at 
Oklahoma State (34-10) at Wichita State (13-28, 6-8)
Tues., April 19- 7:00 p.m.
Leading Off: Oklahoma State
- The Series
- WSU vs. OSU All-Time: 6-72
- Under Perniciaro: 3-7
- Last Meeting: 2011
- Result: L, 10-1
- The Shockers met the Cowgirls earlier this season for a mid-week matchup in Stillwater, Okla. OSU run-ruled the Shockers, 10-1, in five innings.
On Deck: Missouri State
- The Series
- WSU vs. MSU All-Time: 39-43
- Under Perniciaro: 8-10
- Last Meeting: 2010
- Result: W, 5-3
- Wichita State lost, 1-0, in Wichita last season, but swept a two-game series with the Bears in Springfield.
In the Hole: University of Evansville
- The Series
- WSU vs. UE All-Time: 23-20
- Under Perniciaro: 9-5
- Last Meeting: 2010
- Result: L, 3-2
- Wichita State hasn't hosted the Purple Aces at Wilkins Stadium since the 2007 season. That year, the Shockers won the series by winning two of the three games. They wrapped up the series with a 2-1 thrilling win in eight innings.
Busy Week of Games: The Shockers return to action at Wilkins Stadium with six games in five days starting on Tues., April 19. They take a break from conference action as they welcome Oklahoma State University for a single game at 7:00 p.m. The Shockers will then return to MVC action as they host Missouri State for a doubleheader beginning at 3:00 p.m. on Wed., April 20. Wichita State will then wrap up the week with a three-game series against Evansville. The two teams will meet for a doubleheader on Friday and wrap up the three-game set on Saturday afternoon.
Scouting Oklahoma State University: The Cowgirls are 34-10 coming into the Shockers' first game under the lights at Wilkins Stadium this season. OSU is coming off of a series sweep of Big 12 foe, Texas Tech. Oklahoma State is 29-6 in non-conference match-ups this season and just 4-4 on the road this season. The Shockers met the Cowgirls earlier this season for a mid-week matchup in Stillwater, Okla. OSU run-ruled the Shockers, 10-1, in five innings. Offensively, they are led by Alysia Hamilton who is hitting .415 on the year. She has 56 hits, 11 doubles, five home runs, 29 RBI, and 37 runs scored.
Scouting Missouri State University: Missouri State was picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley Conference this season by the league's coaches. The Bears currently sit in fourth place in the league standings with an 8-6 MVC record. They are 20-17 on the season and 8-9 in road games away from Springfield, Mo. The Shockers are 39-43 all-time against MSU and 8-10 in the Mike Perniciario era. Wichita State lost, 1-0, in Wichita last season, but swept a two-game series with the Bears in Springfield. The Shockers won those games 5-1 and 5-3. WSU is 3-4 against Missouri State at Wilkins Stadium in the Perniciaro era.
Scouting University of Evansville: As of the date of publication, Evansville was 3-12 in Missouri Valley Conference action. The Purple Aces were picked to finish one slot better than Wichita State, at seventh place, in the preseason poll. UE is 9-33 on the season and 3-12 in games away from Evansville, Ind. The Shockers have the edge on the Purple Aces with an all-time record of 23-20. They are 9-5 against Evansville in the Perniciaro era. Last year, the teams met for a three-game series in Evansville, Ind. where the Purple Aces took the series by winning two of the year. UE wrapped up the series with a 3-2 victory. Wichita State hasn't hosted the Purple Aces at Wilkins Stadium since the 2007 season. That year, the Shockers won the series by winning two of the three games. They wrapped up the series with a 2-1 thrilling win in eight innings.
Shockers Sweep Creighton: The Shockers captured their first Missouri Valley Conference series of the season as they swept the Creighton Bluejays for the first time in Omaha, Neb. since 2003. The sweep helped Wichita State double its conference wins to six in just one weekend. The Shockers are now 13-28 on the season and 6-8 in the Valley. The Shockers scored 23 runs on 18 hits on the weekend. Their bats came alive as they hit six home runs and picked up 21 RBI in the three-game set.
