WSU releases its 2018 baseball schedule

The 2018 Wichita State baseball schedule was announced on Friday, as the Shockers will play a total of 17 games against NCAA Tournament teams from last season.

WSU coach Todd Butler was excited about the move to the American Athletic Conference, which he noted would give WSU fans a chance to see four projected first-round picks in this summer’s MLB Draft in South Florida pitcher Shane McClanahan, Connecticut pitcher Tim Cate, and WSU’s pair of third baseman Alec Bohm and outfielder Greyson Jenista.

“The 2018 Shocker Baseball schedule will be one of the most challenging in the history of the program with the change to the American Athletic Conference, which was the No. 4 ranked conference in college baseball in 2017,” Butler said in a press release. “The Shockers will now travel south to states such as Texas, Louisiana, Florida, Tennessee, North Carolina, and northeast to Connecticut and Ohio. One of the advantages of the American Athletic Conference will be the high ranking RPI and strength of schedules throughout the league.”

Wichita State will open the season with a three-game series against Butler’s former team, McNeese State, in Lake Charles, La. from Feb. 16-18.

Other notable non-conference events include a three-game series at Nebraska from March 2-4, a home-and-away with Oral Roberts, a trip to Columbia to face Missouri for the first time since 2001, a three-game series with former Missouri Valley rival Creighton from March 16-18, a home game against Oklahoma on March 20, and a home-and-away with Oklahoma State.

The Shockers will open up American play with a three-game series against East Carolina on the road from March 29-31. The top eight teams from the regular season will advance to the conference tournament in Clearwater, Fla. from May 22-27.

WSU is looking to snap its string of three straight losing seasons after finishing with a 28-30 record last season.

Season tickets for the 32 home games are available at GoShockers.com or by calling the WSU ticket office at 316-978-3267.

This story was originally published December 8, 2017 at 1:04 PM with the headline "WSU releases its 2018 baseball schedule."