WICHITA STATE (21-19, 12-9) at NORTH TEXAS (28-19, 15-6)
Friday, April 26 | 4:00 PM
Friday, April 26 | 6:30 PM
Saturday, April 27 | TBA
Denton, Texas | Lovelace Stadium
Video: ESPN+ 
Stats: Statbroadcast.com
 

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* Due to inclement weather in the forecast all weekend, the series has been altered to a doubleheader on Friday and a time to be decided on Saturday. *

QUICK HITS
• With just two weeks left of the regular season, another big weekend awaits with conference standings implications when Wichita State and North Texas meet in Denton. North Texas is three games up on the Shockers in the standings.
• Wichita State leads the all-time series with North Texas, 14-6.
• Wichita State is 4-6 in its last 10 games.
• The Shockers are currently tied for 4th in the AAC standings at 12-9, three games back of 2nd and four games back of No. 1 Florida Atlantic.
• Wichita State's RPI is 48 as of April 24 and the Shockers have played the nation's 7th toughest non-conference schedule and 30th toughest overall.
• Of Wichita State's 40 games this season, 10 have come against ranked opponents. They are 2-8 in those games.
• Wichita State has five wins against ranked opponents dating back to last season.
• The American Athletic Conference is rated the 6th best conference according to RPI behind only the SEC, Big 12, Pac-12, ACC and Big Ten.
• Chloe Barber was named the American Pitcher of the Week on April 22 after striking out 15 in a complete game shutout vs. UAB.
• Barber ranks 2nd nationally in strikeouts per 7.0 innings (11.1) and 56th in saves (3).
• CC Wong ranks 1st nationally in batting average (.480), 3rd in on base percentage (.579), 7th in slugging percentage (.911) and 20th in total bases (112).
• Softball America named Wong the No. 1 2nd baseman in its position rankings on April 3.
• Softball America named Addison Barnard a Preseason First Team All-American.
• Barnard is one of 50 on the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List.
• Barnard has 86 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 80+ HR and 60+ SB.
• Barnard ranks 3rd among NCAA DI active players in career home runs with 86, 10 behind Miami's Karli Spaid and three behind Oklahoma's Tiare Jennings.
• Her 86 home runs are currently 10th most in NCAA history.
• Barnard ranks 4th nationally in home runs per game (0.43) and 8th in total home runs (17) this season.
• Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner won her 700th career game on March 9 vs. Florida Atlantic.
• Bredbenner is 15 wins away from 400 career wins at Wichita State.

SCOUTING NORTH TEXAS
At 28-19 overall and 15-6 in AAC play, North Texas enters the weekend in a tie for second. North Texas has hit 59 doubles, 36 home runs and has a team batting average of .267. Cierra Simon hits a team-best .352 with 6 doubles, 4 triples, 2 home runs and 25 RBI. Mikayla Smith leads the Mean Green in home runs (9) and RBI (28) to go with a .320 average. UNT relies on three pitchers who have all logged 80 or more innings. McKenzie Wagoner is 12-5 with a 2.43 ERA in 112.1 innings. Skylar Savage has thrown 101.2 innings and is 7-8 with a 3.44 ERA. Mackenzie Childers leads North Texas in strikeouts with 98 despite throwing the fewest innings of the trio. Childers is 9-6 in the circle with a 3.90 ERA. She ranks 2nd in the American in strikeouts per 7.0 innings and hits allowed per 7.0 innings. North Texas leads the American and ranks 16th nationally in shutouts with 12.

SERIES HISTORY
This weekend's series will be the first time Wichita State and North Texas meet as conference foes, but the two programs aren't strangers. Wichita State is 14-6 all-time vs. the Mean Green and 6-4 in Denton. The Shockers won the first 10 meetings in the series before North Texas won six of the next seven.

