Speaker 1 00:00:11 Hello, welcome to the Roundhouse Podcast with Paul Soro of Wichita State University, strategic communications. Wichita State Softball. Coach Christie Brenner joins us to talk about spring practices, the upcoming softball season, and the plans to upgrade Wilkins Stadium, the shockers. They open their season on February 10. They're in the Bobcat Classic in San Marcos, Texas, where they will be in a tournament with Villanova, Texas State and Kent State over three days. Shockers open at home on March 4th with the black and yellow challenge. Let's start with a home schedule, which looks really, really appealing. Uh, Stanford, Nebraska, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, Minnesota, Kansas, Oklahoma, uh, all in the non-conference. So, Christie, has it been easier or harder to schedule over the last four or five years as the shockers have been going to the NCAA regional, all those kind of things? You
Speaker 2 00:01:04 Know, I really just think it depends on the year. Um, you know, I think, uh, the better you are obviously the more attention that you get and maybe the more challenging it can be when it comes to scheduling, because a lot of teams don't wanna travel and play at, at a home field of a really good team. But, uh, you know, I think that we've proven that we can be a good host and, um, you know, we've got our, our standard teams that come in Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Kansas. We've been doing a really great job of going back and forth with Nebraska and Arkansas, and I'm just really excited to have Minnesota and Stanford, uh, join the schedule this year too. Really great teams and, uh, I think, you know, a little bit of lock on one of those Stanford's playing kus tournament. So we reached out and asked if they wanted to play a, a late midweek and on their way to that tournament.
Speaker 2 00:01:50 So, you know, it just, it, it's kind of luck and um, you know, the challenge that we always face every year when it comes to scheduling isn't necessarily having interest. It's the fact that everybody around us tries to play at home in March as well. KU host a couple tournaments, Tulsa, Oklahoma State. Um, and so we're competing against them to, to try to draw some teams. And I think one of the biggest things that's helped us this year is we were able to give out a little guarantee money, and that's something that hadn't happened in the past. And so that was a, a big push from the athletic department last year to try to get more home games since we had only had 11. So, uh, worked out well and, you know, in 2024, we're hoping to, to try to play at home that first weekend in March as well, working something out. And um, yeah, so hopefully from now on we'll have a few more home games out
Speaker 1 00:02:35 There, so you'll be a better host with the new third base dugout, your better host when you pay out a little guarantee money. And then other improvements, turf lights, things like that, that will all help your ability to play more home games earlier in the spring, I guess.
Speaker 2 00:02:47 Yeah, absolutely. And, and I think a lot of people don't realize the weather aspect. I mean, obviously we've been able to practice outside a little bit here in the month of January and hopefully continue that in, in the month of February. But I think the biggest thing for us is just getting people to come to Wichita and realizing we've got a great airport, um, really easy to get in and out of. And you know, once one team comes and I feel like they fly in, it's like, oh, you know what? That was really convenient and easy, let's go back there. And so it's just kind of getting them to take that initial jump. I think that ends up being, uh, the big factor for us.
Speaker 1 00:03:20 Okay. I was gonna ask about Stanford. Uh, and you explained, so they're coming to ku, uh, so that just worked out for them. You were able to reach out and they were, they were amenable to to coming here?
Speaker 2 00:03:30 Yeah, you know, I reached out to KU just to ask, I'm always looking for different teams to play midweek wise and, uh, we had gone to kus tournament that weekend last year and I was like, oh, you know, should I look and see who they're hosting? Maybe we should go there. And when she mentioned that Stanford was in the tournament, I reached out to Jessica Alistair and just said, Hey, would you have any interest? You've got a local kid, uh, in EEC that is, you know, from Ann Dale and get to play in front of her family. And, uh, a couple other kids from the Midwest area. So the more games, in my opinion that they can play in front of their parents, the better. And uh, she immediately was like, yeah, let me look and see what flights look like. And um, you know, just a good matchup. I think for them. They're excited. Anytime you can play a post-season team, they're gonna wanna take advantage of that. And, um, so yeah, worked out for us and, uh, playing them on Thursday night right before we played Nebraska and should be a great one.
