WICHITA - A total of 10 NCAA Tournament participants, two Super Regional participants, 23 home games and the fourth annual Shocker Invitational make up an exciting 2008 Wichita State softball schedule, third-year head coach Mike Perniciaro announced today.

“We are going to play another tough non-conference schedule in preparation for play in The Valley,” Perniciaro said. “We have a young team, and the experience of playing quality opponents early will be beneficial once we get into conference play. I think our strength of schedule could really help us at the end of the season and will give our players experience against several teams that could make a deep run into the postseason.”

Another tough non-conference schedule awaits the Shockers, with seven teams on the docket who were either ranked or receiving votes in the NFCA national poll at the end of last season, and another three teams who make a total of 10 opponents who appeared in the NCAA Tournament last season. The Shockers open the season in less than a month in Chattanooga, Tenn., taking on Chattanooga and Kentucky in the 2008 Chattanooga Shootout Feb. 9-10. The schedule gets no easier for WSU as the Shockers travel to Palo Alto, Calif., to face a tough field in the Stanford Invitational I, which includes host Stanford who fell to Women's College World Series participant Alabama in Super Regional play last season. Pacific and Santa Clara round out the field in Palo Alto before WSU faces another challenge in Albuquerque, N.M., Feb. 22-24, in the Lobo Invitational hosted by New Mexico. The Shockers will face Women's College World Series participant Washington along with NCAA Tournament participant Missouri, host New Mexico and Texas Tech, who advanced to the finals of the Big 12 Championship last season.

WSU travels to the Texas Classic from Feb. 29-March 2, in what will be a stern test with host Texas, who advanced to the regional finals, along with NCAA participant Utah and Big Ten-foe Wisconsin. The Shockers finally host cross-state rival Oklahoma State on March 5 in the home opener, a game that kicks off an 11-day, 13-game homestand that includes the fourth annual Shocker Invitational featuring Big 12-foe Iowa State, UMKC and South Dakota State. After hosting Western Illinois and Missouri in mid-week doubleheaders the Shockers open conference play March 15-16 against Bradley at Wilkins Stadium. The Shockers then make a return trip to Tennessee when they spend spring break in Memphis with a doubleheader against the Tigers on March 19.

NCAA Tournament participant Southern Illinois awaits the Shockers upon their return home on March 21-22, with a rare conference night doubleheader on March 21. The Shockers have just four home games after March 25, including defending conference regular-season and tournament champion Creighton on April 5-6, after the Bluejays ended WSU's season a year ago in the MVC Tournament. Wichita State's home finale is the weekend of April 26, against UNI. The Shockers must travel to NCAA Tournament participants Illinois State, Tulsa and Kansas all in the month of April, along with trips to Evansville, conference-rival Missouri State, Oklahoma State and Indiana State sandwiched in as well beginning the final weekend of March. In all, WSU will play 16 of 19 games away from Wilkins Stadium in late March and early April.

The Shockers wrap up the regular-season May 3-4 at Drake in WSU's first trip to Des Moines since 2004 after the series two years ago was washed out. Southern Illinois is set to host the 2008 State Farm MVC Tournament at Charlotte West Stadium May 8-10 in Carbondale, Ill.