Wichita State (2-6, 0-0 American) vs. Cal State Fullerton (1-7, 0-0 Big West)

Friday, February 28 | 3:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field at Gene Stephenson Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Brady Hamilton (1-1, 3.72) vs. LHP Mikiah Negrete (1-1, 2.25)

Saturday, March 1 | 2:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field at Gene Stephenson Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Grant Adler (0-0, 6.30) vs. RHP Derek Turner (0-1, 6.75)

Sunday, March 2 | 12:00 pm CT | Wichita, Kansas (Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field at Gene Stephenson Park)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM
LHP Jace Miner (1-1, 5.40) vs. TBA

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SCENE SETTER: After eight consecutive games on the road, Wichita State returns home to Eck Stadium for a home-opening three-game series against Cal State Fullerton. Sunday's game time has been moved up one hour to a 12:00 pm first pitch to accommodate the Titans travel schedule. WSU enters the series with a 2-6 record, having dropped the final three games of the Hawaii trip. The Shockers are coming off a 32-29 season in 2024 that included a 15-12 mark in American Athletic Conference play, tying for third in the final conference standings. WSU went on to reach the championship game of the AAC Tournament for the first time in program history, falling to Tulane, 11-10. 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 2025. Sunday's game against Cal State Fullerton will air on KNSS 98.7 FM/1330 AM. "The Voice of the Shockers" Mike Kennedy returns to the airwaves for all three games of the series. The entirety of the series will also be streamed live on ESPN+ ($). Live audio, in addition to live statistics, will be available at GoShockers.com/listen and ShockerStats.com. 

SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Titans have 23 previous meetings, with the Shockers holding a slim 12-11 lead in the all-time series. This will be the first battle on the diamond since the 2016 season, a three-game home sweep by Fullerton in which the Shockers scored just two total runs. The Titans most recently came to Wichita in 2014, when the Shockers took two of three games against #9-ranked Fullerton. The Shockers and Titans have also met twice in postseason play; in 1982, Wichita State's first trip to the College World Series, WSU blanked CSUF 7-0 in the opening game behind a five-hit shutout from Bryan Oelkers and in 1996 the Shockers claimed a 6-1 win in the Wichita Midwest Regional semifinal.

SCOUTING CAL STATE FULLERTON: The Titans bring a 1-7 record to Wichita after suffering a home midweek loss to USC on Tuesday. Fullerton was swept in a four-game series against Stanford to open the season, then dropped two of three games on the road at Fresno State. Known historically for dominant pitching staffs, the Titans hurlers have allowed more than 13 hits per nine innings this season (273rd nationally), contributing to a 1.97 over WHIP. Offensively, sluggers Marcos Rosales and Matthew Bardowell combined for six home runs in the Fresno State series. Head coach Jason Dietrich is in his fourth season with Fullerton, entering the series with a 71-102 record. Dietrich previously served as the Titans pitching coach from 2013-16 and was also a pitching coach at fellow American Athletic Conference foe East Carolina from 2020-21.

CROWDER TRIO: The backend of the Wichita State bullpen features three hard-throwing right-handers from Crowder College who are all off to strong starts in 2025. The combination of Karsen Richard, Aaron Arnold and Nick Potter has totaled 8.2 innings and allowed just two runs while striking out 13 and allowing only three hits.

NEW NAME, NEW PERKS: Friday marks the first game under the enhanced naming at Eck Stadium, now known officially as Eck Stadium, Home of Tyler Field at Gene Stephenson Park. What was originally known as Shocker Field when the baseball program was reinstituted in the 1978 season, Eck has undergone several major renovations to reach its current form. This past offseason, the facility added new state-of-the-art lights, mesh chairback seats behind home plate and loge boxes down the first base line. The program also announced the forthcoming addition of the Kosich Pavilion, a two-tiered seating area located beyond the left field fence.

CAN'T CAPITALIZE: Wichita State's recent offensive struggles can largely be attributed to failures in two key areas: situational hitting and clutch hitting. With runners on third base and less than two outs, the Shockers have produced a run just eight times in 26 opportunities (30.8%) while their opponents are at 66.7%. With two outs in an inning, Wichita State is hitting just .195 compared to opponents at .322. Only Kam Durnin (5-for-14) and Camden Johnson (4-for-7) are hitting better than .300 in those spots.

