Wichita State (29-21, 12-8 American) vs. UCF (30-23, 10-11 American)

Thursday, May 18 | 5:00 pm CT | Orlando, Florida (John Euliano Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Clark Candiotti (7-3, 4.52) vs. Ruddy Gomez (6-3, 5.30)

Friday, May 19 | 5:00 pm CT | Orlando, Florida (John Euliano Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
LHP Payton Tolle (9-2, 3.78) vs. Cameron Leiter (3-2, 5.77)

Saturday, May 20 | 5:00 pm CT | Orlando, Florida (John Euliano Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. TBA

---

SCENE SETTER: Wichita State concludes the 2023 regular season schedule with a three-game series in Orlando against UCF. With one series 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 three games and second place East Carolina by two and a half games due to a rainout. Houston finishes the season at home against Cincinnati, while East Carolina ends the year with a road series at South Florida. If the Shockers win at least one game this week against UCF, they will guarantee at least a third-place finish, matching their best mark in the conference standings since joining The American in 2018 (2021- 3rd). By taking two of three games this past weekend against South Florida, the Shockers secured a fifth conference series win of the season, their highest total as a member of The American. 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 Knights, with Denning Gerig joining the broadcast as color commentator. All three games of the series 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 Knights have played 14 times in series history, all since the Shockers joined The American in 2018. UCF leads the all-time series 8-6, thanks in large part to a four-game sweep of the Shockers in 2022. The Knights won all three games in Wichita during the regular season, then ended Wichita State's stay in the conference tournament with a 12-4 win in Clearwater. This will be the third series for the Shockers in Orlando; WSU dropped two of three games in 2018 but claimed three of four during the latest trip in 2021.

SCOUTING UCF: The Knights enter play on Thursday with an overall record of 30-23, including a 10-11 mark in American Athletic Conference action. UCF heads into the series winners of three straight on the heels of a three-game losing streak. The Knights put together a strong non-conference resume, highlighted by a sweep on the road at Clemson and a pair of wins over in-state foe Florida State, plus single victories over ranked teams in Troy and Maryland. UCF has an offense built around power; the Knights rank ninth nationally with 100 home runs, the most by a single team in the history of The American. Slugger Ben McCabe leads the way, pacing the conference with 18 home runs and 139 total bases. The pitching staff boasts some of the circuit's most talented arms, as evidenced by a league-best 10.3 strikeouts per nine innings. The strength of the staff is the back-end bullpen tandem of Najer Victor (3-1, 2.12 ERA) and Kyle Kramer (4-2, 3.51, eight saves). Former Wright State head coach Greg Lovelady is in his seventh season at the helm for the Knights, with a career record of 346-202. He has finished each season in Orlando with a winning percentage of .500 or better.

ONE-MAN WRECKING CREW: Junior outfielder Chuck Ingram has piled up 12 multi-hit games in the last 18 contests, raising his batting average to .364 for the second-best mark in the conference. Ingram's BABIP (batting average on balls in play) is an incredible .507 (72-for-142). After striking out at a 38.2% rate as a freshman in 2021, Ingram has improved to a 28.2% whiff rate this season. The right-handed hitter has almost tripled his walk rate in his junior season to go along with the improved contact.

TWO-WAY TALENT: Earlier this week, sophomore Payton Tolle was named one of 12 semifinalists for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. The award is named for the former Washington State University standout who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s and was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007. As Wichita State's Saturday starter, Tolle has gone 9-2 with a 3.78 ERA in 78.2 innings; offensively, he is hitting .321 with 13 home runs and 47 RBI. Tolle is the lone representative on the list from the American Athletic Conference.

STRENGTH ON STRENGTH: Perhaps the most critical aspect of this week's series at UCF will be Wichita State's ability to limit UCF's home run output. The Knights enter play on Thursday as one of the nation's most prolific power-hitting teams, featuring seven players with double-digit home runs and 100 total long balls as a club. Wichita State is one of the country's best at keeping the baseball in the ballpark, allowing just 0.8 home runs per nine innings (next best in the conference is Memphis at 1.1 per nine innings).

RUNNING INTO PROBLEMS: The Shockers do not allow a significant number of stolen base attempts (70 in 50 games, an average of 1.4 per game) but have had difficulties throwing out those runners. WSU has cut down just 10 of 70 baserunners, a caught-stealing rate of 14.3%. The next-lowest rate in the conference is 19.0%.

JACE THE ACE: After two more scoreless outings over the weekend against South Florida, left-hander Jace Miner trimmed his season ERA to 2.00. The sophomore is currently riding a stretch of 10 consecutive scoreless appearances totaling 16.2 innings. Miner ranks among the nation's leaders in preventing hits, as the southpaw has held opponents to a .157 batting average (19 hits in 36.0 innings). Compared to the 2022 season, Miner has sliced more than five runs off his ERA.

RUN PRODUCERS: The potent middle of the order combination of Brock Rodden, Garrett Pennington and Payton Tolle represent the best run-producing trio in the American Athletic Conference. Rodden leads the league with 60 RBI, while Pennington (48) and Tolle (47) are third and fourth, respectively. If Pennington can record two more RBI and Tolle three more, 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).

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 4.17). The Shockers enter play on Thursday 19th in the country in ERA thanks to a pitching staff littered with strike-throwers; WSU ranks 14th nationally in walks per nine innings (3.30) and 9th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.91:1).

EVERYBODY RUNS: With 80 steals as a team, the Shockers are getting baserunning production from up and down the lineup. Kyte McDonald (19), Chuck Ingram (14), Brock Rodden (11) and Jack Little (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). McDonald needs one more swipe to become the first Shocker since Daniel Kihle in 2015 to steal 20 bases.

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 39th nationally with 111 team two-baggers. WSU has nine players with seven or more doubles.