Another former Wichita State athlete has made it to the big leagues.
A little over a month after ending her collegiate softball career for the Shockers, Lauren Lucas debuted for the New York Rise on Wednesday night. The Rise plays in the Fastpitch United Pro Series.
Lucas hit 1-for-1 with a double and scored the final run for New York in an 11-0 season-opening win over the Kansas City Diamonds.
Lucas was at WSU for five years but sat out during the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury. She returned as a graduate student last season and was a First Team All-American Athletic Conference selection for the third time in her career.
In her final season for the Shockers, Lucas batted .378 with 13 home runs, 11 doubles and 42 RBI. She walked (38) more times than she struck out (24) and ranked top 10 in nine hitting categories in the conference.
During her career at Wichita State, she hit .377 with 27 homers, 40 doubles and 144 RBI. Lucas’ career batting average ranks second in program history and she moved into fifth all-time in career RBI after her last season.
Lucas and the Rise will play a doubleheader on Thursday, June 12, against the Florida Vibe and Kansas City Diamonds. Game one of the doubleheader is scheduled for 5 p.m. at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas. The games can be streamed here.
