Kansas travels to Wichita State for midweek clash
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Kansas travels to Wichita, Kansas to play its first away midweek game of the season against Wichita State on Wednesday, March 20 at 6 p.m. at Wilkins Stadium.
The Jayhawks recently competed in the Rock Chalk Challenge and a single-game contest against Omaha, finishing their previous five games 3-2 with three shutouts. Freshman Lexy Mills led Kansas in the circle against Omaha on Monday, March 18 and earned her first no hitter with 10 strikeouts over six innings in the 8-0 victory.
In the Rock Chalk Challenge, KU beat Nebraska twice which included a 2-0 victory on March 16 and a 1-0 victory on March 17. Senior Brynn Minor pitched two-seven inning games against the Huskers, while also adding her first career home run as a Jayhawk against Tulsa in the Rock Chalk Challenge opener on March 15.
Fans can listen on the Jayhawk Radio Network via KUAthletics.com/Radio with Jackson Schneider calling the action.
QUICK HITS
• The Jayhawks earned their first two-game winning streak of the season, beating Nebraska 1-0 (3/17) and Omaha 8-0 (3/18).
• The shutout victories also mark the first time in back-to-back games since March 17-21, 2018 that KU has held opponents scoreless. On March 17 Kansas held Saint Louis scoreless (4-0) and followed the feat with another zero run affair against UMKC (3-0) on March 18. KU concluded the streak on March 21 against Incarnate Word (5-0).
• Freshman Lexy Mills pitched her first career no-hit performance against Omaha, finishing with 10 strikeouts and four walks while holding the Mavericks hitless. Mills has recorded back-to-back double-digit strikeouts, tallying 11 strikeouts against UMKC (3/10) and 10 strikeouts against Omaha (3/18).
• Against Omaha, Kansas recorded its first walk-off victory of 2019, scoring four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to beat the Mavs, 8-0.
• Kansas finished the Rock Chalk Challenge 2-2 and recently finished the Jayhawk Invitational 1-3, claiming its first home victory of the season against Maine on March 8. The 6-4 victory over Maine is the first home victory for head coach Jennifer McFalls.
• In the Rock Chalk Challenge, KU earned two-shutout victories over Nebraska, beating the Huskers 2-0 (3/16) and 1-0 (3/17).
• Brynn Minor earned two victories in the RCC and matched her four-win season total from 2018.
• Minor pitched her first career game of seven innings or more with zero walks against Nebraska (3/17). The senior from Wichita, Kansas finished with a season-high seven strikeouts.
• Morgyn Wynne tallied her first RBI since Feb. 9 against Arizona State in the 1-0 victory over Nebraska. Wynne also earned her first start as catcher.
• In the March 16 contest against Nebraska, Kansas won the game 2-0 and had zero RBI, scoring both runs on two Nebraska errors. The zero-RBI victory is the first since March 1, 2014 when the Jayhawks beat Murray State in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, 3-2.
• Senior pitcher Brynn Minor recorded her first career shutout at Kansas, pitching a complete game two-hitter against Charleston Southern on March 3. Minor added two additional shutouts this season against Nebraska twice on March 16 (2-0) and March 17 (1-0).
• Kansas holds a 70-19 edge over Wichita State, including a five-game winning streak in Wichita, Kansas. The Shockers have won the previous two meetings between the state of Kansas schools.
300 CAREER AT BATS
• Sam Dellinger and Shelby Hughston are the only two Jayhawks to have tallied 300-or-more career at bats. Hughston earned her 300th at bat against Nebraska (3/17). Both Dellinger and Hughston started their careers at other schools before attending Kansas.
A MAJOR MINOR LEADER
• Since being inserted back into a hitting role for Kansas, Minor has the fourth-highest batting average (.275) minimum 20 attempts. Minor has logged 11 hits and has six RBI.
• Minor has also made 19 appearances (92.2 IP) with 10 starts in the circle for Kansas. The senior from Wichita, Kansas leads KU in appearances (19), games started (10) and innings pitched (92.2).
WYNNE THEM OVER
• Morgyn Wynne has recently been thrust into a unfamiliar role for the Jayhawks, and has taken over catching duties following the injury to Shelby Gayre. Wynne started the previous two games against Nebraska (3/17) and Omaha (3/18) behind the plate. The freshman from Pittsburg, California finished the two games with three hits in five plate appearances with a home run, two doubles and two RBI.