Speaker 1 00:04:21 Yeah. Wichita State does Stanford have played? I went back and looked that up the last time they played. Wichita State beats Stanford six to four out in, uh, in a tournament in California. Okay. So the shockers started practice on January 9th. You've got a little bit more than a week until the opener. What do practices look like as you're getting close to first pitch?
Speaker 2 00:04:39 Well, a lot of scrimmaging, a lot of live pitching, uh, a lot of excitement. I think the girls are itching to, to get in front of somebody else and hit off somebody else. And I think the pitchers more than any, are probably ready to throw to somebody else because they've been, uh, thrown against a pretty stacked offensive lineup. And I think when you start looking at how long we've actually been practicing, you know, our season ended in about middle of October last fall. And from that point until we went home for Christmas, we were doing a lot of live, a lot of scrimmaging and things like that. And so we pick that back up and, and we do a ton of hitting, uh, and we try to get outside as much as possible to do defense. But I think the most that we can do to prepare is to have our kids throw alive and compete against each other.
Speaker 2 00:05:22 And they've done an awesome job of competing, but I think they're ready and, and excited to compete against some different teams and, um, see some different pitchers. I know right now we're, we're working into our prep phase where we're really prepping for the opponents that we're going to face, whether it's the batters or whether it's the pitchers that we're gonna see. That's what we start breaking down as part of our, uh, routine and really, you know, focusing in on certain aspects of the game of what we need to pre prepare, be prepared for. So that's where we're at. And you know, we've got about seven practices left, I think before the first game. And so just every day hoping to get a little bit better.
Speaker 1 00:05:58 I'm sure you have general ideas and specific in some cases about the lineup and, and those kind of things. Is there a position or maybe a position group that you're particularly interested in how that unfolds over these next seven practices?
Speaker 2 00:06:12 Yeah, I think, you know, I wouldn't even say just the next seven practices. I think for me there's a lot of changes in fluctuations that are gonna happen in the first probably six weeks, you know, in that preseason part. We wanna make sure by the time we get to conference play that we've got a, a lineup that we feel confident with that, that they feel confident with. And that's gonna perform at a high level. And sometimes it takes, you know, some experience and some endgame, um, you know, performance to figure out where people can play. And I think, um, you know, there's a couple positions that are obviously pretty solidified. Addie Barnard and Lauren Lucas are gonna play in the outfield and Sid McKinney's gonna play short. Laney Brown's gonna catch, you know, I think, um, Zoe's gonna be in there defensively right now. I'd say she's gonna play third base.
Speaker 2 00:06:58 Um, but there's a chance she could play a little bit of first base. I think Sammy Hood's, um, been doing a great job at second see her, Sierra Hoaxster is behind her and, and has been swinging it a little bit better. And you know, so at the end of the day you've gotta figure out what lineup's gonna work best offensively and defensively for you. First base is up in the air, right? Fields up in the air. I think quite a few people, you know, after those positions, I think Cam Compton and Caroline talent are battling out first a little bit more. We've put Lolo there a little bit too. Um, she played first base in high school and in travel ball and so she does have experience there and it's just kind of figuring out, you know, does she help, does she hurt? Does you know, is she better off just focusing on the offensive side of things.
Speaker 2 00:07:43 And then you've got Taylor Sachek and um, Bailey Irvine really competing hard and right field and burbs a little behind from the injury. And I think once she's fully caught up, it'll be a really, uh, good com competition between the two of them cuz they both bring some really great things to the plate. So we'll use these next, uh, you know, seven days for sure to try to figure out that first day lineup. But we'll use the next seven weeks to figure out what that lineup's gonna look like. That's hopefully, hopefully gonna lead us into, uh, conference play.
Speaker 1 00:08:14 So is there somebody that you are watching and you're thinking, boy, if this person has a great week of practice or a great few weeks of practice, they could really make making out the lineups much more interesting or, or challenging that could really become a big discussion point among the coaches?
Speaker 2 00:08:31 Yeah, I think, uh, cam, Caroline, Taylor and Bailey, the four of them in just how they shake out consistently is going to be a big factor in the lineup because I think, you know, Lolo's gonna be in the lineup either way. She's just such a great presence, great hitter, great experience. Zoe's gonna be in the lineup, Sid's in the lineup, Addie, Lauren Laney for sure in the lineup. And then I think Sammy Hood, uh, defensively is just so stellar in my opinion, with her hands, very Kayleigh Hecker like that, maybe you can wear a little bit of her, um, offense. I think her offense is eventually gonna be really, really good. It was excellent in high school, but I think, you know, it's just a different game in college and she's gotta get caught up a little bit. But she's gonna get a ton of experience to get caught up.
