[00:00:15] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Sullentrop of Wichita State University. Strategic Communications Associate softball head coach Elizabeth Economan is our guest today. She is entering her ninth season with Wichita State.
WSU opens its season on Friday in Waco, Texas, playing number 21, Mississippi State, and the host team, the Baylor Bears. Mississippi State is coached by Samantha Ricketts, a former Shocker assistant coach. Shockers 29, 25 and 1 last spring, 15, 11 and 1 in the American.
Elizabeth, we talked to you in late September during fall practices and scrimmages.
Take us back a little bit. Sum up the top lessons from the fall and how the coaching staff used that to set up the plans when you got back at it in January.
[00:00:59] Speaker B: Yeah, I think we had such a good fall, and if I remember right, I think I was pretty pumped when we had our last podcast, really excited about the new people we had brought in. We had 14 new people to add to our seven returners, so we were excited. We felt like we got a really good start to the fall season with extra, extra time doing individual workouts and really getting to know our personnel.
And that carried out throughout the fall where we really got to dig in fundamentally with, you know, the softball skill wise, but really get to know everybody and put things together. So when we went home for Christmas break, I thought, you know, we all had a pretty good fall. We learned a lot. We had definitely had some growth in every area as far as softball goes and had a really good foundation to let them go home and work on. And then they came back in January and it looked like most people did everything they needed to or everything they could with the resources they had. And so when we started on January 7, I think we hit the ground running. It was really impressive from a conditioning and a weight standpoint. They seem to pick up right where they left off, and we're very eager to dive right in.
You know, it's such a short preseason or winter window before we hit the road, but we didn't waste any time, and I was really proud and really happy about their production throughout January. So here we go. Two more days and I think we're ready.
[00:02:19] Speaker A: We should probably set people up the roster. 14 newcomers, and we figured out before we got started five of them are freshmen. True freshmen.
[00:02:26] Speaker B: True freshmen.
[00:02:27] Speaker A: Okay. All right.
Tough schedule as usual for Wichita State. Got nationally ranked opponents, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Arkansas and Clemson. Take us a little bit through the mechanics of building the schedule each year. What's the balance between. You want to give yourself a chance to build a good resume, but you also want to have time to experiment, see what people can do at different spots and build some confidence. How do you balance those two goals?
[00:02:54] Speaker B: It's tough. And I give Coach B a hard time a lot because we get into these preseason tournaments and we don't always know who else is coming. We have an idea. The host at Baylor, we know we'll play them, and then we go to Texas State the following weekend, and we know we'll play them. And then there's other people that they plan on bringing to the tournament. But sometimes there's some late additions. So the Texas State tournament in particular is really. It's a really good tournament. So it's a tough thing to do because, you know, you have to build a strong schedule in order to build your resume to, you know, to put yourself in a position to get in that large bid. You also want to build some confidence in the preseason. So you don't want to go hammer, you know, 10 top 25 teams and then, you know, get into your third weekend 0 and 10, and everybody thinks that we're bad. And it's, you know, it's tough on the emotional and psychological part of the season. So it's trying to find that balance where there are some games that we should win in the. In the preseason, and then there are some tough games that are going to prepare us for the American Conference season. And so if we can compete with the teams that are in the top 25 or that are, you know, top 10 RPI teams, we can compete and steal a few games from them. Then we're giving or building our resume and making a strong case for our, you know, our season, and then our body of work builds, and then we have the confidence that we can knock off a number 15, whoever, and then we roll that into the conference season and we know that we can compete. We're battle tested. We've done it against really good opponents, and then we just take it into conference and get the thing rolling. So it is a tough thing to balance preseason because there is a little bit of luck into it. But Coach P does a really good job of making sure that we have some tough opponents all the time.
Maybe I'd give her some trouble because, you know, there are some that are a little tougher than I would like, but we're going to be better for it.
[00:04:48] Speaker A: A tournament in Texas State starting February 13th, which you mentioned, Arkansas, Texas State, Clemson, BYU, and then a repeat against Texas State. So certainly a challenging schedule.
Let's talk a little bit about the American Conference American put two teams in NCAA play last season, had six teams in the top 100 of the RPI, three in the top 50.
