Counting down 2023-24's top stories for Wichita State athletics:
By Paul Suellentrop
For four years, outfielder
Addison Barnard provided can't miss at-bats for Shocker softball. Smart fans put down the phone or hustled back from the concession stand when Barnard approached the plate.
She ended her record-breaking career with an amazing run at the American Athletic Championship to carry WSU to the title game. Barnard hit three home runs in the tournament opener against UTSA. She added a grand slam and a two-run homer against Tulsa, in addition to two sterling defensive plays in center field. Against top-seeded FAU, she homered again and walked twice in a 12-2 semifinal win.
"She's on fire," coach
Kristi Bredbenner said after two games in the tournament at Wilkins Stadium. "Absolutely crushing the ball."
Second-seeded Charlotte ended WSU's season with a 10-1 win after walking Barnard three times. She earned Most Outstanding Player honors after going 7 for 9 in the four games with six home runs and 13 runs batted in.
While that was a red-hot stretch, Barnard blasted softballs out of stadiums regularly. Her emergence helped the Shockers rank among the national leaders in home runs on their way to three NCAA regionals and two AAC titles.
Barnard, from Beatrice, Neb., ended her career with 93 home runs, fifth in NCAA history. She also ranks first in Shocker history with 229 RBI, 66 steals and an .873 slugging percentage. She hit 33 home runs as a sophomore in 2022, fourth-most in NCAA history, and led the nation with an average of 0.63 per game.
While transfers are the trend, Barnard turned down those opportunities.
"If you love it somewhere, why would I leave?" she said. "They've grown me so much. They took a chance on me."
WSU's greatest power hitter is also an excellent student with a 3.82 GPA in health science. She earned College Sports Communicators first-team Academic All-American in 2022 and second team in 2024.
"That was a pretty high bar that she set," Bredbenner said. "She's always been a great leader by example and somebody we could always count on working hard and competing. This year, she was much more than. She took them on her back. She led them vocally and did such as great job for a senior."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