Going Yard: Wichita State has added a little pop in its bat in MVC play. The Shockers have hit 16 home runs in conference play to go along with the 14 they hit in non-conference action. They have even hit 13 home runs in the last six games. Eight different Shockers have hit at least one home run in conference four home runs each. Jamie Hull and Heather Gerritse each have two as four other Shockers have one home run.
Slammin' Sammie Shook: Sophomore Sammie Shook hit .500 over the weekend as she helped the Shockers win their first Missouri Valley Conference series of the season. She hit two home runs, one double, picked up five RBI, and scored four runs as Wichita State swept the Creighton Bluejays in Omaha, Neb. for the first time since 2003. Shook had a 1.667 slugging percentage and .667 on base percentage for the weekend. She was perfect in the field with three putouts and eight assists. Shook leads the Shockers in conference play with four home runs.
Sloan Shining in the Circle: Freshman pitcher Sloan Anderson went 2-0 over the weekend as the Shockers swept the Creighton Bluejays for the first time since 2003 in Omaha, Neb. She had a perfect 0.00 era as she held the Bluejays scoreless in her two appearances. Anderson pitched 7.1 innings over the weekend and gave up just two hits, while recording 11 strikeouts. Anderson leads the Shockers' pitching staff in conference play with a 4-2 record. She leads the staff in ERA (3.02), appearances (13), innings pitched (51.0), and strikeouts (41).
On the Road Again: Wichita State returns to action this weekend as they travel to Omaha, Neb. for a three-game series with Creighton. The Shockers and the Bluejays have a doubleheader set for 12:00 p.m. on Sat., April 16. The two teams will wrap up the three-game set on Sun., April 17 at 12:00 p.m. The series is just the second MVC series on the road for the Shockers this season. They are coming off of three consecutive weekends of Missouri Valley Conference action at home. The Shockers, however, are used to the road as they opened the season with 21-straight road games.
Scouting Creighton: Creighton has appeared in six of the last eight NCAA Tournaments and is the reigning Missouri Valley Conference Tournament champion. The Bluejays were picked to finish sixth in this year's MVC race as they return just three starters from last year's 37-23 team, while they have 11 freshmen and 10 returners on the roster. The Bluejays, who set a school record with 66 home runs last year, have 22 homers in their last 16 games. Head coach Brent Vigness is in his 18th season at Creighton. The Bluejays are 18-18 coming into the weekend with the Shockers. Creighton is coming off of a 10-2 five-inning loss to the Nebraska Cornhuskers. In Valley play this year, Creighton has won three consecutive MVC series including the most recent with Missouri State.
Another Streak Snapped: The Bulldogs became the second victim to lose their undefeated record in Missouri Valley Conference play to the Wichita State Shockers. WSU snapped Illinois State's streak back on Sat., March 26. Against Drake on Sat., April 9, the Shockers had just two hits going into the seventh inning and was trailing the Bulldogs, 6-2. They hit two home runs and scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to tie the score at 6-6 and force extra innings. Sophomore Danika Miller hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to hand the Drake Bulldogs their first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season.
Going Yard:
Wichita State has added a little pop in its bat in MVC play. The Shockers have hit nine home runs in the past six Valley games. WSU hit five in the series against Indiana State and four this past weekend against Drake. The Shockers hit three home runs in two innings to take down Drake, 9-6, in extra innings. Senior Kiersten Dixon leads the Shockers with five home runs on the season. Sophomore Sammie Shook is right behind her with four, and Hayley Temple, Jamie Hull, and Heather Gerritse each have three.
Hull Named SASO Student-Athlete of the Game: Senior Jamie Hull was honored as the SASO Student-Athlete of the Game last week at Eck Stadium. A Missouri Valley second team all-conference selection in 2010, Hull has continued to shine this year as she leads the team in RBIs with 19 and is second on the team with a .324 batting average. A native of Irving, Texas, Hull has been an honorable mention MVC scholar athlete and has been named to the Missouri Valley Conference and AD Honor Roll every semester of her WSU career. Hull will graduate from Wichita State with a degree in Communications.
