Bearkat Classic
Huntsville, Texas | Bearkat Softball Complex
Feb. 9: vs. Stephen F. Austin (10:30 AM) | at Sam Houston (3:30 PM)
Feb. 10: vs. Stephen F. Austin (3:30 PM) | at Sam Houston (6:00 PM)
Feb. 11: vs. UNLV (10:30 AM)
Video: No TV or Video
Stats: Statbroadcast.com

QUICK HITS
• Wichita State opens the 2024 campaign and Year 13 of the Kristi Bredbenner era in Huntsville, Texas at the Bearkat Classic.
• This is the second time in three seasons Wichita State has competed in the Bearkat Classic. The Shockers went 4-1 in 2022 with wins over Dayton, Sam Houston and Houston Baptist. The lone loss came against South Dakota.
• Wichita State is 21-25 in season openers and 9-3 under Bredbenner.
• Wichita State has won nine of its last 10 season openers.
• Wichita State is receiving votes in both the NFCA and ESPN/USA Softball 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.
• In the circle, Wichita State returns its entire pitching staff that recorded wins: Lauren Howell (18), Alex Aguilar (15) and Alison Cooper (11).
• It marked the third 40-win season in school history.
• 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 69 career home runs, the most all time at Wichita State and in American Athletic Conference history.
• Barnard is the only active DI player with 60+ HR and 50+ SB.
• Barnard ranks 2nd among NCAA DI active players in career home runs with 69, just four 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 STEPHEN F. AUSTIN
Stephen F. Austin enters 2024 following a 30-24 campaign a season ago. They went 15-9 in WAC play and made it to the WAC semifinals before falling in extra innings, 10-9, against Seattle. Kyi'Marri Ester is the team's top returning hitter after posting a .315 average with nine doubles, a triple, 18 home runs and 43 RBI in 2023. Lexi Benson returns to the lineup as a senior after hitting .310 with nine doubles, 10 home runs and 29 RBI. In the circle, Stephen F. Austin brings back its ace in Brooke Gainous. Gainous led the team in appearances (37), innings pitched (157.1), wins (14), complete games (15), ERA (3.25) and saves (2). In 157.1 innings, Gainous only recorded 57 strikeouts.

SERIES HISTORY
For the first time since 2015, Wichita State and Stephen F. Austin meet on the softball diamond. The two programs have met five times prior to this weekend's matchups with the Shockers holding a 3-2 lead in the series. The first meeting took place in 1978 with SFA winning, 6-5. Wichita State reeled off three straight wins before the Lumberjacks won 6-3 in 2015.

LAST MEETING VS. THE LUMBERJACKS
Wichita State and Stephen F. Austin split the two meetings on Feb. 7, 2015. After Wichita State won a pitcher's duel, 2-1, Stephen F. Austin bounced back to win the rematch later that day, 6-3.

SCOUTING SAM HOUSTON STATE
The host of the Bearkat Classic, Sam Houston looks to improve on a 22-35 record in 2023. Like Stephen F. Austin, Sam Houston is a member of the WAC. The Bearkats went 12-12 in conference play last season before falling in the first round of the WAC Championship to end their season. Sam Houston returns a bulk of its offense in 2024, including its top three hitters and leading home run hitter. Ellie Grill tied for the team lead with a .285 batting average to go with four doubles, a triple, 14 stolen bases, 31 runs scored and 16 RBI. Hannah Scheaffer also hit .285 and added six doubles, three homers and 27 RBI. Brodie Quinlan led the Bearkats in home runs (7) and RBI (30). Sam Houston must replace its top pitcher in Emma Guindon. Daryn Grams is back after making 11 starts in the circle. She tossed 102.0 innings and went 7-7 with a 3.71 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and Sam Houston meet again after the Shockers opened the 2022 season in Huntsville. Sam Houston won the first two meetings in the series in 1988 and 1989, but the Shockers have since won each of the last seven. Wichita State is 3-0 all-time vs. the Bearkats in Huntsville.

LAST MEETING VS. THE BEARKATS
A high scoring affair broke out in the final game of the Bearkat Classic on Feb. 13, 2022. After 2.0 innings, the game was tied 6-6, but the Shockers went on to outscore the Bearkats, 10-3 over the final 5.0 innings to win, 16-9. Four Shockers had multiple hits, including current seniors Addison Barnard and Bailey Urban. Barnard was 2-for-2 with a home run, three walks and five runs scored. Urban went 3-for-5 with a homer, two RBI and three runs scored. Wichita State racked up 14 hits, nine walks and six extra base hits.

SCOUTING UNLV
UNLV finished the 2023 campaign at 23-27 and 9-13 in the Mountain West Conference. Missouri State transfer Skyler Shaw is back for her senior season after leading the Rebels with a .411 average, but only played in 41 games. Ariana Martinez provides the pop and is the team's top run producer. Martinez led UNLV last season in hits (57), doubles (16), home runs (12) and RBI (54) to go with a .370 average. The Rebels will look to improve in the circle where they had their struggles. They finished the season with a team ERA of 5.75. Oklahoma transfer Alanna Thiede is in her final season after throwing a team-high 98.0 innings. She was 5-7 with a 5.21 ERA and 61 strikeouts. Ellie Zellien led the team in strikeouts with 69, but also racked up 68 walks in 91.2 innings. Her seven wins and 30 appearances were tops on the team.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and UNLV have never met on the softball field prior to this weekend's matchup.

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 has a quick turnaround with the loaded Puerto Vallarta College Challenge on deck. The Shockers travel to Mexico and will face three ranked teams Feb. 14-17.