State's Up Invitational
San Marcos, Texas | Bobcat Stadium
Feb. 13: vs. #9/11 Arkansas (10:00 AM CT) | at Texas State (12:15 PM CT)
Feb. 14: vs. #18/18 Clemson (3:30 PM CT | vs. BYU (5:45 PM CT)
Feb. 15: at Texas State (12:15 PM CT)
Video: ESPN+ (Friday vs. Texas State Only)
Stats: Statbroadcast.com

QUICK HITS
• Another challenging weekend awaits Wichita State in San Marcos, Texas, at the State's Up Invitational. The Shockers will face a pair of top 20 teams in No. 9 Arkansas and No. 18 Clemson.
• The Shockers are 6-11 all time vs. Arkansas, 1-0 vs. BYU, 0-1 vs. Clemson and 11-6 vs. Texas State.
• Wichita State is 23-26 in season openers and 11-4 under Bredbenner.
• The Shockers have won 11 of their last 13 season openers. Wichita State had won seven straight until falling in extras vs. Mississippi State to open the season.
• Ava Sliger tossed a one-hit, complete game shutout vs. New Mexico in the final game of the Getterman Classic. Sliger ranks 4th nationally in WHIP (0.44), 8th in saves (1), 11th in shutouts (1) and 12th in hits/7 IP (2.33).
• Wichita State ranks 11th nationally in fielding percentage at .992. Wichita State committed just one error over five games on opening weekend.
• Wichita State is scheduled to face eight NCAA Tournament teams from a year ago (Mississippi State, Arkansas, Clemson, Miami (OH), Oklahoma State, Florida Atlantic, South Florida, Oklahoma).
• Wichita State was picked to finish 3rd by the league's coaches in the 2026 American Conference Preseason Coaches Poll. Florida Atlantic received 8 first place votes and was picked to win the league. South Florida came in 2nd.
• Seven Shockers return in 2026, led by 2025 American Conference Co-Freshman of the Year, Ryley Nihart.
• Wichita State welcomes 14 newcomers into the fold in the way of seven transfers, two junior college transfers and five freshmen.
• A pair of highly decorated McLennan Community College transfers hope to follow in CC Wong's footsteps. Wong, a former Wichita State All-American, spent two seasons at McLennan and was the 2022 Co-National Player of the Year. This season Trinity Allen and Mickayla Tosch bring their talents to Wichita. Allen was the 2025 NJCAA National Player of the Year and two-time All-American. Tosch was also a two-time NJCAA All-American and two-time Rawlings Gold Glove winner.

SCOUTING ARKANSAS
Arkansas enters the weekend ranked in the top 12 in all four major polls and as high as No. 9. The Razorbacks went 4-1 on opening weekend with four run-rule victories and a 4-2 loss to Virginia at the Kickin' Chicken Classic in Conway, S.C. The Razorbacks hit .413 with 12 doubles and 6 home runs, while scoring 60 runs over their first five games. Tianna Bell had giant opening weekend, going 11-for-18 (.611) with 2 doubles, 4 RBIs and 8 runs scored. The pitching staff allowed just 9 earned runs in 28.0 innings, while striking out 35 and walking just 5. Cam Harrison and Robyn Herron provided a strong 1-2 punch in the circle. Harrison threw 8.0 innings - all out of the bullpen - and allowed 1 run on 4 hits and 8 strikeouts. Herron struck out 15 batters over 8.1 innings and went 2-0 with a 1.68 ERA.

SERIES HISTORY
Nine of the 17 meetings between the two programs have come in the last eight years. The Shockers and Razorbacks squared off three times in 2018, including twice in the Fayetteville Regional. Arkansas ended Wichita State's season in 2018 in a close matchup of the Regional Final, 6-4. Wichita State is 4-0 all time against the Razorbacks in Wichita, but just 2-11 in Fayetteville or on a neutral field.

LAST MEETING VS. THE RAZORBACKS
Wichita State and Arkansas last met two years ago in Fayetteville at Arkansas' home tournament in late February. The Shockers upset the 15th-ranked Razorbacks in the first of two games, 3-1, behind a dominant pitching performance from Chloe Barber. Barber struck out a school record 15 batters in a complete game win. The next day, Arkansas bounced back in a big way, run-ruling the Shockers in 5 innings, 15-4. Wichita State led 3-2 entering the bottom of the 4th, but the Razorbacks put 13 runs on the board in the home frame to blow the game wide open.

SCOUTING TEXAS STATE
The Bobcats opened the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. and went 3-2 with wins over Toledo, Northwestern and Memphis. Texas State hit .313 with 11 doubles and 5 home runs over its first five games. Keely Williams led the offensive attack, going 7-for-14 with 3 doubles, a home run and 4 RBIs. Aiyana Coleman went 5-for-12 with a pair of home runs and 7 RBIs. A familiar face resides on the Texas State roster this season in the way of Sami Hood. A three-year starter for the Shockers, Hood transferred to San Marcos for her final season of softball. She's 0-for-11 at the plate with 4 strikeouts. The pitching staff sports a 4.24 ERA with 20 strikeouts to 9 walks.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State won the first six games of the series with Texas State, which was started in 1995. Only two of the 17 meetings between the two schools have come in Wichita. Wichita State dominated the series over the first two decades, but the Bobcats have become a mid major staple over the last 10 years. Texas State has won five of the last seven vs. the Shockers, including the last two. Only three of the meetings have been decided by more than five runs.