Strikeout Breast Cancer: The Wichita State softball team is joining teams from all across the country in the fight against breast cancer. The Shockers are hosting their third annual Strikeout Breast Cancer event as they welcome the Drake Bulldogs to Wilkins Stadium for a three-game series this weekend.
Strikeout Cancer is an annual initiative supported jointly by the American Cancer Society and the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Since beginning the program four years ago, the NFCA has raised thousands of dollars to support the fight against cancer. The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of fastpitch softball coaches nationwide to help increase cancer education and promote healthy living through awareness efforts and fundraising activities. Head Coach Mike Perniciaro and the Shockers are proud to support the fight against breast cancer.
Scouting Drake: The Shockers lead the series against Drake all-time with a 45-27 record. Wichita State is 10-6 against the Bulldogs in the Mike Perniciaro era and 5-1 at Wilkins Stadium. The two teams met for a three-game series in Des Moines last season. The Shockers won the series against the Bulldogs by picking up two wins on the road. They split the doubleheader and then Wichita State won the third game of the series, 6-1. Drake comes into the weekend with Wichita State as the only team left in the MVC with an undefeated conference record. They currently sit at the top of the conference standings with an 8-0 record. The Bulldogs are coming off of a 2-1 seventh inning win over the University of Iowa.
A Look at the Valley: Drake sits atop of the Missouri Valley Conference standings with a perfect 8-0 record. Illinois State is right behind the Bulldogs with a 6-1 conference record. Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa, and Creighton are all tied at third. Missouri State wraps up the .500 teams with a 4-4 record. Indiana State and Wichita State are both tied with a 2-6 record, and Bradley and Evansville sit at the bottom of the standings with one MVC win on the season.
Shockers in Conference Play: Wichita State is 2-6 in Missouri Valley Conference action coming into the weekend with the Bulldogs. Hayley Temple leads the Shockers' offense with a .417 batting average. She has 10 hits, one double, one home run, five RBI, and a run scored in 24 at bats against Valley opponents. Heather Gerritse and Rachel Milnark are close behind with a .333 and .238 batting average respectively. Wichita State is 2-3 against Valley opponents at home this season. Sloan Anderson leads the Shockers' pitching staff in conference play as she has a 2.74 ERA and a 2-1 record. She leads the staff in several categories, including apperances (8), innings pitched (30.2), and strikeouts (24).
Walk This Way: The Shockers' have drawn quite a few walks this season at the plate. Jamie Hull (20) and Brittney Osborn (19) are both climbing up the charts for most walks in a season. Hull has 74 career walks which is good enough for 7th on the career walks list. With 61 career walks, Heather Gerritse currently sits in 11th place on the career walks list.
Career Charts: The Shockers' seniors are leaving their mark on the career record books this season. Senior Kiersten Dixon currently sits in 10th place with 93 runs scored. She is tied for seventh with nine career triples and sits alone in seventh with 17 career home runs. Dixon sits in sixth place with 29 sacrifice hits and tied for ninth with 25 stolen bases. Jamie Hull sits alone in sixth place with 19 career home runs and seventh place with 74 career walks. Heather Gerritse has left her mark on the program both offensively and defensively. Her .324 career batting average currently sits in third place on the all-time batting average list. She has a .395 on base percentage which is good enough for seventh place. She sits in ninth place with 180 career hits and 8th with a 91 RBI. Defensively, Gerritse has the highest career fielding percentage in the program's history at .996. She is fifth in the program's history with 1,093 putouts.
Last Time Out: Tulsa's starting pitcher, Jordan Kinard, recorded 16 strikeouts as the Hurricanes swept the two-game series over Wichita State Wednesday evening in Tulsa, Okla. The Shockers fell to Tulsa, 4-1, in the first game of a doubleheader as errors plagued WSU's defense. Tulsa was able to score four runs on 10 hits and three errors. The Shockers were held to just four hits as they dropped the second game of the doubleheader by the score of 5-0. Junior Brittney Osborn led the Shockers' as she was 2-for-3 at the plate. Heather Gerritse and Sammie Shook picked up the other two hits of the game.
