2017 Shocker Fall Softball

[1972Shocker]

Shocker Softball @GoShockersSB Sep 29

20 weeks away from our season opener! To help countdown, we will feature each of our 20 players until Game Day! First is @bingham_caitlin

[1972Shocker]

Shocker Softball @GoShockersSB 6 hours ago

We are another week closer to the 2018 season! Our next Shocker feature is @Neleigh_Herring. #19weeks

[1972Shocker]

Cowley County (Friday at 5:00 pm) and Washburn (Sunday at 1:00 pm) at Wilkins Stadium this weekend.

Friday evening looks a bit iffy weaher-wise. Sunday afternoon looking nice.

Cowley Game Rescheduled - the game has moved to Sunday for a doubleheader with the Cowley game beginning at 3 p.m. and the Washburn game moving up to a 12 p.m. first pitch.

Both games will be 10-innings.

[1972Shocker]

I am really enjoying The Roundhouse articles and reports by Paul Suellentrop. Today Sully takes a look at Sophomore LHP Bailey Klitzke and the Shockers efforts to rebuild their pitching staff.

http://www.goshockers.com/news/2017/10/6/roundhouse-rh-klitzkes-changeup-better-when-hidden.aspx

Jenni Brooks and Katie Malone started 142 of Wichita State's 166 softball games over the previous three seasons.

Filling those innings started with a meeting last spring after the season. Bailey Klitzke needed to change her delivery to stop tipping her best pitch and recover her confidence.

"When she was swinging back, you could pick up her changeup," WSU coach Kristi Bredbenner said. "She has, to me, potentially one of the best changeups in college softball. But if somebody knows it's coming, it's not a great changeup."

Hopefully, things we work out for Bailey you tell she really lost her confidence last year to the point that she simply could not be relied on.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks take down Washburn today 12-2 in a 10 inning scrimmage highlight by 15 up and 15 down no hit, 8 strike out pitching by Jr. LHP Bailey Lange over the first 5 innings of the game. Fr. RHP pitched the final 5 innings allowing 6 hits and 2 earned runs in her 5 innings of pitch-to-contact work. The two Shocker pitchers did not allow any free passes also the Shocker defense played error-free ball.

The Shocks plated their 12 runs on 18 hits (including 2 home runs and 3 doubles) plus 8 stolen bases in 9 attempts. Laurie Derrico and Ryleigh Buck had the Shocker home runs. Paige Luellen was 3 for 4 and 6 other Shockers contributed 2 hits each.

The Shockers followed that up with another 10 inning scrimmage against Cowley County in a game rescheduled from Friday evening with the Shocks coming away with a 15-1 win.

Fr. RHP Caitlin Bingham went the first 5 innings scattering 4 hits, while striking out 5 and walking 2 but allowing no runs. So. LHP Bailey Klitzke pitched the final 5 innings scattering 5 hits, while also striking out 5 and walking 2. The Shocker defense again played error-free ball.

The 15 Shocker runs came on 22 hits (including 2 home runs and 5 doubles). Both of the home runs came on in the Shocker 9-run 1st including a grand slam by Ashton Esparza and a 2-run shot by Kaylee Huecker. Paige Luellen was 3 for 4 and Laurie Derrico was 3 for 5 with 4 other Shockers contributing 2 hits each.

[pogo]

The Shocks continue to dominate lower level competition as they blasted the D-II Newman Jets today 17-0 while banging out 21 hits, including 3 home runs and 5 doubles and only allowing the Jets 2 singles over 10 innings of play.

Bailey Lange hit a 3-run dinger over the RF wall in the 3rd and Bailee Nickerson followed 4 batters later with a 2-out, 2-run blast over the left field fence to put the Shocks up 9-0. Madison Perrigan added a 2-run homer to LF in the 8th.

Laurie Derrico was 3 for 3 plus a walk from the lead off spot in the order, Paige Luellen was 3 for 4, Madison Perrigan 3 for 5, Kiersten Otte 3 for 3, Neleigh Herring 2 for 4 and Bailee Nickerson 2 for 3 to account for 16 of the Shocks 24 hits.

Bailey Klitzke (3 innings), Hailey Martinez (2 innings), Bailey Lange (3 innings) and Caitlin Bingham (2 innings) combined for 11 strike outs, 3 walks and 2 singles over 10 innings.

Even the Jets' 2 hits had a bit of a Shocker connection as both were by Andale Fr. Bailey Bugner. Bailey is the younger sister of Shocker Jr. pole vaulter, Hayden Bugner.

