Wichita State (22-23, 8-10 American) vs. #14 Oklahoma State (30-14, 14-7 Big 12)
Tuesday, April 30 | 6:00 pm CT | Stillwater, Oklahoma (O’Brate Stadium)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
RHP Daniel Zang (2-3, 5.67). vs. TBA
Wichita State (22-23, 8-10 American) vs. Kansas (25-15, 12-9 Big 12)
Wednesday, May 1 | 6:00 pm CT | Lawrence, Kansas (Hoglund Ballpark)
TV: ESPN+ | Radio: KFH 97.5 FM/1240 AM
TBA vs. TBA
SCENE SETTER: Wichita State hits the road for their final two midweek games of the season, traveling to Stillwater on Tuesday night to battle #14 Oklahoma State and Lawrence on Wednesday for an in-state showdown with Kansas. The Shockers head into the week with a 22-23 overall record having dropped 13 of their last 16 games, including eight straight road contests. Wichita State is 16-9 at Eck Stadium this season but just 6-14 in road and neutral games. WSU went 1-2 over the weekend against Tulane, falling 13-8 on Friday before splitting a Sunday doubleheader. 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 against the Cowboys and Jayhawks with Denning Gerig joining the broadcasts as color commentator. The games will also be streamed live on ESPN+. Live audio, in addition to live statistics, will be available at GoShockers.com/listen and ShockerStats.com.
OKLAHOMA STATE SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Cowboys meet for the 107th time on Tuesday, with Oklahoma State holding a 68-38 lead in the all-time series. The Cowboys have won 14 of the last 17 meetings, including a 3-0 decision at Eck Stadium on March 26 and a 9-5 win at Riverfront Stadium on April 9. 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 30-14 overall and 14-7 in Big 12 play, good for a second-place tie in the conference standings. Oklahoma State swept a three-game series against BYU at O’Brate Stadium, besting the Cougars once on Thursday and twice on Friday. The Cowboys five-game winning streak has vaulted them up to #14 in the D1Baseball Top 25. Former Shocker pitcher Robert Cranz leads the Cowboys in appearances with 22 and owns a 1.51 ERA. The Cowboys pitching staff has compiled a 4.37 ERA, good for 24th nationally, with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 3.29:1 that ranks fourth. Two-way talent Carson Benge is a projected first round pick, hitting .318 with 11 homers and a 2.84 ERA. Head coach Josh Holliday is 433-233-2 in 12 seasons at his alma mater.
KANSAS SERIES HISTORY: The Shockers and Jayhawks have met 88 times, with Wichita State holding 52-36 lead in the all-time series. After Kansas won both games in the season series last season, the Shockers will look to return the favor on Wednesday on the heels of a 7-6, walk-off win against the Jayhawks on April 3. Seth Stroh and Camden Johnson hit eighth inning solo homers to erase a late deficit and Mauricio Millan provided the heroics with a walk-off single in the ninth. From 2013-2016, Kansas won seven consecutive games in the series and Wichita State put together a six-game winning streak from 2017-2022.
SCOUTING KANSAS: The Jayhawks check in to play on Wednesday at 25-15 overall and 12-9 in the Big 12 after sweeping Texas Tech at home over the weekend. Kansas is hitting .303 as a team and ranks fifth in the nation with 2.60 doubles per game, led by Kodey Shojinaga’s 16 two-baggers. Weekend starters Reese Dutton and Dominic Voegele have combined for 13 wins. Closer Hunter Cranton spearheads the bullpen with a 2.04 ERA and four saves. Head coach Dan Fitzgerald is in his second season with the Jayhawks and previously spent nine seasons as an assistant at Dallas Baptist, a former Missouri Valley Conference foe. Former Wichita State volunteer assistant coach Jon Coyne is a member of Fitzgerald’s staff.
ROGERS REJUVENATION: After homering in Wichita State’s midweek game at Oklahoma on Tuesday, Jordan Rogers homered in each end of the doubleheader on Sunday against Tulane. Rogers had hit just one home run in his first two seasons combined but has already launched eight round-trippers in 2024. This week’s power surge follows a 24-game homerless drought for Rogers, who launched five round-trippers in his first 16 games to open the season.
PUMPING THE BRAKES: Derek Williams stole second base in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader against Tulane, a rare occurrence for Wichita State in 2024. The Shockers have stolen just 25 bases in 29 attempts on the season, ranking 261st nationally, and have not had a game yet this season with more than two steals. WSU attempted only two steals in total over the last eight games, both of which were successful.
KEEP IT IN THE YARD: For much of the season, Wichita State pitchers ranked among the national leaders in preventing home runs, but a recent stretch has seen opposing fly balls leaving the yard at a much higher rate. The Shockers have given up 17 home runs in the last 11 games, including a season-high four on Friday night against Tulane and three on two other occasions (4/13 vs. Florida Atlantic, 4/20 at East Carolina).
SLAM SHARING: Dayvin Johnson launched Wichita State’s fourth grand slam of the season in game one of last Saturday’s doubleheader at East Carolina, matching the Shockers total from last season. All four of WSU’s slams have come from different players (Seth Stroh – March 13 vs. Nebraska, Jordan Rogers – March 15 vs. Gonzaga, Derek Williams – April 14 vs. Florida Atlantic). The Shockers had chances to add to their slam total this week but went a combined 0-for-7 with the bases loaded.
WALK IT OFF: Mauricio Millan’s two-out RBI single in the bottom of the ninth against Kansas on April 4 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.
INNINGS EATER: Friday starter Caden Favors entered the 2024 season with a single-game career high of 5.0 innings, coming in a 2023 midweek start against Oklahoma. As the front man in the Wichita State weekend rotation this season, Favors has evolved into a durable starter, logging at least 5.2 innings in each of his 11 starts and 7.0 innings or more in four of them. The southpaw has walked just six batters combined over his last five starts.
POWER OF THE PLUNK: Wichita State has tied a program record three times this season with six hit by pitches in a single game. The Shockers lead the conference and rank 11th nationally with 92 hit by pitches; Jordan Rogers (18), Mauricio Millan (16) and Derek Williams (15) rank 1-2-3 on the conference leaderboard. Rogers is 21st in the nation individually and has moved into third in program history with 31 career HBP.
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 271-224-1, good for a .547 winning percentage.
TRADITION OF EXCELLENCE: With a program record of 2,332 wins, 1,270 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.