Speaker 2 00:09:17 But I think that first base and Wright Field position is going to make the lineup, um, very interesting. And I'm okay with that. I think that's good. And you also have Jess Garcia in there. He is. Got a lot of great experience and has had some, some really great at bats and, and DH opportunities for us who's can play a first base. You've got Kristen Nelson, who defensively is, is very, very good, doesn't hit as well as she plays defense. And so you might see some six inning defensive changes where we're putting in a better defensive lineup to kind of lock the game down than offensive. So we've gotta work through all of that kind of stuff. And, you know, this year I feel like we're also faster, you know, just watching our team run the bases a little bit. We've got some options of kids that can get in and pinch run for us and potentially steal some bases and things like that.
Speaker 2 00:10:07 So there's a lot of, um, different formulas that we could put together for success. We just have to figure out which ones the, the most competitive and, um, you know, sometimes that changes throughout the whole season and um, sometimes that can be tough when it is like that. But, uh, you know, at the end of the day we've gotta play to win. And, and you know, as much as you like every kid and you want every single one of them to play every game, you, you unfortunately can't switch kids in and out like that in softball, so we'll, we'll figure it out. And, and I, you know, I hope it's as competitive as it possibly be because every time those kids step foot on the field, they're getting an experience and, and that experience can hopefully lead the down the road to something that's a little bit more solidified.
Speaker 1 00:10:52 So I think if you were following shocker softball recruiting, you knew about Sammy Hood for hitting a ton of home runs. You obviously knew she was also an excellent defensive player as, as well, that just wasn't as out there on social media, like the home runs are.
Speaker 2 00:11:05 Yeah, I mean, I don't know that there's necessarily a record out there for assist and put out some things like that that's glorified, like the big bombs that she hit. And, um, you know, she's just smooth. And like I said, I, I'll go down on record as saying, in my honest opinion, Kaylee Hecker is one of the best defensive players easily that's ever played in the American, in, in, in the Missouri Valley. Even when she started, we were in the valley, um, Sammy's right there. And I think that's fun to watch, I think with her and Sid up the middle, it's just a really good one-two punch. And, and you know, Sarah Hoaxster is not far behind. She's, we're trying to work on her rigidness a little bit, but she's got a great arm and can cover some range. So the future of that middle infield is, is pretty good. And, um, but I think right now Sammy's definitely got the edge from a defensive perspective.
Speaker 1 00:11:57 So the pitching staff will look new. People will remember Caitlin Bingham and Aaron McDonald from last year. Both are departed. Uh, tell us a little bit about the rotation.
Speaker 2 00:12:05 Yeah, pitching's gonna be, um, you know, to me the, the area that we're gonna have to really get after it, and you're gonna see a lot of new arms. You've got, uh, you know, Allie coming back with the most innings, um, and she looks great, you know, she's been throwing a lot alive. And, um, just to me, I think the biggest thing for her is to just kind of stay in the moment. I think sometimes when she gets into trouble she tries to do a little bit too much and she's got great spin, great movement, um, really great athletic presence out there. Plays an excellent defensive first ba or, sorry, not first base, but pitcher. And, you know, I think her experience from last year is gonna carry over and really help us and she's gonna have to lead with that experience cuz it's the most, uh, we, you know, Kenzie chauffer came back from, from last year's team, didn't get a ton of innings.
Speaker 2 00:12:52 Um, you know, and we'll continue to keep fighting for innings. I think she's improving, you know, and, and has to continue to keep improving and, and having good command. Um, but I think the biggest, you know, question mark for us is Lauren Howell and Alex Aguilar. They're two arms that we're gonna rely on in a big way. Um, and nobody's really seen him. Alex is a freshman out of, uh, the Texas area, played on a great travel ball team for, you know, the glory. And then the bombers, um, saw a lot of success. But, you know, she's a freshman and she's gotta realize she's probably gonna take a little bit of lumps here and there, and she's not gonna get away with some of the things that she probably got away with in travel ball and in high school and things like that. And so she's kind of where Allie was last year, where, you know, you've been able to dominate and do pretty well, but then when you go into the big leagues of Division one softball, you know, you hang a curve ball a little bit, you know, you don't get away with it very often.