Apparently, a lot of good softball players are named Bailey or some variation thereof.

http://www.goshockers.com/news/2017/...wman-17-0.aspx

Probably in honor of Bump Bailey the New York Knights great right fielder.

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks played Barton County Juco in a 10 inning scrimmage today and continued to dominate their fall schedule with a 20-0 win.

http://www.goshockers.com/news/2017/10/11/softball-shockers-down-barton-20-0.aspx

Fr. Caitlin Bingham went the first 5 innings in the circle allowing 3 hits, 2 walks and a hit batter while striking out 4 Jr. Bailey Lange went the final 5 innings allowing only 1 hit and a hit batter while striking out 8. The Shocks did commit 3 errors today after playing 20 error-free innings this past Sunday.

The Shocker offense banked out 24 hits and benefited from 10 walks by Barton's pitchers. Half of the Shocker hits were for extra bases including 5 home runs, a triple and 6 doubles. Kiersten Otte went 4-5 and Neleigh Herring and Kaylee Huecker each went 3-4.

The Shocks close out their fall scrimmages tomorrow evening at 5:00 pm against Northern Oklahoma College.

[1972Shocker]

The Lady Shocks closed out their falls season with a lopsided 28-1 win over Northern Oklahoma.

So. LHP Bailey Klitzke pitched 5 scoreless innings allowing only 2 hits, walking 1 and striking out 2. Fr. RHP Hailey Martinez followed with 3 more scoreless innings allowing 3 hits but walking none. Fr. RHP Caitlin Bingham pitched the final 2 innings allowing 1 unearned run on 2 hits and she also did not walk anyone.

The Shocks cranked out 33 hits and were also the beneficiary of 11 walks and 5 Northern Oklahoma errors. The score could have been even more lopsided as the Shockers left 18 runners on base. The Shocks had 13 extra base hits including 7 doubles, 2 triples and 4 home runs.

Mackenzie Wright, Laurie Derrico, Paige Luellen and Ashton Esparza each had 4 hits and Kaylee Huecker and Bailee Nickerson had 3 this each.

Not quite sure what to take away from this fall season. The Shocks pitching numbers were very good was there hitting and scoring. However, I have to wonder about the level of competition and to what extent this indicates how the Shocks will do against D-1 competition. I guess I would say I am very cautiously optimistic about how the Shocks will do this fall.

[1972Shocker]

Sully reports on new Shocker softball assistant and hitting coach Elizabeth Economon.

http://www.goshockers.com/news/2017/10/11/the-roundhouse-rh-notes-softball-reunion-on-coaching-staff.aspx?path=sb

[flyingMoose]

Not quite sure what to take away from this fall season. The Shocks pitching numbers were very good was there hitting and scoring. However, I have to wonder about the level of competition and to what extent this indicates how the Shocks will do against D-1 competition. I guess I would say I am very cautiously optimistic about how the Shocks will do this fall.

I was only able to make it to one game, the one against Newman. Against last year's Newman team you might have learned something, but they have graduated their pitching and return only one (that I recognized) offensive contributor. So, yeah, the fall schedule doesn't teach us much about the team, especially the offense since they saw no pitching like they will see in the spring.

I suspect Coach Economon is an upgrade because of her experience if nothing else. It will be interesting to see the offense since the Shocks graduated some big contributors.

On the pitching side, transfer Bailey Lange threw the hardest (but not as hard as Katie) and seemed the furtherest along. As noted in a thread/article somewhere, Bailey Klitzke has tweaked her pitching motion to make her change more effective, so you would expect improvement there with a year of limited experience being part of that. The freshmen are not junkers, but they are not going to throw it by many people. Location and maybe learning another pitch are going to be key to their success.

Okay, those are some guesses from seeing ten innings - take them with a grain of salt.



(I mentioned Katie, and now I am thinking about the LSU game again. *Sigh*)

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]

Softball team gets what it needs out of fall – Wichita State softball coach Kristi Bredbenner has to replace more than 300 innings pitched this upcoming season.Finding pitchers to step in was the top priority for Bredbenner in Wichita State’s fall slate and she was encouraged, as the Shockers finished 8-0 and outscored their eight non-Division I opponents 125-10.“I think we did what we needed to do and that was to dominate,” Bredbenner said. “We’re still not 100 percent, but the pitching circle really impressed me. We have some depth and got some valuable innings and some good experience in those eight games.”

“With the softball we’re going to be playing in the American Conference, we’re going to be using a little bit more of that baseball mentality,” Bredbenner said. “We could have a starter, middle reliever, and closer. I like our depth and I think we’ll have a good bullpen, not just that one ace.”

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]