WSU wins 13-3
Mucha drives in two with a two-out 1B. WSU up 13-2 going to the 9th. Read More »
The score: Wichita State 9, Kansas State 7 (15 innings)
Records: WSU 25-19, KSU 19-22
Key statistics: Relievers Kyle Bouman, Cale Elam and A.J. Ladwig combined for 8 2/3 hitless innings to close out the game, with Ladwig contributing five of them in what amounts to a mid-week start. OF Don Lambert hit a two-run homer in the second inning and drove in the winning runs with a two-run double in the 15th. Read More »
WSU coach Gene Stephenson had plenty to complain about over the weekend.
The scores: MSU 6, WSU 0; MSU 7, WSU 2; WSU 3, MSU 2
The records: MSU 29-12, 8-3 MVC; WSU 24-19, 6-6
Key statistics: MSU pitchers held the Shockers to 10 hits, with the lone extra-base hit a turf-aided double, in the first two games. For the series, Shocker batters struck out 30 times. Read More »
WSU wins 3-2. Fantastic outing by Gardner, who held the Bears to five hits and no runs over seven innings. Elam 3 Ks in the 9th. Read More »
MSU wins 7-2. Bears win a series at Eck Stadium for the first time.
MSU up 7-2 after eight. Schumacher with eight strikeouts. No Shocker has reached second since the first inning. Read More »
MSU wins 6-0
MSU up 6-0, headed to the bottom of the 8th Read More »
WSU sophomore Dayne Parker drove in the winning run in the 11th inning.
The score: Wichita State 2, Oklahoma State 1 (11 innings)
Records: OSU 18-17, WSU 23-17
- WSU’s youth movement took a big step on Tuesday. The Shockers started four freshmen, with LF Mikel Mucha the new addition. Those rookies came through in the 11th inning when Tyler Baker and Mucha dented OSU reliever Chase Stevens for one-out singles. Baker, after stealing third, scored the winning run on Dayne Parker’s single. ”The best thing is that they’re in for a reason,” WSU SS Erik Harbutz said. “Those guys know how to play the game, and it showed tonight when we really needed them.” Baker, OF Taylor Doggett and 1B Casey Gillaspie are already fixtures in the lineup. Those four aren’t supported by a bunch of grizzled veterans. On Tuesday, WSU also started two sophomores, a junior and two seniors. Read More »
WSU wins 2-1 on Parker’s RBI single in the 11th. Read More »
The scores: UE 4, WSU 1; UE 5, WSU 4; WSU 14, UE 9
Records: WSU 22-17, 5-4 MVC; UE 22-14, 6-6 MVC
Key stats: Evansville pitchers held the Shockers to five runs and nine hits in the first two games on their way to their first series win over WSU since 2006 and third in 18 meetings. Friday starter Cole Isom provided the weekend’s key performance by striking out 11 Shockers and allowing three hits. WSU starters Mitch Mormann and Albert Minnis both failed to reach the fourth inning, forcing the Shockers to play catch-up on Saturday and Sunday.
- The MVC race remains jumbled with sweeps hard to come by. WSU is tied for third behind Missouri State (6-2) and Indiana State (8-4). The Shockers play MSU this weekend at Eck Stadium in what appears to be a must-win series. The Bears appear to be the Valley’s best team, especially if pitcher Pierce Johnson is healthy, but they are 2-15 at Eck since 2003. MSU has played two of its three MVC series at home (and lost a home game to rain on Sunday against Illinois State), so it faces a tough road. Indiana State owns series wins at Evansville, Creighton and Bradley and faces MSU and WSU in Terre Haute. The Sycamores are in great shape for a title run.
- WSU IF Dayne Parker was one of the few Shockers to threaten the Aces in all three games. He homered Friday and doubled Saturday before going 4 for 6 on Sunday. “I’m just trying to stay quiet at the plate and stay inside of balls, not really worry about pulling it and try to hit it where it’s pitched,” he said. Parker raised his average to .318 over the weekend.
- Freshman OF Mikel Mucha came through with a pinch-hit double that tied Sunday’s game 9-all in the seventh. In the eighth, he put a 1-2 pitch in play against the drawn-in infield that allowed Don Lambert to score from third. “If he’s given more opportunities, I think he’s going to be a really good player,” WSU coach Gene Stephenson said. “So it’s our job as coaches to give him more opportunities. When you compete like that and battle like that it merits getting more opportunities.” Stephenson has a lot of outfielders, and Garrett Bayliff is growing closer to playing as his strained achilles tendon improves.
- There was a lot of chatter between the two teams, especially on Friday. On Sunday, the umpires told Stephenson that one of his players yelled at the Evansville fans after Casey Gillaspie’s eighth-inning home run. The first-base umpire, according to Stephenson, heard a Shocker tell fans seated in the grass behind him to take down the brooms they brought in anticipation of a sweep.
- Who will pitch next weekend? That is the big question looming over Shocker baseball. WSU’s bullpen has performed admirably recently, but it will tough to win the MVC without a reliable No. 2 and/or No. 3 starter. Right now, WSU is looking.
Next up: Okahoma State at Eck Stadium, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday
Garrett Stutz showed his offensive skills at the Portsmouth Invitational while he helped his team to the championship of the tournament.
NBA.com’s Rob Reheuser described Stutz in terms Shocker fans can relate to:
What he lacks in terms of athleticism and brute strength in the post, he makes up for with know-how and touch. He might not have enough for the NBA at this stage, but he’s clearly a player whose progress needs to be monitored closely.
Stutz averaged 14.7 points and 11 rebounds in three games, making 63.3 percent of his shots and was named to the all-tournament team.