Ozzy Ozzy Ozzy: Junior leftfielder, Brittney Osborn, hit .600 in the series against Tulsa. She was 3-for-5 at the plate which was good enough for a .600 slugging percentage. Ozzy also drew a walk in the series and had a .667 on base percentage. She has a .400 batting average in the Shockers' last five games and has drawn four walks in that time.
On Deck: After hosting three consecutive weekends of Missouri Valley Conference action, the Shockers will hit the road to take on Creighton in Omaha, Neb. The Shockers will play a three-game series with the Bluejays, starting with a doubleheader on Sat., April 16 at 12:00 p.m. They will wrap up the three game set on Sun., April 17 at 12:00 p.m. The roadtrip will be just the second Valley road-swing for the Shockers this season.
A Familiar Opponent: The Wichita State softball team takes a break from Missouri Valley Conference action for a mid-week doubleheader against a team that was once a member of the Valley. The Shocks travel to Tulsa, Okla. on Wed., April 6 to take on the Golden Hurricanes starting at 3:00 p.m.
Tulsa joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 1993 and played in the Valley through the 1996 season. During that time, the Shockers went 7-2 against the Golden Hurricanes.
Scouting Tulsa: The Shockers lead the series over Tulsa with an all-time record of 19-17. Wichita State is 6-6 against UT in the Mike Perniciaro era. They last met in 2010 when the Shockers travelled to Tulsa and split the series with the Golden Hurricanes. Since 2005, the teams have met for a doubleheader six times. The Shocks have split the series five out the six times against Tulsa. In 2007, WSU swept the series at Wilkins Stadium. Wichita State is 3-3 on the road against Tulsa in the Perniciaro era.
Tulsa is 27-9 overall and 10-2 in Conference USA play coming into the doubleheader with the Shockers. They have a 13-1 record against opponents at home.
Tulsa currently sits in second place behind UAB in C-USA standings.
Freshman pitcher, Amy Creger, was named C-USA pitcher of the week on April 4 for her performance in the previous week. Creger pitched her third no-hitter of the season and totaled 25 strikeouts en route to picking up two wins in Tulsa's three-game road sweep at Memphis.
Wichita State in Non-Conference Play: The Shockers are 7-18 overall and 1-8 on the road in non-conference games this season. The powerful trio of Jamie Hull, Heather Gerritse, and Hayley Temple has lead Wichita State offensively in non-conference games. They are the only three Shockers to hit over .300 in the 25 non-conference games. They combine for 23 doubles, 7 home runs, and 41 RBI in non-Valley games.
Shockers Drop Series to Sycamores: The Wichita State softball team went 1-2 this past weekend against Indiana State as the Sycamores took the series from WSU at Wilkins Stadium. ISU swept the Shockers in the doubleheader on Sat., April 2 as the Shocks lost the games 9-3 and 7-3. The Shockers bounced back on Sunday and scored 10 runs on 11 hits to mercy the Sycamores and save them from a series sweep. The Shockers hit 3 home runs and scored six runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to run-rule the Sycamores. Six different Shocks picked up at least one hit in the game. They were led by Kiersten Dixon who went 3-for-4 at the plate with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. Hayley Temple was 2-for-3 with a home run, four RBI, and a run scored. Wichita State is now 9-24 on the season and 2-6 in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Going Yard: Wichita State went into the series against Indiana State with 15 home runs on the season. They hit a third of that total (5) against the Sycamores on the weekend to increase that total to 20 on the season. Hayley Temple, Rachel Milnark, and Sammie Shook each had one home run and Kiersten Dixon hit two on the weekend. Dixon's home runs were number three and four on the year for her. She now has 17 career home runs as a Shocker. It was Milnark's second of her career and Shook and Temple's third on the season and sixth of their careers.
Heart of the Lineup: Heather Gerritse, Jamie Hull, and Hayley Temple have been a dangerous threat at the heart of the Shocker lineup all season. Gerritse (.340), Hull (.330), and Temple (.340) are the only Shockers currently hitting over .300 on the season. They combine for 96 hits, 40 runs, 25 doubles, eight home runs, and 50 RBI on the season.
