How does Wichita State softball look for 2024 season? What’s to come for the Shockers

Filling out a lineup card won’t be as easy this season for Wichita State coach Kristi Bredbenner.

In recent seasons, WSU has been built around veteran players who were mainstays in the batting order. But graduation and injuries have changed that for this upcoming season, as Bredbenner will now have several decisions to make each game to try to pick between a host of young, inexperienced, but talented players.

The Shockers open the 2024 season at the Bearkat Classic in Huntsville, Texas with five games in three days beginning on Friday with a 10:30 a.m. game against Stephen F. Austin followed by a 3:30 p.m. game against Sam Houston. On Saturday, WSU plays SFA again at 3:30 p.m. and Sam Houston at 6 p.m. with the finale coming 10:30 a.m. Sunday against UNLV.

It’s an ideal season-opening tournament for WSU because the competition level — SFA (113), Sam Houston (145) and UNLV (180) all finished outside the top-100 RPI last season — is good enough to challenge a new-look roster, but not be overwhelming.

“This is probably the most (uncertain) lineup we’ve had in quite a while,” Bredbenner said. “There’s some potential for quite a bit of movement here in this first month of the season, as we figure out who we are as a team. A lot of that is going to come down to our youth and how they handle the pressure. We’re going to give everybody some opportunities to see what they can do and see what happens.”

WSU graduated three key hitters in Sydney McKinney, Zoe Jones and Lauren Mills from last season’s squad that won 44 games, the American Athletic Conference championship and earned an NCAA Regional berth. On top of that, WSU has lost All-American outfielder Lauren Lucas (arm) and potential starter Camryn Compton (knee) to season-ending injuries before the first pitch of the season.

Preseason All-American Addison Barnard headlines the returning core, as she will likely be joined in the starting lineup by fellow seniors Lainee Brown (catcher) and Bailey Urban (left field). Other lineup locks seem to be a pair of burgeoning star sophomores in Sami Hood, coming off an AAC Defensive Player of the Year campaign, and Taylor Sedlacek, a returning starter in the outfield.

Outside of that? First base, second base, third base and designated player are all up for grabs.

Graduate transfer C.C. Wong and junior Krystin Nelson appear to be in the lead to grab starting spots in the infield, while junior Caroline Tallent, senior Jessica Garcia and sophomore Siera Hoekstra are also in the mix. A deep freshmen class, which includes Sophie Johnson, Avery Barnard, Mila Seaton and Sydney Zenon, could push for immediate playing time.

“We know we don’t have the same level of experience and power in the lineup that we’ve had in previous years,” Bredbenner said. “We understand we might not get it right away, but it’s all about developing throughout the season and getting ourselves in a position where we’re playing consistently once conference play starts. We know we’re not going to play our best softball right off the bat, but are we learning and are we growing? What I’ve seen from October, November into January is growth and maturity and that’s really exciting. This season is a little bit of a rebuild for us, but I think our athletes are taking a really good mindset.”

The rest of the American would label this season as a reload rather than a rebuild for the Shockers, which received eight first-place votes and was deemed the preseason favorite to repeat as conference champions.

A big reason why is WSU’s pitching, which returns its entire staff from last season. Lauren Howell figures to once again be the staff’s ace, while sophomore Alex Aguilar had a standout debut season and lefty Alison Cooper gives WSU three experienced and proven options. Bredbenner said it wouldn’t be a surprise if true freshman Chloe Barber saw time in the circle right away.

Pitching could be the key to a successful season for the Shockers, especially early in the year. The team heads to the ultra-challenging Puerto Vallarta College Challenge next weekend, where WSU will face three top-25 teams in No. 5 Clemson, No. 19 Auburn and No. 23 South Carolina.

“You hope the pitchers are going to be able to build off their success from last season,” Bredbenner said. “We had one of the lowest staff ERA’s in program history and we want to repeat that. We play a really tough schedule, so we’re going to have to learn how to win those 4-2, 3-1, 2-0 ball games. We’ve been talking a lot offensively about how we can manufacture runs against high-quality pitching and it’s nice because I feel like we see high-quality pitching every day in practice, so that allows us to practice that mentality.”