Speaker 2 00:13:47 Somebody's gonna crush that. And so she's learning that and really trying to figure out her pitches and getting better. And I think the, the, the, the one that to me is, can, can be the difference maker for us as Lauren Howell. You know, she didn't see a ton of innings at Arkansas the last two years. Um, she just needed confidence and, you know, right, wrong or indifferent when, when you're at a, you know, a an s e C school, I mean, pitching's obviously at a premium and they're getting the, the cream and the crop and were able to get some pretty big transfers and it just depleted her innings and opportunities as, uh, in her two years. And I think a part of that kind of deflated her confidence or deflated her confidence. And I think coming in here and knowing that we're gonna rely on her a little bit and, and really kind of getting back into being somebody that we're gonna count on.
Speaker 2 00:14:35 I've seen her progress from fall to spring, uh, in a really positive way. And a lot of it just has to do with confidence. I mean, she, she has some, some pop in her throat, she's got some good velo, um, you know, and she's really starting to hit her spots a little bit better and got Sarah Protz who can come in kind of middle relief, keep people off balance with a pretty ugly change up and a lefty look. Uh, and Kenzie just kind of filling in and making sure that, you know, she keeps teams, you know, off balance. So when it comes to the pitchers, it's gonna be, um, totally different. But I, I think there's gonna be a lot more responsibility on the coaching staff as well, because we're gonna have to decide when's it time to make a good change, who's gonna be that change? And, you know, try to be as disruptive as possible to a lineup so that they're not getting, uh, the same looks throughout the game very often.
Speaker 3 00:15:38 Hi, this is Rick Yuma, president of Wichita State University. Check out the latest episode of the Forward Together podcast. Each episode I sit down with different guests from Chak Nation to celebrate the vision and mission of Wichita State University. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1 00:16:07 Last week, Wichita State announced state facilities master plan for Wilkins Stadium, uh, lead gifts from Linda Park and Jeanie and Ricky Brotherton for the 7.3 million phase one. So Christie, how do you describe the, the importance of this project?
Speaker 2 00:16:23 Well, I think the importance is just what it says about our program and kind of where we're at, uh, in society right now. You know, I think one of the best things about this, uh, project is just showing that universities, athletic departments, uh, all across the nation are investing in women's sports. And, uh, to see the popularity and the growth of, of women's athletics, especially softball, which has gained such a, uh, a large television audience over the last 10, 15 years. Uh, and to be a program that's been able to, uh, jump on that bandwagon and have success, uh, reap the benefits of something this phenomenal is, is a true testament to the investment that this university is willing to put in. And, and, you know, Dr. Muma and, and Darren last year, I think kind of initiated a lot of the, the initial talks and, and, you know, when Kevin saw got here, obviously, uh, brought in some consulting and, and really understood the, the need a little bit more.
Speaker 2 00:17:21 And, you know, now we're moving forward. And I think it, it speaks to the investment that this university's willing to put into women. I think it's huge for recruiting. I think it's huge for the program. You know, we are a program that now has an expectation of, of trying to get to the post-season and getting there every year and being at the top of the conference. And, um, when you have those types of expectations, you've gotta continue to be able to sell your product and, uh, keep up up with the Joneses. And so you're seeing, you know, universities across the United States right now investing in women's sports and, uh, Oklahoma obviously announcing, uh, a really nice stadium that's well deserved for them. And, um, just seeing all of the, the improvements and, you know, Nebraska and KU getting, you know, upgrades and, you know, just stuff that I think is important to show that, you know, the girls put in the hard work and the effort and, and they, uh, you know, have so many great accomplishments, it's good to see them getting, um, some of the facility upgrades specific to their sport.
Speaker 1 00:18:24 So it's a multi-phase project. Uh, the first phase would include, I guess most prominently locker rooms, team rooms, offices in an indoor practice facility. Then it would move into more of the stadium fan amenities, things like that. What jumps out to you as most important in the, in the early phases of this?
