[00:00:13] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:13] Speaker B: Welcome back to the Roundhouse podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University Strategic Communications.
I'm back with Denning Gehrig, voice of the Shockers. For more talk radio babble. We're welcoming people back to the school year, having some fun this time. Our draft is the most interesting, significant, important, consequential pick your adjective athletes for the fans to consider as they start thinking about 26, 27.
Okay, Denning, let's go. We're picking five athletes across all sports that are on our minds as pivotal to their season. Denning, I will again give you the first pick.
[00:00:53] Speaker C: Okay. This time, Paul, I'm going to start with our softball team and I will choose pitcher Riley Neihardt. In our last pod, we talked about storylines. I mentioned the offense.
They've got a lot of really great hitters returning.
Basically the entire lineup is back.
But I would say over the last five years, maybe even beyond that. The story for Wichita State softball has never been their ability to score runs. Feels like they have always had great hitters.
If they have somebody in the circle who can take this team to another level, it's like that is the separator for them. Riley Neihardt was pretty good last year. She threw a lot of innings, almost 170 under a 3, 5 era.
And it feels like she's going to shoulder a lot of the workload again this year.
I talked to Coach B last fall and she mentioned how they were trying to be a little bit more balanced with their pitching, utilize relievers in a more strategic way. But at the end of the day, if you have an ace, somebody that you can turn to and know that you're going to get a good performance from them, that makes life a whole lot easier. And I think it kind of starts and ends with Riley.
[00:02:02] Speaker B: Good choice. He will definitely be very important. They have a new pitching coach and they will do some work rebuilding that pitching staff. My choice will be Dylan Batee. We've already talked about him, but I think he is a kind of a swing guy for that basketball team. If he can be what he was and perhaps even better over the last third of that season, I think that really raises the season, raises the ceiling for the Shockers. He finished last season third highest offensive rating on the team. He scored in double figures in six of his last eight games. He had an offensive rating, according to Pomeroy.com of 126 or higher in seven of those eight games. That means he is scoring efficiently. He's making his free throws which was a big development last season. He's a very good rebounder.
Just really had a nice end to the season. 17 points, 7 rebounds at Tulsa, 12, 10 at Oklahoma State, a couple of really impressive dunks in the nit. So I am picking Dylan Batee, number one.
And really, I'm kind of shocked you opened the door for me to take Dylan Petit.
[00:03:08] Speaker C: I like. I'm worried that you're going to take somebody here. I'm almost. I'm thinking about, like, maybe taking them a little early just to make sure that I get them.
This is tough for me.
[00:03:22] Speaker B: I'm in your head. You are, and I like it. I know.
[00:03:25] Speaker C: I'm like, do I trade? Do I trade a future first rounder to get additional selections here? Is that an option for me? Okay, I'll go volleyball with this pick. I'm going to choose Maddie Wilson.
Maddie has had to deal with injuries throughout her time at Wichita State, and basically when she has been healthy and on the court, she unlocks something for Wichita State that they have not been able to consistently find since the absence of Morgan Stout, and that is scoring out of the middle. Maddie is super crazy athletic. She has some of the best vertical jump on the team. She's very springy. She gets off the floor quickly. They've experimented with her in different spots, but ultimately the middle is her home.
And it seems like, at least in the early fall, she has been healthy for the entire practice slate and is healthy going into this season.
It's her final year. She's very experienced. She's worked with Jordan Heatherly, the setter.
I don't see any reason why she wouldn't have a great season. And I feel like if that middle scoring is working, it unlocks the pins and kind of allows Jenna Kubic or Olivia Cohee to function without the entire brunt of the offense on their shoulders.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: And we know how much Chris Lamb loves to run the middles, so I would agree. Great choice. There were times last year Matty Wilson would really pop with her athletic ability, and if she can do that more consistently, that's a big help for shocker volleyball. My pick with number two. I'm going with senior pitcher Caleb Reed over at X Stadium. He was an effective reliever last year, started three games, really ended the season on a high note in the conference tournament. Threw six and two third innings versus Memphis, struck out eight, allowed five hits. And we're always looking for weekend starters and. And Caleb Reed really had a nice junior season. It will be interesting to see how he is Used and if he can continue to progress for the Shockers.
[00:05:19] Speaker C: That outing at the conference tournament, by the way, was on one day of rest, which is just insane.
I think that's a great choice.
