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Baseball Preview: Utah Tech

2/29/2024 8:47:00 PM

Utah Tech (1-8, 0-0 WAC) vs. Wichita State (4-3, 0-0 American)

Friday, March 1 | 3:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
LHP Caden Favors (1-0, 3.65) vs. RHP Dylan Gardner (0-2, 9.35)

Saturday, March 2 | 12:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Daniel Zang (1-0, 4.91) vs. LHP Carston Herman (0-1, 6.00)

Sunday, March 3 | 1:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Tommy LaPour (0-1, 22.50) vs. RHP Ky Decker (0-1, 5.40)


SCENE SETTER: Fresh off a road midweek win against regional rival Oral Roberts, Wichita State kicks off the home portion of the 2024 schedule with a three-game series at Eck Stadium against Utah Tech. This series marks the return end of an agreement that had the Shockers visit the Trailblazers for a four-game series last season, winning three of four. Wichita State has alternated wins and losses in each of their last four home openers, dropping last season's first home game to Oakland after a win against Oral Roberts in 2022, a loss to Oklahoma State in 2021 and a win over Texas Southern in 2020. The Shockers are coming off a 30-25 season in 2023 that included a 13-10 mark in American Athletic Conference play, good for third place in the final conference standings. 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 2024.  "The Voice of the Shockers" and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Mike Kennedy will have the call on Friday and Sunday, with former Shocker pitcher (1991-94) and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis handling the radio broadcast on Saturday. All three games will also be streamed live on ESPN+, with Dennis calling the action Friday and Sunday and Denning Gerig taking over play-by-play duties on Saturday. 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 Trailblazers have met just seven times in program history, the aforementioned four-game set last season in Utah and a three-game series at Eck Stadium in Wichita during the 2021 season. WSU leads the series 6-1, dropping the series opener last season 12-4 before earning wins of 5-3, 10-3, and 10-0, the latter two coming in a doubleheader sweep. Wichita State also swept the series in Wichita by scores of 2-1, 15-3 and 15-7. On the WSU active roster, only Seth Stroh has played in both series, going 2-for-6 in the 2021 set and 2-for-12 with a home run last year in St. George.

SCOUTING UTAH TECH: Utah Tech brings a record of 1-8 into play on Friday following a three-game sweep at the hands of Cal State Northridge and a midweek defeat at the hands of UNLV on Tuesday. Through the first nine games of the season, eight of which have been home contests in St. George, the Trailblazers are pitching to a 9.11 ERA while allowing opponents to hit .339. Offensively, Utah Tech owns a team batting average of .260, paced by the hot starts of catcher Hank Dodson (.375, 1 HR, 4 RBI) and outfielder Hunter Katschke (.321, 2 HR, 4 RBI). The Trailblazers are in their second season competing under their current name after rebranding from Dixie State. Utah Tech is also in the third year of their transition to the Division I level, having made five straight trips to the NCAA Division II West Regionals from 2013-17. Utah Tech is led by head coach Chris Pfatenhauer, now in his 12th season at the helm of the Trailblazers with a career record of 366-299-1.

GREENER PASTURES: Brian Green was named the fifth head coach in the modern era of Wichita State baseball on June 5, 2023, replacing interim head coach Loren Hibbs. Green comes to Wichita State after four seasons at the helm of Washington State, where he guided the Cougars to four straight seasons above .500, the first such stretch of success for the Cougars since 2006-10. Green went 91-79 overall in Pullman, including a 29-win season in 2023 that matched the most wins for Washington State since 2010. Prior to his tenure with Wazzu, Green revitalized the program at his alma mater New Mexico State, taking the Aggies from 11 wins in 2015 to 40 in 2018. In 10 total seasons as a head coach, Green owns a career record of 253-204-1, good for a .554 winning percentage.

FEELING FRESH: The Shockers got a huge lift on Wednesday from freshman left-handed pitcher Tyler Dobbs, who turned in 5.0 innings of scoreless relief to earn his first collegiate victory. Inheriting runners at first and second with nobody out in the second inning, Dobbs induced a double play to escape the jam and proceeded to allow just one baserunner for the remainder of his outing.

POLAR OPPOSITES: Senior right-hander Nate Adler earned his second save of the season on Wednesday in dramatically different fashion from his first. After working three scoreless innings to close out a blowout win in Little Rock on February 17, Adler inherited runners at first and second with one out in the ninth against ORU with the Shockers clinging to a 3-1 lead. A bloop single loaded the bases, but Adler coaxed a shallow pop out and a groundout to third to help Wichita State escape with the win.