Speaker 2 00:18:43 Yeah, I think that's gonna be one of the most interesting pieces of it. I think when we identified, um, you know, the true need for the, the department and for the the softball program, we've totally outgrown Wilkins Stadium as far as our office space and team room, locker room, uh, goes, you know, that was built in the nineties. At the time the coaches were probably maybe two coaches and maybe a volunteer. You only had 16 to 18 players on the team. And, you know, softball's changed. I mean, we're gonna be adding a fourth coach this next year. That's a full-time opportunity. Um, you've got 20 to 22 players pretty typically on a roster now. Um, so when you look at Wilkins, our, our locker room is too small. Our team room has now become, uh, the office space for our director of operations and our graduate managers who come in and, and do video for us.
Speaker 2 00:19:35 And then Coach Kahneman and Presley share an office. I have my own and I'm fortunate to have mine and, um, you know, so we've just, we've just really outgrown it. And so I think that that's a huge part of it is getting the girls the space that they need to, um, you know, be able to feel like it's a, it's a space that they want to hang out in and, and, you know, in between classes be able to be comfortable and, um, get some homework done. And or even just like a classroom setting for us, anytime we've ever wanted to meet as a team, we have to come over to Koch and, and meet in the Champions club and, you know, so it'll just be awesome in my opinion to have some flexibility within a building that's super functional and, and nice and, and spacious enough to kind of fit a growing sport.
Speaker 2 00:20:18 Um, you know, we were fortunate enough to get new cages this past year and it sounds like the cages are gonna get torn down to put the new building. And so my hope is that they actually build the indoor facility first so that we can address the cage situation before they build, uh, the locker room portion. Otherwise we'll probably go a, a pretty big chunk without having any cages, just the one that's down the left field line and that's now been converted to the visitor's bullpen. So, um, you know, there's gonna be some, some things that we have to juggle and figure out from a timeline perspective. But the first phase is, is huge. And I think, you know, we share an awesome facility, uh, with baseball over at um, Bombardier and um, you know, but we still have situations where it's raining or it's snowing or it's too cold or, you know, something happens and we need to get inside and, you know, you have to figure out ways to accommodate both teams and, you know, you also want your kids to be able to have a space to go in and put in extra work.
Speaker 2 00:21:18 And, um, so we have to really be creative with scheduling over there at the indoor. And so it'll be nice to have two different indoor facilities, one for each program and, um, an opportunity for our kids to, to get in and, and do what they need to do to be successful on their
Speaker 1 00:21:32 Own. You mentioned the growing popularity of softball or TV ratings for the, uh, college World Series or are growing, uh, Wichita stays located right in the hotbed, you know, with the Oklahoma schools, Arkansas, Missouri, a lot of good softball in this area. How does that play into Wichita State's, uh, I guess ambition and with this stadium?
Speaker 2 00:21:51 Yeah, I think it's, it's, it's one of those opportunities for us to really, um, be a little bit more competitive in the Midwest. You know, recruiting's tough, it's a challenge in and of itself. Um, you know, we don't dangle the thing that, you know, it seems in society that's most important, which is that power five Kara or that big football carrot. And so we've gotta figure out different ways to sell our program and um, you know, as is, as tough it is is to say that's been harder to do as we've gotten better. You would think it would be easier as we've gotten better. But in our minds we're trying to get better kids and continue to keep elevating and we're identifying those types of kids, but on uh, a high percentage of time we'll end up losing them to a Power five school. And I think the, seeing the investment that the university's willing to put into softball and getting a kid to come on campus and seeing a stadium and being in a team room and seeing their own indoor facility maybe changes the mindset of that kid a little bit that, you know what, this could be a good opportunity for me and they may be investing more.
Speaker 2 00:22:54 I mean, you look at some, some of the Power five schools, especially some of the teams that are leaving our league in the America to go to the Big 12. I mean, right now, um, we're a little behind facility wise in them, but with this expansion and, and the changes, I think it elevates our program to be in front of a program like those
Speaker 1 00:23:13 Other stadiums in the conference, in the American Athletic Conference. I haven't been to, maybe I've seen a couple of them on basketball road trips. What are they like?
