With injured starters back in the lineup, experienced position players and a new scoreboard in left field, WSU head coach Todd Butler has a lot to be excited about.

“We’re excited about this season,” Butler said. “We’ve got a number of good things going on in the park.”

Not many questions were asked after Butler addressed the media on Friday. Not many had to be asked. Butler has listened to the concerns from the past two seasons and addressed each of them, one by one like a checklist.

“The one thing about this team this year that stands out is the talent,” Butler said. “You have to have talent first. We’ve had two top 25 recruiting classes, which sounds good on paper, but you have to go out and play.”

Butler expressed the experience gained from last year’s schedule, paired with the experience from returners from last year’s injury list, is going to make a noticeable improvement.

“We have nine pitchers back from last year to (give us) the experience,” Butler said. ”We also have six starting position players returning.”

Right-handed pitcher Sam Tewes leads an experienced group of pitchers on the mound. Tewes is ranked No. 33 among college pitchers in the nation. He is also the projected MVC Pitcher of the Year according to Baseball America. 

“The next thing you need is depth,” Butler said. “Depth is the one thing we’ve really tried to approach in the recruiting the last two years.”

Injured starters debilitated Wichita State early on last season. Now with a deepened roster of 39 healthy players, injuries are a challenge Butler thinks he can beat. 

“Injuries will occur during the season,” Butler said. “Hopefully it’s the depth that will help us overcome the injury with another man stepping up.”

Stepping up the scheduling is one thing Butler and his staff have aggressively improved. This year the Shockers will compete against the nation’s top teams inside Eck Stadium.

“I think we have to see it to be it,” Butler said. “I want to play the best teams in our area and improve as the season goes.”

There will be no shortage of competition in Eck Stadium — the Shockers host home series games with Oklahoma State, Kansas, TCU and Cal Poly.  

Butler hopes to energize his players with 22 home games. It’s experience he hopes the team can carry with them. The Shockers travel to Cal State Fullerton, Nebraska, Kansas State and Oklahoma.

The early competition with experienced opponents is something Butler hopes the will carry the team through the Missouri Valley. 

The Shockers host four home conference series and play three on the road.  

“We need to take advantage of those home series,” Butler said. 

In conference play, Wichita State hosts Missouri State, Dallas Baptist, Bradley and Indiana State. The Shockers travel to Evansville, Illinois State and Southern Illinois.

With his offseason to-do list filled with checkmarks, Butler is focused on the season opener with Northern Colorado at 7 p.m. Friday at Eck Stadium.