[3] East Carolina (33-24, 16-11)/[6] North Texas (28-27, 14-13) vs. [2] Wichita State (35-16, 21-6)
Greenville, N.C. | Max R. Joyner Family Stadium
Friday, May 8 | 2:30 PM CT
TV: ESPN+
Stats: StatBroadcast.com
 

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QUICK HITS
• Wichita State is in Greenville, N.C., for the 2026 American Conference Championship.
• Wichita State shared the regular season crown with USF, and will be the No. 2 seed in this week's championship.
• Wichita State is 8-5 all time in the American Conference Championship with one tournament championship (2021). This is the second time the Shockers have been the 2-seed.
• Wichita State has won three American Conference regular season titles (2021, 2023, 2026) and five total in program history.
• Wichita State won its last 14 conference games to end the regular season. The Shockers are 9-1 in their last 10 games and have won 15 of their last 16 games.
• Kinzey Woody was named the American Conference Player and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in American history to win Player and Freshman of the Year in the same season.
• Since joining the American, Wichita State has had the POY six of the eight seasons.
• In conference games, Woody led the league in batting average (.476), hits (39), RBI (36), slugging pct. (1.000) and OBP (.587). Her 12 HR were two behind her teammate, Moore.
• Woody was named to the NFCA Freshman of the Year Top 25 list on April 23.
• Wichita State led the league with 3 First Team All-Conference selections.
• Ausha Moore became just the third Shocker in program history with 20 HR in a single season, joining Addison Barnard  (2021, 22, 24) and Madison Perrigan (2021).
• Moore tied the WSU single game school record with 3 HR and set a new school record with 9 RBIs in the final game of the series at Charlotte on April 19.
• Moore ranks 1st in the American in home runs (22), RBI (57), slugging pct (.929) and OBP (.570).
• Moore is a 3-time American Player of the Week, earning the weekly honor on March 2, March 23 and April 20.
• Wichita State ranks 13th nationally in home runs per game (1.65) and 14th in total home runs (83). WSU's 83 home runs are 3rd most in a single season.

LAST TIME OUT
Wichita State is coming off a fourth straight conference series sweep, taking down Memphis in the final games of the regular season (8-2, 15-2, 10-5). The Shockers homered in each of the three games, including two from Ausha Moore. Trinity Allen had multiple hits in two of the three games, including a 3-for-3 night in Game 2 with two doubles, a triple, four runs scored and four RBIs.

AWARD SZN
Kinzey Woody became the fifth different Shocker to win American Conference Player of the Year honors, and the first in American Conference history to win Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year in the same season. She is the fourth Shocker to bring home Freshman of the Year honors, joining Ryley Nihart, Alex Aguilar and Addison Barnard. Wichita State was also awarded the Coaching Staff of the Year, marking the third time Kristi Bredbenner and Company have been named the conference's top staff. The Shockers led all schools with three First Team All-Conference selections: Woody, Nihart and Ausha Moore. Nihart now has a first team honor after picking up a second team selection as a freshman in 2025. Trinity Allen and Kammie Smith were named Second Team All-Conference. Woody and Smith also landed on the All-Freshman Team. The Shockers have placed at least one on the All- Freshman Team every year since joining the American in 2018.

WICHITA STATE - HOME TO THE PLAYER OF THE YEAR... AGAIN
With Kinzey Woody being named the American Conference Player of the Year, Wichita State has now won six of the eight Player of the Year awards since the Shockers joined the conference in 2018. Mackenzie Wright started the run in 2018, and was followed by Sydney McKinney in 2021 and 2023, Addison Barnard in 2022 and CC Wong in 2024. Only three other schools have produced multiple Player of the Year winners - UCF, Houston and Tulsa with two each.

REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
Wichita State won a share of the 2026 American Conference regular season title with South Florida. The Shockers have won three regular season titles in the American (2021, 2023 and 2026), and five total in program history. Following a series opening loss to Tulsa on April 2, Wichita State was 7-6 in conference play, but rattled off 14 straight wins in American play to close the season. The Shockers recorded four straight sweeps to end conference play over UTSA, Charlotte, North Texas and Memphis.

HISTORY FOR WOODY
Freshman Kinzey Woody was named the American Conference Player and Freshman of the Year, becoming the first player in the league's history to win both awards in the same season. In conference games, Woody led the league in batting average (.476), OPS (1.587), slugging percentage (1.000), on base percentage (.587), hits (39) and RBIs (36). Her 12 home runs were just two behind her teammate, Ausha Moore with 14. She also drew 22 walks and struck out only five times over 27 games.

SUPREME SANDERS
Senior Jade Sanders was named the American Conference Pitcher of the Week on April 27. Sanders appeared in three games vs. Kansas City and North Texas, going 1-0 with a 1.11 ERA and 8 strikeouts over 12.2 innings. In two relief appearances at North Texas, Sanders tossed 7.0 scoreless innings, allowing only 5 hits, while striking out 6.

DOZEN DUBS IN A ROW
Wichita State's 12-game win streak was one shy of tying the program record of 13. The Shockers have won 13 in a row on two different occasions, in both 2005 and 2021. The 12-game win streak was also tied for the 4th longest active win streak in the NCAA. Delaware State has the longest at 16, followed by UCLA and Nebraska at 15 in a row.

WIN STREAK BY THE NUMBERS
Wichita State's offense came alive during its 12-game win streak. The Shockers hit .343 as a team with four different players hitting better than .400 in the lineup. They outscored their opponents, 95-31, good for an average of 5.3 runs per game. Wichita State had 23 doubles and 24 home runs, while slugging .625. If they weren't getting on base with a hit, the Shockers made pitchers pay with free passes. Opposing pitchers issued 63 walks over 12 games. Early run support was a catalyst over the 12 games, as Wichita State outscored its opponents, 24-5, in the first inning.

PUT IT ON THE BOARD... FINALLY
After 45 days Wichita State finally recorded its first ranked win of the season. Wichita State's game at No. 21 Oklahoma State on March 10 was postponed in the Bottom of the 7th with the Shockers leading 8-3. The two teams were scheduled to finish the game on April 8 when the two teams met in Wichita, but that game was also postponed due to a travel emergency involving the Cowgirls' team bus while they were in transit to Wichita. With no remaining open dates for either teams to make up the game, the March 10 game was finalized as a win for Wichita State on April 23. It is Wichita State's first ranked road win since 2024 when the Shockers defeated No. 15 Arkansas.

MOORE POWER
Ausha Moore has been on a hot streak over the last 13 games, including home runs in 9 of those 13 games. Over her last 13 games, she's hitting .472 (17-for-36) with 11 HR, 23 runs scored, 26 RBIs and 16 walks. In the series vs. Charlotte, Moore homered 5 times in the series with 13 RBIs. Her big weekend in the Queen City earned her American Conference Player of the Week honors. She has earned POW honors three times this season.

QUEEN AUSHA
Ausha Moore put her name in the Wichita State record books in the series finale at Charlotte on April 19. The Del City, Okla., native tied the single game school record with 3 home runs, while breaking the single game record for RBIs with 9. She started the game with 2 home runs in the Top of the 1st - a 2-run homer and a grand slam.

THE SHUMAN SHOW
Since being inserted into the starting lineup in the final two games of the UTSA series on April 11, sophomore Aeryn Shuman has made the most of her opportunities. Shuman has started the last 13 games at catcher and is batting .439 (18-for-41) with 4 doubles, 4 home runs, 9 runs scored and 12 RBIs. Prior to UTSA series, Shuman had appeared in only six games all season and was 0-for-4 at the plate.