Speaker 1 00:00:11 Hello, this is Paul Soro of Wichita State University Strategic Communications. Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast. Today's guest is Wichita State's softball coach Christie bribe. Christie joins us to talk about false softball. The shockers played eight false scrimmages in addition to their practices, uh, most notably beating Kansas and Missouri, losing twice to Oklahoma State in their four matchups against NCAA Division one opponents. They will continue with individual workouts in preparation for next spring schedule, which starts in mid-February. To remind you, Wichita State went 34 and 18 last spring, played in NCAA regional for the second consecutive time, and third time in the past four seasons. They returned six of their top seven hitters from 2022, including all Americans, Sydney McKinney and Addison Barnard plus starters such as Zoe Jones, Lauren Lucas, and Lauren Mills. Christie, we're recording a few yards from, uh, the new batting cages, new turf area that is by the third base dugout here at Wilkins Stadium. Let's start there. How is that extra space helping this fall?
Speaker 2 00:01:16 Well, that's been a huge addition to Wilkins. I think it's been an area that, uh, uh, we've needed for a while. We had just the, the one long lane and then a short lane down the left field side for the whole time that I've been here. In fact, I think Tim Walton put that up, uh, in the, uh, early two thousands. And, um, you know, apart from the fact that it wasn't the safest place to be, it really didn't give us the amount of space that we probably needed to be as efficient or wanted to be as efficient when it comes to hitting. So, uh, you know, when we sat down and, and talked about some of the improvements that we needed to make to the facility, uh, to host the American Athletic Conference, tournament hitting was, was a must. And, uh, you know, we're pretty, uh, you know, helpful.
Speaker 2 00:02:01 It was definitely helpful of President Muma to, to give us that space and, and, you know, give us the funding to, to turf it, put the polls in and, and really the, the community, the people that stepped up in the community and, uh, supported our efforts and fundraising to outfit it with some great equipment. And, you know, I think the nice thing is, is it's open accessible with lights for our girls to, to go in and hit in the evenings and things like that. Um, but, uh, you know, I think if you ask Coach Conneman, it's been a, a great addition and just allows us to have more room to breathe and safer environment. We can have seven or six cages, uh, or we can break it down into, um, just the three big cages. And, um, the nice thing about the big cages, you see a little bit more ball flight, so you understand, okay, I went with that a little bit more versus a little 14 foot wide cage.
Speaker 2 00:02:53 Sometimes you think you hit it pretty well in that type of a cage, but when it's a little bit bigger, you, you have a little bit, little bit more of an understanding of how well you hit that ball and where you hit it. So, uh, huge addition and, and the equipment that came with it. I think we ended up ordering five pitching machines, a bunch of safety screens, balls, things like that, that, you know, we haven't really had the funding for, uh, these last 12 years that I've been there to get something, uh, of that, um, expense. And I think that, that, that proved this year that it's gonna be something that's very, very useful and hopefully used by the girls a lot when they have some free time.
Speaker 1 00:03:30 So take us back to, I guess, late August, early September, you were planning fall practices. What were your priorities? What did you want to get accomplished?
Speaker 2 00:03:38 Well, I think early fall, you know, when we talked originally it was, okay, this is gonna be a great great fall for us. We had six games scheduled against division one opponents and two games scheduled against, uh, non division one opponents. So one against Pittsburgh State and one against Seminole. And we had a couple different scheduling changes. Uh, team dropped out of the Kansas City tournament that we were going to. And so then we ended up playing Oklahoma State at that tournament unexpectedly. So that double header that was originally scheduled for here ended up being a Tenanting game and just won. And then, uh, Coach McFalls at Kansas and I chatted about, um, the non-smart decision we made to, to have a game this Friday, actually in Lawrence. That would've been a double header when it, this is a big recruiting weekend and neither of us were gonna be able to get where we needed to late Friday night to be able to get in two days of recruiting on Saturday.
