GoShockers.com: Shockers Host No. 6 TCU This Weekend

GoShockers.com: Shockers Host No. 6 TCU This Weekend

April 1 — Wichita State (9-16) vs. No. 6 TCU (19-5), 6:30 p.m. (ESPN3)
April 2 — Wichita State (9-16) vs. No. 6 TCU (19-5), 1 p.m. (ESPNU)
April 3 — Wichita State (9-16) vs. No. 6 TCU (19-5), 1 p.m. (ESPN3)

Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes | Promotions | Tickets

Saturday: Wichita Eagle Family Day – 4 tickets, 4 hot dogs, 4 bags of popcorn & 4 drinks for only $32
Sunday: Father/Son Day – Youth 12 and under receive FREE admission with paid adult; Postgame catch on Tyler Field

Date: April 1-3, 2016
First Pitch: 6:30, 1, 1 p.m.
Location: Wichita, Kan.
Stadium: Eck Stadium
Free Audio: www.goshockers.com/watch
Talent: Mike Kennedy & Shane Dennis
Free Video: www.espn3.com
Talent: Chris Solwecki & Landon Holifield/Taylor Zarzour & Nick Belmonte (Saturday)
Series: Wichita State leads 8-7

Probable Pitching Matchups

Friday: Willie Schwanke (RHP, 4-2, 3.25) vs. Luken Baker (RHP, 2-1, 1.74)
Saturday: Cody Tyler (LHP, 0-1, 4.15) vs. Brian Howard (RHP, 4-1, 2.35)
Sunday: Zach Lewis (RHP, 0-4, 4.03) vs. Dalton Horton (LHP, 3-0, 2.91)

Quick Hits
• All three games will be broadcast on KNSS 1330 AM with Mike Kennedy and Shane Dennis calling the action.  There will also be an audio stream available at goshockers.com. The games will be televised on ESPN3 on Friday and Sunday with Chris Solwecki and Landon Holifieldcalling the action. Saturday’s game will be on ESPNU with Taylor Zarzour and Nick Belmonte.
• WSU leads the overall series with TCU 8-7. WSU also leads the series in Wichita 4-0.
• Fourteen current Shockers played at TCU in 2014 including Tanner Kirk, Ryan Tinkham, Mikel Mucha, Trey Vickers, Gunnar Troutwine, Chase Rader, Keenan Eaton, Taylor Sanagorski, Reagan Biechler, John Hayes, Sam Tewes, Chandler Sanburn, Tyler Jones and Chase Williams.
• Willie Schwanke is the MVC Pitcher of the Week.
• Schwanke has not allowed an earned run in his last 16.1 innings pitched.
• Head Coach Todd Butler recorded his 150th career win on March 1 against Omaha.
• WSU is 8-6 in home games.
• In 14 home games, WSU is hitting .308 with a 4.36 ERA and .972 fielding percentage.
• In 14 home games, Gunnar Troutwine is hitting .388, while Tanner Kirk is hitting .371 and Mikel Mucha is hitting .367.
• In three home starts, Willie Schwanke is 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings.
• In the last 10 games, WSU is 5-5 and hitting .289 with a 4.30 ERA and .971 fielding percentage.
• In the last 10 games, Travis Young is hitting .400, while Mikel Mucha is hitting .371 and Greyson Jenista is hitting .364.
• The Shockers rank 48th nationally in doubles, 51st in doubles per game, 17th in walks, and 27th in shutouts.
• Willie Schwanke is 36th nationally in victories.
• Mikel Mucha and Greyson Jenista are both on five-game hitting streaks.
• Tanner Kirk leads the Shockers with nine multi-hit games, while Greyson Jenista leads with six multi-RBI games.
• WSU is 23-9 on April 1 since 1978. The Shockers are 15-5 on April 2 and 20-6 on April 3.
• WSU is 645-26 all-time overall in the month of April.
• Freshman Alec Bohm became the first freshman in Shocker history to hit a home run in his first collegiate plate appearance.
• WSU is 28-11 in season openers since 1978.
• WSU is 36-3 in home openers since 1978.
• Dayton Dugas became the first freshman to start on opening day since Casey Gillaspie and Tyler Baker in 2012.
• Ryan Tinkham is a preseason second team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.
• WSU plays 35 games in 2016 against teams that were in the top-100 in the RPI in 2015. Twenty-one of those are games against teams in the top-50.
• WSU unveiled a new scoreboard/videoboard in January that is the fourth-largest in college baseball.
• The Shockers are 79-7 all-time at home (Eck and Lawrence-Dumont) in the month of February.
• The Shocks were picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Senior first baseman Ryan Tinkham, sophomore starting pitcher Sam Tewes and sophomore catcher Gunnar Troutwine were named to the preseason all-Valley team.
• WSU’s recruiting class was ranked No. 25 by Baseball America.
• The Shockers welcome 15 newcomers in 2016.
• Two of the Shocker newcomers were drafted in 2015 along with two returners: Willie Schwanke (22nd rd.), Chase Williams (25th rd.), Dayton Dugas (29th rd.), and Connor Lungwitz (35th rd.)
• The Shocks set the school record for times they were hit by a pitch in a season with 73 in 2015.
• Gunnar Troutwine tied the school record for fielding percentage by a freshman with a .994 fielding percentage in 2015.
• Chase Rader was hit by a pitch 17 times in 2015, which ranks third in the Shocker record books.
• Ryan Tinkham had a 21-game hitting streak last season that ranks as the 10th-best in school history.
• WSU returns six starters and 15 letterwinners from the 2015 team.
• The Shocker pitching staff returns three starters including Sam Tewes, Willie Schwanke and Chase Williams.
• WSU has ranked in the top 25 in attendance every year since 1999.
• Head Coach Todd Butler is in his third season as coach of the Shockers.
• Volunteer Assistant Coach Mike Sirianni is the third base coach and Student Coach Ray Ashford is the first base coach.