Speaker 2 00:23:21 Yeah, south Florida and Houston. I know Houston's leaving the league. South Florida's got a really nice stadium constantly making upgrades. Uh, they share a concourse with their baseball stadium, so their left field line, uh, and their right field line for baseball, um, have a double decker concourse that they share. And so not necessarily the most, uh, beneficial cuz you can't have a game at the same time because of foul balls on the, the baseball side. But really nice, great stadium, great stance, press box. I mean, when you compare Wilkins to a lot of the stadiums in our league, there's some things that compare, but like we built our press box on ground level, first mistake, you know, and, um, from a locker room perspective, like South Florida just built a locker room area out there for their softball team. They didn't have it before and so they kind of built an infrastructure that they could expand out on in phases.
Speaker 2 00:24:14 Uh, and you know, I think they're probably the, the nicest East Carolina's got a very nice stadium. Houston, like I said, probably has the nicest and the most space. They've got locker room space available on both sides of their stadium, great seating. Um, and, and you know, an indoor facility that's just for softball, um, but like Memphis's facility needs an upgrade. Tulsa's facility needs an upgrade. Um, UAB has a really nice stadium. Uh, I haven't been there, but I've heard a lot of great things about it. North Texas is in the, the fundraising phase of really upgrading their stadium and have done some really nice things to it. So, you know, in the league if all this comes to fruition, we'll have the nicest stadium easily in the American Athletic Conference. Um, but even if, you know, phase by phase, we continue to add, we'll we'll still be up in the top half of it. Um, but I, you know, like I said, it's, it's exciting. It's something we're really, really looking forward to. And, you know, hopefully it happens sooner than later.
Speaker 1 00:25:19 So UAB in North Texas joining the American, uh, this summer, uh, so people that wanna see the plans, uh, can go to go shockers.com and, and see the drawings. We all love stadium drawings. How much, and these are, uh, I think people th they're preliminary at this point. This is just kind of early what we would love to do. Uh, how much input does a coach a coaching staff have into these drawings, these plans?
Speaker 2 00:25:44 Yeah, you know, the architecture company did a really great job. They know more than I do about creating infrastructure and you know, for me, um, some of the most important pieces of this were the new building with office space and classroom and nutrition and, and just the girls, you know, giving the girls the space that they needed. Um, so that was important and, and we've, we haven't, we know where that building's gonna be. We have a sense of kind of what the layout's gonna be, but we really haven't, um, broke that down yet. We'll have quite a bit of influence I think, on that and on the indoor facility. Um, and, and what, what's gonna make most sense, you know, we were talking about it yesterday and I think when you look at the drawings, the building will actually go where we just redid the hitting facility area.
Speaker 2 00:26:33 And so in my head, immediately what I thought about was, well, we better build the indoor before we build the actual office space building, because otherwise we will have one batting cage out there for as long as it takes to make this building happen, which I don't think is gonna be a four month project, you know, so there's some things that we have to weigh through. But, you know, I have met with the, the architects and, um, and Kevin and Brad Pittman, who's been a big part of this, you know, facility build Corey Torgerson, who's my sport supervisor, uh, several times and talked through the things that we, we think the program needs. And, you know, press box was a big one, you know, and I know that's not in phase one, but just being able with more television and, and there's a lot of teams that like to bring radio and things like that, you know, we're placing people outside and we've got, you know, a a packed press box where there's a lot going on and it doesn't have a great view.
Speaker 2 00:27:27 And so I think that was something that we felt right away was a definite need. Um, but the other piece of it is just expansion. Being able to bring in more fans and creating a better fan-friendly experience of, you know, concessions and, uh, team store and, and you know, places for kids to run. I have kids, so for me, I'm invested in, in having invested interest in where, where can, how can we have little kids out at the stadium and, and keep 'em safe and not let 'em get hit by balls or running around on, uh, metal bleachers. And so adding the berms out in the outfield and some different things like that. So I definitely think that, you know, we're the, we're the experts at the ball fields that we go and visit and see great ones. And so they've done a really great job of making sure everybody's been a part of the process.
Speaker 4 00:28:27 Great insight as always. Thanks 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 always find more roundhouse
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Speaker 5 00:28:44 They let him pass it up court, and then he gets picked off along three by Pango, no good. One second. It's over. It's over. And Wichita State has beaten the number one team in the nation to go crazy Wichita, I know you
Speaker 0 00:29:00 Are.
