South Florida (18-31, 6-12 American) vs. Wichita State (27-20, 10-7 American)

Friday, May 12 | 6:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Jack Cebert (3-3, 4.05) vs. RHP Clark Candiotti (7-2, 3.84)

Saturday, May 13 | 2:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Hunter Mink (6-5, 6.55) vs. LHP Payton Tolle (8-2, 3.89)

Sunday, May 14 | 11:30 am CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. RHP Grant Adler (4-3, 2.49)

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SCENE SETTER: Wichita State wraps up the home portion of the 2023 schedule with a three-game series against South Florida beginning Friday night at Eck Stadium. With just six games remaining in the American Athletic Conference regular season, the Shockers will need outside help to secure at least a share of their first AAC title. WSU trails conference-leading Houston by two games and second place East Carolina by a game and a half due to a rainout. Houston finishes the season at Tulane and home against Cincinnati, while East Carolina hosts Memphis before ending the year with a road series at South Florida. The Shockers enter this weekend on a three-game losing streak, just the second-such streak of the season (vs. Houston - 4/8, at Oklahoma - 4/11, at Tulane - 4/14). The Shockers have twice won six games in a row this season. 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 have the call against the Bulls. All three games of the series 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. 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 Bulls have met 19 times, with Wichita State holding a 10-8-1 lead in the all-time series. Since Wichita State joined the American Athletic Conference in 2017, South Florida leads the series by the slimmest of margins, 8-7-1. The lone tie is the last deadlock in Wichita State program history, a 9-9 tie at Eck Stadium on May 13, 2018 that was called due to South Florida's Sunday travel schedule. The longest streak of any kind in the series history is just two games, as the Bulls bested the Shockers in the 2021 AAC tournament and then won the first game of last season's regular season series. South Florida won two of three in that series, claiming the rubber match on a 10th inning home run from Drew Brutcher. Prior to Wichita State joining The American, the Shockers downed South Florida in Hawaii in 2005 to claim the First Hawaii Title Rainbow Tournament title, and twice to open the 1985 season in New Orleans.

SCOUTING SOUTH FLORIDA: The Bulls bring an overall record of 18-31 into play on Friday, checking in at 6-12 in American Athletic Conference play. South Florida began the season with ranked wins against #13 Maryland and #7 Florida, then won two of three games in each of their first two conference series. The Bulls have gone just 2-10 in conference play since, including a sweep in Tampa at the hands of Cincinnati and on the road against Memphis over the last two weeks. The South Florida offense ranks 237th nationally in scoring at 5.8 runs per game, limited by a lack of a running game that has produced just 18 stolen bases. The Bulls do have power in the middle of the order, with a trio of players in double-figure home runs (Bobby Boser - 14, Daniel Cantu - 11, Drew Brutcher - 10). On the mound, the Bulls have a solid Friday night starter in Jack Cebert, who has fired three starts in conference play of 7.0 or more innings and one earned run. The bullpen features several power arms but has produced inconsistent results, including closer Riley Skeen (0-4, 6.59 ERA, five saves), who has been tagged for 12 runs over his last four appearances. Head coach Billy Mohl, a former Illinois State assistant during the Shockers time in the Missouri Valley Conference, is now in his sixth season leading the Bulls. His career record is 145-150-1.

JACE THE ACE: After another scoreless inning on Tuesday against Oral Roberts, left-hander Jace Miner trimmed his season ERA to 2.14. The sophomore is currently riding a stretch of eight consecutive scoreless appearances totaling 14.1 innings. Miner ranks among the nation's leaders in preventing hits, as the southpaw has held opponents to a .159 batting average (18 hits in 33.2 innings). Compared to the 2022 season, Miner has sliced nearly five runs off his ERA.

ONE-MAN WRECKING CREW: Wichita State was held to just three hits and one run in Tuesday's loss to nationally ranked Oral Roberts. The entirety of the offense came from outfielder Chuck Ingram, who recorded all three Shocker hits and scored the lone run of the evening by singling in the first, stealing second, moving to third on an error and scoring via a Garrett Pennington sacrifice fly. The three-hit night was Ingram's 10th multi-hit game in the last 15 contests.

CUTTING DOWN ON THE CHARITY: Shocker pitchers have had occasional issues this season hitting opposing batters, including a stretch of eight games from late March to early April in which WSU hit four batters in a game three times. Recently, however, WSU has dramatically cut down on those free passes; Wichita State hurlers have not hit a batter in the last 100 innings dating back to the game at Kansas State on April 18.

REHAB COMPLETE: One of the bright spots from this past weekend in Houston was the return of left-handed pitcher Austin Wallace, who made his season debut with a scoreless eighth inning on Saturday. It was the first outing for Wallace in more than 400 days after he injured his arm last spring in a game against Kansas on March 30. The southpaw struck out the first batter he faced on Saturday, then pitched around a two-out single to keep Houston off the board.

PITCHING TURNAROUND: Pitching coach Mike Pelfrey and interim head coach Loren Hibbs have completely revamped the Shocker arms in 2023, trimming nearly two full runs off the Wichita State era as compared to a season ago (5.97 to 4.14). The Shockers enter play on Friday 23rd in the country in ERA thanks to a pitching staff littered with strike-throwers; WSU ranks 16th nationally in walks per nine innings (3.37) and 11th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.83:1).

DYNAMIC DUO: The potent middle of the order combination of Brock Rodden and Garrett Pennington continues to torture opposing pitchers. Both homered in the two-game series at Houston, moving into a tie for third place in the American Athletic Conference with 13 home runs apiece. Rodden leads the conference with 53 RBI, while Pennington ranks second with 46. If Pennington can record four RBI over the final six games of the season, the Shockers will have two players with 50 or more runs batted in for the first time since the 2011 season (Chris O'Brien - 70, Johnny Coy - 59, Preston Springer - 56).

EVERYBODY RUNS: With 72 steals as a team, the Shockers are getting baserunning production from up and down the lineup. Kyte McDonald (16), Chuck Ingram (12), 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).

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 40th nationally with 103 team two-baggers. WSU has nine players with six or more doubles.