#21 Oklahoma State (21-11, 7-5 Big 12) vs. Wichita State (19-13, 5-4 American)

Tuesday, April 9 | 6:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Riverfront Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. TBA

Wichita State (19-13, 5-4 American) vs. Kansas State (20-10, 7-5 Big 12) 

Wednesday, April 10 | 6:00 pm CT | Manhattan, Kansas (Tointon Family Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. TBA

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SCENE SETTER: Following a three-game road sweep at the hands of South Florida, Wichita State looks to return to winning ways with a pair of midweek contests against Oklahoma State at Riverfront Stadium on Tuesday and at Kansas State on Wednesday. Two of the three losses against South Florida came by a single run; the Shockers have now dropped seven of their 13 losses by one or two runs. The three-game sweep was the first time this season the Shockers have lost a weekend series and their first sweep at the hands of South Florida in program history. 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 for both games. Both games will also be streamed live on ESPN+, with former Shocker pitcher (1991-94) and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Shane Dennis handling play-by-play duties on Tuesday. Live audio, in addition to live statistics, will be available for both games at GoShockers.com/listen and ShockerStats.com. 

OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Cowboys meet for the 106th time on Tuesday, with Oklahoma State holding a 67-38 lead in the all-time series. The Cowboys have won 13 of the last 16 matchups, including a 3-0 decision at Eck Stadium on March 26. Prior to the WSU program's rebirth in 1978, the Shockers were just 2-25 against the Cowboys. The two programs have battled 15 times in NCAA postseason play, including a pair of matchups in the College World Series. Wichita State defeated the Cowboys in Omaha in 1982 and 1993.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA STATE: The Cowboys enter play on Tuesday at 21-11 overall and 7-5 in Big 12 play, good for a third-place tie in the conference standings. Oklahoma State took two of three games over the weekend against Oklahoma at O'Brate Stadium, sandwiching a pair of wins around a 19-10 defeat on Saturday. The Cowboys have entered most national polls after the weekend, checking in at #21 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Former Shocker pitcher Robert Cranz leads the Cowboys in appearances with 17 and owns a 1.78 ERA. The Cowboys pitching staff has compiled a 4.11 ERA, good for the top mark in the Big 12, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.00:1 that ranks eighth. Two-way talent Carson Benge is a projected first round pick, hitting .323 with six homers and a 0.90 ERA. Head coach Josh Holliday is 424-230-2 in 12 seasons at his alma mater.

KANSAS STATE SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Wildcats meet for the 104th time in program history on Wednesday, with the Shockers holding a 58-45 lead in the all-time series. Since restarting the baseball program in 1978, Wichita State has gone 55-33 against the Wildcats, including two wins last season to sweep the season series for the first time since 2012. Kansas State defeated WSU 8-6 on March 19 at Eck Stadium, erasing an early 4-0 deficit with the help of a six-run sixth inning. The last NCAA postseason appearance for Wichita State came in Kansas State's regional back in 2013.

SCOUTING KANSAS STATE: The Wildcats bring a 20-10 record into play on Wednesday, including a 7-5 mark in Big 12 play. Kansas State dropped two of three games on the road at #25 UCF over the weekend. winning streak. With 77 stolen bases through 30 games, the Wildcats rank seventh nationally in steals, paced by a Big 12-leading 18 from Brendan Jones.  Relievers Mason Buss (2-0, 1.93 ERA), Jackson Wentworth (1-1, 2.72, five saves) and Tyson Neighbors (4.50, two saves) form a talented trio at the back of the bullpen. Former Wichita State outfielder Chuck Ingram is hitting .346 and is tied for the team lead with seven homers. Veteran head coach Pete Hughes is in his sixth season in Manhattan and 27th overall as head coach, owning a career record of 805-618-3. The Wildcats are seeking their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2013.

RIVERFRONT RETURN: Wichita State is 2-1 in three previous games at Riverfront Stadium, besting Houston 10-1 in the stadium's first game on April 10, 2021, falling to #8 Oklahoma State 12-6 on April 26, 2022 and rallying past Oklahoma 8-7 last season on March 28. Brock Rodden launched a two-out, three-run homer in the bottom of the eighth to lift the Shockers to the most recent victory.

ALL ABOARD THE LANE TRAIN: It was a banner weekend in Tampa for freshman outfielder Lane Haworth, who became one of the subjects of a viral highlight. Batting in the ninth inning of Saturday's game against South Florida, Haworth drove a fly ball to deep right field that USF's Drew Brutcher lost in the sun at the warning track. The ball bounced off Brutcher's glove and over the fence for Haworth's first career home run, capping off a career-best three-hit day for Haworth.

WALK IT OFF: Mauricio Millan's two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth against Kansas delivered the first walk-off win of the season for Wichita State. The Shockers did not have a true walk-off win (not counting run-rule victories) in the entirety of the 2023 season, and their last such victory also came against Kansas when Garrett Kocis blasted a walk-off, two-run homer on March 23, 2022.

POWER OF THE PLUNK: Wichita State tied a program record for hit by pitches twice in the Rice series, earning six HBPs on both Thursday and Saturday. The Shockers lead the conference and rank seventh nationally with 73 hit by pitches; Jordan Rogers (15), Derek Williams (13) and Mauricio Millan (12) rank 1-2-3 on the conference leaderboard.

BUSY MEN: Wichita State relievers Caleb Anderson and Hunter Holmes have worn out a path from the bullpen to the mound this season, logging 18 appearances apiece to tie for third nationally. Wichita State and Loyola Marymount are the only two programs with multiple players who rank in the top five.

PINCH-HIT POP: Coming into the 2024 season, WSU had not had a pinch-hit home run since Mason O'Brien came off the bench and homered against South Florida on May 11, 2018. Junior Josh Livingston accomplished the feat twice in the first 11 games of 2024, cranking a three-run shot against Iowa on February 25 and replicating the achievement with a solo blast against Oklahoma on March 5.

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 268-214-1, good for a .556 winning percentage.

TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE: With a program record of 2,329 wins, 1,261 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.