Florida Atlantic is a preseason favorite. The Owls won the regular season title in 2025. Shockers are picked third conference tournament is at ECU in May. What are your top line thoughts on the American in 2026?
[00:05:25] Speaker B: Yeah, I think it's going to be a tough conference again. I think Florida Atlantic returns just about everybody and then they've added to their pitching staff, so they're the obvious preseason favorite in there. You know, it's, it's, we're all going to be targeting them, and I think that's okay. They have to come up to Wichita this year, so I'm happy about that.
But they'll be solid. South Florida's always solid, so they've always got good pitching. And Tampa's a tough place to play. So, you know, the conference has been, it's always been, I think, pretty tough. But it's getting better. I mean, Charlotte had a good season. ECU had a good season. Memphis is much improved. UTSA is much improved. Tulsa is always a pain in the rear end, so it's solid from top to bottom. So you don't really have an off weekend where in the past you maybe had a little softer weekend. It's not, it doesn't feel that way anymore, so it's gonna be tough to get through. And, you know, we're on the road in our first, first conference series. I think we go to East Carolina, so. East Carolina. So we'll start at East Carolina and then end the regular season or the conference tournament at East Carolina. So we're, you know, I like how the schedule lines up, but there are no easy weekends, so we're gonna have to bring it every weekend.
[00:06:37] Speaker A: Florida Atlantic, as you mentioned, they come to Wichita March 20th, 21st and 22nd. So that would be a weekend series to circle on the calendar. Definitely. Okay, Tyke, take us through ramping up for the spring. What's the mix? And maybe it's informed by having the 14 newcomers. What's the mix of drills? What's the mix of scrimmages? How do you go about getting ready for this weekend?
[00:06:59] Speaker B: You know, we've tried to get as much live pitching and live hitting as we can, and that's tough. You know, early in January, the weather was okay, so we were able to sneak outside a few times and then, you know, get our time on the dirt and get some, a little bit of scrimmaging in out there. And then the snow came. So we've been in our brand new beautiful indoor for a couple weeks now. And so we're so lucky that we have the facility a but that it's, it's set up in a way that we can be very productive from all sides of the game. So obviously everybody would love to be outside every day from January 7 till February 6, but we are right in the middle, so we're not that lucky. But we mix. Like for me, offensively, I like to think of it, I think it was four or five, four and a half weeks, four or five weeks before we had to leave for the first trip. So kind of the first week or so, kind of getting the rust off, which this year didn't seem very rusty. I feel like we jumped right into some pretty challenging stuff in the cages and kind of got back in the swing of things.
And then from there we went right into opponent prep. So I like to run the girls through different pitcher types, different speeds, different movements, you know, right handed versus left handed. So we're giving them all these different profiles essentially of opponents that they would face and kind of, you know, going through. Here's a list of adjustments you would make and here's where you should start with this kid. And everybody's different. So we do that for two and a half weeks and then it's really having conversations with every hitter on here's what I think works best for you, or what do you think works best for you. And while Chloe Ryan might be totally different from Skylar Rodgers, how did they make themselves the best hitter that they can be?
And it's been challenging, but I think in a good way. I think the offensive pieces, the players have said, yeah, this is hard, but I know it's going to be worth it, it's going to be good. So. But then like our schedule, we have to balance a little. We have to throw a little confidence in there too. We can't carve them up every day and then expect them to get out there and be happy about it. So make it tough. But then hopefully because it's so tough in the practice, then the ball in the real game looks like a beach ball. So.
[00:09:15] Speaker A: So previously Shock or softball would have shared or had access to the. The indoor practice facility next to Egg Stadium. So having your own has really made scheduling access all the time, all those kind of things better. We should also mention the team operations. I think I heard yesterday in the meeting going to start breaking ground in March, early March, early March.
And that will be locker rooms, offices, laundry, team room. All those kind of things will start coming up over the spring. Is there an area now that you have full access to an indoor spot? Have you paused at some time and said, you know, we are a little bit noticeably sharper, but because we're able to work on this in this setting.
