. Second baseman Roc Riggio and star freshman Nolan Schubart have each knocked in more than 40 runs. Defensively, Oklahoma State has compiled a team fielding percentage of .980 that ranks 15th in the country. The Cowboys are coming off a 42-22 season a year ago, hosting a regional before falling in the final to Arkansas. Head coach Josh Holliday is in his 11th season at the helm, with a 390-212-2 record to his credit. Tuesday will be the final home midweek game of the season for the Cowboys, who are 7-3 in midweek contests this year.

BREAKING OUT THE BROOMS: It was a historic weekend at Eck Stadium for Wichita State, who garnered their first sweep against a top-10 opponent since the 1991 season with three dominant wins against #7-ranked East Carolina. The Shockers outscored the Pirates 23-3, out-hit them 41-14, and got two complete game shutouts from Payton Tolle and Grant Adler to bookend the series. East Carolina only produced one inning the entire series in which more than five batters came to the plate (first inning of game two), and managed just one runner to third base in 18 innings against Tolle and Adler. The three victories catapulted Wichita State into a tie atop the American Athletic Conference standings with Houston.

QUIET IN THE BULLPEN: Thanks in large part to shutouts from Tolle and Adler, plus some stellar long relief work, the Wichita State pitching staff has not had to reach deep into the bullpen as of late. In the last six games, the Shockers have used a total of 12 pitchers (four of whom made multiple appearances), meaning just eight individual arms have seen game action in that stretch. The WSU bullpen has yielded four relief outings of at least 2.1 innings over the last six games.

NO MINER ACCOMPLISHMENT: Left-hander Jace Miner continues to cement his status as a versatile weapon out of the Wichita State bullpen. The sophomore southpaw turned in two brilliant outings over the last week, earning the win at Kansas State with 4.1 hitless, scoreless innings, before blanking East Carolina over 3.1 frames to nail down his second save of the season. Opponents are hitting just .147 against Miner in 28.0 innings this season.

SHOCKERS IN THE RPI: Wichita State heads into the week ranked 88 in the latest edition of the RPI, good for second in the American Athletic Conference behind East Carolina (15). The Shockers jumped a staggering 59 points last week, comfortably the largest increase in the country (next closest: Georgetown, +40 to 119). Oklahoma State checks in at 25, the highest-ranking opponent remaining on the regular season schedule for WSU. Only Houston (100) joins the Shockers in the top-100 among AAC teams.

INGRAM IN A GROOVE: Junior outfielder Chuck Ingram had a ridiculous stretch of six games dating back to the end of the series at Tulane. In that time frame, Ingram went 17-for-28 (.607), which would be impressive enough in its own right. But among the 17 hits, the righty slugger rammed five doubles and four homers, including big flies in both games of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of East Carolina. Oddly enough, in the series finale against the Pirates every Shocker in the lineup had a hit except Ingram.

STARTING WITH A BANG: Ingram grabbed national headlines on April 14 at Tulane with a leadoff home run that traveled a Trackman-confirmed 501 feet, easily the longest by any Shocker this season. Ingram's homer was the first leadoff round-tripper for the Shockers since David VanVooren opened a game against Texas Tech with a solo shot on March 9, 2019.

DOUBLE UP: Head coach Loren Hibbs made no secret of his desire for the Shockers to hit more doubles in 2023, believing the stat represents a good offensive approach and aggressive baserunning. The Shockers have lived up to that expectation this season, leading the American Athletic Conference and ranking 27th nationally with 88 team two-baggers. WSU has eight players with five or more doubles for the season.

HISTORIC HOMERS: Wichita State powered up last Tuesday night at Kansas State, blasting a season-high six home runs in a 10-4 midweek victory. Garrett Pennington and Brock Rodden each hit two, while David Herring and Payton Tolle contributed one apiece. The six round-trippers are the most for the Shockers in one game since April 26, 1998 against Indiana State, and Pennington and Rodden became the first Shockers with two multi-homer games in the same contest since future major leaguers Andy Dirks and Dusty Coleman accomplished the feat against Harvard on March 8, 2008.

BACK IN THE SADDLE: Interim head coach Loren Hibbs is in his first season leading the Shockers after taking over for Eric Wedge in December of 2022. Hibbs starred as a record-setting outfielder for the Shockers, helping WSU to the program's first-ever CWS appearance in 1982, and still holds the NCAA record for single-season runs scored with 125. He then served as an assistant under legendary Shocker head coach Gene Stephenson before moving on to Charlotte, where Hibbs guided the 49ers for 27 seasons and more than 800 wins. He returned to the Wichita State program following the 2019 season, joining the staff as Director of Baseball Operations. 

HIGH PRAISE: The Shockers landed four players on the American Athletic Conference preseason all-conference team, most of any club in the league. Infielder Brock Rodden, outfielder Chuck Ingram, designated hitter Payton Tolle and right-handed pitcher Cameron Bye were all selected, with Rodden tabbed as the conference's Preseason Player of the Year. Despite the league-best four honorees, Wichita State was picked fifth in the eight-team American Athletic Conference preseason poll.

RODDEN RETURN:  Infielder Brock Rodden burst on to the scene as one of college baseball's most impactful players in 2022. The Seminole State transfer led the Shockers in batting average (.338), on-base percentage (.441) and slugging percentage (.653) while launching 17 home runs, the most by a Shocker since Drew Moffitt hit 26 long balls in 2004. He was selected by the Oakland Athletics in the 10th Round of the 2022 MLB Draft (pick 304 overall) but elected not to sign, one of just three players chosen in the top ten rounds to do so.

JUCO INFLUX: The Wichita State 2023 roster features eight junior college transfers, several of which have stepped in as immediate contributors. Former Mississippi State outfielder Kyte McDonald brings elite speed out in centerfield, and former St. Mary's righty Clark Candiotti has entrenched himself at the front of the weekend rotation. Two members of Cowley College's NJCAA runner-up team play major roles, as infielder David Herring is the everyday starter at shortstop and right-handed pitcher Grant Adler has grabbed the Sunday starter role. Catcher Mauricio Millan has caught all but two games this season.