Speaker 2 00:04:33 So we ended up having to move that when we moved that, that also went from a double header to a Tenanting game. And so we quickly went from six games against division one opponents to four and, and adding a couple junior college games. And we were thankful for Cali and Hutch to be able to, to even play us later in the season. But, uh, you know, for us, the outlook really is to kind of just see where we're at. We've got six new freshmen in a transfer in Lauren Howell. And uh, you know, we do return a lot offensively, defensively. We lost a lot in the circle. Um, and so really for me, especially right now, we're doing individual meetings. We're talking a lot more about how we did in those division one games versus how we did in those other games, the, the junior college in the division two games because there are bigger representation of, okay, this is a little bit more likely who you're gonna play this next spring.
Speaker 2 00:05:26 And, um, and so to me that's what it's all about. It's, you know, getting some reps, getting summit bats, getting some some circle time and defensively kind of doing some different lineups, seeing who steps up, who can, um, focus on the speed of the game cuz it's different for a lot of freshmen. Um, and really giving everybody an opportunity to prove themselves. And I think that's what you always are trying to do in the fall is kind of take the, the nerves out of the experience of playing on the big stage. Cuz when you're playing a team like Oklahoma State or Missouri, Kansas, mean know, obviously big 12 s e c teams, Oklahoma State went to the World Series, um, you know, you're getting tested right off the bat and you don't have a ton of practice time to get prepped for those types of tests that we do and we're gonna be in the spring. And so, you know, just to kind of see where the girls are, um, initially and, and hopefully how we grow over these next couple months getting prepared because we're gonna play all but Missouri in the spring. And so I think for us it's just kind of learning our team, understanding what we need to get better at and um, kind of growing and setting our individual work for these next five weeks based on how those games went.
Speaker 1 00:06:36 My understanding was, uh, Alex Aguiar might be a good example, somebody who benefited from those division one, she came through I think in a big situation against Mizzou, if I'm remembering that right. What did you see in those scrimmages, especially against the division one opponents that you really liked?
Speaker 2 00:06:51 Yeah, I thought we just had a meeting with Alex and talked about that game at Mizzou came in, I think runners at second and third with one out and hit the first batter. So I think got a little bit of the jitter out, but then was able to get out of the inning unscathed. And you know, I think when you look at an Alex, a kid that has had a lot of success in the travel ball, you know, Circuit had a nice high school career. Uh, when you get her on into the circle and they're playing against big opponents, you wanna see, okay, is she afraid? Does she attack pitches? How is she taking this on? And she did better against the better teams than she did against the teams that we were supposed to beat. And so you like that, you like that you're seeing her kind of step up and, you know, in talking to her today, you know, the challenges is, it's not, doesn't matter who's wearing the jersey across their chest, you should want to beat 'em every game.
Speaker 2 00:07:44 And, you know, challenge yourself to, if it's a team that you know, you should be beating, say, Hey, I'm challenging myself. I want throw one hitter. I wanna throw a no hitter, I wanna throw a shut out. Or, you know, maybe it's the number of pitches you throw pouring I I want keep it below 15 every inning and get us, get us back in this dugout. And I think she had her first, you know, true opportunities of seeing and testing the waters of what it's gonna be like, playing against some pretty quality opponents. And I thought she did really, really well.
Speaker 1 00:08:13 Alex is a freshman, she is from Midland, Texas. So let's stay with the, uh, with the pitchers. Uh, Caitlin Bingham and Eric McDonald threw a lot for the shockers last year. They are gone. Uh, we talked about Alex A. Little bit. Lauren, how is a transfer from Arkansas? Uh, tell us about her fall.