[00:09:58] Speaker B: Everything I think we're. Like you said, we don't have to share so we don't have to alter the schedule that much. Whether we're inside or outside, our practice time remains the same. And that's been huge from a scheduling standpoint and continuity and everybody from coach Horn in the strength and conditioning area to Maddie in the training room, everything is very routine and very organized. And I think that probably helps people the most. We put such a big emphasis on rest and recovery so that they're able. There's not a lot of flip flopping schedules or we don't have to, you know, adjust on the fly. It is, you know, one o' clock team practice whether it's snowing or sunny. So it's. It makes everybody's schedule a lot smoother so that they can. The athletes can dedicate their time, you know, they can plan their week and they can stick with that plan and they don't have to be on their toes and as flexible. Of course we want them to be able to adapt to situations as we're going to face some adversity. But they can get into a routine which then makes a lot of them much more comfortable and happier and they can get all their boxes checked for the day. So I think that piece of it has been really noticeable even in myself where I feel setting up, hitting rotations or moving equipment. We don't have to roll machines across the street anymore. We can just. They're in the cages and if we need to move them for defense, we move them. And if we're going to do offense, back to everything can kind of stay put. So we're not. It's been good for the equipment one but we're not taking extra time to do things that we're very lucky spoiled actually that we're just in one spot.
[00:11:31] Speaker A: So whenever you talk to shocker hitters, they will quite often talk about scouting, video work, preparation, that kind of stuff. With 14 newcomers, have you had to simplify any of that?
[00:11:43] Speaker B: Yes and no.
There's a lot of they're really interested. So it's new for a lot of them and they haven't had that in high school or at their previous institution. It's been Different.
And I don't think I'm off the wall. I think I'm a pretty routine person. But I love that part of it. I think it's fascinating to kind of dive into it. So I think when I show excitement, they are kind of interested or maybe they just pretend to be.
I'll take either one. But there's been some because it is new and different from what they have done in the past. There's definitely a higher level of interest.
And I tell everybody on our recruiting visits and I tell our girls, you know, everybody learns differently.
All of our athletes brains are different, all their bodies move differently. So however I give them the information, they're gonna have to decide what to digest or what's important to them or what makes them better. If it doesn't make them better, then it's not for them. So I'm rarely trying to shove any information down anybody's throat. I try to present it to them in a way that would be beneficial. And so it's been fun because they'll ask a lot of questions, they'll want to see some things again on the film, or they'll sometimes ask questions that I haven't thought about. So it's been really exciting from that point, from that standpoint of I feel like I'm getting smarter because they're so open and honest, they want to know. So then I think about it in a different way.
But it's been, you know, we've been really lucky to have really good athletes here in the past. So you kind of get into a routine especially we had the five year kids and it was the same kids over and over again. So where they, they knew the system and it was kind of predictable and we, you know, we just got into this routine. But now the 14 new ones and not everybody asks questions. Some won't say anything. They're, you know, too new to know any better. They're just trying to take it all in.
But it's been fun to kind of get to know them that way. And the more they ask or the more they offer, then it's easier to get to understand how they're thinking about things. So it's been, it's. I've had to mix it up for different people, but the bulk of it has stayed the same.
[00:13:43] Speaker A: Who asks the most questions on this team?
[00:13:48] Speaker B: Mikayla Tasha asked some good questions. Asha Moore asked some questions.
Most of the freshmen don't say anything.
They just have their eyes wide open. They're ready to rock. Chloe Ryan asked some good questions. So there's some that.
Because they've come from, you know, a lot of them are juniors, sophomores, juniors that have come from other places and maybe didn't do that at McLennan, their junior college, or didn't do that at Stanford or, you know, wherever they came from. So it's been. It's been really fun to kind of mold them and then hear what they think.
[00:14:20] Speaker A: Is there a position that was maybe a little foggy when fall practices wrapped up that has become much more clear now that you're a few days away from the opener?
[00:14:29] Speaker B: Oh, I think there's been a. First base has had a battle, and I think that's maybe ironed itself out a little bit. We've got some good hitters that play first base, and so we're going to have to be flexible and decide who's going to play first base, who's going to dp, who's maybe going to play right field, you know, who we can move around the outfield. I thought was clear ish in the fall. And I think some people have really stepped up their game to make it competitive. We've got some depth, which is really nice to have. We've had years where we've had good depth and then other years where we've been pretty thin. So we've got some options that are.
