Softball | 4/28/2023 8:49:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Alex Aguilar is the calmest of the calm on a Wichita State pitching staff that wins with composure, trust, and a goofy spirit.
She is also the leader in superstitions.
"Every superstition in the book," lefty
Alison Cooper said.
Aguilar, a freshman with a conference-leading 1.40 earned run average, believes in her ponytail, her rosin bag, a specific bullpen routine before games and a personal bullpen catcher.
"People might think that when I touch my cleats it's a superstition," she said. "But it's not. I just have a blister."
Aguilar's superstitions and her rise as one of the American Athletic Conference's top pitchers is one of many driving forces in the success of No. 19 Wichita State's pitching staff. It is, coach
Kristi Bredbenner said, unquestionably the deepest staff in her 12 seasons at Wichita State.
A program famous for power hitters is happy to win with pitching and defense.
Wichita State (40-8, 13-2 American) travels to Tulsa (20-23, 6-6) this weekend for a series beginning Friday (5 p.m.). Two wins clinch at least a share of the conference title for the Shockers and a sweep gives it to them outright.
"The biggest thing is they really complement each other," Bredbenner said. "They've learned they don't need to overpower anybody. We want to make sure we rely on that defense that's doing so well."
Aguilar, junior transfer
Lauren Howell and sophomore
Alison Cooper call themselves "Presley's Pretty Pitchers" in a nod to pitching coach
Presley Bell. They play alphabet games when shagging balls in the outfield – name an actor whose name starts with "A," as an example – and giggle as they watch home runs threaten cars and buses passing by Wilkins Stadium.
"It all starts when we shag balls out there together," Howell said. "Our team hits a lot of home runs and when they hit cars out there it's interesting to watch."
They eat at El Agave restaurant and always order the Pollo Bandido, a grilled chicken and rice dish, with chips and queso.
"We're super, super goofy," Cooper said. "We hang out a lot."
They own a combined 10 shutouts – five more than 2022 and the most since 14 in 2008. The team ERA of 2.32 is on track to rank as the lowest since 2005 (1.63).
Howell (16-2) Aguilar (13-2) and Cooper (11-4) are the first trio in school history to record 10 or more wins in a season.
"The fact we all throw different stuff will mess up the batters," Cooper said. "All of us have a pretty good presence, too."
The defense is a big part of those numbers, with speed in the outfield and reliable, sometimes spectacular, gloves on the infield. Catcher
Lainee Brown is her fourth season in the program and her second as a starter. She grew into a vocal leader who is experienced and confident enough to guide the pitchers.
Wichita State's fielding percentage of .982 (.988 in conference games) would rank as the highest in program history.
"My mistakes, they're going to get fixed," Cooper said. "I know they're there. I know they've got me."
That pitching depth and defense shows up in some of Wichita State's biggest wins.
Howell held No. 9 Arkansas to five hits in a 10-2 win and Nebraska to five hits in a 10-1 win in five innings. She allowed seven hits in a 6-0 win at 2022 conference champion UCF to help the Shockers rebound from a loss the night before. In an 8-7 win over No. 3 Oklahoma State at Wilkins Stadium, Howell started and gave way to Cooper in the fourth inning. Howell returned in the seventh to retire the Cowgirls on three flyballs.
Cooper held Kansas scoreless over six innings in relief in a 9-3 win. She threw four scoreless, hitless innings in relief in an 8-3 win over USF and Howell secured a sweep with a four-hitter in a 3-2 win.
Aguilar, who leads the staff with six shutouts, held No. 3 Oklahoma State to eight hits over eight innings in a 3-1 win at Stillwater earlier this month.
Howell (2.29 ERA) added confidence in her rise ball throughout the season and works up and down in the strike zone. Aguilar specializes in moving the ball from side to side, hitting corners and keeping pitches low to produce off-balance hitters. Cooper (3.20 ERA) gives hitters a different look as a lefty who likes to throw drop balls and changeups and is the demonstrative, fiery member of the staff.
"You add all those together and it's pretty tough when you see us back-to-back," Howell said.
All three are new in some way to their roles. Cooper threw 64 innings last season behind seniors
Caitlin Bingham and
Erin McDonald. Howell transferred from Arkansas, where she appeared in 13 games over two seasons. Aguilar pitched to high school hitters a year ago.
It was a group learned it didn't have to strike out hitters to win. It learned the Shocker defense makes all the routine plays and enough of the difficult ones. It learned that handing the ball off to another pitcher in the middle of a game is a good way to win.
Bell saw the staff take a leap during the series at UCF. The Shockers lost the opener 3-1 and then bounced back behind strong outings by Howell and Aguilar to win the series.
"They got to the point where they realized they can pitch at this level," Bell said. "We rely so heavily on our offense, which is awesome to have all that run support. They're to the point where 'Hey, we can pitch, too. We can keep us in ballgames. We can do good things as long as we hit our spots and trust our defense.'"
It took Aguilar time to learn that mental part of college softball. In high school, she struck out hitters and finished games, because that's what great pitchers do in high school. At Wichita State, she learned to see herself as part of a pitching staff that works together to win games. It is OK to throw four innings and let another pitcher take on hitters the third time through the lineup.
"It was really hard for me to grasp that I didn't have to do this alone," she said. "It's being a team and being a pitching staff. That helps with the pressure I feel. I get anxious for a lot of games, then I take a step back and think 'I'm part of a staff and it's going to be OK.'"
Her superstitions also make things OK. She pitches best with her hair in ponytail – she uses the same black ties each game – instead of two braids.
"It has to be a ponytail," she said. "I switched it up few times and it just hasn't gone well for me."
She must throw from the middle circle of the three in the bullpen when warming up for games.
"I tried the other ones, and they didn't work," she said.
She only throws to bullpen catcher Josh Cox. While in the circle, she uses the rosin bag often, more to keep her hands busy than for the drying effect.
"I need my chalk," she said. "I need a lot of it. I don't actually think my hands get sweaty. It just makes me feel better."
The Shockers feel comfortable with any of those three in the game because they see themselves as part of pitching staff that works together, not as a lonely figure in the circle.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