Speaker 2 00:08:30 Yeah, you know, for her this was all about experience. She didn't get a ton of innings at Arkansas, She's a junior coming in. I think it's about building confidence and, and giving her the experience to see, uh, what what it's gonna be like to be counted on a lot more. You know, at Arkansas they've had an, an outstanding team last several years, um, but they've benefited a little bit from the portal this past year. And I think because of that, her innings depleted a little bit and, and her opportunity to, to have success and, and get an opportunity period, what went when they, when they brought in the two transfers. And so, you know, we've gotta build confidence back in her because when you see a coach bring in somebody that's taken the innings that you thought you've worked towards and were gonna get to have you lose a little bit of confidence.
Speaker 2 00:09:19 And so, uh, that was a huge part of, of Lauren's evolution here. This, uh, you know, this fall is just getting back out there, being counted on. Um, nobody's gonna bail you out. You know, we, we faced Lauren actually last year, and I remembered vividly we were playing Arkansas and they made a pitching change and we were starting to hit a little bit, maybe had a couple walks and put Lauren in. They let her throw to one batter and it was Sid, you know, and either she hit Sid or Sid got a hit or something and they took her out right away. And you know, that that might be the case in a rare situation next spring that we're gonna take somebody out that fast. And, you know, it doesn't happen very often, but we weren't gonna do that this fall. You know, she's gotta be able to work through it.
Speaker 2 00:10:05 And, and you saw it, it was, she had a tough third inning against Oklahoma State here at home where I think, um, you know, she ended up walking three or four girls giving up a couple hits. I had a two run home run hit off her by Lexi Gilfoyle. And it's like, Look, we're not gonna bail you out. You gotta figure out a way to kind of work through this. And we eventually made a change after a few batters, but, you know, those are really good teachable moments. They were, they were opportunities that she wasn't getting, you know, when, when she was at Arkansas. And so, um, you know, I think we're gonna see a lot of good things out of her. I think she's gotta get back into being, um, in softball shape as far as mentally, physically, I think that she's got a really strong drop ball, um, you know, can go up with the rise. I think we're gonna work on change up a little bit, but, you know, really just getting back her fundamentals and confidence and, you know, I think that's gonna be the big thing for us over these next five weeks and when we get back in January is getting her, is prepared to throw a number of innings for us because I think she's got the potential to have a lot of success.
Speaker 1 00:11:08 She is from Jefferson City, Missouri. Was she someone that you had a, a relationship with before she went to
Speaker 2 00:11:13 Arkansas? No, you know, she committed to Arkansas at the very latest was her when she was a freshman in high school. So she was a, a commit for a long, long time back when the early commitment was happening. And so, uh, a kid we knew of, I mean, she was always good, played for Top Gun and played on, uh, the, the ACEs out of the Kansas City area, good travel ball teams. And, um, yeah, just, you know, never watched her really once she committed because it was one of those situations where she was snapped up early and ended up not working out for her.
Speaker 1 00:11:45 So last spring, uh, Laura Lucas outfielder made a big jump from a freshman, played in I think 13 games, and then she was all conference last year as a sophomore. Anybody else maybe you see as on a similar trajectory?
Speaker 2 00:11:58 Yeah, I think Allie, you know, I thought Allie had a nice year last year, if we wanna keep the topic to pitching, you know, I think she had a nice first year freshman. Um, you know, secrets are out, she's a lefty, she spins the ball, has a good change up. I think for her it's about the thinking part of it now, you know, she's, um, somebody that I think gets, tries to throw harder, kind of gets fired up and loses a little bit of her composure. And I think you can expect that as a freshman. And uh, that's the part that has to change as a sophomore. You're maturing and you're understanding how to win and how you're at your best. And, you know, she's gotta trust her stuff. And I think if she does that, she'll continue to, to improve in the circle. Um, you know, I think offensively uh, you know, as far as non pitchers, you know, I think it, it'll be interesting to kind of see what happens between Jess Garcia, Cam Compton, Kristen Nelson, I mean, those are three girls that have had experience at in, in certain seasons.