Scouting TCU
The Horned Frogs are 19-5 overall and 4-2 in the Big 12 and have wins over Loyola Marymount twice, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette, No. 25 Rice twice, No. 9 Houston, UT Rio Grande Valley, Gonzaga twice, UT Arlington twice, USC twice, West Virginia three times, Abilen Christian and Texas. Losses have come against Loyola Marymount, Gonzaga, USC, and Texas twice. As a team, they are hitting .315 with a team ERA of 2.93 and a .974 fielding percentage. They are led offensively by Elliott Barzilli who is hitting .456 with six doubles, two triples, five home runs, 25 RBI and five stolen bases. TCU is led by head coach Jim Schlossnagle.

Series History vs. the Horned Frogs
Wichita State leads the overall series with TCU 8-7. The Shockers lead the series in Wichita 4-0 with one win in 1989 and three in 2008. The Horned Frogs have won the last six meetings overall.

Last Meeting vs. TCU
The last meeting between the two teams was a three-game series, March 27-29, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Horned Frogs swept the series by scores of 14-1, 8-4 and 11-2. Sam Hilliard went 3-for-7 with four RBI to lead the Shockers, while Hilliard, Sam Tewes and Jeb Bargfeldt each took a loss.

Schwanke Named MVC Pitcher of the Week
Wichita State baseball student-athlete Willie Schwanke has been named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week for the week of March 21-27.
Schwanke, a junior from Frisco, Texas, led the Shockers to a 6-0 win over Cal Poly on Thursday. He pitched eight shutout innings and allowed five hits with two walks and six strikeouts.
He retired 11-straight at one point and gave up just one baserunner in his final four innings. The eight innings pitched were a career-high for Schwanke.
It was his second combined shutout of the season and he improved his record to 4-2 overall and lowered his ERA to 3.25.
It is the first MVC Pitcher of the Week honor of his career.

Schwanke at Eck
Junior pitcher Willie Schwanke improved to 4-2 overall this season after a win on March 24 at home against Cal Poly. In three home starts this season, Schwanke is now 3-0 with a 0.95 ERA. He has pitched 19 innings and allowed two runs on 16 hits with three walks and 19 strikeouts.

Jenista Coming on Strong
Freshman Greyson Jenista has continued to improve this season. Over the last 11 games, he is 13-for-36 (.361) with eight runs, one double, three home runs, 13 RBI and eight walks. He is also 6-for-9 (.667) in those games with runners in scoring position.

Mucha Leading Off
After a rough stretch at the beginning of the season, senior outfielder Mikel Mucha has rebounded over the last 19 games. During that span, he is 23-for-61 (.377) with 14 runs, four doubles, seven RBI, 13 walks and four stolen bases.

Nine-Straight Hits
With two outs and nobody on in the bottom of the first inning on March 30 against Stephen F. Austin, the Shocker bats exploded. WSU recorded nine-straight hits in the inning and scored seven runs. It was the first time the Shockers recorded seven or more straight hits since they had seven-straight against SIUE in 2014.

Lungwitz with Strong Debut
Freshman Connor Lungwitz made his first career start on March 29 against Stephen F. Austin and threw six shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. He is the first freshman to strike out 10 or more in their first start since Steve Uhlmansiek struck out 10 against Hawaii Hilo in 2003. Lungwitz also had five-straight strikeouts in the game and was the first Shocker to do that since Tobin Mateychick against North Dakota in 2013.


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