Kansas State (28-17, 11-7 Big 12) vs. Wichita State (26-17, 10-5 American)
Tuesday, May 2Â | 6:00Â pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+Â | Radio:Â KFH 97.5Â FM/1240Â AM
RHP Mason Buss (3-1, 3.03) vs. RHP Matt Boyer (1-0, 6.59)
SCENE SETTER: Wichita State hosts in-state foe Kansas State on Tuesday night at Eck Stadium, the penultimate midweek contest of the season for the Shockers. This midweek matchup is a battle of two teams locked in tight races at the top of their respective conferences; Wichita State is tied with Houston atop the American Athletic Conference standings at 10-5, while Kansas State is even with Oklahoma State for second place in the Big 12 behind West Virginia. The Shockers have an opportunity to sweep the season series against the Wildcats for the first time since the 2012 season. Wichita State is also attempting to win five games against Big 12 opposition for the first time since 2018. With 11 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 Wildcats. The game will will also be streamed live on ESPN+ ($), with former Shocker pitcher (1991-94) and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis on the call. 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 Wildcats meet for the 102nd time in program history on Tuesday, with the Shockers holding a 57-44 lead in the all-time series. Since restarting the baseball program in 1978, Wichita State has gone 54-32 against the Wildcats, including a 10-4 win in Manhattan on April 18. Wichita State launched six home runs in a game for the first time in 25 years in the victory, snapping an eight-game losing streak at Tointon Family Stadium in the process. Brock Rodden and Garrett Pennington each had multi-homer games, the first time two Shockers have done so in a single game since Andy Dirks and Dusty Coleman accomplished the feat against Harvard on March 8, 2008. Kansas State won last season's matchup in Wichita, 12-1. The last NCAA postseason appearance for Wichita State came in Kansas State's regional back in 2013.
SCOUTING KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats arrive in Wichita on the heels of a huge series win against nationally ranked Texas Tech, improving the K-State record to 28-17 (11-7 in the Big 12). Kansas State has not played a midweek game since the last meeting with the Shockers, as last Tuesday's scheduled game at UC Riverside was canceled. The Wildcats are one of college baseball's most patient lineups, ranking third nationally with 287 walks. Once Kansas State gets on base, they force the action to the tune of 95 stolen bases (14th in the country). In the first matchup against the Shockers, Kansas State drew just three walks and did not have a stolen base. The pitching staff has combined for a 4.96 ERA, led by outstanding closer Tyson Neighbors (1.06 ERA, eight saves). Head coach Pete Hughes is in his fourth season at the helm of the Wildcats in 2023. The former Oklahoma skipper owns a career mark of 778-601-3, the most wins among active Big 12 coaches. Hughes and Kansas State are in search of their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2013 season.
KYTE IS FLYING: Junior outfielder Kyte McDonald had perhaps the best two games of his brief Shocker career to finish the series against Memphis, reaching base in eight consecutive at-bats via five hits and three walks. In Saturday's win, McDonald set a career high with three hits, all of which were doubles, then he followed it up with two hits and two walks in Sunday's series finale. McDonald became the first Shocker to reach base in eight straight ABs since Daniel Kihle in 2015.
EVERYBODY RUNS: Wichita State had a big base-stealing weekend against Memphis, swiping eight bases over the course of the three-game series. With 70 steals as a team, the Shockers are getting baserunning production from up and down the lineup. Kyte McDonald (16), Chuck Ingram (11), Jack Little (10) and Brock Rodden (10) all have double-digit steals, the first time that four individual Shockers have recorded 10 or more steals in a season since 2012 (Erik Harbutz, Tanner Dearman, Garrett Bayliff and Taylor Doggett).
HE'S FOUND A HOME: The Wichita State offense has taken over since Chuck Ingram's return to the leadoff spot in late March. In 24 games at the top of the order, Ingram is hitting .396 (40-for-101) with 16 extra-base hits, compared to .288 (19-for-66) with nine extra-base hits in any other lineup spot. Ingram has taken his game to a elite level over the last three weeks; dating back to the beginning of the Tulane series, the junior outfielder is slashing an incredible .480/.509/.840, good for an OPS of 1.349. He is also tied for the team lead in that time frame with five stolen bases.
NUMBERS NEVER LIE...EXCEPT WHEN THEY DO: Through 43 games this season, the Wichita State bullpen has combined for a 5.16 ERA over 148.1 innings. That figure in and of itself is not particularly noteworthy, but remove one very bad inning (13 runs in the seventh inning against Houston on April 8), and the bullpen ERA drops to a much more impressive 4.40. The trio of Robert Cranz, Jace Miner and Nate Snead, who have grabbed the majority of the high-leverage innings, has combined for a 0.94 ERA over the last three weeks.
CONSISTENTLY CONSISTENT: Wichita State has had a remarkably consistent starting lineup this season, as six different players have started 41 or more games (Brock Rodden, Payton Tolle, Chuck Ingram, Mauricio Millan, Garrett Pennington, David Herring). After Ingram's move to the leadoff spot in late March, the top six spots in the order have changed just twice in the last 24 games.
SHOCKERS IN THE RPI: Wichita State heads into Tuesday ranked 87 in the last edition of the RPI, good for second in the American Athletic Conference behind East Carolina (28). Houston (102) is next-closest in the conference, followed by UCF (134), Cincinnati (160), Memphis (169), Tulane (177) and South Florida (178). Kansas State checks in at 57 in the latest rankings.
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 18th nationally with 99 team two-baggers. WSU has nine players with six or more doubles.