WICHITA, Kan. – Wichita State’s power surge through the American Athletic Conference Softball Championship continued Friday as the Shockers hit three home runs in a 12-2 win in five innings against top-seeded Florida Atlantic in a semifinal game at Wilkins Stadium.
The No. 4-seeded Shockers (28-21) advanced to the championship final of the tournament against No. 2-seeded Charlotte as Wichita State looks for its second American Athletic Conference title. Saturday’s championship game will be at noon ET/11 a.m. CT and will be televised on ESPN2.
Wichita State has outscored its three opponents in the 2024 championship 36-11. The Shockers have nine home runs and have hit .370 and slugged .822 in the tournament, defeating two of their three opponents via the eight-run rule.
Shocker centerfielder Addison Barnard once again led the way with a two-run home run in the first inning that gave her six home runs in the tournament and sole possession of fourth place on the NCAA’s career chart (93). Barnard hit three home runs in the Shockers’ tournament opener against UTSA and had two against Tulsa in the second round.
Bailey Urban and Krystin Nelson had three-run home runs in the third inning for the Shockers Friday as Wichita State broke open what had been a 4-1 game with seven runs in the third.
Jessica Garcia drove in two runs with a sacrifice fly in the second inning and an RBI double in the fourth to complete the scoring.
Chloe Barber (10-5) picked up the win in the circle for Wichita State, working three innings and allowing two earned runs with three walks and two strikeouts. Alison Cooper closed it out with two shutout innings.
Sami Hood went 3-for-4, while Urban was 2-for-4 for the Shockers, who had nine hits, including four for extra bases.
Florida Atlantic (41-14) scored single runs in the second and third innings and managed five hits with three doubles, but the Owls were unable to keep the Shockers’ lineup at bay. Starting pitcher Trinity Schlotterbeck took the loss after allowing four runs in two innings, falling to 16-6.
Saturday’s championship game will be the fourth meeting between Wichita State and Charlotte in the 2024 season. The 49ers won two of the first three matchups March 28-30. The 49ers will be looking for their first conference tournament title in program history, while the Shocker seek their fourth after winning the Missouri Valley crown in 1989 and 2016 and the American Athletic Conference championship in 2023.
The latest information on the 2024 American Softball Championship can be found on the conference’s Championship Central site.
2024 AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
May 8-11 | Wilkins Stadium | Wichita, Kansas
First Round – Wednesday, May 8
Game 1 No. 7 East Carolina 4, No. 6 UAB 0
Game 2 No. 3 North Texas 7, No. 10 Memphis 1
Game 3 No. 5 Tulsa 2, No. 8 South Florida 1
Game 4 No. 4 Wichita State 13, No. 9 UTSA 0 (five innings)
Second Round – Thursday, May 9
Game 5 North Texas 9, East Carolina 1
Game 6 Wichita State 11, Tulsa 9
Semifinals – Friday, May 10 | ESPN+
Game 7 No. 2 Charlotte 3, North Texas. 0
Game 8 Wichita State 12, No. 1 Florida Atlantic 2 (five innings)
Championship Game – Saturday, May 11 | ESPN2
Game 9 Wichita State (28-21) vs. Charlotte (37-16) Noon ET/11 a.m. CT
NCAA Division I Career Home Run Leaders (as of May 10, 2024)
| 122 | Jocelyn Alo | Oklahoma (2018-22) |
| 103 | Karli Spaid | Miami (Ohio) (2021-present) |
| 95 | Lauren Chamberlain | Oklahoma (2012-15) |
| 93 | Addison Barnard | Wichita State (2021-present) |
