Favors emerged into one of the nation’s more durable and consistent starters in his final season with Shockers. The southpaw finished the regular season with a record of 8-4 to go along with a 3.38 ERA over the course of 15 appearances and 14 starts. Favors ranks eighth nationally with 93.1 innings pitched and has racked up 95 strikeouts, just five away from becoming the first WSU pitcher to reach the century mark since 2011. With only 18 walks issued, the senior a 5.28:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that leads the conference and ranks 21st in the country. He is the only hurler in the AAC with multiple complete games and twice racked up double-digit punch outs.
LaPour has been a linchpin in the Wichita State rotation, going 5-3 with a 4.12 ERA over 14 starts in his debut campaign. Since the start of conference play, the right-hander has been one of the circuit’s most dominant arms, holding opponents to a .217 batting average and logging six starts with two earned runs or less. His 7.28 hits allowed per nine innings ranks third in the conference and he has conceded just a single hit in each of his last two starts. All told, LaPour has worked 67.2 innings with 64 strikeouts against 33 walks, twice fanning nine hitters in a start.
Johnson burst onto the scene as Wichita State’s leading hitter at .333 while also pacing the club with 55 starts, primarily at third base. He announced his presence with authority on opening weekend, going 4-for-6 with five RBI in his second collegiate game against Little Rock, one of 22 multi-hit games for the freshman. Johnson also delivered one of the season’s most iconic moments against Kansas on April 3, cranking a game-tying solo home run in the bottom of the eighth for his first career long ball. The Boerne, Texas native has racked up 13 doubles, one triple and two home runs, scoring 37 runs while knocking in 29 of his own.
Williams wields one of the conference’s most fearsome bats, hitting .326 with a team-high 14 home runs to go along with 13 doubles and 43 RBI. Over 49 starts and 55 games mostly in left field, the junior college transfer has authored an OPS of 1.060, drawing 19 walks and 17 hit by pitches to contribute to his offensive production. He homered in three consecutive games in early March, including a two-homer game against Utah Tech, then added a second multi-homer game against Tulane on April 26 in which he went 4-for-5. Williams added solid defense in left field to his resume and a perfect stolen base mark, swiping five bases in five attempts.
Dobbs has been Wichita State’s Swiss Army knife of the pitching staff, handling every role from left-on-left specialist to starter to long reliever. Over 21 appearances and nine starts, he has gone 6-4 with a 4.63 ERA in 56.1 innings of work, striking out 46 while walking 29. The southpaw has held opponents to a .237 batting average, highlighted by three dominant performances in which he allowed just one hit. He earned his first collegiate win against Oral Roberts with five innings of shutout relief, blanked Nebraska over five innings with six strikeouts, and carried a no-hitter into the seventh inning against Oklahoma State.
Haworth has been one of Wichita State’s most valuable players since the start of AAC action, going 2-for-4 in his first career start against UAB on March 23 and producing ever since. The freshman outfielder is hitting .310 with 10 doubles, one triple and three home runs, driving in 19 runs while scoring 21 through 32 games and 26 starts. He has compiled 10 multi-hit games, including a two-homer game on the road at UTSA and a four-hit game on the road at Memphis. Haworth has also quickly established a reputation as a clutch hitter, boasting a .333 batting average with two outs and driving in nearly half of his runs with two away.
The Shockers open the American Athletic Conference Tournament on Tuesday at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida. Wichita State is the number four seed and battles fifth-seeded UAB at 8:00 am CT.
