Thursday, April 17
Tulsa, Okla.
4:00 p.m.
Tulsa
vs
Wichita State
Photo by: Joshua Rogers
Tulsa Softball Hosts Wichita State
4/17/2025 1:02:00 PM | Softball
TULSA, Okla. – The University of Tulsa softball team (18-24, 6-12 The American) hosts the Wichita State Shockers (21-20-1, 9-8-1 The American) in another weather-affected weekend series. With incoming storms this weekend and the Easter Holiday, Tulsa and Wichita State will play a Thursday doubleheader at 4:00 and 6:30 p.m. before finishing the series on Friday at 5 p.m.
WEEK SCHEDULE
Collins Family Softball Complex
Thursday, April 17 at 4:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
Thursday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
Friday, April 18 at 5:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Bruce Howard will do the broadcast in game one alongside Haley Meinen. Brandon Hart and Meinen will bring fans the action in the other two games. Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
PROMOTIONS
To replace the Easter Egg Hunt this year, Easter Eggs with candy will be placed throughout the Collins Family Softball Complex for young fans to find. They can be found during any of the three games against the Shockers.
Friday: Friday is Mental Health Awareness Day! There will be 100 free Tulsa softball stress balls for attending fans.
TULSA vs. THE SHOCKERS
WICHITA STATE – The Shockers and Golden Hurricane have met 69 previous times leading up to this series. Wichita State holds a 39-30 advantage in the series, which includes last season's second round of The American Championship, where the Shockers won 11-9.
Wichita State has dropped two straight heading into the series. After winning last weekend's series with ECU, the Shockers were denied a sweep in a Sunday loss. On the way to Tulsa, Wichita State stopped for a Tuesday night battle in Stillwater, falling 10-2 in five innings to No. 21/22 Oklahoma State.
Lauren Lucas leads the team with a .398 batting average. She is one of four Shockers to hit above .300 this season. Taylor Sedlacek is also of those hitters, also leading the team with 11 home runs and 31 driven in, one more than Lucas. In the circle, the Shockers use a rotation of four pitchers. Ryley Nihart is the team's number one, holding a 3.01 ERA in 26 appearances and 14 starts. In a team-leading 86.0 innings of work, Nihart has allowed 37 runs and struck out 53 while holding opponents to a .238 average against her.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Golden Hurricane is 18-24, 6-12 in The American, heading into this weekend's series with Wichita State. The Golden Hurricane has now lost four straight conference series and have been swept in back-to-back weeks, part of an eight-game losing streak.
Maci Cole has upped her batting average to a team-best .336. She's now driven in 25 runs, second to Celeste Wood's 29. Her eight home runs paces the Hurricane, and she leads the Hurricane in slugging percentage, .629, on-base percentage, .487, and walks, 30.
As a team, TU is batting .246 with 39 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs and 150 driven in. Tulsa collectively holds a .345 on-base percentage and .357 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 3.91 ERA is the team low. She holds a 12-12 record with nine complete games and two shutouts. In 121.2 innings of work, Moore has struck out 77 batters. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples have picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 66.2 and 62.1, respectively. Hopkins holds a 5.36 ERA with 48 strikeouts, while Maples has struck out 34 batters and has a 6.63 ERA.
LAST WEEK FOR TULSA
The Golden Hurricane was swept in conference play for the second consecutive week, dropping all three games at South Florida.
On Friday, The Golden Hurricane held a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning, where South Florida scored five to take control of a 6-1 win. Saturday was more of the same as Tulsa scored just a single run in a 5-1 loss. The Bulls were held scoreless into the fourth again, this time scoring three before adding the other two runs in the fifth. Sunday's finale saw the Bulls score the game's first six runs before Tulsa halved the deficit with a three-run fifth. It wasn't enough as South Florida completed the sweep with a 6-3 win.
COLE'S HITTING STREAK REACHES 14
Senior shortstop Maci Cole has been red hot at the plate, collecting a 14-game hitting streak dating back to the second game of a doubleheader with Western Carolina. During that stretch, she's slashing .512/.608/1.049 with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 16 driven in. Cole has also walked eight times, been hit by a pitch twice and struck out just once. The Broken Arrow native has a 19-game on-base streak to go with the hitting streak.
She's also been a constant on the defensive end with just one error, 28 putouts, 31 assists and a .983 fielding percentage.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood is batting .296 this season, second best on the team, and has the team lead with 29 RBIs. The first baseman, who is slugging .487, is second the team with 11 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole has featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and has recorded a team-leading 96 assists this season, which ranks third in the conference and 32nd in the NCAA. Her 2.29 assists per game is the second-best mark in The American and 46th in the nation.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole has drawn a team-leading 30 walks at the plate this season, which is tied to lead all batters in The American. Her 0.77 walks per game is tied for first in the league and 50th in the NCAA.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner has caught 15 runners attempting to steal, which is tied for the conference lead and ranks seventh nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, third on the team with a .270 batting average. She also has four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 driven in.
MAGNIFICENT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 121.2 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She the third in The American for innings pitched and 68th nationally. She leads the conference in games started (26) and tied for complete games (9), ranking 3rd and 86th in the NCAA, respectively.
ON DECK
Next week, the Golden Hurricane play a midweek matchup at Missouri State before heading south to San Antonio for a weekend The American series at UTSA. The three-game series will start on Friday and run through Sunday.