LAST MEETING VS. THE BOBCATS
Texas State shut out the Shockers, 5-0, in San Marcos just last year when the two faced off in a midweek contest. Wichita State managed just three hits in the game, while Texas State hit a pair of home runs.

SCOUTING CLEMSON
Clemson comes to San Marcos with a 4-2 record and ranked in the Top 25, as high as No. 17. The Tigers snapped a two-game losing streak with a midweek win over Furman on Tuesday. The Tigers opened with a challenging weekend at the NFCA Leadoff Classic against Southeastern Louisiana, Oregon, Liberty, Auburn and Michigan State. Marian Collins hits a team-best .529 with a home run and 5 RBIs. Through six games, Clemson is hitting just .248 as a team with 33 strikeouts and a fielding percentage of only .947. Abby Dunning and Sierra Maness have tossed 29.2 of the team's 40.0 innings. Dunning is 3-1 with a 2.80 ERA in 15.0 innings and Maness is 1-0 with a 2.39 ERA in 14.2 innings.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and Clemson have faced each other just once prior to this season. The Tigers are in just their seventh year as a softball program. Despite only starting up a softball program seven years ago, Clemson has already risen to national relevance year in and year out.

LAST MEETING VS. THE TIGERS
The only meeting came two years in ago in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Led by All-American Valerie Cagle, Clemson blanked the Shockers, 7-0. Cagle tossed a complete game shutout with five strikeouts. She added a home run at the plate, going 1-for-3. Addison Barnard and CC Wong combined for four of the team's seven hits.

SCOUTING BYU
The Cougars are 1-4 on the season after tough showing in the NFCA Leadoff Classic. BYU fell to No. 4 Tennessee, Michigan State, Penn State and Missouri, while defeating Notre Dame. BYU hit just .227 and struck out 33 times over its first five games. Hailey Shuler is hitting a team-best .467 with a home run, double and 2 RBIs. Shuler has also thrown 3.2 innings and is the lone pitcher on the staff that hasn't allowed a run this season. Kaysen Korth and Gianna Mares are tied for the team lead in innings at 11.1. BYU is in year 24 under head coach Gordon Eakin. Eakin has guided the Cougars to 864 career wins, including 16 straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2005-21. The five-time WCC Coach of the Year has coached 21 All-Americans, 16 conference players of the year, 12 conference freshmen of the year, eight conference pitchers of the year and four conference defensive players of the year during his tenure.

SERIES HISTORY
Wichita State and BYU have met only once prior to this weekend's matchup in San Marcos. The Shockers defeated BYU, 6-3, at the Crowne Plaza Classic in Houston, Texas.

LAST MEETING VS. THE COUGARS
At the 2006 Crowne Plaza Classic, Wichita State downed the Cougars, 6-3. That was BYU's fourth season under Eakin - a team that would go on to finish the season with 43 wins and an NCAA Regional appearance.

TOUGH SLEDDING
Wichita State has never shied away from playing a tough schedule, and that is no different in 2026. The Shockers are scheduled to play six teams ranked or receiving votes in the Preseason NFCA Top 25: No. 3 Oklahoma, No. 9 Arkansas, No. 13 Clemson, No. 22 Mississippi State and No. 24 Oklahoma State. Florida Atlantic received votes.

COLLECTING THE ACCOLADES
The Shockers had a First-Team All-Conference honoree for the 12th consecutive season in 2025. Lauren Lucas earned First Team All-Conference honors this season. The streak began in 2013 with Erin Carney.

SOMETHING TO CHEW ON
Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner started a new tradition in 2021 to reward players who hit home runs. Instead of a normal high-five for her players as they round the bases, Bredbenner began tossing a piece of Hi-Chew candy to her home run hitters. Former Shocker Madyson Espinosa should be credited for introducing the chewy candy to Coach B at the first tournament of the season down in Conroe, Texas, and thus a new tradition was born. The tradition enters season No. 5 in 2025, so be on the lookout for flying candy.

THE BRED-WINNER
Kristi Bredbenner is the longest tenured head coach in Wichita State softball history, which has resulted in 421 wins in 15 seasons. Bredbenner has the second-highest winning percentage in school history (.574) behind current Florida softball coach Tim Walton. She is Wichita State's all-time wins leader after surpassing Jim Maynard on April 24, 2022.

UP NEXT
Wichita State finishes up its tour through the Lone Star State at the Boerner Invitational in Arlington, Texas, Feb. 20-22.