Speaker 0 00:00:00 <silence>
Speaker 1 00:00:15 Hello and welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Srap of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Today we're gonna talk with Courtney Oliver. She's the new softball pitching coach at Wichita State. Courtney spent the past two seasons as associate head coach at Houston. Before that, she was head coach at East Carolina for six seasons. Courtney was a two-way player at Hofstra from 2005 to 2008, where she earned all Colonial Athletic Association Honors in oh six and oh eight. In 2008, she hit 2 69, drove in a team leading 40 runs. She went 10 and three with a 1.12 e r a. So according, let's start with a tough one. You threw two no hitters at Hofstra. Who did you throw them against?
Speaker 2 00:00:57 Oh my goodness. Uh, l i u and Drexel. So
Speaker 1 00:01:01 Long Island, yes. Would
Speaker 2 00:01:02 Be IU and Drexel.
Speaker 1 00:01:04 Okay. Alright.
Speaker 2 00:01:05 That was a tough question.
Speaker 1 00:01:06 Yeah. I like to throw people off at the beginning, <laugh> and kind of kind of get things rolling in, in that vein, <laugh>, tell us about coming to Wichita State. What brought you here?
Speaker 2 00:01:14 Uh, Christie Bread, Benner did a phenomenal job. I think she is, as we all know, someone that, um, can sell this program and given what they've done in the past couple of seasons, it was a no-brainer. Um, she made it seem like it was a family environment and um, that was something that I was looking for. Um, along with a great program that wins,
Speaker 1 00:01:38 Right? Wichita State has had really good success, uh, become a regular in the NCAA tournament, earning at large bids, which I think is, uh, a part of the story that sometimes go over goes overlooked. That's not easy to do. So you would've been at Houston e c u, obviously, so you would've scouted game planned against the shockers. What were you, what was your overall impression looking across the, uh, the field of the shockers?
Speaker 2 00:02:01 Wow, they can hit, um, I think anytime that I was prepping against them, we knew that they were gonna hit. And so we had to try to game plan and figure out how we could outscore them. And more often than not, it wasn't possible. Um, you know, I think that they play with high energy. Um, Christie and coach, uh, at Conman do a phenomenal job of getting them prepared to play against you, so you know that you're gonna be in for a tough three games with them.
Speaker 1 00:02:28 They would, when I would do stories about the shockers over the last few years, they would talk a lot about video preparation and they really, I think, lean on that and, and have a lot of confidence in that. Can you tell that from the opposing dugout that they are prepared for the opposing pitcher?
Speaker 2 00:02:43 Absolutely. I, I think that their offense makes in-game adjustments, which is something that's very difficult. Um, so, you know, it's very hard to get a powerhouse offense shut down three times in a row. 'cause you're looking at three at bats, and sometimes if you go in extra innings against them, four or five at bats per, per a batter. So, um, it's very hard to game plan against them because you constantly have to keep switching and attacking their hitters differently.
Speaker 1 00:03:11 So Houston had a really entertaining series against the shockers last spring here at Wilkins Stadium. Uh, the Shockers won two, uh, Kenna Wilkie pitched one of the most interesting games I think I've ever seen in that Friday game where, uh, shockers won. She gave up, I think six runs, but I walked away thinking, boy, she really, really pitched well. Uh, and then she threw a shutout in the, uh, in the final game of the series. When you have success against Wichita State, what, what worked that weekend?
Speaker 2 00:03:38 You know, I, I would be re remiss not to mention the fact that we went, I think 11 innings, or it was an extra inning game on Friday. So Kenna threw that game as well. I think she learned, um, a lot. She had a lot to take away from that game. We came up short, lost by one run. Um, but she gained a lot of confidence in that series. Um, going up against an offense like Wichita State, um, Sunday, you know, she was, she's a competitor and, um, she just attacked, attacked the same way that she did on Friday. And, you know, we ended up on the winning side.
Speaker 1 00:04:13 Right. So, yeah, eight, seven, and 11 innings. Wichita State won the opener. They won the second game five to four, and then Houston won the finale. Uh, four to zero. Shockers did not lose many American athletic conference games last year, but that was, that was one of 'em. Uh, I wanted to ask about Sidney McKinney. Uh, former shocker, obviously great hitter. What made her great? And when I would do story, I remember doing a story last fall about Sydney and what, you know, what did she work on? And they, there were kind of vague references. She does have a weakness. It's very small weakness, a small spot that maybe she doesn't cover. Totally. Did you ever discover that spot,
Speaker 2 00:04:49 The weakness that she has? Yes. I, I <laugh> I think that, I'm unaware that she had one. Um, obviously she was an all American, she was an exceptional athlete. I think what made it so hard to game prep against McKinney was the fact that she has speed. She can put a bunt down. Um, she can pepper the five six hole. She's gonna, she doesn't strike out very often, which is, which is a feat in itself. Um, I think that with her, we had to keep mixing. We knew that we couldn't live in one spot long before she made those adjustments.