WEEK SCHEDULE
Collins Family Softball Complex
Thursday, April 17 at 4:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
Thursday, April 17 at 6:30 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
Friday, April 18 at 5:00 p.m. (CT) | Tulsa vs. Wichita State
HOW TO FOLLOW
All three games will air on ESPN+. Bruce Howard will do the broadcast in game one alongside Haley Meinen. Brandon Hart and Meinen will bring fans the action in the other two games. Fans can also follow the games at Tulsa.StatBroadcast.com.
PROMOTIONS
To replace the Easter Egg Hunt this year, Easter Eggs with candy will be placed throughout the Collins Family Softball Complex for young fans to find. They can be found during any of the three games against the Shockers.
Friday: Friday is Mental Health Awareness Day! There will be 100 free Tulsa softball stress balls for attending fans.
TULSA vs. THE SHOCKERS
WICHITA STATE – The Shockers and Golden Hurricane have met 69 previous times leading up to this series. Wichita State holds a 39-30 advantage in the series, which includes last season's second round of The American Championship, where the Shockers won 11-9.
Wichita State has dropped two straight heading into the series. After winning last weekend's series with ECU, the Shockers were denied a sweep in a Sunday loss. On the way to Tulsa, Wichita State stopped for a Tuesday night battle in Stillwater, falling 10-2 in five innings to No. 21/22 Oklahoma State.
Lauren Lucas leads the team with a .398 batting average. She is one of four Shockers to hit above .300 this season. Taylor Sedlacek is also of those hitters, also leading the team with 11 home runs and 31 driven in, one more than Lucas. In the circle, the Shockers use a rotation of four pitchers. Ryley Nihart is the team's number one, holding a 3.01 ERA in 26 appearances and 14 starts. In a team-leading 86.0 innings of work, Nihart has allowed 37 runs and struck out 53 while holding opponents to a .238 average against her.
THE SEASON SO FAR
The Golden Hurricane is 18-24, 6-12 in The American, heading into this weekend's series with Wichita State. The Golden Hurricane has now lost four straight conference series and have been swept in back-to-back weeks, part of an eight-game losing streak.
Maci Cole has upped her batting average to a team-best .336. She's now driven in 25 runs, second to Celeste Wood's 29. Her eight home runs paces the Hurricane, and she leads the Hurricane in slugging percentage, .629, on-base percentage, .487, and walks, 30.
As a team, TU is batting .246 with 39 doubles, five triples, 22 home runs and 150 driven in. Tulsa collectively holds a .345 on-base percentage and .357 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Maura Moore's 3.91 ERA is the team low. She holds a 12-12 record with nine complete games and two shutouts. In 121.2 innings of work, Moore has struck out 77 batters. Alexa Hopkins and Brinly Maples have picked up the majority of the rest of the innings, tossing 66.2 and 62.1, respectively. Hopkins holds a 5.36 ERA with 48 strikeouts, while Maples has struck out 34 batters and has a 6.63 ERA.
LAST WEEK FOR TULSA
The Golden Hurricane was swept in conference play for the second consecutive week, dropping all three games at South Florida.
On Friday, The Golden Hurricane held a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning, where South Florida scored five to take control of a 6-1 win. Saturday was more of the same as Tulsa scored just a single run in a 5-1 loss. The Bulls were held scoreless into the fourth again, this time scoring three before adding the other two runs in the fifth. Sunday's finale saw the Bulls score the game's first six runs before Tulsa halved the deficit with a three-run fifth. It wasn't enough as South Florida completed the sweep with a 6-3 win.
COLE'S HITTING STREAK REACHES 14
Senior shortstop Maci Cole has been red hot at the plate, collecting a 14-game hitting streak dating back to the second game of a doubleheader with Western Carolina. During that stretch, she's slashing .512/.608/1.049 with five doubles, a triple, five home runs and 16 driven in. Cole has also walked eight times, been hit by a pitch twice and struck out just once. The Broken Arrow native has a 19-game on-base streak to go with the hitting streak.
She's also been a constant on the defensive end with just one error, 28 putouts, 31 assists and a .983 fielding percentage.
WOOD DRIVES THEM HOME
Senior Celeste Wood is batting .296 this season, second best on the team, and has the team lead with 29 RBIs. The first baseman, who is slugging .487, is second the team with 11 extra-base hits, hitting five doubles, a triple and five home runs.
FLASHING THE LEATHER
Maci Cole has featured at the shortstop for the majority of the season while also playing games at third base, making 10 starts at the hot corner while Claira Skaggs has been injured. She has since moved back to short and has recorded a team-leading 96 assists this season, which ranks third in the conference and 32nd in the NCAA. Her 2.29 assists per game is the second-best mark in The American and 46th in the nation.
COLE TAKES A WALK
Senior infielder Maci Cole has drawn a team-leading 30 walks at the plate this season, which is tied to lead all batters in The American. Her 0.77 walks per game is tied for first in the league and 50th in the NCAA.
DON'T RUN ON AMBER
Freshman Amber Turner is already showing off her talent behind the plate early in her Tulsa career. Turner has caught 15 runners attempting to steal, which is tied for the conference lead and ranks seventh nationally. The catcher is also showing off her skills with the bat, third on the team with a .270 batting average. She also has four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 17 driven in.
MAGNIFICENT MAURA
Senior pitcher Maura Moore has been busy, throwing 121.2 innings, almost half of Tulsa's innings for the season and the most by any Tulsa pitcher. She the third in The American for innings pitched and 68th nationally. She leads the conference in games started (26) and tied for complete games (9), ranking 3rd and 86th in the NCAA, respectively.
ON DECK
Next week, the Golden Hurricane play a midweek matchup at Missouri State before heading south to San Antonio for a weekend The American series at UTSA. The three-game series will start on Friday and run through Sunday.
Players Mentioned
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