The Shockers start practice Monday and I’m not sure anybody knows what to expect. I watched about four innings of a senior-led scrimmage on Thursday. There are so many new faces not even the players know everybody’s name.
Everybody knows a lot of positions are open this spring. That’s a stark contrast the to last fall, when little suspense existed. Some of the positions have logical leaders. I’m not sure that is true for the pitching rotation, other than sophomore Tim Kelley. Read More
Start your travel (or TV) plans now. The men’s basketball schedule is out, missing only a few times. So is the women’s.
No surprises. The home non-conference schedule is uninspiring (even if the Bracket Buster turns up a Mason-like gem), but appropriate for this team. The non-conference road schedule is excellent, largely because of the Old Spice Classic. Two trips to Texas are also great gets.
In the Valley, the men get no breaks to start. The opener is at Creighton. The first two home games are against Bradley and Southern Illinois. There is not a killer stretch of 4-in-5 away from home like last season.
WSU plays three Sunday MVC games, which I would guess means TV on Fox Sports.
The wait is almost over. WSU’s men’s basketball schedule will be released today. No surprises. The exhibition opponent is an unknown. While nobody is confirming or talking about it on either side, WSU is likely to scrimmage Kansas State on Nov. 1 in Manhattan. I want to make sure I credit KGSO for first getting the scrimmage news out there. Those voices are good about crediting the Eagle and Kansas.com, so back at them. Read More
Some MVC teams are releasing schedules today, some still missing times. Waiting on Evansville, Southern Illinois and Drake. WSU’s may be released Wednesday. Here is what we can figure out with some non-con and MVC games missing:
Nov. 16 - Florida A&M Read More
Except I don’t think Wichita State baseball had a locker room in 1978. Maybe they did when football coaches allowed it. If there is a moment in WSU history I would like to visit in the way-back machine, it would be any time Jeff Jeffries told Gene Stephenson to vacate a room in Cessna Stadium so football coaches could watch film. I wonder if that really happened? If anybody witnessed those exchanges, please let me know. Read More
School starts Thursday, which means summer pickup games are almost over. On one hand, it’s silly to put much stock in them. My newest rule of watching summer pickup is: If you are dominating a pickup game, it’s probably because it means more to you than everybody else.
On the other hand, who can resist? It’s like recruiting news or the NFL Draft - no losers, everyone is full of potential and hope. And everybody forgets in a few weeks. I watched WSU play pickup 8-10 times this summer. Here is what I saw. Read More
Well, actually there haven’t been many Natural State products to play baseball for WSU. Matt Vinson, a shortstop from Alma, Ark., may be the next. He orally committed to WSU recently and plans to sign in November. He also considered Arkansas and Ole Miss, although it’s difficult to know just how badly those schools wanted him. Read More
Wichita State’s long-desired game in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is a reality. The Shockers got some help from old friend Jean Prioleau, a former WSU assistant, to land a home-and-home series with TCU. The series opens in Fort Worth on Dec. 8. The Horned Frogs come to Wichita during the 2009-10 season. Read More
Today is the final day for drafted baseball players to sign. Pitching coach Brent Kemnitz said he thinks the attrition is over for Wichita State. Of course, one never knows, as this summer proved. WSU lost two players unexpectedly. Texas lost center fielder Jordan Danks on Thursday to the White Sox. Read More
The baseball dominoes toppled by the draft continue to fall. Wichita State lost Logan Watkins to the Cubs and Dusty Coleman to the A’s, which put the Shockers in the market for infielders. That brings us to Will Baez of Western Oklahoma State College. He is committed to WSU, according to coach Kurt Russell, and will be a junior this season. Read More