Wichita State baseball assistant coach Jim Thomas knew right away what stuck out to him the most when the Shockers’ scrimmage ended. So much so that all he could do was smile.

“Too many errors. We made too many mistakes defensively,” he said. “It was just one of those days where we weren’t getting to the ball like we should.”

One of those mistakes he saw was in the ninth inning. Albert Minnis threw to Casey Gillaspie at first base, attempting to pick-off Dayne Parker while Gillaspie moved in to fake charge on a bunt. The result, Minnis ended up throwing the ball from the mound toward the dugout while Parker advanced from first to third base.

“Obviously those two weren’t on the same page and that’s a mental mistake,” Thomas said.

The Black team defeated the Gold team 3-2 in the fifth game of their preseason scrimmage, but both teams committed a combined six errors.

Thomas was also unimpressed with some of offensive execution, something they want to improve on from last year.

“We didn’t swing the bat particularly well,” he said.

Part of the Shockers improving that offense is getting runners on base. The Shockers were sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference last year in on-base percentage.

Gene Stephenson and Jim Thomas will be sorting out the line-up, and will be looking for better production at the top of the order, like better at-bats, taking more pitches and extending the count.

“It’s huge, our one and two in the lineup are going to be pretty fast guys,” first baseman Johnny Coy said. “If they get on base and steal bags we can drive them home and put some runs on the board early.”

Gillaspie spent some playing in right field during a portion of the fall season. The coaching staff is using this time to see if he can be a viable option at right field during the regular season.

He doesn’t cover as much ground as the Shockers’ other speedy outfielders, such as Taylor Doggett, Mikel Mucha or Micah Green, but he has impressed with his throwing range and accuracy.

“His arm strength has gotten a lot better and his arm is a lot better and in drills he’s getting the ball really well,” Thomas said.

But if he shows he can handle those duties in a pinch it could be a step forward in improving the offense. It will allow Stephenson to start both Gillaspie and Coy in the middle of the order and add an extra bat at the designated hitter spot.

Game six of the Fall World Series starts Thurs., at 2 p.m.