LAST MEETING VS. THE MEAN GREEN
The two teams met just over a year ago in Denton at the North Texas Invitational. The Shockers won both matchups vs. the Mean Green, 8-6 and 5-3. In the first game both teams traded six-run innings before a 7th inning RBI single from Lauren Mills put the Shockers in front by two, 8-6. Mills drove in 4 runs behind a home run and a single. Alex Aguilar silenced the North Texas comeback, earning a save in 1.1 innings of relief. The next day Wichita State scored all five of its runs in the first two innings on a Zoe Jones three-run homer and a Sydney McKinney RBI single. North Texas scored two runs in the bottom of the 7th to make it interesting, but still came up two runs short.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State recorded its third conference series win of the season last weekend, defeating UAB on Saturday and Sunday. The Blazers took the opening game of the series behind a 3-0 shutout. After recording just two hits on Friday, Wichita State bounced back to run-rule UAB in Game 2, 9-1, in 6 innings. Addison Barnard drove in five runs and homered twice to lead the charge. Sami Hood and Bailey Urban had two RBI apiece. Lauren Howell recorded the win behind 6.0 strong innings in the circle. In the finale, Wichita State blanked the Blazers, 5-0, behind 15 strikeouts from Chloe Barber. Taylor Sedlacek hit a two-run home run and CC Wong went 2-for-2 with a double, home run and three RBI.

BARBER COLLECTS SECOND PITCHER OF THE WEEK HONOR
Chloe Barber was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 22. Barber tossed a complete game shutout in the Shockers' 5-0 win vs. UAB on April 21. She struck out 15 and allowed only three hits. It marked her third game with 15+ strikeouts this season. It marked her second AAC Pitcher of the Week honor of the season.

THE WONG BALL
Wichita State hit the jackpot with the addition of CC Wong from the transfer portal. Wong ranks 1st nationally in batting average (.480), 3rd in on base percentage (.579), 7th in slugging percentage (.911), 20th in total bases (112), 32 in home runs per game (0.33) and 28th in runs per game (1.05). She is the only player at the NCAA DI level hitting .465 or better with 10+ home runs.

JUST GRAND
Hitting from the leadoff spot in the order CC Wong has found herself at the plate with the bases loaded eight times this season. Safe to say she rarely misses. With the bases loaded Wong is 7-for-8 (.875) with 2 home runs and 17 RBI. Her numbers with runners in scoring position include: 18-for-34 (.529) with 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 4 walks, 28 RBI and just 2 strikeouts. When she's at the plate with 2 outs and runners on: 11-for-20 (.550), 1 double, 1 triple, 2 home runs, 4 walks and 15 RBI.

FOUR-HEADED ATTACK
In conference play Wichita State's offense has been powered by CC Wong, Addison Barnard, Taylor Sedlacek and Krystin Nelson. The quartet is responsible for 65% of Wichita State's hits, 75% of its home runs and 66% of its RBI's. Those four are 96-for-226 (.425) at the plate with 25 doubles, 28 home runs and 80 RBI. The rest of the team is hitting a combined 52-for-287 (.181) in AAC games.

NINE-HOLE NELSON
Krystin Nelson has been red-hot over the past month at the plate for the Shockers. Since March 1, the junior is hitting .411 (30-for-73) with 8 doubles, 2 home runs, 12 RBI, 9 walks and has scored 20 runs after starting the season 1-for-26 (.038). Nelson has six multi-hit games during that stretch. Through the first 21 games of American Athletic Conference play she's hitting .408 with 7 doubles, a home run, 8 RBI and 15 runs scored. Nelson is 8-for-18 (.444) at the plate with 2 outs in AAC games.

RPI - WEEK EIGHT
Wichita State checked in at No. 48 in the eighth week of RPI rankings on April 23. The Shockers have already faced 13 teams in the Top 55, including No. 2 Oklahoma, No. 11 Missouri (twice), No. 12 Oklahoma State (twice), No. 13 Arkansas (twice), No. 19 Auburn, No. 23 Clemson, No. 27 South Carolina, No. 29 Charlotte (three times), No. 37 Kansas (twice), No. 46 Florida Atlantic (three times), No. 49 Nebraska (three times), No. 50 Tulsa (three times) and No. 55 South Florida (three times). The Shockers still have games against No. 75 North Texas (three times).

TOUGH SLEDDING
Wichita State has never shied away from playing a tough schedule, and that is no different in 2024. The Shockers have already played nine teams ranked in the NFCA Top 25: No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 4 Oklahoma State (Mar. 6), No. 6 Oklahoma State (Apr. 17), No. 8 Clemson, No. 25 Auburn, No. 20 South Carolina, No. 15 Arkansas (twice) and No. 14 Missouri (twice).

UP NEXT
Wichita State closes the regular season next weekend vs. Memphis at Wilkins Stadium, May 3-5.