Speaker 2 00:13:01 Cam's not as much last year as the year before, but Jess and Kristen especially split off quite a bit at third. And when it comes down to it, it's gonna be who hits. And just like Lauren learned and started putting the focus in on, you know, if you put in the time offensively, uh, with Coach Conneman and then on your own doing the things that she's teaching the right way and really focusing in on them, you're gonna see big results. And, uh, between Jess, Kristen and Cam, I mean, that's gonna be the deciding factor because Zoe's gonna play the other corner. So whether it's first or third, I think Zoe's got a great chance of being the everyday starter, one of those positions. It's the, the other position that's gonna be determined by offense Some days, maybe defense some days depending on who we play, but at the end of the day, you'd like to have somebody consistently performing at a high level.
Speaker 2 00:13:50 And so those three have high ceilings. They just have to continue to work, get out of their comfort zone, um, be okay with, with maybe failing for a little bit because it's not perfect, you know, because we're trying to do something and working through that failure to start seeing success. And I think you might see a, a big improvement. I actually think Bailey Irvine's a person to keep an eye out for. Obviously I know she's gonna be hurt, but she was having a pretty good year, uh, last year when she ended up getting hurt and was hitting the ball well and she's starting to swing a little bit alive off me. And I mean, just knowing that she's not a hundred percent the bats and the, the the contact that she's made has, has been pretty significant. So we're excited to get her back to
Speaker 1 00:14:35 The Bailey hit. Uh, she played in 16 games last year and hit 3 33, so she'll be ready for the spring. Is that the hope?
Speaker 2 00:14:42 Yeah, that's definitely the hope and it, it should happen. I think the biggest thing for her is she's not, if, if I'm remember correctly from a calendar perspective, she's not fully cleared until January, which is pretty late. So she misses a lot of the live reps and those types of things she'll have to get caught up on in January. But she's working hard doing the things that she can do right now and, and looks good doing them.
Speaker 1 00:15:04 So we can stay on the infield. Uh, we can probably figure on Sidney McKinney at short stop, but then as you mentioned Zoe Jones, maybe one of the corner spots after she played second last year. Take us through the infield and how that might shake out.
Speaker 2 00:15:17 Yeah, I think, you know, first and third are really gonna be determined offensively and, and the four that are in the running and maybe even five if you count Caroline Talent, who's just been one of those people, kind of like a Lauren Lucas, she's got a longer way to go just because she hasn't played high level travel ball for a long time. I mean, you know, she played in Tennessee, but not to the extent that that most of our kids have. So she's behind a little bit just from the eye test as far as being able to recognize pitching and seeing really good quality pitching up at the plate. But she's made a pretty big transformation. And so she's another opposite or option, uh, at a corner position. But you've got Kristin Nelson, Jess Garcia, Cameron Compton, Zoe and Caroline, uh, you know, that are gonna be fighting for first and third.
Speaker 2 00:16:06 And, and like I said, most of the time it's gonna come down to offense when you play teams like a central Florida or a team that buns and slaps and things like that a little bit more than, than the defense might change over, uh, from that third base position. And, and that's what we did last year. I mean, if you remember correctly in the conference tournament, Kristen uh, played third against South Florida. Jess played third against Memphis. We knew we were gonna score quite a bit against Memphis. And so you can kind of trade off a little bit of that, uh, offense and defense there. Um, you know, as far as the middle infield goes, Sid's a a lock, it's short and really kind of the captain of the ship's done a great job being a leader this year. And I put Zoe in that same category.
Speaker 2 00:16:49 Both of them have kind of embraced the whole senior mentality of, hey, we wanna win, Um, you know, but we wanna be great mentors and great teammates and and really lead this ship this year. And I think they've done a good job of that. And, and Sid's got her work cut out for her because her, her mate in the middle infield's most likely going to be a freshman. Um, Sammy Hood's got excellent hands, uh, very similar to the Kaylee Heckers of the world, uh, which you know, are pretty rare but really great hands, great arm slot, great range. Um, you almost have to kind of dial her in a little bit, which was all Kaylee when she first got here all legs and arms and just, you know, makes plays that you shake your head at. Um, you know, I think she's gotta turn it on offensively.