SCHEDULE CHANGE
• Due to potentially inclement weather on Saturday, March 23, the upcoming three-game series against Green Bay has been adjusted. The Jayhawks and Phoenix are slated to play two games on Friday starting at 4 p.m. and a single game on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m.
WICHITA STATE CONNECTION
• Cacy Williams, Kansas’ director of softball operations, returns to Wichita State where she named the 2014, 2015 Missouri Valley Player of the Year and 2014 Newcomer of the Year. Williams was also named a two-time NFCA All-Midwest Region First Team selection and a three-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honoree.
• Williams broke the Wichita State single season batting average record (.424), runs record (57), slugging percentage (.812), on-base percentage (.531), total bases (138), home runs (16), RBIs (47), hits (72) and walks (35) in her first season as a Shocker.
• Williams still has her name riddled through the Wichita State record book, ranking third in career batting average (.360), first in slugging percentage (.673), on-base percentage (.457), seventh in doubles (35), home runs (39), sixth in runs scored (136), second in RBI (135), third in total bases (340), 10th in walks (80), sixth in putouts (935) and first in fielding percentage (.997).
ROCK CHALK CHALLENGE
• Kansas finished the Rock Chalk Challenge 2-2 with two victories over Nebraska. The Jayhawks fell to Tulsa twice, and suffered a 5-11 loss to open the RCC on Friday, March 15. In the loss, Brynn Minor tallied her first career home run at Kansas, hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning. Minor earned the loss in the circle, but rebounded against Nebraska on Saturday, March 16.
• On the second day of the Rock Chalk Challenge, Kansas earned its second shutout of the season, beating Nebraska, 2-0. Minor earned her second shutout of the season and Kansas scored both runs on a two-error play by the Huskers. The zero-RBI win was the first for Kansas since its 3-2 victory over Murray State March 1, 2014 in the Coach B Classic in Chattanooga, Tennessee. In the second game of the day, KU fell to Tulsa, 4-0, and Tarin Travieso earned her first start of the season. Travieso tallied a season-high 4.0 innings pitched, while allowing two earned runs with one strikeout.
• Kansas again found success against Nebraska in the RCC finale, beating the Huskers 1-0 on Sunday, March 17. The Jayhawks earned their lone RBI of the game in the sixth inning when Morgyn Wynne – who earned her first start as catcher – hit a RBI double to right field, which plated Emily Bermel. Minor earned her second-shutout victory of the challenge.
NO-HITTER
• Kansas earned its first walk-off victory and no-hit performance of the season against Omaha on March 18, beating the Mavericks 8-0 in six innings. Freshman Lexy Mills finished with 10 strikeouts and four walks, while holding the Mavs hitless.
• The Jayhawks needed four-runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to end the game, and produced their sixth four-run inning of the season. Sophomore Brittany Jackson laced a double to the outfield, plating the final two runs of the game.
• The Jayhawks tallied their first no-hitter since March 20, 2016 against St. Louis, 9-0. Andie Formby pitched six innings with four strikeouts and one walk.
WICHITA STATE
• Wichita State enters its one-game series with Kansas 18-9 and recently finished the USF Spring Invitational, 1-4. The Shockers earned their lone victory over Towson, 5-4, and lost games to Chattanooga, North Dakota State, No. 20 Minnesota and Monmouth.
• In the overall series between the two state of Kansas schools, the Jayhawks hold a firm 70-19 edge and a five-game winning streak in Wichita, Kansas. The Shockers have won the last two meetings on March 29, 2016 (6-1) and April 11, 2017 (6-0).
• The Shockers are led at the plate by Madison Perrigan, who is their team leader in batting average (.346), home runs (5), RBI (21), on-base percentage (1.159), walks (21), doubles (7), triples (2), total bases (53) and slugging percentage (.679).
• The Wichita State pitching staff has three members with sub-3.00 earned run averages, and are led by Hailey Martinez. Martinez has a team-low 1.59 ERA and a 2-0 record, while Erin McDonald has a team-high 76.0 innings pitched with a 2.76 ERA. Caitlin Bingham has a team-high 60 strikeouts and 13 games started, while pitching a total of 67.2 innings.
UP NEXT
• Following the single-game midweek clash at Wichita State, Kansas hosts Green Bay for a three-game series starting Friday, March 22. The Jayhawks and Phoenix are slated to play a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. on Friday and conclude the series with a single game on Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m.
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