Razorback Invitational
Fayetteville, Ark. | Bogle Park
Feb. 23: vs. Illinois State (12:30 PM) | at #15 Arkansas (5:30 PM)
Feb. 24: vs. UT Arlington (12:30 PM) | at #15 Arkansas (5:30 PM)
Feb. 25: vs. Illinois State (10:00 AM)
Video: None
Stats: Statbroadcast.com

QUICK HITS
• Wichita State closes the opening month of the season at the Razorback Invitational with five games in three days against Illinois State, Arkansas and UT Arlington.
• Wichita State is coming off a 1-2 week at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge, all against ranked teams.
• Wichita State has four wins against ranked opponents dating back to last season.
• The Shockers are 4-2 against SEC opponents over their last 6 games with wins over South Carolina, Arkansas and Texas A&M.
• Wichita State is receiving votes in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25.
• The Shockers will face eight NCAA Regional teams from a season ago, three of those coming in consecutive days at the Puerto Vallarta College Challenge (Clemson, South Carolina and Auburn).
• Wichita State won the 2023 American Athletic Conference regular season championship.
• Wichita State's 44 wins in 2023 were the second most in school history.
• It marked the third 40-win season in school history.
• In the circle, Wichita State returns its entire pitching staff that recorded wins: Lauren Howell (18), Alex Aguilar (15) and Alison Cooper (11).
• Softball America named Addison Barnard a Preseason First Team All-American.
• Softball America tabbed Barnard as the No. 17 player on the Preseason Top 100 list and the No. 3 outfielder.
• Barnard is one of 50 on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List.
• Barnard has 72 career home runs, the most all time at Wichita State and in American Athletic Conference history.
• Barnard became the 6th player in NCAA history with 70 career home runs and 50 career stolen bases, and is the only active DI player with 70+ HR and 50+ SB.
• Barnard ranks 2nd among NCAA DI active players in career home runs with 72, just five behind Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings.
• Barnard became the first known player in NCAA history with 30+ home runs and 25+ stolen bases in a single season in 2022.
• Wichita State is the preseason favorite as voted on by the league's coaches in the American Athletic Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. The Shockers received 8 first place votes and 80 total points. Charlotte and North Texas were picked No. 2 and No. 3.
• Wichita State had a top 10 offense once again in 2023, ranking 4th in triples per game, 6th in batting average and 7th in scoring and slugging percentage. The Shockers also had the 3rd-best fielding percentage in the NCAA at .984, which was a school record.

SCOUTING ILLINOIS STATE
It's been a tough start to 2024 for the Redbirds who enter the weekend 0-10. Illinois State has been outscored 52-8 over the first 10 games. Five of those have been decided by two runs or less. The Redbirds carry just a .167 team batting average into the tournament, led by Abby Knight at .308.  Illinois State hitters have struck out 63 times compared to just 39 hits. Three pitchers have combined to throw 62.1 of the 63.0 innings so far. Paige McLeod has yet to record a decision in six appearances, but leads the team in innings (21.2) and ERA (2.91). The pitching staff has a collective ERA of 4.56, 17 strikeouts and 26 walks.

SERIES HISTORY
Old Missouri Valley Conference rivals meet again. For the first time since Wichita State departed for the American Athletic Conference, the Shockers and Redbirds meet on the diamond. Wichita State won the final meeting in 2017, but the Redbirds won the series, 2-1. A series that dates back to 1982 has largely been dominated by Illinois State. The Redbirds are 66-27 all-time vs. Wichita State. The Shockers won nine of the last 12 meetings. On a neutral field, Illinois State holds an 8-3 lead.

