Kansas Welcomes Shockers for Midweek Matchup

Watch WatchNotes Game NotesRadio ListenStats Live StatsCalendar ScheduleRoster RosterTickets TicketsLAWRENCE, Kan. – The Kansas baseball team welcomes in-state rival Wichita State to Hoglund Ballpark Tuesday, April 19, for game one of an annual home-and-home midweek series.

The Jayhawks (14-20) call to sophomore lefty Blake Weiman (1-4) to lead them on the mound against a Shocker (13-23) team that averages six runs per contest. First pitch is slated for 6 p.m.

JAYHAWK RADIO NETWORK
The game against Wichita State can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network with Mitchell Glessner calling the action.

ON THE WEB
KUAthletics.com/Radio

MOBILE
Kansas Jayhawks app – search “Kansas Jayhawks”

JAYHAWK TELEVISION NETWORK / ESPN3
The game against the Shockers can be seen on the Jayhawk Television Network in Kansas and KC Metro area, and on ESPN3 outside the coverage area. Steven Davis (play-by-play) and Kevin Wheeler (analyst) will have the call. Visit KUAthletics.com/JTV for info on affiliates.

ON TV
Amazon Fire TV; Apple TV; Chromecast; Roku; Xbox One; Xbox 360.

ON THE WEB
WatchESPN.com; ESPN3.com

ON MOBILE/TABLET
WatchESPN app; ESPN app

QUICK HITS

  • Kansas enters the midweek game against Wichita State with an all-time record of 1,849-1,769-17.
  • Head coach Ritch Price is in his 22nd season as a Division I head coach with a record of 645-616-3 (.511).
  • Price holds a record of 429-387-2 (.526) at Kansas, and is just 10 wins away from becoming KU’s all-time winningest coach (Floyd Temple, 438).
  • Kansas is 31-44 against the Shockers all-time, but have won 10 of the last 13 games including six-straight from 2013-15.
  • During that six-game span, the Jayhawks have outscored Wichita State, 46-28, averaging 7.7 runs per game compared to the 4.7 runs by the Shockers.
  • In the Price era, KU and Wichita State have played 27 games with the Jayhawks holding the 15-12 advantage in the series.
  • In the last two years against Division I Kansas teams, the Jayhawks hold a record of 7-3, that includes a series win over Kansas State and back-to-back sweeps of the Shockers.
  • In its last 10 games, Kansas has won four contests and outscored its opponents 28-15.
  • When KU out-hits its opponents, the Jayhawks win 77 percent of their games (10-3).

SERIES HISTORY
Since the first meeting on April 5, 1952, Kansas and Wichita State have played 75 games against one another with the Shockers leading the all-time series, 44-31. The Jayhawks hold a 16-23 clip in games played in Lawrence including a 9-6 mark during the tenure of head coach Ritch Price. Kansas enters Tuesday’s game having won 10 of the last 13 meetings including the last six-straight. During the six-game winning streak over the Shockers, Kansas has averaged 5.3 runs per game compared to the 2.7 by WSU.

KANSAS CONNECTIONS
The Wichita State-Kansas rivalry is a bitter one, as both teams rely on the state for the basis of their recruiting. Combined, both teams roster 15 players from the state – a handful who played previously against one another. WSU’s Noah Croft hails from Olathe, Kansas, the same hometown as Kansas infielder Blake Shinkle. Jayhawks Hayden Edwards, Tanner Gragg and Ryan Ralston call Overland Park, Kansas, home, as does Shocker Luke Ritler. Outside the state, KU pitcher Sean Rackoski played against current Wichita State hurler Jon Ferrendelli in high school as both of them hail from Arizona.

WICHITA STATE HEAD COACH TODD BUTLER
Todd Butler is amidst his third season as head coach of the Wichita State Shocker baseball team. He joined the staff in June 2013 and led the Shockers to a 31-28 record in the 2014 season and landed the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball. Prior to being named the head coach at WSU, Butler served as the hitting instructor, outfield coach and recruiting coordinator for eight seasons at Arkansas. Butler is known for his ability to attract and develop young, strong hitters; five of seven of Butler’s recruiting classes at Arkansas were ranked in the top 10 in the nation. Butler assisted the Hogs to a pair of College World Series appearances during his tenure. During his 22-year career as a NCAA Division I assistant or head coach, Butler has helped guide his teams to five College World Series appearances, 17 NCAA regionals, four NCAA super regionals and six conference tournament championships.

SCOUTING REPORT
Wichita State is coming off a series win against a top-25 opponent as the Shockers bested No. 15 Missouri State two games to one over the weekend. With that win, WSU improved its record to 13-23 with notable wins over Northern Colorado, Omaha, Nebraska and Cal Poly. The Shockers hit .273 as a team and average six runs per contest. Three regulars are batting over .300 with outfielder Mikel Mucha leading the way with a .336 clip (41-for-122) including a team-high eight doubles. Four different players have driven in at least 20 RBIs with catcher Gunner Troutwine leading the squad with 28 – he also has scored a WSU-best 29 runs. On the mound, Kansas will see righty Connor Lungwitz. The freshman has seen action in five games and thrown 12 innings, striking out 13 batters with a 9.00 ERA.

WE’RE GOING STREAKING
Junior catcher Michael Tinsley is riding a 10-game hitting streak spanning April 3-16. During that time, Tinsley is batting .514 (19-for-37) with five doubles, seven RBIs and 14 runs scored. He drove in the winning run in extra innings against Omaha (April 13) and matched a career-best four runs scored in an 11-5 victory at Texas (April 15). He is the second Jayhawk this season to record a double-digit hitting streak as senior second baseman Colby Wright hit safely in 12-straight games from March 12-April 1.

LEADING OFF
Senior right fielder Joe Moroney found himself in a new role after freshman Rudy Karre was sidelined with an injury (April 3). Since then, Moroney has embraced his new role as the Jayhawks’ lead-off hitter by hitting his first career home run in his first at bat in that position. That bomb marked the start of something great as he has gone on to bat .333 (10-for-30) in his last seven games since taking over including a double, a home run, six runs scored and four RBIs to go along with a .412 on-base percentage.

KEEPIN’ IT FRESH
Freshman left fielder Devin Foyle exploded during week nine of the season and was instrumental in both of KU’s wins over Omaha (April 13) and Texas (April 15). Against the Mavericks, Foyle came off the bench in the eighth inning to tie the game  with a pinch-hit RBI-double. At Texas, the rookie boasted a five RBI night that included a two-out three-run double in the top of the fifth inning that turned out to be the dagger in KU’s 11-5 win. During the four-game week, Foyle batted .500 (6-for-12) with four doubles, eight RBIs – five with two outs – and two runs scored. He led the conference in RBIs and doubles, while ranking fifth in average and slugging, respectively.

UP NEXT
The Jayhawks take a break from conference play and hit the road for Birmingham, Alabama, for a three-game weekend series at Samford, April 22-24. All three games can be heard on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio.

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