On Deck: The Wichita State softball team returns home for another weekend of Missouri Valley Conference action as they host the Bulldogs of Drake for a three-game series. The Shocks host a double-header with the currently undefeated in MVC play, Drake Bulldogs, on Sat., April 9 starting at 12:00 p.m. The two teams will wrap up the three-game set on Sun., April 10 at 12:00 p.m. It will be the third consecutive weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play at Wilkins Stadium for the Shockers. Wichita State split the series with Illinois State back on March 26th and dropped the series to Indiana State on April 2nd-3rd.
Shockers Host the Sycamores: Wichita State hosts its second weekend of Conference action in two weeks as the Shockers welcome the Sycamores of Indiana State to Wilkins Stadium for a three-game series this weekend. The Shocks and Trees open up the month of April with a double-header on Sat., April 2 at 12:00 p.m. They will wrap up the three-game set on Sun., April 3 at 12:00 p.m.
Wichita State leads the series against Indiana State with an all-time record of 45-27 and an impressive 24-11 record against the Sycamores at home. The Shockers are 8-8 against ISU in the Mike Perniciaro era. WSU travelled to Terre Haute, Ind. for a three-game series last season. Indiana State won the series, 2-1, and won the last meeting by the score of 1-0. The Shockers are 4-2 against the Sycamores at home in the Perniciaro era.
The last three games between the Shockers and the Sycamores have been decided by two runs or less.
Scouting Indiana State: Indiana State comes into the weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play with a 9-14 overall record. The Sycamores are looking for their first conference win of the season as they are 0-5 in Valley play. They dropped three games on the road at Drake and two at home versus Missouri State earlier in the season.
Indiana State is led offensively by freshman outfielder Alex Baumgart who has a team leading .400 batting average and a team leading 20 hits and 11 runs scored with four RBI's.
A Look at the Valley: Both Illinois State and Drake have yet to lose a conference game this season as SIU is 3-0 and Drake, 4-0, in MVC play. Missouri State (4-1), Illinois State (3-1), and Creighton (2-1) each have one loss in the Valley. Northern Iowa sits in fifth place above Creighton with a 4-2 record. Both Wichita State and Evansville each have one win as Indiana State and Bradley are looking for their first conference win of the season.
Shocks in Valley Play: Sophomore Hayley Temple leads the Shockers' offense in Valley play with a .357 batting average. She has five hits and one double in 14 at bats in the Shockers' first five conference games of the year. Heather Gerritse is batting .286 with four hits in 14 at bats. Danika Miller leads WSU with two runs scored and Kiersten Dixon leads with two RBI. Freshman pitcher, Sloan Anderson, has the lone win for the Wichita State pitching staff. She has a 3.10 ERA in five appearances and one start. Anderson leads the staff with 16 strikeouts.
Double Time: Wichita State (8-22, 1-4) currently ranks 15th out of 300 NCAA Divison I teams in doubles per game. The Shockers are averaging 1.67 doubles and Hayley Temple ranks 49th in the country with .33 doubles per game.
Shocks Upset Illinois State: The Shockers split the series with Illinois State, 1-1, after the third game of the set was cancelled due to cold temperatures. Wichita State picked up its first conference win of the season, while handing preseason favorite, Illinois State, its first conference loss of the season. The Shockers snapped a four game losing streak against Illinois State by scoring two runs in the seventh inning in a come-from-behind thrilling, 4-3, win over the Redbirds. The Shocks dropped the second game of the doubleheader, 10-1.
Gerritse the Great: Senior Heather Gerritse led the Shockers to a 2-1 record last week with a .625 batting average. Gerritse went 5-for-8 at the plate with a double, a home run, four RBI, and a run scored. She had a 1.125 slugging percentage and .625 on base percentage. She was perfect behind the plate with 18 putouts and no errors. Gerritse led the Shocks against Western Illinois by going 2-for-3 at the plate with a home run. She was 3-for-5 in the series against the Redbirds and had at least one hit in all three games this past week.
