“Delta Dawn, what’s that flower you have on? Could it be a faded rose from days gone by?”

That Tanya Tucker twang gave senior catcher Max Kaufer all the necessary juice as it trickled throughout Gene Stephenson Park before his at bats.

“Delta Dawn” caused the Medford, N.J. native on Wichita State’s baseball team to not settle for a single, double or triple Friday against Northern Colorado at Eck Stadium. He instead hit not one, but two big bops en route to an 11-4 season-opening win that began a four-game series at home this weekend.

“When I’m walking up and I hear ‘Delta Dawn,’ it calms me, but it gives me juice at the same time,” Kaufer said. “Tanya Tucker, man, she’s the man.”

A 2-4 night at the plate couldn’t have come at a better time for Kaufer either. Just a day before the Shockers’ first pitch, his sister, Sofia, celebrated her birthday. Mindy Kaufer, his mother, will celebrate hers in just a few days as well.

“Part of the reason I play so hard is for them,” Max said.

Familial celebrations and the sway of “Delta Dawn” were all he needed in the second and sixth innings.

His first at bat? A two-run home run in the bottom of the second that broke open a 3-1 lead. 

His third at bat? A solo shot to the same spot in left field during the sixth that put Wichita State (1-0) ahead 9-2. 

And they didn’t just barely fly over the fence. Both bombs breached more than 380 feet.

When asked about coming out of the eight-hole in the lineup, though? That didn’t matter to Kaufer.

“Just stay authentic to who you are and whatever the game tells you to do in the moment, that’s what you do,” he said. “The lineup’s only the lineup for the first inning. Then you’re hitting fourth, you’re hitting second. I don’t really believe in ‘oh, you’re the two-hole,’ because you’re probably only there one time.”

For Brian Green, Kaufer’s night was as rewarding for the Shockers’ head coach as it was for the South Carolina transfer. 

Since Kaufer arrived in the fall, the coaching staff has worked with him on loading his legs, getting into an earlier back slide and controlling his stride to add dimensions in the batter’s box. The hours committed to the fine-tuning are finally showing against players not in WSU’s black and yellow.

“That’s the best,” Green said, “when you work with kids, and you’re in it with them and they make adjustments. When you see them have success, there’s nothing better because in today’s day and age, it’s hard to get players to trust you on making changes. … Doesn’t mean he’s Superman right now, but I was really happy for him because he’s a hard worker and it matters a lot to him.”

While Kaufer hit homers in the eight-hole, he wasn’t the only player to make noise from the bottom of the lineup. Junior Zeb Henry also brought valuable production in being able to turn it over in the nine spot.

Grabbing a snack or going to the bathroom may be a bad idea when those two are eighth and ninth in the batting order.

Henry, who didn’t record a hit, didn’t need to. 

He walked thrice and reached home as many times. Henry used his speed at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds to steal two bases and even put the Shockers ahead 4-1 after Kaufer’s two-run shot when a throwing error allowed him to score from second base.

“Every time I get on base, I’m trying to go. I’m trying to steal,” Henry said. “Whether that’s at the plate and I can drop a bunt down or hit something up the middle … and try to beat it out. I’m always looking for an extra base.”

It was a change of pace that complemented Kaufer’s pop at the plate.

“Max is going to be really aggressive. He gets the balls up, he’s going and we love that. That’s his role,” Green said. “Zeb’s role is the exact opposite. Zeb’s role is to turn the lineup over. Get on base for those guys and be a threat over there.”

Henry’s quickness didn’t just show up on the base path. He showcased it in the infield, too.

At second base, he tracked a hard-hit ball to the right side of the infield during the top of the fifth, flipped it to graduate student Alex Ulloa at shortstop for one out, who then rifled it to junior MJ Sweeney at first for a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning. 

In the top of the sixth, Henry had to track a ball even farther into the outfield and fired one to Sweeney, who used his 6-foot-8 frame to stretch for the second out of the inning.

For just the first game of the season, Henry and Kaufer’s play at the bottom of the order was an encouraging sign of the depth this year’s team has. 

“A lot of balance in that lineup,” Green said. “And there’s still a couple more guys that didn’t get on the field today that need to be out there.”

The series continues Saturday (today) at 4:05 p.m.