It's exciting. So we just have to figure out what's the best fit.
You know, it's a battle behind the plate, too. So we've got three options behind the plate.
All of them bring different things to the catching position and to the. To the batter's box. So I'm not sure they've all cleared up, but there's some front runners and there's. I mean, there's some people that are crushing the softball, and so it's going to be hard to keep the people that are hitting the ball the best out of the lineup. So I think it's just going to be a matter of how we're going to, you know, how we're going to shuffle the potential first basemen. And then, you know, is one of them going to be the dp or are we going to DP one of the off catchers?
Yeah. I don't know. We got two days to figure it out.
[00:15:49] Speaker A: Right, right. No hurry at all.
[00:15:51] Speaker B: No rush at all.
[00:15:51] Speaker A: Yeah, that first baseman, DP seems to be important. Take us through some of the names. I know. I think Asha Moore would be in the picture there, although she also plays third.
[00:16:00] Speaker B: Yeah, I think Asha, it's third base is Asha's right now.
She's a front runner there to me at first base we've got Trinity Allen, Kinsey Woody and Jana Schrader's been doing some doing some reps at first base. So I think and all three of them hit the ball at a high level really hard and they do a good job. So they're going to be the three that we can kind of rotate in and out of there where Jonna can play some of the outfield as well.
Tren can play another infield position if we need her to. Woody could play third base as well. So we have a little flexibility. But those three are to me the ones that are we've got to find a way to get their bats in the lineup.
[00:16:38] Speaker A: Kenzie Woody is a freshman, Trinity Allen is one of your transfers from McLennan Community College and Jonna Schroeder is a transfer from Stanford.
[00:17:03] Speaker C: Hi, this is Rick Muuma, president of Wichita State University.
Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Shocker Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University.
Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
[00:17:33] Speaker A: What is the position most likely to see some tryouts in the first tournament or two?
[00:17:39] Speaker B: I think the outfield will be interesting as we have some depth out there.
Jody Epperson is one of the best center fielders I've ever seen. She's got elite speed, a rifle for an arm, just really athletic, covers a ton of ground. So I see her in center field and then we've got some other pieces that can play the corner outfield position. So Mikayla Tosh is from, she transferred from McLennan. She's, she's somebody that could play left field. She's got a solid bat, great on field presence, really good leadership. So she's somebody that could definitely see some significant time in the outfield. And then we've got a few other options for right field. Like I mentioned, Janice Schrader can play the outfield. We've got Mackenzie Rooney who's a freshman left handed bat who's been had a really good fall and has a lot of potential.
She's used to playing center field so she's got some speed, she can cover some ground so she could fall into one of those spots. And then we have Brooklyn Levonek who returns, you know, a 364 batting average or something like that. Really, really good offensive season last year. So with a ton of at bats. So she's, she's got the most Experience from some of those. Some of those kids.
So there's, you know, there's options there. Then we have Morgan Lloyd can play the outfield.
Make sure I'm not missing anybody here.
Those are probably our options that we'll go. Morgan Lloyd, she's a left handed hitter. Cannon for an arm too. So we have some options. It's going to be which is the best fit or who's hitting the best.
Do we need to be left handed, hit or heavy? Do we need to think about getting Mack, Mackenzie, Rooney and Morgan in the lineup? And Brooke swings it left handed too. So Brooke adds that piece too, where she DP'd a lot last year. So she's familiar with that role, you know, which then clogs up the other one we talked about at first base. So if Brook wins the DP spot, then where are we, you know, where are we going to put Kenzie, Woody or Janna or, you know, so. Which is. This is a great problem to have from a coach's standpoint. But yeah, I think the outfield will see the most shuffle and I'll run.
[00:19:45] Speaker A: Through some of those names to make sure fans are familiar. Brooklyn Livonic. You mentioned she's a sophomore, as you said, hit.364 with eight doubles last season. Jody Epperson, back for her second season in the outfield.