This is what I was worried about. I thought you might go baseball there. Thankfully you did not take my player because my next pick is Nolan Ganter from Shocker Baseball.
I think Nolan's a really interesting one.
So he's a big first baseman, 651-200-lbs, strong, strong kid and clearly can hit. He hit 341 last year.
The power is where it's like that's in there. He only had four home runs a year ago.
I think he's a double digit home run guy and if he is, it's a whole different level of player.
A first baseman who hits 340 is always good and useful and you'll certainly take that. But generally you're looking for power out of that position.
I think it's in there for Nolan and if it does kind of come to fruition, it really elevates their offense. It was a nice player to be able to retain as well. A great story of a kid who came from Pima Community College, wasn't particularly highly touted, but came into his power there with a wood bat. And so that is what leads me to believe that there's more to be found in terms of extra base hits for Nolan.
[00:06:36] Speaker B: Seems like he was a good development story for Shocker baseball. Shocker coaches, they got perhaps more out of him than maybe they expected last summer. Had a really nice season once he took over first base mid April, if I'm remembering.
[00:06:50] Speaker C: Yeah, didn't even really start at the beginning of the season. M.J. sweeney got a lot of the starts over there to begin the year, so Nolan only ended up starting 34 games. And so that alone, I mean just, just taking that number from 34 to 56 or whatever, you would think the numbers are going to jump in terms of counting stats, but I imagine he's going to have a lot of confidence coming into this fall and spring and I'm expecting big things from him.
[00:07:16] Speaker B: I'm going to go back to basketball with my third pick. Jordan Friesen is a point guard senior transfer from Chattanooga. And we heard Paul Mills all summer talk about creation, passing, getting the ball to people in good spots. That means getting the ball to Willburg, Dylan Petit, TJ William, and on and on. And I think people really enjoyed watching Jordan over the summer. People enjoyed playing with him. Excellent passer, good shooter, and he's got a. Got a big job. He and Johari long will do a lot of running the offense for the shockers this winter.
[00:07:50] Speaker C: All right, so we're on to pick number four, Is that right?
[00:07:54] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:07:57] Speaker C: Okay, I'm going to go. Zintong wong from women's tennis, the returning american conference player of the year, and I kind of wanted to cheat and pick her and Giorgia Roselli, who is her doubles partner, but I feel like I have to just pick one in order to be fair here. But Georgia is also back. Those two were outstanding in doubles. I think they got up to nine, ranked as high as number nine. I want to say Zintong was in the top 100 singles and those two formed a really effective tandem. Again, a great season for Jacob Eddins in his first year. I think that was just on the outside looking in for me in terms of storylines was how does he build off of a great first season?
And a player like zintong is a great place to start. Can really do everything on the court and is a great foundational piece for that program.
[00:08:53] Speaker B: That was also would have been high on my list for storylines. They've got. They're rebuilding in a lot of ways. They lost several seniors that got them in that large bid last year, but they have two really high level returners in Zentong and Giorgio Roselli. So it'll be interesting. I know they've got four freshmen coming in, really strong year last year, and it'll be interesting to see how that all comes together. Okay, I am now picking fourth and I am going to go. Women's basketball. The player I've heard the most about over the summer, transfer from Missouri, Mariah Vincent. Six foot tall, red shirted as a freshman at Mizzou. Terry nooner told me she was recruited really heavily by Wichita state and they thought they had a good chance at her. She chose Mizzou, did not play her first year, played some last year and is now at Wichita State. Coaches really think she had a good summer. Kind of a do it all player. Can play a lot of different positions, equally effective offensively and defensively. And when you've got 12 newcomers on your team, you are looking for people to step up. And based on the summer, Mariah Vincent really, really did a good job.
[00:10:01] Speaker C: Wow. That's. I was feeling so great about my draft. I had one spot left. I had Mariah circled. I was like, this is a lock. I'm home free here.
And now I'm back to the drawing board a little bit. I will Use my last selection on a newcomer for shocker baseball and I'm going to call out Nebraska transfer Max Butenbach.
He had two seasons ago a really great year for a very good Nebraska team. Had an ops over.900 last year. Took a little bit of a step back, kind of had to be in a platoon role. The strikeouts were up for him.
And when I talked to Brian Greene about him, the player comp that he used was Seth Stroh. He was like, he's a, he's a physical, powerful outfielder Nebraska kid.
There's going to be some swing and miss to his game. But in theory, if he is playing every day, there's no reason he can't be a double digit homer guy.
