[00:00:15] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:15] Speaker B: Welcome to the Roundhouse podcast with Paul Solentrop of Wichita State University strategic communications. Thanks for your time. We appreciate you listening. We have Judd Easterling. Judd is in his fifth season as men's golf coach at Wichita State. Shockers coming off a really strong weekend. They finished third in the American Athletic Conference championship at Pelican Golf Course in Bel Air, Florida. We'll get Judd to describe the golf course. Sounded quite challenging. Junior Michael Winslow finished in a tie for fourth with a three over par 207. The Shockers shot a two over par 842, finished five shots ahead of fourth place Memphis. They also had seniors Blake Lorenzo and Zach Sokolowski in the top 15 3rd place finish. WSU's best in its seven members. Seven years as a conference member. That's six tournaments because of COVID bettering 2020, one's fourth place finish. So Judd set the stage for us to scribe the Pelican Golf Club.
[00:01:13] Speaker A: The Pelican Golf Club is a pretty special place.
It's just, it's just a treat for us to go there. The members, the staff are also welcoming and it's a unique golf course and real similar to Augusta national with the turf really no rough, a lot of pine straw in between holes, the greens that have water next to them, the green transition into the fringe. There's really no rough or really fringe. It kind of just is all shaved off towards the water and it makes it very challenging when you're putting or chipping towards the water.
[00:02:06] Speaker C: Hi, this is Rick Newma, 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.
[00:02:36] Speaker A: I thought we were really prepared for this year where the tee boxes were going to be the hole locations, especially to the new schools in the conference every morning. We got there a little early to check hole locations and kind of how to play each hole. And holes 212 and 18 are just hard holes. And we really kind of weathered the storm on those holes where some other teams kind of struggled and the guys just stepped up and hit big shots. When we went through two and twelve and then finishing it up on 18, we just kind of weathered the storm compared to some other schools. But just a treat to go to that place and it's just a cool golf course and the guys really loved it and we actually stayed on the beach and kind of the guys got to go to the beach in the ocean in the afternoons and kept the guys, light and fresh.
But every morning the guys were ready to go. It was early mornings every day.
You know, we got back Sunday night and I'm still exhausted. But we were really prepared. The guys were really locked in every day. They listened, they had a really good practice round. And yeah, we were really, really prepared to play pelican.
[00:03:50] Speaker B: That'd be interesting, especially the golf fans listening. Describe the scouting report. How do you go about preparing for this golf course?
[00:03:57] Speaker A: It's all about the whole locations there. The greens are really, really severe. They were quick, they're undulating.
But we did a great job in the practice round. Cole, our assistant coach, and I, we were just, we knew where the whole locations were going to be. We knew where there was going to be problems. And the guys did a great job of just, I've said it before, just weathering the storm and we were just very prepared. And the guys listened, they took notes. And compared to last year, where we really struggled on certain holes again, 212 and 18, and the guys did a really good job.
[00:04:36] Speaker B: Take us through the spring schedule, how it prepared the shockers to finish up in a strong manner.
[00:04:42] Speaker A: Yeah, I think the last two events, Phoenix and Iowa's event, we went down to Phoenix to play in the University of Wyoming's event. 24 filled team, really good teams, and we went down there and finished 8th. It was one of our best tournaments of the year. And then we went to Iowa's event last year, really good greens undulating. And I think those two tournaments leading up to conference really gave the guys a lot of confidence and especially going back to a place that we've been to and the guys were just, I think had the experience. And when we went to conference, we kept saying, when we win, when we win. We got four seniors on that trip and we didn't want the field or we didn't want the season to end. And we were just locked in on, we're not going to be done, we're not going to be finished when we win, when we win. And when the rankings came out, we were the 11th best team in this conference out of twelve schools. And that's not indicative to who we are and our program. And we just preached to the guys and at the end of the day, before we get on the airplane, I think they understood it and they started to believe it in themselves and they went out in the first round and proved it to themselves that we could play in this conference.
[00:05:50] Speaker B: So Michael Winslow finished in a tie for fourth. He started out, shot a 68, then a 73, finished up with a 66 in the final round. Take us through his tournament and how he finished strong.
[00:06:01] Speaker A: Yeah, Mike's one of those guys that we really don't have to worry about on the golf course. He's going to take care of himself.
He really has all the facets of the game of golf. He's good off the tee, he's a really good iron player. He's really good around the greens and he just felt calm and relaxed. He played there last year and, you know, for him to shoot 66 in the final round and to kind of carry us to the third place finish was just phenomenal. He made birdie on 18, probably one of the best four irons I've ever seen. The kid hit to about 15, 18ft and he made it. And that was just a relief off of our shoulder for him to make three there where a lot of the other guys were struggling and kind of capped off a great weekend for him. We just had his end of year meeting just this morning and just a delightful young man, and he'll be ready to come be the leader this next year when he's a senior.