Speaker 2 00:17:34 She's shown that she can have significant power numbers offensively. She holds the DFW High School record for home runs in a season. Um, but that was against high school pitching. You know, when you elevate your game and you play at the division one level, there's a pretty big difference in that pitching that you face. And, and so she's working hard at it and you know, I think she'll come around, but you know, we're gonna have to really kind of hone in offensively on her. Sarah Hora, uh, another freshman, uh, athletic, um, really has great hands and, and very strong overhand throw, um, lefty hitter, which, you know, we love the lefty hitters and the lineup and so that's an advantage for her. But those two will battle it out there at second base. And um, you know, I think the cool thing about two freshman at second is that if Zoe's playing first and Sid's playing short, you got two fifth years that are pretty darn good at softball.
Speaker 2 00:18:31 One that played that position all last year. And the other one who's, you know, Unin pretty much the best softball player that's ever played at Wichita State Lot to learn from and a lot to listen to. And I think that's always the biggest challenge for our freshmen is that when they get here they learn and hear and are coached and there's a lot, there's a lot going on and you just have to learn to open your ears and let it kind of absorb and take baby steps to achieving different things. But, um, you know, I think that's the biggest challenge for those freshmen is to kind of get after it a little bit, get uncomfortable, make some changes, cuz you're not gonna get away with the things that you used to be able to get away with at this level. The game's too fast. And so, you know, if your transition's not very good, but your overhand throw made up the difference of it, that transition's gotta change now, you know, or little things like that. And I, I think you've got two really good teachers on each side of you that are gonna help Sid or that are gonna help Sierra and, and Sammy learn to, to be the best versions of themselves.
Speaker 1 00:19:38 So I I know how good Kaylee Hecker was defensively, so I was surprised earlier this spring when someone mentioned Sammy Hood and, and Kaylee Hecker kind of in the same same sentence. So I wanted to ask you about it. So you you'd say there's a fair comparison
Speaker 2 00:19:51 There. Yeah, you know, I, I think Kaylee was a little taller, you know, Kaylee's range to her glove side, Little stronger than Sammy's and Sammy's range to her throwing side might be a little stronger than Kaylee's. But I had, uh, actually Jen McFalls at Kansas was talking to me a little bit about Sammy and she was like, so I heard she's pretty good. And having, you know, Sammy was a covid kid. We all watched these kids on television, you know, so when all those kids committed, there wasn't a ton of, you know, I wasn't at a lot of ball fields watching this was when we were sitting at home and watching things on athletes go live. Coach E had seen her at a camp prior to and kind of noticed, Hey, she's got pretty good hands, whatever. And so, uh, we remembered that, you know, kind of in the recruiting process.
Speaker 2 00:20:39 And uh, Jen was like, Yeah, I never really had a chance to watch her. And the first inning, Sammy turned a double play and made a diving play up the the middle and threw the girl out. And I walked back over and she goes, Yeah, you kind of downplayed that. She's excellent. And I said, Yeah, she's got crazy hands and you can't teach some of that kind of stuff. You know, it's definitely, uh, you know, an attribute that you hope that you know, you have with everyone in your middle infielders, but we don't see a ton of that here at Wichita State. We've got kids that have good hands, but just the arm slot and the kind of the full package, and it'll be fun to watch her and, and see what she does defensively and, you know, short stops her main position. So moving over to seconds to transition, uh, it's a different look. Ball's coming off the bat. Same thing for Sierra. Both of them are short stops and, um, so just a lot to learn, A lot of different, you know, bag coverage, covering bunts, being able to cover, you know, second on some, some steel situations. And so, you know, it, it's just, it can be overwhelming and they've done a pretty good job of, of making sure that in the short time that they've been here, that they're doing everything they can to be the best version of themselves.
Speaker 1 00:21:48 So you've mentioned several newcomers already. Anybody else that maybe fans should keep an eye out? Is there another spot, another position where a newcomer might pop up?