And I think he's going to play every day in right field. Like I'm anticipating him being the opening day starter out there.
He has a lot of high level college baseball experience. Three years at Nebraska. Actually had his first hit at Wichita State and it was an inside the park home run.
But I think he is going to, with the ability to play every day really come into his own. They are already kind of working with him on his swing and feel like the results early are very good there. So I think that's a newcomer name to watch over there. Deck.
[00:11:28] Speaker B: Good choice, Good choice. All right, that was number five for you. I've got a lot of good choices. I am going to go with a newcomer on the cross country side track and field team, Nicholas, and I hope I'm pronouncing this right, Nicholas Kipchirchir. He is a transfer from Virginia Tech. Finished fourth in the 10,000 meters in the ACC meet in the spring.
Last fall finished 20th in the ACC Cross country meet, 17th in the NCAA Southeast Region meet, and he is joining what is already a pretty strong distance group. Ellie Capruto is back. We will see them in cross country and that will help also once we get to outdoor, indoor and outdoor track.
Austin Carrera, another good returner, really had a strong summer in the steeplechase, so I think he would be an interesting guy to watch. And it appears that distance group on the men's side is very strong.
Okay, Denning, who do you regret not making space for?
[00:12:29] Speaker C: I kind of debated between those three bowlers that you mentioned in our other podcast. Sara Duque Jimenez, Alicia Oden, Ashton Woods, All Americans.
Any one of those would have been a great choice because I think any one of those could conceivably take that next step into national player of the year conversation.
One that I guess would say I would say is my honorable mention this year would be Morgan Klein.
She'll be a rising junior this year on the bowling team and I think is definitely ready to kind of ascend into that all American status. She would be I would say a regular in that lineup to begin the year. And so then you're talking about potentially four all Americans in your, in your five spots in the lineup. So if Morgan Klein does end up taking that step, I think it's a, it's a pretty good team. She would have been the next choice for me.
[00:13:17] Speaker B: I was a little surprised you didn't go with Maddox Meyer. How, how much did you consider the.
[00:13:22] Speaker C: Very strongly, very strongly.
If you made me choose right now he's probably Wichita State's opening day starter. It sounds like he is the guy that they would trust the most. A strike throwing right hander pitched against Wichita State at Omaha this past year is not going to be the like high level stuff of a 96 to 97 mile an hour fastball.
He is just going to attack with strikes and I think it makes for a fun watch and he would be absolutely worth considering as well.
[00:13:54] Speaker B: Maddox is a transfer from omaha. He was second team All Summit League, went 55 with a 4.98 ERA and we will get him in the Brent Chemnitz performance lab and you bet we will get him shaped up.
I guess I would go with, I'd go with Cami Smith. We talked about her. I think that shortstop position is obviously super important.
Really had a nice freshman year. It'll be interesting to see if indeed she does move to shortstop. How she does defensively, can she continue to hit the ball. One thing I really liked about CAMI struck out 13 times, walked 11 and I think when you do that, have that kind of plate discipline as a freshman that's a really good sign and can be a precursor of big things to come. Alright, that was our shocker athlete draft. Once again I thank you for your time. Denning, thanks for joining in.
[00:14:47] Speaker C: Now we do like draft grades, right? Like do we immediately go grade this?
[00:14:50] Speaker B: I like to wait at least five years to see.
[00:14:53] Speaker C: No, let's go do draft grades right now and put it on. Yeah, go Shockers. B plus for me, C minus for you.
[00:15:00] Speaker B: We'll get to that. Thank you Denning.
Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse
[00:15:19] Speaker C: podcast courtesy of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. We encourage you to rate, review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can find more roundhouse
[email protected] Rick
[00:15:32] Speaker A: Freeling on deck for the Blue Jays.
They'll have two cracks to get that runner home from second with one out here in the bottom of the 12th. The run at second, the tying run in the ball game.
Fast ball line to center. Base hit. Jim OD charges it on the hop. They're sending him home. Here comes the throw. It is in time. He's out. He's out at the plate on a sensational throw by Jim Oddly. One hop, right on the money, and Steve Bruns is dead at home plate. And now there are two down. Shocker. Fans, you may look at that Saturday afternoon, that one play, that might be the play to get you the championship ring. What a throw, Mike. It's the big show in Rosenblatt Stadium. He came up throwing, and he threw a strike down Main Street.