[00:06:56] Speaker B: Wichita state's consistency during those three rounds stands out individually. Not many big swings of scoring. Blake Lorenz and Sokolowski and Aston Castillo in particular really seem to play steady. How did the team avoid those big up and big ups and downs?
[00:07:12] Speaker A: Yeah. Again, I think the feeling comfortable at this golf course and weathering the storm on the hard holes and being really prepared to tackle those hole locations and those tough holes, I think was the deciding factor of us staying level and not have any blow up moments. And that's the team we are. And we've struggled with putting 54 whole tournaments together this spring. But it was nice to finally see that come together and for us to play a really good 54 whole event and for that to be at conference, I think was the deciding factor of who these guys are and of how talented they are, how hard they've been working and the preparation. It all came to fruition.
[00:07:57] Speaker B: This week I'm going to ask about Lucas. Help me with his last name.
[00:08:01] Speaker A: Scheifler.
[00:08:01] Speaker B: Scheifler. Lucas Scheifler. He shot a 79 on the first day. Then he bounces back with a second 70 and a 74. As a coach, what's your approach after that tough first day? How do you talk to him through that?
[00:08:14] Speaker A: Yeah, so in conference play we are allowed to take an individual kind of a sub, and we did take a sub to conference to kind of have some flexibility. If somebody does struggle and Cole and I just had the faith in Luke that he was going to bounce back. And when he went to the first tee in the second round, I told him, I said, when we win conference, leaving you in this lineup is going to be the best coaching decision I've ever made. And I think that instilled some confidence into him and eye to eye with him. I think he knew the confidence we had in him, and he just played great. He battled that whole round, and for him to shoot 70 and to bounce back from a really tough first round just shows how big of a competitor he is. And in the final round, I actually had another coach come up to me and say, I've never seen a kid compete as hard as Lucas Scheifler does, which is a big testament to him. And, yeah, he just battled and battled and battled, and, yeah, it was great for him to come back and really save us in that second round.
[00:09:19] Speaker B: So take us through next season for the shockers, what does that look like? I know you have Jose Ramirez, 2023, junior college champion from Indian Hills Community College, signed. What are your thoughts at this early date as you get ready for. For 2024? 2025?
[00:09:34] Speaker A: Yep. You know, as soon as it's over at the Pelican Club, it's an emotional day, saying goodbye to the four seniors, their families.
You know, we invest so much time, effort, love to these kids, and, yeah, it was pretty emotional on Sunday afternoon, and just a great group of guys. You know, we'll be buddies the rest of our lives and.
But once we got to the airport, you know, Michael Winslow and Lucas Scheifler and I were already talking about next year, went in conference, the guys coming in. I'm actually going up to Kansas City this weekend to see the guys from indian hills and. But very excited for the, for the new guys. A freshman coming in, a couple of junior college guys still work, still working on one more spot for next year. So extremely excited for next year. We're kind of going to soak up the next couple weeks with, with these guys until they move on. But, yeah, I mean, the guys are already thinking about a conference championship, and I know that's what Kevin Saul, you know, kind of that's his vision for us, is to win conference championships, get back to regionals, and get back to the national championship. And that's what we're working hard to do for Kevin in this athletic department and, you know, just to do everything we could for our, we can for our student athletes.
[00:10:48] Speaker B: Kevin is really active on social media. He seemed quite excited by the Gulf going on in Florida. What kind of interactions are you having with your athletic director while those rounds are going on?
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Yeah, Kevin's been great.
He was one of the first guys to text me after every round. And, you know, his leadership in this department, his vision for this department, his just interactions with us, our student athletes. I know he spoke with Michael Winslow last night at our awards dinner and event, and just very active with our student athletes and his coaches. And just to feel that support, the love from him, his competitiveness, his passion for this athletic department, it just really kind of. It's just nice to have and to see his name pop up on my phone and congratulating us and seeing his tweets and stuff and his presence on social media and, you know, he's just great to me and our student athletes and, you know, his vision for us is very high and his expectations for us are very high. But that's what it takes around here, and our goal is to bring this athletic department and this community. Conference championships.
[00:12:05] Speaker B: South Florida won the championship. I should mention that SMU finished second. So, Judd, five years as a coach at WSU, Wichita State joined the american athletic Conference 2017 2018 school year. What have you learned about competing in the american?
[00:12:21] Speaker A: Well, you know, from being a player here at Wichita State in the valley and then coaching a couple years with Greer in the valley, you know, the expectation was to win conference every year, and if we didn't, it was a. It was a drastic disappointment. And now transitioning into the AAC, it is a. It's a completely different ballgame competing against these schools.
You know, there are no moral victories in golf or athletics, but finishing third was a moral victory. And our guys felt it. We felt it. For us to come back and get Memphis there late in the last round felt really good, to be honest, and to see the guys excited and kind of pleased and just.