Speaker 1 00:05:23 Tell us about your journey into coaching. Was that something you were locked in on at a young age, or did it develop?
Speaker 2 00:05:29 So, I actually got my first coaching job. I was 22 years old. I was fresh out of college. Um, I, the summer after I graduated, I was interning with the Boston Red Sox. Um, what got me into college was that I wanted to get my master's 'cause I thought I was gonna go back and work for the Red Sox. Um, and when I started searching for a program, um, an easy way, I was looking for GA positions. Um, and someone actually actually hired me full-time and I could go part-time to start my master's. And then somewhere along the line I fell into coaching and never looked back.
Speaker 3 00:06:19 Hi, this is Rick Miama, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Chara Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen, wherever you get your podcasts,
Speaker 1 00:06:50 Was there a coaching mentor or someone who kind of pushed you in the, in this direction?
Speaker 2 00:06:55 I think my, my biggest mentors were my co my college coaches. So I was, I was very privileged. Um, I had great coaching staff. Um, my head coach, his name is Bill Edwards, he's an N F C a Hall of Famer, um, and Nat. And then the associate head was Larissa Anderson, who is now the head coach at Missouri. So, um, I have, anytime that I have a question, I always lean on them. Um, they kind of guided me the way, um, then they had me on staff at Hofstra, and then I went on and spread my own wings and, but I still call them regularly.
Speaker 1 00:07:30 And Hofstra very successful. You when you were there for straight NCAA regionals, if I remember that, yes. Right from my, not from my long, long knowledge of Hofstra softball, but from looking this up yesterday. So that would've been a good place to start. Uh, so are your Boston Red Sox
Speaker 2 00:07:45 Favorite? I am a Boston Red Sox fan. Okay.
Speaker 1 00:07:46 That opens up a lot of questions. And his favorite, who's your favorite Red Sox player
Speaker 2 00:07:50 Of all time? Yes, Manny Ramirez.
Speaker 1 00:07:52 Okay. Tell us about that. Why did you like Manny?
Speaker 2 00:07:55 Uh, he's a gamer. Um, I know that he has, he had a bad rep for being lazy. I loved his swing. Um, I think he was clutch anytime that the game was on the line, you knew Manny Ramirez was gonna pull through.
Speaker 1 00:08:09 Do you, when you go to Red Sox games, where do you sit?
Speaker 2 00:08:12 Um, so my grandfather had season tickets growing up, um, and we sat along the right field line, like right by pesky pole.
Speaker 1 00:08:20 Okay. Okay. Very fun. Yep. Coaching philosophy. How would you describe that?
Speaker 2 00:08:26 I'm a big communicator. Um, I like to know with the pictures, I, I like to know what they're feeling. Um, I'm a firm believer that you need to communicate because I'm not in your body, so I can't help you if you don't communicate. I don't know what you're feeling. Um, we have a process in which we go through in the fall and in the spring. My philosophy is to make sure that they're prepared before they step on the field. Nothing is gonna surprise them once they get on the field. They're gonna be prepared if the game is gonna go eight innings, if the game is gonna go 11 innings, they're gonna be conditioned to be able to throw that long if we need them.
Speaker 1 00:08:59 How has pitching in college softball changed from when, when you were a, a, a student athlete? 2006, 2008?
Speaker 2 00:09:07 Well, I think the, the, the biggest thing is you can't just rely on two arms anymore. And that's why I think across the country, you're seeing staffs that have five, six, maybe even seven pitchers. Um, and they all do something uniquely different. So going back to, you know, saying if they wanna be conditioned back, you know, maybe 10 years ago you'd have one ace or two ace and you'd make sure that they'd be able to throw up to 300 or plus innings a season. Now it's the pitch count can come down, and then you have certain people that come in in certain situations and just master their craft. If they are a down ball, pitcher down and change, then they get to just focus on that. And maybe you just put them in one time through the lineup. Um, obviously there are still the dominant ACEs that go the long distance for them that have all the tools. Um, but I think that's the biggest thing that we're seeing is that pitching staffs are, are getting bigger.
