WSU baseball tries to keep bats hot against Central Arkansas

Wichita State baseball coach Todd Butler found a lineup that worked for one day, so he’ll probably give it a chance to work again.

The starting nine Butler drew up on Sunday produced 10 runs, matching the Shockers’ total from the previous six games combined, on 12 hits as WSU snapped a seven-game losing streak. WSU plays host to Central Arkansas on Tuesday.

The lineup was well-rounded and balanced, producing runs with the help of three bunt singles and four extra-base hits. The most productive portion was the top three, as third baseman Chase Rader, outfielder Daniel Kihle and catcher Ryan Tinkham totaled five hits, four runs and six RBIs.

“Everyone was healthy, so that’s kind of our lineup. There might be one or two changes depending on the pitcher,” Butler said Sunday.

Butler slotted Sam Hilliard, Jordan Farris and Zach Reding in the middle of the lineup with Willie Schwanke, Tanner Kirk and Mikel Mucha at the end. The final three batters were table-setters for the top of the lineup, with five hits and five runs.

Rader has gone from being in a run producing spot to batting leadoff, where he hit for the final two games against Central Michigan last weekend after returning from an inner-ear infection.

The 6-foot, 215-pound Rader doesn’t possess the dimensions of a prototypical leadoff hitter, but he fits the mold for other reasons.

“He could be our three-hole hitter or our four-hole hitter, but he hit leadoff in junior college,” Butler said. “He’s a great base runner. He has great instincts to steal, and he can really run for a big man, as strong and as big as he is.”

Rader swung at the first pitch often against CMU, not a make-or-break characteristic even for a spot that often depends on patience and selectivity.

“I’m a bigger leadoff hitter than normal guys,” Rader said. “Coach told me to be aggressive, and if I think that’s my pitch I’m going to swing at it. If not, if it’s a guy who’s known for struggling in the (strike) zone, I will work it. But I like to get the team going right away.”

Kihle and Tinkham seem well-fit for their roles. Kihle is a line-drive hitter adept at advancing runners, sometimes more than one base at a time, and Tinkham has mostly avoided the struggles of the rest of the lineup, hitting .357 with a team-best 10 RBIs.

“I like being in that position,” Tinkham said of his clutch hitting. “I think everybody on the team likes our offense. We want to be the guy, we want to be in that position. We’ve missed that timely hitting, but it was good that we got some timely hits (Sunday). Everybody contributed, one through nine.”

This story was originally published March 9, 2015 at 4:38 PM with the headline "WSU baseball tries to keep bats hot against Central Arkansas."