It was just a good week. And competing against these southern schools and being a kind of a more northern school and actually going in there ranked 11th out of twelve and finishing third was a huge deal. And I might be sometimes too excited about it, but finishing third and only losing to SMU in South Florida is a big deal for our program, and it's a big deal for recruiting this community. My phone blew up on Sunday with congratulatory texts and phone calls, and I made sure the guys understood how big of a deal it was. But they're hungry. And again, we're here to win conference championships, and that's what we're going to do.
[00:13:44] Speaker B: Who is the techs that surprised you the most or had the best message?
[00:13:51] Speaker A: Probably my buddies from Flint Hills national. Just guys that you don't really think that are following golf stat or following our success.
A lot of my buddies out there reached out to and probably Kevin just, you know, every day he sent us a message and I know he reached out to some of our student athletes and just to feel the support.
The very first text I got on Sunday was from Denning, our former Sid here. Just a great dude. And it's just nice to see guys that you don't really think or expect to be following us on the road. And seeing those guys, just a simple text message that they don't think is a big deal, is a big deal to me and our guys.
So just a big thank you to everybody that reached out. And this community loves golf and it's just nice to see our guys have some success.
[00:14:44] Speaker B: Blake Lorenz, Zach Sokolowski and then Tate Herrin, Brooke, all out of the transfer portal, coming to Wichita State. What have you learned about the transfer portal? What's the strategy that can be effective for Wichita State?
[00:14:56] Speaker A: I think where we've had success, Paul, is a guy that, you know, at a power five school that's maybe just barely in the lineup, but has the desire to go and compete and play and get on the road. And that's exactly what we did with Blake, Zach and Tate, they kind of played some, but didn't play, you know, every event, and they wanted to go to a program where they're going to have an impact and play every week. And kind of Blake's that prime example. He came here and played every event for us, competed at a high level, and found out yesterday that it's probably going to go out today or tomorrow that he actually broke our lowest scoring average ever for a minimum of 40 rounds as a shocker golfer. So he will be the leading scoring average. He will have the lowest scoring average of any shocker golfer here, which I'll say the big deal for him, and he's going to try it at the professional level. And same way with Zach Sakalowski, went up to Kuwait, played for him a little bit, but wanted to come back to his hometown and make an impact.
And same with Tate. And we're going to miss those guys heavily. Aston Castillo came out of a junior college, came up here, and maybe only missed a couple of events himself. And our team is going to have a different, kind of have a different culture next year, but those guys are going to be heavily. Really, really heavily missed.
[00:16:21] Speaker B: What's the. And maybe your spring schedule is already set. Is there a tournament you would love to get the shockers into next spring?
[00:16:27] Speaker A: Well, we tried to get into the Hawaii event, but that. That didn't work out. But we're gonna go back to Cancun to start off the year. We're gonna go to Grand Canyon, back to Phoenix's, or back to Phoenix, and then most likely into Iowa. But a nice mix of some tournaments we're gonna drive to, we're gonna fly to, but we're trying to go back to some courses that the guys have kind of some familiarity with and kind of a comfort, kind of some just feeling at home. And, you know, that's a big deal with golf. You want to go back to a place that you feel comfortable with, you know, the whole locations, you know, the tee boxes, the turf, and everything like that. But we're finalizing our spring schedule this week and hope to get back into some really good events.
[00:17:11] Speaker B: What's the favorite golf course you've ever played as a. As a competitor?
[00:17:15] Speaker A: That's probably cypress point. We went there when I was in school here with Greer, took the team out there, and it's a pretty incredible place. And these guys are lucky. I mean, this year alone, we played extremesong outside of Tampa.
We went to the Bahamas, Cancun, played an Auburn's event at their golf course, played at the Pelican Club.
Yeah, we've been very fortunate to play some pretty incredible golf courses. And traveling, that's where the memories are made in college. Golfer on the road, the car rides, the missed flights, the dinners, the walks on the beach, and we soaked it in this year, that's for sure.
[00:17:52] Speaker B: Who's the best golfer you've competed against?
[00:17:58] Speaker A: Ooh, probably Shez Revy from ASU when I was in school.
The best golfer I've ever seen is probably John Rahm when I was at Arizona State. Obviously, we all know who John is.
Spent a year with him at Arizona State, and Hayden Buckley is up there. When I was at the University of Missouri, he's a PGA Tour winner now on the tour. But the time at the University of Missouri and the time at Arizona State kind of really showed what it takes to get to the next level, and that's what I'm trying to instill in these guys.
[00:18:39] Speaker B: Okay. Wichita State men's golf, coming off a third place finish in the American Athletic Conference championship last weekend. Judd Easterling, thanks for your time.
[00:18:48] Speaker A: Thank you, Paul.
[00:19:04] 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]. Bradshaw into Wingate.
[00:19:21] Speaker B: Wingate's going to dribble it a couple.
[00:19:22] Speaker D: Of times and throws it in the hands of Kuznard. Threw it away. Kuznet to Ryan Martin for the dunk. The shockers are going to the sweet 16.
It's all over. The shockers up seven, 3 seconds, two. Jeffer by Smith is no good. Wichita State to the sweet 16.