LAST MEETING VS. THE REDBIRDS
After the Redbirds took the first two games of the weekend series, Wichita State bounced back to avoid the sweep with an 11-3 run-rule win. The Shockers homered three times and Mackenzie Wright drove in six runs to go with a grand slam.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Nationally ranked in all four polls, the Arkansas Razorbacks are 8-2 to begin the 2024 campaign. Both losses were decided by a single run, including an extra inning loss to Penn State on Feb. 10. Reagan Johnson is off to a hot start at the plate, hitting a team-best .462 with a pair of doubles and six stolen bases. Bri Ellis leads the Razorbacks in doubles (3), home runs (3) and RBI (12) to go with a .345 batting average. Four different Razorbacks have multiple home runs. Robyn Herron has thrown a team-high 27.0 innings and is 3-2 with a 1.30 ERA and 30 strikeouts. Morgan Leinstock comes in at 3-0 with a 1.07 ERA in 19.2 innings. She has 22 strikeouts to just six walks. Opponents are hitting just .186 against the Arkansas pitching staff, while striking out 64 times.

SERIES HISTORY
A series that began in 1999, Wichita State and Arkansas will meet for the 16th and 17th time with the Razorbacks leading the all-time series, 10-5. The Shockers have won only once in Fayetteville back in 2007. Wichita State will look to snap a 5-game losing streak in Fayetteville.

LAST MEETING VS. THE RAZORBACKS
A matchup between two ranked teams was dominated by the Shockers in Wichita just one year ago. No. 23 Wichita State run-ruled the 9th-ranked Razorbacks in 6.0 innings, 10-2. Sydney McKinney, Lauren Lucas and Lauren Mills all homered in an 8-run first inning to blow it open early. Lauren Howell struck out four in the win against her former team.

SCOUTING UT ARLINGTON
UT Arlington is 3-7 through the first two weekends of 2024. The first four games of the season featured shutouts with the Mavericks being on the wrong side of the first three. UTA hits .231 as a team with five doubles, two triples and four home runs. Emma Lopez has a team-high .345 batting average. Lindsey Franklin has two of the team's four home runs to go with nine RBI. Five different pitchers have throw more than 8.0 innings already with a team ERA of 5.62, 28 strikeouts to 29 walks.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and UT Arlington renew a series that began in 1986. The Shockers are 10-8 all-time vs. the Mavericks with wins in the last three meetings. Wichita State is 5-0 all-time vs. UTA in Arlington, but just 5-8 on a neutral field.

LAST MEETING VS. THE MAVERICKS
Behind a four-run third inning, Wichita State defeated the Mavs, 6-3, on March 6, 2021. Caitlin Bingham allowed one hit and struck out two in 1.2 innings of relief to shut down any comeback attempt. Madison Perrigan and Wylie Glover both had a pair of RBI's.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Wichita State has never shied away from playing a tough schedule, and that is no different in 2024. The Shockers will play seven teams ranked in the Preseason NFCA Top 25: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 5 Clemson, No. 9 Oklahoma State, No. 16 Arkansas, No. 18 Nebraska, No. 19 Auburn and No. 23 South Carolina.

USA SOFTBALL TOP 50 WATCH LIST
Senior Addison Barnard was named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List on Jan. 24. Barnard is the only student-athlete from outside the Power 5 conferences. The Beatrice, Neb. native makes it back-to-back seasons on the Top 50 Watch List.

PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TIMES TWO
Softball America named Addison Barnard a Preseason First Team All-American, and D1 Softball tabbed Barnard a Second Team All-American. This is the second straight season earning Preseason All-America honors from the two publications.

PRESEASON TOP 100 LOVE
Addison Barnard was named to the Softball American Preseason Top 100 list on Jan. 22. Barnard checked in as the No. 17 player in the country, and was ranked the No. 3 outfielder, behind only Oklahoma's Jayda Coleman and Tennessee's Kiki Milloy. Barnard checked in at No. 32 on the DI Softball Preseason D100 Player Rankings.

NEW-LOOK LINEUP
Wichita State moves on after the graduation of three key pieces of the lineup in All-American Sydney McKinney and All-Conference standouts Zoe Jones and Lauren Mills. That trio made up the No. 1, No. 4 and No. 5 positions in the batting lineup and combined to hit .411 with 207 hits, 29 home runs, 25 doubles, 10 triples and 133 RBI in 2023. They accounted for 41.4% of the Shockers' home runs and 39.6% of their RBI.

UP NEXT
Wichita State hosts Iowa for its home opener on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 1:00 PM on ESPN+.