Courtesy of Wichita State Athletics and The RoundHouse
By Paul Sullentrop
The white numbers applied to the green left-field wall at Wilkins Stadium signifying the years of NCAA regional bids are a reminder of Wichita State's unprecedented recent success.
Three straight appearances, four in five seasons and five in seven. Those numbers mean a lot, but coach Kristi Bredbenner wants the Shockers to ignore them. Fourth-seeded WSU opens play in the American Athletic Conference Championships at 7 p.m. Wednesday (ESPN+) against ninth-seeded UTSA (15-41).
That NCAA standard is powerful motivation. However, the weight of that standard worked its way into the minds of the Shockers earlier in the season.
"We had to realize that every year is a different team, and there are different expectations," junior pitcher Alison Cooper said.
Instead of focusing on the immediate pitch, inning and game, the possibility of not playing in an NCAA regional knocked them off course."
Stay in the moment," Bredbenner said. "We've been very anxious, nervous, playing not to lose vs. playing to win. We've been to three straight post-seasons and they don't want to break the streak."
On Sunday, the Shockers (25-21) completed a sweep of Memphis to extend their win streak to four games and six of eight. Bredbenner repeated the message that's helped the Shockers recover from series losses to Charlotte, Tulsa and USF in late March and early April. That 3-6 stretch knocked WSU out of the AAC race and diminished their NCAA resume.
"Clean slate," third baseman Krystin Nelson said. "Starting over will be extremely beneficial for us. That's what's making us dig in a little."
To earn the AAC's automatic bid, the Shockers must win four games in four days. Bredbenner is optimistic that a strong schedule will help the NCAA at-large resume if they get to Friday's semifinal and, more helpfully, Saturday's final. WSU's strength of schedule ranks No. 50 and its non-conference schedule No. 7, according to warrennolan.com. The AAC is the nation's No. 7 conference with seven of its 10 members in the top 100 of the power rankings.
Second-seeded Charlotte enters the tournament ranked No. 26 in the RPI. A strong non-conference schedule and wins over teams such as Florida State, Kentucky and Virginia Tech make the 49ers a strong at-large possibility.
Top-seeded Florida Atlantic (41-13) owns a No. 40 RPI. While the Owls won the series over Charlotte, they lack marquee non-conference wins.
WSU's RPI ranks No. 57, but Bredbenner likes factors such as the non-conference schedule and wins over Arkansas (No. 15 in the RPI) and South Carolina (No. 27) when she compares her team to those above the Shockers in the power ranking.
The only sure thing is to win on Saturday. To do that, the Shockers must keep their focus tight.
"Inning by inning," CC Wong said. "When we realize that, I think we play a little better."
The work of WSU's pitching staff over the past three weeks provides a path to winning four games this week. The Shockers have held 11 of their 13 opponents to three or fewer earned runs, including four shutouts. Lauren Howell threw a one-hitter against last-place Memphis and recently threw a three-hitter in a win over UAB. Freshman Chloe Barber is 4-1 in her past five starts with a 0.96 earned run average and coming off Sunday's no-hitter against Memphis.
Shocker pitchers entered the season with high expectations after a strong 2023 in which it led the conference with a 2.55 ERA. This season, WSU's ERA is eighth at 4.07.
When the staff is pitching well, it trusts its defense and doesn't let one or two mistakes turn into an avalanche. Sophomore Alex Aguilar, last season's AAC Rookie of the Year, is bothered by an injury, Bredbenner said Tuesday, that limits her to a few innings.
"We can't take the expectations of last year and constantly trying to compare ourselves," Cooper said. "We would get caught up in trying to overdo it, trying to be the hero."
While WSU's punch isn't as overwhelming as in past seasons, the Shockers lead the AAC with 66 home runs and a .510 slugging percentage. Wong earned AAC Player of the Year honors on Tuesday and enters the tournament hitting .476, tied for first nationally with Howard's Maryn Jordan. She teams with center fielder Addison Barnard – hitting .372 with 18 home runs – to give the Shockers an elite top of the order. Shortstop Taylor Sedlacek, also an all-conference pick, hit .329 with 10 homers against AAC teams.
The Shockers know the task ahead. They have the comforts of home, post-season experience and star power to rely on. The right mental approach, they say, can be the difference between a tournament run and an early exit.
"Be energetic, be loud," catcher Lainee Brown said. "Celebrate the little things. Stay true to ourselves and we'll win."