Shockers shut out Salukis

Zach Lewis briefly smiled at the thought of soon pitching a complete game, a term for which he is beginning to change the meaning.

Lewis, a Wichita State senior right-hander, hasn’t finished any of his last four stellar starts for the Shockers. But there hasn’t been much missing from those performances.

Lewis completed seven innings for the fourth straight outing as WSU defeated Southern Illinois 7-0 in its Missouri Valley Conference opener on Friday night at Eck Stadium. Over his last four starts, dating to March 19 at Cal Poly, Lewis has pitched 28innings and allowed three runs.

No runs have crossed the plate against Lewis in three of those starts, including Friday’s, when Lewis gave the Shockers (15-14, 1-0 MVC) a jump start on their final Valley season.

“I’ve been sticking to the process with (pitching coach Mike Steele),” Lewis said. “He’s really gotten me to this point, just getting after it every day, staying in the same routine, working out all the little things. That’s what’s brought me here, the routine that we’ve been in.”

Friday starts have become routine for Lewis, who has emerged as the Shockers’ ace and solidified a weekend rotation that faced multiple questions two weeks ago. Lewis earned the Friday slot ahead of Tommy Barnhouse and Cody Tyler by pitching seven innings and allowing three hard-luck runs against Texas Tech two weeks ago.

He has owned that spot ever since, with seven scoreless innings against Valparaiso preceding Friday’s outing. Lewis has struck out 24 with seven walks and 16 hits allowed in the last month. His ERA has dropped from 6.75 to 2.70.

“He’s been consistent, but his effort to work is every day,” WSU coach Todd Butler said. “Coach Steele really works those pitchers, has a great plan for them, and Zach Lewis believes in the plan. They work together to call pitches and (Lewis) locating the pitches, which he did tonight. He was really effective.”

Lewis had plenty of support as WSU topped five runs for the first time in the last 13 games and got home runs from infielders Alec Bohm and Jordan Boyer.

Bohm’s home run, a two-run shot, started the scoring in WSU’s five-run third inning. Four more hits followed, including RBI doubles from Alex Jackson and Trey Vickers before Noah Croft capped the scoring with a run-scoring single.

Croft, a freshman catcher, went 2 for 2 with a walk, an RBI and a run scored.

“It’s huge, especially to start conference,” Croft said. “It’s a good team win. … I’m feeling a lot more comfortable. At the beginning, I was a little shaky, but I’m right in there now and I’m ready to go.”

Boyer’s home run followed Croft’s sixth-inning single, giving WSU its best output since a 10-4 win over Northern Colorado on March 15.

SIU had two pitchers on the preseason all-Valley team, including Friday’s starter Chad Whitmer, but the Shockers’ pitching dominated the opener while the offense made it a complete performance.

“His location was fantastic tonight,” Butler said of Lewis. “He’s been really good. He’s been good for a while, that’s why he has pitched on Friday. He’s been very tough. He’s a competitor at the highest level.”

This story was originally published April 7, 2017 at 9:46 PM with the headline "Shockers shut out Salukis."