PAIN PRODUCTION: Green's teams at Kentucky at New Mexico State both led the nation in hit by pitches during his tenure and Wichita State is following a similar formula in 2024. The Shockers set a program record on Sunday by earning six hit by pitches, moving them into the top-10 nationally with 23 HBPs on the season. Ryan Callahan was hit three times individually on Sunday, tying the program record. The Shockers were plunked three more times on Wednesday on Oral Roberts, helping the team to a team .442 on-base percentage that ranks just outside the top 25 nationally.

BIG WEEKENDS: Outfielders Jaden Gustafson and Dayvin Johnson earned spots on the Jacksonville College Baseball Classic All-Tournament team. Gustafson recorded three hits, including two doubles, while driving in two while Johnson finished 6-for-12 with his first WSU home run and four RBI.

ROSTER REVAMP: It is a new-look Wichita State roster in 2024, as only 11 players return from the 2023 club. AAC Player of the Year Brock Rodden was drafted in the 5th Round by the Seattle Mariners, senior Sawyre Thornhill exhausted his eligibility, and the remaining 23 players transferred. 17 of those 23 ended up at another Division I institution. Catcher Mauricio Millan (54 starts), outfielder Seth Stroh (32 starts) and utilitymen Jordan Rogers (10 starts) and Will Stark (10 starts in 2022) lead the returners in experience, while Caden Favors (21 appearances) and Matt Wilkinson (18 appearances) are the senior members of the pitching staff.

JUCO BANDITS: Following the 25 departures from the 2023 club, head coach Brian Green turned to the junior college ranks to form his first roster with the Shockers. Wichita State has 14 newcomers who played at the NJCAA level a year ago: pitchers Mason Munz, Gavin Oswald, Caleb Anderson, Daniel Zang, Hunter Holmes, Peyton Walters and Jack Mount (7) and position players Brayden Luikart, Dayvin Johnson, Logan Kreske, Ryan Callahan, Derek Williams, Josh Livingston and Sammy Harris (7).

IRON MAN: On a roster with so much turnover, the steadying presence of catcher Mauricio Millan is an important one for the Shockers on both sides of the ball. Millan started an incredible 53 games at catcher for WSU in 2023, hitting .315 with 15 doubles and 26 RBI to go along with excellent defense. The junior from El Paso, Texas ranked among the nation's leaders in framing pitches and committed just three errors behind the plate.

BRIGHT FUTURE: Green was hard at work on the recruiting trail after taking the reigns, bringing in a class ranked 32nd nationally by Perfect Game. In addition to keeping nearly the entirety of the previous staff's class in place, Green was able to add two top-400 players nationally in shortstop Darnell Parker Jr. (#311, originally committed to Washington State) and right-handed pitcher Tommy LaPour (#388, originally committed to Cincinnati). The highest ranked player in the class is right-handed pitcher Ryan Geraghty, ranked by PG as the #165 player in the country.

MEET THE STAFF: Green wasted little time finalizing his assistant coaches, announcing the hires just two weeks after joining the Shockers. Veteran pitching coach Anthony Claggett came along from Washington State, recruiting coordinator Clay Overcash was brought on board after six seasons in the same role at Oklahoma, and hitting coach Anthony Miller, who as a player was committed to play for Green at NMSU, rounded out the assistants following four seasons at the junior college level. The Shockers director of baseball operations is Tad Reida, a former Shocker infielder who helped Wichita State to consecutive NCAA tournament appearances in 2004 and 2005.

PRESEASON PROJECTION: The Shockers were picked seventh in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll out of 10 teams, the lowest preseason projection for Wichita State since joining the AAC in 2017. The conference features new blood in Charlotte, UTSA, Florida Atlantic, Rice and UAB, helping to offset the losses of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12. Defending champion East Carolina comfortably topped the poll, earning all nine other first place votes. The Pirates lead the conference with six preseason All-AAC selections, including the preseason Pitcher of the Year in Trey Yesavage. South Florida has five representatives; no other school has more than one. 

TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE: With a program record of 2,314 wins, 1,251 losses and nine ties, Wichita State ranks in the top ten of all college baseball programs with a .648 winning percentage. The Shockers have won 20 regular season conference championships and 18 conference tournament championships, earning a trip to Omaha for the College World Series on seven different occasions. WSU claimed the 1989 national championship and finished as national runner-up in 1982, 1991 and 1993.

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