Speaker 1 00:10:03 So you take the job at Wichita State. Take us through the process of what's first priority. How do you get up and running in this job,
Speaker 2 00:10:10 In the, in the job? Well, once I get settled, um, once I moved here and got settled, um, the first line of business was watching our pitchers. So I've been watching film on a lot of our pitchers. Um, I have been able to see them throw because I was in conference, so I had done some previous scouting on them, but it's a little bit different, just getting to know them and what areas that they need to improve in having meetings with Coach B, talking to her about what she would like to see out of them. Um, the next thing was getting familiar with our recruits. So the past month and a half I've been on the road just trying to see the commits that we have coming to the program, um, future pitchers and just starting to get them on a plan.
Speaker 1 00:10:52 So Wichita State led the American with a 2.55 e r a last season, also an excellent defensive team, which is, uh, should be mentioned when we're talking about shocker pitching, uh, pitchers. Lauren Howell, Allison Cooper, and Alex Aguiar did the bulk of the work for the shockers. They're all back. Uh, what impressions have you been able to form at this early stage of those three in the shocker pitching?
Speaker 2 00:11:15 Well, just watching them, you know, I, I was impressed with the entire pitching staff and at one point I've seen all three of them throw against against me. So, um, the one thing that stands out is their presence. I think all three of them have a great presence in the circle and they compete.
Speaker 1 00:11:34 So the American is undergoing big changes. Houston, your former school is in the Big 12 as is U C F and Cincinnati. And then we have six new additions in the American, Charlotte, Texas, San Antonio, north Texas, rice, U A b, and Florida Atlantic. How does this change the look of the, uh, of the conference in softball?
Speaker 2 00:11:54 Well, I think the number one thing is that it keeps the conference strong. Um, in the American. I think that we pride ourselves that we have a very tough conference. Um, in years past, it was top five r p i wise. Um, so over some Power five schools, they always have this like over some Power five conferences. The American has a solid R P I. Um, and I think that with the addition of these schools, it's going to help us keep our conference a, a three or four bid conference.
Speaker 1 00:12:24 So there's a lot going on around chakra softball. We have new artificial turf, uh, they're big fundraising plans that are in motion for, for a Wilkins stadium, locker rooms, indoor practice facility, all those kind of things, uh, facilities in, in softball. Why is that important and how does that fit into today's world of, of college athletics?
Speaker 2 00:12:43 Well, I think when you come to a campus, that's the first thing that any softball athlete is gonna wanna see their home, where they're going to be the majority of the time. And I think that the upgrades that Wichita State Softball Stadium is going to have, Wilkins Stadium is gonna have, is phenomenal. I think it's gonna be top notch. So when those student athletes come to campus, they're really gonna be able to see themselves playing softball here.
Speaker 1 00:13:07 Okay. We'll wrap up, uh, book review or book recommendation, movie recommendation, Netflix. What would you tell the people to get out there and, and watch as summers winding down? Oh
Speaker 2 00:13:17 My goodness. If I had more downtime, I would have better suggestions. I did just go and see Barbie in a drive-in theater here in Wichita. Um, it was a good time. I can't believe that I, that I'm suggesting Barbie, but it wasn't bad. Um, how long
Speaker 1 00:13:33 Has it been since you've been to a drive-in?
Speaker 2 00:13:35 Oh, probably 12 years. I think the last time that I went, I was in Boston. Um, so I, I have not gotten out there, but I had a little downtime and decided to take my fiance out, and so we had a good time.
Speaker 1 00:13:49 Okay. So I, I distracted you favorite movie. Uh, what, what, what, what would you recommend if you're kind of lukewarm on Barbie? Uh,
Speaker 2 00:13:56 Lukewarm on Barbie? Let's see. Well, my favorite, my favorite series, even though it's it's done now, right now, is, um, Grey's Anatomy and Breaking Bad. So every now and then, I just rewind that and I watch that <laugh>.
Speaker 1 00:14:09 Okay. Courtney Oliver, new softball pitching coach at Wichita State University. Thank you for your time.
Speaker 2 00:14:15 Thanks. Thanks for having me.
Speaker 4 00:14:32 Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast. Courtesy of Wichita State University's strategic communications. We encourage you to rate, review, and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. You can find more roundhouse
[email protected]. Malcolm out near the timeline, left side of the floor to Baker. Ron works deeper to the wing fires. A three good Ron Baker with his third three point field goal of the game in Wichita State goes ahead by four.