Wichita State softball roster breakdown for 2024 season

Catcher: Senior Lainee Brown is back for her third year as the starting backstop for WSU with 94 career starts to her name. She added some pop last season with 18 extra-base hits and 21 RBI and is expected to handle the full workload again this season. WSU is extremely high on freshman Sophie Johnson, a highly-heralded recruit from Florida who is the heir apparent behind the plate.

First base: Expect a rotation between junior Caroline Tallent, senior Jessica Garcia and freshman Sydney Zenon. Garcia has the most experience with 126 career at-bats, including a 2022 season with five homers and 16 RBI, but rarely played last season. Tallent also has minimal experience with just 32 career at-bats, while Zenon is another talented-but-inexperienced freshman.

Second base: Junior Krystin Nelson is expected to shift from third base to second base to solidify WSU’s middle infield this season. She has 73 career starts to her name and hit .273 at the plate last season, but it’s her glove that will make her a fixture in WSU’s lineup this season. Sophomore Siera Hoekstra could see playing time sprinkled in throughout the season.

Shortstop: How does WSU replace its best player of all-time? With the 2023 AAC Defensive Player of the Year. Sophomore Sami Hood is a burgeoning star and the natural replacement to take over following the graduation of Sydney McKinney. She somewhat struggled at the plate in her debut season, hitting just .218, but did crank seven home runs and 30 RBI to go along with superb defense. All signs point toward a breakout season at the plate for the Allen, Texas product.

Third base: Graduate transfer C.C. Wong has emerged as the leader at the hot corner. Her production was tempered last season at Grand Canyon, but she hit .580 with 27 home runs and 91 RBI at McLennan Community College in 2022. She figures to return to her power-hitting ways in a program that has built a reputation on the long ball recently. Look for junior Krystin Nelson and senior Jessica Garcia to occasionally rotate in at third base this season.

Left field: Senior Bailey Urban is finally completely healthy and has locked down a starting spot in left field. She has started 92 games for WSU over the past four seasons with a .253 career batting average in 265 at-bats. Freshmen Avery Barnard and Mila Seaton could push for playing time at some point in the season.

Center field: With senior Lauren Lucas sidelined with a season-ending injury, senior Addison Barnard slides over to patrol center field. Barnard’s power is well-documented with 69 career home runs, WSU’s all-time leader. She has racked up the preseason accolades, being named a first-team All-American by Softball America and the No. 17 overall player in the country. After playing the majority of last season with a shoulder injury, Barnard is fully healthy and poised for one last special hitting season as a Shocker.

Right field: Sophomore Taylor Sedlacek is a returning starter who posted a .271 batting average and .368 on-base percentage with five home runs and 21 RBI in her debut season. Sedlacek is part of a promising young core on the roster who should start most games in the outfield. Freshmen Avery Barnard and Mila Seaton could also fill in here if WSU needs to move Sedlacek, a versatile defender, around the diamond.

Designated player: Expect a constant rotation in this slot, especially early in the season. Whoever doesn’t start at first base will be in the mix between junior Caroline Tallent, senior Jessica Garcia and freshman Sydney Zenon, while fellow freshmen like Avery Barnard and Mila Seaton could also push for immediate playing time.

Pitching: What has been a weakness for WSU in the past should be a team strength this season with the entire rotation back from last season. Senior Lauren Howell (18-4, 2.68 ERA) once again will serve as the team’s ace, while sophomore Alex Aguilar (15-4, 1.88 ERA) was a breakout star in her debut season and junior Alison Cooper (11-4, 3.04 ERA) gives WSU a good left-handed option. Bredbenner is also extremely high on freshman Chloe Barber, a 5-foot-11 right-hander from Lino Lakes, Minn. who could throw innings right away for WSU.