Mackenzie Rooney. I'm glad you mentioned her. I'm not going to pretend I was at every fall scrimmage, but it seemed like every time I was, she was doing something that was fun to watch. She was getting on base, she had speed. She's a freshman from Lewisburg. Tell us a little bit more about Mackenzie.
[00:20:12] Speaker B: Yeah, Mack is awesome. And you know, honestly, and you know me, Paul, it's when I go out recruiting, I'm watching kids swing the bat. And that's because that's what I feel like I do the best at. That's my lane. So I'm gonna do that. But I. Mackenzie Rooney caught my eye playing defense. And because she was everywhere, she was airborne, she was absolutely parallel to the ground and then would get up and hose somebody at the plate. And so I kept watching because I thought, man, that's that kid. He just. No, no worry about or no body awareness. She's gonna throw herself wherever she can to get the ball. And she's gonna. She's not very big. You know, she's five foot kids, three. She's a little bit bigger than me, but she's not very big. She's got a lot of power for her size.
And I think she's excited. She loves softball, so there's kind of a bulldog ness to her where she's just gonna get up and go and get after it. So she's been really fun and she's been fun to work with because she's always like, what else can I do? She wants to get better. She's like a sponge. She wants more information and how do I do this? And been really fun to coach her. And I think she's getting better every day and so who knows how good she'll be by the time she graduates from here. But she's fun to work with. So she brings a great option to the outfield and a left handed bat, which is huge.
[00:21:29] Speaker A: And the other name we mentioned, Morgan Lloyd. She's a red shirt freshman from Houston, Texas. You may have just answered this, but I'll go ahead and give you another shot at it. Who's the newcomer you most enjoyed? Watching the light bulb go on over the fall and into the spring.
[00:21:44] Speaker B: Oh, that's a tough one. There are so many.
Mackenzie Rooney has done a really good job.
I think, you know, there's some in different areas, kind of the aha moments, like Trinity Allen, I thought had not a tough fall, but it took her a little while to really get things going offensively, in my opinion. And, and I think that was new to her because she had such high levels of success at McLennan. I mean, this is the strongest kid I think I've ever met. I mean, there's no doubt she's got strength for days, but just really couldn't get into a rhythm for whatever reason. And you know, your first year at a new place is tough. No matter if you're a junior or a freshman. We do things differently than wherever you came from. So becoming acclimated is, you know, everybody's on their own schedule. And so she. And she did fine. I don't think it was a bad fall, but it was like, okay, when is Trinh gonna break out? And toward the end of the fall, I really thought she figured some things out. And that was awesome. That was really fun to watch because then she could go home for the winter break with the confidence, knowing that she had, you know, she had clicked a few things that were gonna help her in January. So that was a good one, I think. You know, Asha. Asha Moore came in really eager and really excited.
She was just a raw athlete that, you know, has power for. I mean, she's built well, she was strong, just really wanted to be coached. And so that Was fun because she came in immediately and was, you know, wanted to know, wanted to learn, wanted to get in the cage and swing it. So she was in the cages early, getting as much information as she can.
And then Michaela Tosh, same thing.
She'll be a coach for sure when she graduates. She's got it in her blood. Her parents are coaches. She's a coach on the field.
She came out and started getting things figured out pretty well, too. So it's fun because they all have their aha at different times, and some will have another one or haven't had it yet. But it's been.
It's been cool to watch their journey.
I think. Kinsey, Woody, she's known for her power. That was her game in high school, and she hits the ball as hard as anybody we've ever had. So getting to see her do it against good pitching or elite pitching is always. Maybe that was a light bulb for me, like, okay, she can do it. Because sometimes in high school they face just whoever the other team has that can throw it. So the fact that she's doing it against good pitching is really fun to see. So I'm sure there's others skipping somebody, but they've all been really. It's, you know, if we've all done our work and we've all done a good job, anything could happen when anybody steps in the box. And I really feel that way again this year, that there could be fireworks in any way at any point in any game, and that's fun to watch.
[00:24:40] Speaker A: Asha Moore, we've mentioned her several times. She's a sophomore transfer from North Texas. And then you mentioned Trinity Allen. She's one of the McLennan Community College training transfers. We'll see her on the infield, most likely.
[00:24:52] Speaker B: Trinity Allen. Yeah, I would. You know, she could play first and third.