Senior Trio: The Shockers are led by a senior of trios in Heather Gerritse, Jamie Hull, and Kiersten Dixon. Together they combine for 78 of the team's hits, including 21 of the 50 doubles, two of the three triples, and seven of the 15 home runs. The trio accounts for 41 percent of the runs batted in as they combine for 41 of the team's 99 RBI.
Home Conference Opener: The Wichita State softball team comes home to Wilkins Stadium after a four game road swing over spring break at Southern Illinois and Western Illinois. The Shocks are hosting their first weekend of Missouri Valley Conference play in Wichita as they welcome Illinois State for a three-game series at Wilkins Stadium. WSU is 4-1 in home conference openers under the direction of head coach Mike Perniciaro.
Scouting Illinois State: Illinois State has the edge on Wichita State, as the Shockers have a 16-57 all-time record against the Redbirds. The Shocks are 5-10 against ISU in the Mike Perniciaro era. Last season, WSU traveled to Normal, Ill. to take on the Redbirds and went 0-2 on the road to lose the series. They lost the two games by the score of 9-1 and 10-2. The Redbirds went 32-20 one year ago and finished 19-5 in the Missouri Valley Conference, which was good enough for a second play finish in the regular season. Illinois State went on to win the MVC tournament and made a trip to the NCAA regionals. ISU returns six position starters and three pitchers from the 2010 squad. Illinois State is 15-10 overall and 2-0 in the Valley coming into the weekend at Wilkins Stadium. They opened up conference play at home against Bradley and swept the series against the Braves last weekend. The Redbirds are looking for their first road wins of the season as they are 0-5 on the year away from Normal, Ill.
Shocks Face Back-to-Back #1's: The Shockers open up the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference season with back-to-back weekends of competition against the preseason favorites to win the Valley. With 94 votes each, both Southern Illinois and Illinois State were picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, which is voted on by the league's coaches. WSU dropped three games to the Salukis as they fell to 0-3 in conference play last weekend, but they look to bounce back as they welcome the Redbirds to Wilkins Stadium for a three-game series.
Shockers Snap Losing Streak: The Shockers snapped a 10-game losing streak and picked up their first road win of the season by knocking off Western Illinois, 18-11, Wednesday evening. Heading into the game against the Leathernecks, the Shocks had l0st 10-straight and were 0-5 in road games.
Going Yard: The Shocks went into the game against the Leathernecks with 11 home runs on the season. They jumped that total up to 14 with three home runs against WIU on March 23. Heather Gerritse hit her second on the season and freshman Rachel Milnark and junior Hilary Fort both hit their first career home run in a Wichita State uniform.
Gerritse the Great: Heather Gerritse is second on the team, behind Jamie Hull, with a .316 batting average. Gerritse has 25 hits, five doubles, two home runs, 13 RBI, and six runs scored in 79 at bats this season. She is perfect behind the plate with 144 putouts and 8 assists in 152 chances, which is good for a 1.000 fielding percentage. Gerritse went 2-for-3 with four RBI, a double, and home run in the win against Western Illinois on March 23.
Hully Continues to Shine: Jamie Hull continues to live up to her preseason all-conference honor as she leads the Shocks in nine different offensive categories and three defensive categories. Hull leads the Shocks with a .347 batting average, .573 slugging percentage, .473 on base percentage, 26 hits, 15 runs scored, 17 RBI, three home runs, 43 total bases, and 18 walks. Hull went 2-for-2 with one RBI, two doubles, and two runs scored in the win against Western Illinois on March 23.
Career Day: It was a career day for a few of the Shocker underclassmen on March 23 in the 18-11 win over Western Illinois. Freshman Rachel Milnark hit her first career home run as a Shocker. She finished the game 3-for-5 at the plate with two RBI and four runs scored. Milnark tied her career high of three hits in a game, but set a new career high with four runs scored. Danika Miller went 2-for-5 with four RBI, a triple, and a run scored. It was Miller's first triple of her career and a career high four RBI in one game. Hilary Fort also hit her first career home run as a Shocker as she went 1-for-2 at the plate with three RBI and a run scored.
