SB: 2023 in season news

[SubGod22]

[ShockTalk]

Don't use Twitter. Saw the original Tweet when I clicked it on which had the "full" picture. When one posts a Tweet on here, does it automatically crop the pic? That pic would have been much more dramatic if the ground and feet had been cropped off and not the glove.

[SubGod22]

I hadn't noticed. The original tweet, on Twitter, was the full pic. I honestly hadn't even looked at it on here until you mentioned it. Not sure how it decides what to do.

I blame KungWu

[ShockTalk]

I hadn't noticed. The original tweet, on Twitter, was the full pic. I honestly hadn't even looked at it on here until you mentioned it. Not sure how it decides what to do.

I blame KungWu

[BAShocker]

Any idea where one can see up to date season stats? I tried goshockers.com, but couldn’t find anything. Thanks.

[silk]

They are on softball site under More. They are easier to find if you don’t use Go Shockers APP

[flyingMoose]

Games through 5 Mar

NFCA Rankings: 23 (from 25)

ESPN.com/USA Softball Rankings: RV27th (from RV29th)

[SubGod22]

[flyingMoose]

Any idea where one can see up to date season stats? I tried goshockers.com, but couldn’t find anything. Thanks.

Sports/Softball from the topmost options on goshockers.com

Statistics/Season Stats from the Softball options on the resulting screen


This is from a desktop or laptop. The More is iPad (rotating the screen helps) or iPhone (I don't try to find stats on a screen that small).

[1972Shocker]

Don't use Twitter. Saw the original Tweet when I clicked it on which had the "full" picture. When one posts a Tweet on here, does it automatically crop the pic? That pic would have been much more dramatic if the ground and feet had been cropped off and not the glove.

Instead of posting the tweet I just copied the image.

[SubGod22]

Go Shockers - RH: Brown Slows Down Swing To Heat Up Bat

The Shockers went through "Adjustment Week" last week on the softball field, which meant associate head coach Elizabeth Economon spent one-on-one time with struggling hitters.

The overall themes of "use your legs to generate power" and "wait on the ball to get a better swing" spring from "Trust what Coach E says."

"Anything she says," said catcher Lainee Brown. "It's worked out well."

The group that took part in sessions with Economon largely represents the bottom of the lineup, a group of hitters struggling through No. 23 Wichita State's first three weeks. While the top five Shocker hitters all entered last week hitting .333 or better, no one else was above .222.

Wichita State (16-3) brings an 11-game win streak into a big stretch of games at Wilkins Stadium. No. 12 Stanford visits today (Thursday, 3 p.m. ESPN+) with Nebraska and Missouri State this weekend in the Shocker Classic.

Brown, a redshirt sophomore from Choctaw, Okla., needed to add more power from her legs and get her timing down to improve at the plate. She added a leg kick, which provided a bit of delay and synced up her legs and upper body.

"She was constantly a little out in front, a little anxious," coach Kristi Bredbenner said. "We needed to get the bottom half of the lineup going a little bit. Leg kicks. Different stances. Different strides. Everybody had something they really worked on to try to get them to slow themselves down a little bit."

Brown popped up in her first at-bat on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Western Illinois, swinging just a bit too early. The leg kick did its job in her second at-bat and she hit a two-run home run. She went 6 for 12 in the four games at Wilkins Stadium in the Black & Yellow Challenge, doubling twice and extended her hitting streak to six games.

Lainee did have a pretty good weekend so hopefully the adjustment continues to work for her and some of the others. Really need to get more consistent production from the back end of the lineup. Today's game will be a test.

[1972Shocker]

Go Shockers - RH: Brown Slows Down Swing To Heat Up Bat



Lainee did have a pretty good weekend so hopefully the adjustment continues to work for her and some of the others. Really need to get more consistent production from the back end of the lineup. Today's game will be a test.

Now that's coaching. And coaching up the hitters is one thing the Shocker softball coaches do a good job with.

[flyingMoose]

Games through 12 Mar

NFCA Rankings: 23 (from 23)

ESPN.com/USA Softball Rankings: RV29th (from RV27th)

[SubGod22]

Go Shockers - RH: Barnard's Record Run Starts on the Family Farm

No hype accompanied Addison Barnard in the fall of 2020 when she arrived for softball practice at Wichita State. She hit 61 home runs in her career at a Class B high school in Nebraska and earned Super State honors as a senior, credentials that sound like a lot of college freshmen stepping up into the world of NCAA Division I athletics.

"I don't think there was a whole lot of talk," said Madison (Perrigan) Duncan, then a senior catcher and power-hitter supreme for the Shockers. "It was a good, solid, freshman class."

Less than four years later, Duncan is on the phone talking about how Barnard skipped any "hype" phase of extravagant attention on her way to the top of Wichita State's home run list. She went from freshman to real deal almost immediately that fall, always in the hard-working manner that characterizes her time as a Shocker.

Duncan quickly figured out Barnard possessed special hitting ability, perhaps helped by carrying feed buckets as a youngster on her farm, and fit the ethos of Shocker softball. Barnard, a junior left fielder from Beatrice, Neb., hit career home run No. 59 on Friday to move past Duncan – known as "Butters" during her time as a Shocker – on the program's career list.

"I'm super-proud of Addie B," Duncan said. "She always worked extremely hard. Never skipped any reps. Very mature."

On Friday, the record-breaking homer played out like so many. Leadoff hitter Sydney McKinney singled. Barnard homered to right-center field and the Shockers took a lead on their way to a 6-1 win over Northern Colorado.

"Syd got on right away, so I was just thinking 'See it down, see it in the zone,'" Barnard said. "I was really ready to time up the first pitch. Once it hit the barrel, I kind of knew."

It took Barnard 127 games, to break the record Duncan set with 58 from 2017-2021 in 245 games. Barnard hit a single-season record 22 as a freshman and topped that with 33, fourth most in NCAA history, last season. Her average of 0.63 home runs a game in 2023 set an NCAA mark.

This season, after missing four games with injury in early March, she is hitting .396 with four home runs in 23 games.

"Right away, when it happened, I got really excited," Barnard said. "This year has kind of been up and down with injury and being out. Having a really positive moment was really awesome."

Another good piece from Sully on one of the all time greats of Shocker Softball.

I believe Addie ended the weekend with HR #60 as well. Could she get to 100 before her career is finished?

[SubGod22]

Go Shockers - AAC Names Aguilar Pitcher of the Week

WICHITA, Kan. - Wichita State freshman Alex Aguilar was named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week by the league office Monday afternoon.

Aguilar appeared in two games, making one start and didn't allow an earned run in 9.0 innings. Opponents recorded just three hits against her and struck out seven times. She threw 3.0 innings of hitless, shutout relief against Northern Colorado on March 17 to go with five strikeouts. In the start against the Bears on Sunday, Aguilar threw a complete game and surrendered just one unearned run on three hits.

Additionally, Sydney McKinney picked up her second American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll selection. The senior All-American slashed .526/.526/.684 in five games with a home run, five runs and five RBI. She had two three-hit games, including a 3-for-4 night with a home run and three RBI vs. No. 9 Arkansas.

Wichita State hosts Kansas tomorrow night at Wilkins Stadium before opening conference play this weekend in Orlando against UCF.