Arkansas transfer beats former team to deliver historic Wichita State softball home win
Lauren Howell admitted Tuesday night began with some nerves facing her former team, a top-10 powerhouse from the SEC, but there was never doubt she wanted the ball.
Her teammates on the Wichita State softball team knew how much the game meant to her after spending two years at Arkansas and never breaking through in the rotation.
Not only did Howell showcase her ability to her former team as the ace of the No. 23-ranked Shockers, but the Wichita State offense smacked three home runs and plated eight runs in the first inning to set the tone of a 10-2 walk-off, run-rule victory over No. 9-ranked Arkansas in front of a sell-out crowd at Wilkins Stadium.
“It does mean a little extra to me,” said Howell, who improved to 10-1 with a 1.77 earned run average this season with the No. 23-ranked Shockers. “I knew my team was going to fight really hard for me, so I had to give it my all. (Arkansas is) obviously a really great hitting team. I played with them, so I know them pretty well. I knew they were going to come out swinging, so I just had to trust my stuff and my team behind me.”
Howell limited a potent Arkansas lineup to just five hits in six innings, striking out four with one walk and two earned runs. In two years at Arkansas, the former top-50 recruit only threw 27-plus innings and only saw five innings last season before transferring.
Her heart was racing after giving up one run in the top of the first inning, but Howell said she was left in awe by what her offense did next.
Lauren Lucas hit a 3-run home run on the first pitch of an at bat to start the onslaught. After Zoe Jones reached with a single, Lauren Mills crushed a 2-run homer into the street over the left-field fence. And if that wasn’t enough, All-American Sydney McKinney delivered her second hit of the inning, this one a line-drive, 3-run home run that just cleared the center-field fence for an 8-1 lead.
“They came out firing and it was so awesome to watch,” Howell said. “I just settled in right after that. I was like, ‘Wow, this team is really ready to fight for me, so I have to fight for them on the mound.’”
The program record book is hazy on top-25 competition past the last decade, but it is believed to be the highest-ranked win at home in the program’s history — and certainly the best win at Wilkins Stadium under coach Kristi Bredbenner, edging out a 3-2 win over No. 11 Oklahoma State on April 27, 2021.
It is also the highest-ranked win, home or away, since the Shockers’ 9-2 win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater on March 18, 2021.
“This will be a good resume win (Arkansas was ranked No. 11 in RPI) at the end of the year,” Bredbenner said. “Anytime you can get a win over a top-15 team, that’s always going to be a bonus. I’m pretty sure we didn’t have a win in that category last year, so this is good for us.”
With Howell retiring 13 straight batters, the offense didn’t have to do too much the rest of the game. McKinney (3), Lucas (2) and Jones (2) all finished with multi-hit games, as the Shockers finished with 10 hits as a team and handed Arkansas starter Callie Turner (5-1) her first loss of the season.
Arkansas miscues led to the walk-off win in the bottom of the sixth inning, as a fielding error put Jones on base, then WSU loaded the bases with a walk from Taylor Sedlacek. The game ended in awkward fashion, as Lainee Brown hit a ground ball to the shortstop, who threw home for the force out, but the catcher wasn’t standing on home plate and Jones slid under the tag to complete the run-rule.
“If that wasn’t the definition of hitting being contagious, I don’t know what is,” Bredbenner said.
WSU is now afforded the opportunity, if it takes care of business this weekend in the Shocker Invitational featuring two games against Northern Colorado and a single game against Minnesota (No. 41 RPI) and South Dakota State, the team could potentially jump to its highest national ranking in school history.
“We’re going to take it one game at a time,” Bredbenner said. “We’ll enjoy this one, but we’ll get our minds straight. It doesn’t matter if it’s an SEC opponent, a Missouri Valley opponent or an AAC opponent, we treat everybody like they’re the best team we’re playing.”
WSU baseball notches mid-week win over Oklahoma
Behind a quality start from Caden Favors, the Shocker baseball team also picked up a nice home on Tuesday night in the form of a 6-2 victory over Oklahoma at Eck Stadium.
Favors improved to 2-1 this season by throwing five scoreless innings, working around three hits and three walks surrendered. Jace Miner closed out the game with the final 10 outs without allowing a run and striking out five.
WSU took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when Brock Rodden delivered a lead-off double, advanced on a sacrifice bunt from David Herring and scored on a RBI ground-out by Payton Tolle. WSU scored again on a passed ball. The lead grew to 4-0 in the fourth inning on a pair of RBI singles from Chuck Ingram and Herring.
OU trimmed the deficit to 4-2 in the sixth inning, but Miner silenced the Sooners (11-6) for the remainder of the game. The Shockers also tacked on two insurance runs on a moon shot from Ingram, a 2-run homer to cap off a 4-for-4 day at the plate with 3 RBI and a pair of stolen bases.
WSU (9-7) was slated to kick off a 3-game weekend series at Creighton (6-5), but the series has been shifted to Wichita due to projected freezing temperatures in Omaha this weekend. The Shockers and Bluejays will play at Eck Stadium at 1 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday. Admission is free for both games and both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
Shocker Softball Invitational schedule
Note: All WSU games will be streaming on ESPN+ with tickets available on GoShockers.com.
Friday’s schedule
South Dakota State vs. Northern Colorado, 11 a.m.
Minnesota vs. South Dakota State, 1:15 p.m.
WSU vs. Northern Colorado, 3:30
WSU vs. Minnesota, 5:45 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule
WSU vs. South Dakota State, 2:30 p.m.
Northern Colorado vs. South Dakota State, 4:45
Sunday’s schedule
WSU vs. Northern Colorado, 1:30 p.m.