DOUBLE TROUBLE: Wichita State has hit into seven double plays over the last three games, including three in the loss to Chaminade. The seven twin-killings are more than the Shockers hit into during any three-game stretch of the 2024 season. WSU has grounded into at least one double play in five consecutive games.

ESTABLISH THE RUN: The Shockers are tied for last in the country without a successful stolen base attempt this season, going 0-for-5 in attempted swipes. WSU opponents have not fared much better; while they have stolen eight bases in eight games, opponents have also been thrown out seven times for a success rate of just 53%.

POWER OF THE PLUNK: Wichita State shattered the program record for hit by pitches in 2024, drawing 116 HBPs to best the previous mark (84 in 2019) by 32. The Shockers have already been hit 21 times this season (18th nationally), including multiple times in every game but their most recent contest against Chaminade. WSU finished 16th nationally in team HBPs last season, led by Mauricio Millan's new program and conference record 24.

PRESEASON PUB: Wichita State was picked second in the 2025 American Athletic Conference preseason coaches poll, the highest preseason projection for the Shockers since joining the conference in 2017. The Shockers had never been picked higher than fourth in the American preseason poll, a status they reached just once in the 2022 edition. WSU also matched Tulane for the most representatives on the Preseason All-Conference Team; catcher Mauricio Millan, first baseman Josh Livingston, second baseman Jordan Rogers and shortstop Camden Johnson were all recognized by the conference, with Millan as the unanimous selection behind the plate.

GETTING THE GANG BACK TOGETHER: Wichita State returned just 11 total players to their 2024 roster following the coaching change that brought Brian Green to Wichita, but this season the Shockers enter the year with significantly more experience. On the position player front, WSU returns nine players who started 10 or more games, while the pitching staff features nine hurlers who appeared in eight or more contests.

PORTAL POWER: Wichita State turned to the portal for seven D1 transfers: Grant Adler (Kansas), Cole Dillon (Arizona), Jace Miner (Oklahoma), Arnad Mulamekic (Siena), Owen Reynolds (Oral Roberts), MJ Seo (LSU) and Owen Washburn (Texas Tech). Adler and Miner both began their D1 careers at Wichita State before transferring during the coaching change, with Adler named the AAC Newcomer Pitcher of the Year in 2023 and Miner earning Second Team All-Conference honors as a reliever.

CLAGGETT PROMOTION: Following the 2024 season, head coach Brian Green promoted pitching coach Anthony Claggett to assistant head coach in addition to his pitching coach duties. Working with a pitching staff that returned just four pitchers and 71.1 total innings from the year prior, Claggett guided the Wichita State arms to a 5.07 ERA in 2024 that ranked second in the American Athletic Conference and finished top three in hits allowed per nine innings (8.73) and WHIP (1.49).

UPS AND DOWNS: The 2024 season was a true roller coaster ride for Wichita State. The Shockers entered the month of April at 18-9 following a three-game sweep of Rice, but had a miserable month that threatened to derail the season. WSU went 4-17 in their next 21 games, suffering a pair of conference sweeps at the hands of South Florida and East Carolina. But the Shockers righted the ship in May, winning a season-best seven games in a row from May 4-17 and reaching the championship game of the American Athletic Conference tournament with the help of two wins over top-seeded East Carolina.

IT'S GONNA BE MAY: The star of Wichita State's late season surge was infielder Josh Livingston, who put together one of the most impressive months in recent program history to buoy the Shockers. Livingston went 11-for-33 in the month of May with three doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI in just nine games, highlighted by a two-homer, seven-RBI game in the AAC tournament semifinals against East Carolina. The junior college transfer became the first player in program history with three pinch-hit homers in the same season and the first with a pinch-hit grand slam since Zach Reding in 2016.

TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE: With a program record of 2,344 wins, 1,283 losses and nine ties, Wichita State ranks in the top ten of all college baseball programs with a .645 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.