We had her at second base a little bit a couple weeks ago, and she can do that, too, for being the strongest kid on the team. She moves really well. So she's not. She doesn't lack speed. She probably steals some bases, but I'd see her more at first than I do anywhere else at this point.
[00:25:12] Speaker A: And then Mikayla Tosh, the other transfer from McLennan Community College in the outfield.
Let's wrap it up. Give us the closest thing you can to who's going to hit in the middle of the lineup, most likely, who's going to be the speed people at the top of the lineup. Where are you at at this point? A couple days before the first game?
[00:25:29] Speaker B: You know, we haven't set Coach B and I and Coach O haven't sat down and gone through it as a group. I think in my mind I've got some ideas.
I think if we had to go right now, I think I'd have Jana Schrader leading off. She runs well, left handed bat. Asha might hit in the two hole, Trinity Allen will hit in the three hole and then the 4, 4, 5, 6. It's going to depend on, you know, who's hot. Is Jody Epperson going to be five, six? Probably. Gabby Scott's hitting the ball well, so she'll be, you know, four, five, and she's a catcher. Gabby Scott, catcher Yep. Mikayla Tosh, six, seven. We haven't talked about Chloe Ryan.
I think she'll hit in the eight hole.
[00:26:13] Speaker A: Chloe play shortstop?
[00:26:14] Speaker B: Yes. And she is outstanding with the glove.
I've been calling her the wizard. And you know, I had to explain that to the team because I guess I'm getting old and Chloe grew up in St. Louis, so she knows Ozzie Smith was the St. Louis Cardinal shortstop forever.
Kind of a big deal in my childhood. And so I've been calling Chloe the Wizard because she wears number one and she's outstanding.
[00:26:39] Speaker A: She got the Sydney McKinney seal of approval when I had Sydney and Stacy Wong on, so that was, that was a strong statement. Can she do a backflip when she runs the field?
[00:26:48] Speaker B: I asked her. I did. I said, you know, opening day, you're gonna have to. And I don't know that we'll get that approved. I think, you know, Coach B or Horn might be upset about that, but maybe a somersault. I'll ask her to do a somersault. She's outstanding. And we. I haven't talked about her offensively. She's gotten a lot better. She's not known for her offense, but she's gonna help us produce runs and all that. But she's been noticeably.
She's. You can't miss her on defense. I mean, she made a play yesterday in our indoor scrimmage that I was like, geez, that ball's, you know, at the wall for a lot of people. And she lays out and snags it out of thin air and no big deal and just a blast to be around. So I think she'll hit in the lower part of the lineup and then, you know, the nine hole could be.
Could be Mackenzie Rooney, could be, you know, Brook could be in the middle of the lineup.
Yeah, I don't. We got a few things to shake out. We've got some options, which is really, really nice to see. So I think the power hitters are going to be, you know, Trinh, Asha Janna's going to have some power.
Gabby Scott, Kinsey, Woody, Kayla, Tosh. I mean, they're going to be the ones that I think get pitched the toughest.
And because of that, I think, you know, the Brooks, the Jody's, the Kinsey Rooneys are going to benefit quite a bit. People are going to worry about our bigger kids and the rest of us are really good hitters. So we should be able to capitalize.
[00:28:07] Speaker A: Softball season is here. On Friday, the Shockers open up in Waco, Texas. They play Mississippi State at 12:30. They play the host Baylor Bears at 5:30 Saturday, Northwestern State and Baylor again and they wrap up the tournament on Sunday versus New Mexico. Elizabeth, thank you for your time.
[00:28:24] Speaker B: Thanks for having me. Paul.
[00:28:41] Speaker D: Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse 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] she's.
[00:28:56] Speaker E: Just one of those players who could be a game changer though with one swing of the bat she can send it over the fence. We've seen her do it time and time again. Is she do the.585 slugging percentage, nine home runs on the season.
We'll see what they decide.
[00:29:10] Speaker F: Swinging away in a drive to center. Are you kidding? Another walk off. It is ball game. Wichita State win.
Two walk off home runs today.
Bailey Lang in the first game and Lori Derico here.
And Wichita State has knocked off off Central Florida five to four.
