Good morning! There’s a new number one in town, and we couldn’t be more excited. Shoutout to Sydney McKinney for making her dream a reality in becoming a professional softball player. Scroll down (but not too fast) to learn more about how it all happened.

What else are we tossing into today’s Brew?

👟 Bounding Success
🎾 All-Around Athletes
​🌾 And much, much more!

📈 STOCK UP

🔼 Moving Ahead. After a bit of a rain delay, a little baseball finally got up and running at Eck Stadium as the Shockers squared up against Oral Roberts in their mid-week matchup.

Things got off to a fast start with Chuck Ingram scoring on a sacrifice fly to put the Shockers up one after the first inning. Defense is what kept this game close, with WSU coming up with a couple of clutch double plays and a huge out from Jordan Rogers throwing out a runner at third from the outfield. But ORU scored one in the fourth and two in the sixth inning to put them in the lead.

Ultimately, the offense couldn’t come up with the answers as the Shockers fell at home 4-1 to the No. 16 team in the nation. Now, it’s time to put that loss behind us and focus on the AAC matchup this coming weekend as South Florida makes their way to Wichita for the penultimate series of the regular season.

🔼 All-Around Athletes. They say three’s company, and in the case of WSU’s women’s tennis team, they would be correct. Harriet Hamilton, LingWei Kong, and Natsumi Kurahashi were named to the first-ever CSC Academic All-District Women’s Tennis Team.

To qualify for the honor, a student-athlete must have achieved a 3.50 or more cumulative GPA and been active members in their surrounding community. Each Shocker honoree met those requirements with each serving 15+ hours within the Wichita community, and all achieving GPA’s above a 3.60. The CSC has sponsored teams since 1962, but this year is the first year that the organization has put together a list specific to tennis, making our Shockers among the first to receive the award.

🔼 Bounding Success. For the third time this season, junior Brady Palen earned the AAC’s Men’s Field Athlete of the Week award. He was given the award after his stellar performance at the Shocker Open.

Palen won the high jump event after clearing a distance of 2.15 meters (7’0.5”), clearing seven feet for a fourth time this season. He would go on to win the event by six and a half inches. The star athlete currently ranks second in the AAC, and ninth in the NCAA, in the high jump this season.

While awards are nice, Palen and the rest of the track and field team are hard at work prepping for the AAC Outdoor Championships this coming weekend. The junior is sure to display some more of that elite talent, and has a real chance at taking his event yet again.

🤔 SHOCKER TRIVIA

First Timer. Sydney McKinney deserves all the praise that she is getting for her play on the field. She has had a historic run these past couple years, and is the reason why she will pursue her professional softball career.

The question today—among all the accolades and awesome statistics, do you know how many times a player has lead the NCAA in both batting average and hits?

Think you got it? Scroll on down to the bottom of this email for the answer!

🌾 ONE BIG THING

Move over Bryce Young, there’s another No. 1 overall pick ready to shine in the big leagues, and her name is Sydney McKinney. McKinney became the first Shocker athlete to be drafted by Athletes Unlimited in WSU history after she was selected first overall in the 2023 Athletes Unlimited Softball College Draft.

The two-time (soon to be three-time) All-American certainly has the stats to back up a first overall pick with a nation-leading .527 batting average and 96 hits. The AUX Softball League will make its 2023 debut later this summer in Rosemont, IL where teams change by the game, and captains decide the teams in a draft-style format.

“Playing professional softball has always been my dream and it is so surreal that it’s now a reality,” said McKinney after hearing her name called in the draft. “I couldn’t be more proud to represent them and Wichita State at the next level.” Learn more about AUX Softball and how you can watch Syd the Kid tear it up on the diamond beyond Wilkins Stadium.

📬 STICK WITH US

Did someone send you the Shocker Brew? Well, the first thing you should do is thank them. The next thing you should do is subscribe here and get it in your inbox every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday morning just in time for your first cup of coffee!

📅 THE DAYS AHEAD

Wednesday 5/10

No scheduled events

Thursday 5/11

No scheduled events

🎉 TRIVIA ANSWER

Answer: Zero times!

McKinney is on track to become the first person to ever lead the NCAA in batting average and hits in back-to-back seasons. The all-time Shockers leader in batting average, runs, runs scored, on base percentage, and total bases never ceases to amaze us.

Have a great Wednesday, y’all.