Season High Performance: Wichita State set season highs in the 18-11 win over Western Illinois on March 23 with 18 runs scored, 17 RBI, and 14 hits.
A Look at 2011: The Wichita State softball team returns eleven players, including five starters and two pitchers, from a squad that went 22-31 overall and 10-14 to finish seventh in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2010. Amongst the starters returning are senior catcher Heather Gerritse and senior first baseman Jamie Hull. Both Hull and Gerritse were named all-MVC second team in 2010. Gerritse was a first team selection back in 2009.
Hull Honored: After being named second team all-MVC and honorable mention scholar-athlete last season, Valley coaches tabbed first baseman Jamie Hull as a pre-season all-MVC selection in 2011.
Offense Returns: Wichita State returns its top three players in terms of batting averages from last season in Heather Gerritse (.298), Jamie Hull (.293), and Kiersten Dixon (.270). The trio also had the highest slugging percentages, hits, runs batted in, and home runs.
Shockers Picked Eighth: With 36 votes, Wichita State was picked eigth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll. Last season, the Shockers (22-31, 10-14) finished seventh in the league.
Perniciaro Signs Five: Sixth-year softball head coach Mike Perniciaro has announced the signing of five student athletes to National-Letters-of-Intent to play softball at Wichita State. Brianne Bond, Layne Greenlee, Kaitlyn Carey, Melanie Jaegers, and Sydney Stuever will all join the program for the 2012 season.
Brianne Bond: A 5'6 infielder from Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Mo. In 2010, Bond batted .467 for the Bruins with 46 hits, 30 RBIs, 13 doubles and four homeruns. For her efforts, Bond was named the team's most valuable player and first team all-district. As a senior, Bond helped the Bruins to a district and sectional championship. Throughout her four seasons at Rock Bridge High School, Bond had a career batting average of .396 with 132 hits, 30 doubles, and 53 RBIs. Bond has a 3.7 grade point average and hopes to become a physician's assistant.
Kaitlyn Carey: A 5'3 outfielder from Bishop Carroll High School in Wichita, Kan. Carey batted .520 for the Golden Eagles last season with a .788 slugging percentage and seven stolen bases. She led the Golden Eagles, 20-5, to a regional championship and a second place finish at the state tournament. For her efforts, she was named second team all-city. Her sophomore season, she helped Bishop Carroll to a regional championship and a fourth place finish at the state tournament. Carey has a 3.4 grade point average and plans on majoring in biology.
Layne Greenlee: A 5'3 utility player from Guyer High School in Denton, Texas. As a sophomore, Greenlee was honored as the 2009 Offensive Player of the Year for District 5-4A. That same season she was also named first team all-district 5-4A. Greenlee helped her high school team to a 4A District 5-4A championship in 2010. For her efforts, she was named first team all-district 5-4A for the second consecutive season. Greenlee has a 3.4 grade point average and plans on majoring in business management at Wichita State University. Greenlee is a two-time All-Academic Award winner and was named Denton ISD Varsity Scholar Athlete.
Melanie Jaegers: A 5'9 catcher/first baseman from Horn High School in Mesquite, Texas. Jaegers batted .364 with an on base percentage of .480 for the Jaguars. Jaegers is a two-time all-district honoree. Jaegers helped lead the Jaguars to back-to-back undefeated district championships in her sophomore and junior seasons, also finishing both seasons as a regional semifinalist. Jaegers has a perfect 4.0 grade point average and plans to major in pre-med at Wichita State.
Sydney Stuever: A 5'8 outfielder from Andale High School in Andale, Kan. Stuever has helped the Andale Indians to an overall record of 72-3 in the past three seasons. Stuever's had a stellar high school career, helping her team win three straight league and regional championships. She helped her team to state championships in both 2008 and 2010, and were state runner-ups in 2009. Last season, as a junior, Stuever batted .509 with 44 hits, 27 RBIs, and 36 runs scored. Stuever is a two-time all-metro selection, three-time all-league selection, and two-time all-state selection. She has a 3.0 grade point average and plans on majoring in communication at Wichita State.
-Wichita State-