Speaker 2 00:21:56 Yeah, you know, just, uh, finished a meeting. We've got, uh, a freshman from Chicago, CC Fleming, who's very athletic, played football in high school, um, can catch, can play infield, can play in the outfield. I think she's got a high ceiling, has never really been honed in and taught a lot of real basic softball skills. And so there's some things about her throw and there's some things about her swing that I think if she really gets to buying in are gonna transform her. Uh, she's unfortunately got injured and so we're waiting kind of to see where she's at and, and what's gonna happen with her. But you know, for right now she's, she's practicing more with her ears than she is physically just listening to the things that we're talking about, the situations that you get in listening to coachy talk about hitting and, um, really kind of taking it all in and, and hopefully here in the next couple of weeks she's, you know, available to to play.
Speaker 2 00:22:50 Um, Taylor Sachek, uh, looks like her names should be pronounced, said Lasek, but it's Sachek. Um, super strong kid. I, I think she could, she could make a case for having some significant blank time, tremendous power. Um, another one that we have to kind of rein in, she loves the game is always getting after it and, and wanting to be perfect. And so I think really mentally she has to kind of rein it in a little bit and let her ability take over versus, um, sometimes the will can get in the way a little bit sometimes and um, but she's a middle end fielder that we've moved into the outfield and so she'll give, uh, you know, Bay Iban and Lauren and Addie some run for their money, um, as far as comp competitors, but I wouldn't want her to be with a different group, I think because she's with a group that's so athletic and have had a lot of success and Addy right away.
Speaker 2 00:23:47 So freshman Lauren, not necessarily right away, but worked at it and, and got so much better. And so she's a really great example of, you know what, you may not play a ton your freshman year, but don't give up on it. Learn from that freshman year and put the time in to get better then so that you're, you know, picking up where you left off at the end of the, your freshman year in a better spot than you were if you were to just kind of given up and said, Oh, I'm not gonna play, so I'll just look forward to next year. I think that there's a lot to be learned from, from them out there as role models. And so I think she's another one, Sarah Protts, I mean, I think she's one of your kind of middle relievers. I think softball is turning into more of your, um, bullpen type pitching staff where you're gonna have different looks, different speeds, different um, go-to pitches and, and Sarah's got a nice change up, brings it from the left side. And for her I think it's just creating confidence and knowing that she can go in and, you know, she might only be used for one or two innings here or there to keep a team off balance. And you look at who you're sandwiching her with, uh, and you're smart about that. She can be really effective and somebody that we can count on as well.
Speaker 1 00:24:59 So you got two really accomplished returners in Sydney and Addison. Do you have to, or, or how do you go about challenging them, keeping things fresh for, for two kids who have already done so much? Is that part of your practice planning periods at all?
Speaker 2 00:25:14 I think for Sid now, it's more of being a leader and um, you know, I, you can't do anything about what you've done in the past. And so the biggest thing is, is not pressing so much. And I thought Addie did a great job of that last year. You know, you look at a lot of freshmen that come in and they have a really great freshman campaign end up struggling a little bit their sophomore year because, you know, they, they put the pressure on themselves to match it, and I thought she did a nice job of that. I think just, you know, they're humble. They are, you know, hard working. They wanna have success, They're doing all the right things to be confident and have that success. And, and so to me it's more, um, you know, being that role model and being a really great, uh, ambassador to, to the younger kids and hopefully in an example that, you know, they're, they work hard at it.
Speaker 2 00:26:03 It doesn't come naturally them, It's not like they just show up at the field without making sure that every day at practices practice, they're given a hundred percent, they're, they're given it, they're doing the things that they need to do to be successful. And, and so that's how you kind of challenge them is more of like, okay, you've done been there, done that with some of the stuff, but you know, how much now can you push your teammates to get on that same level as you and, um, you know, elevate the level of expectation that this program has.
Speaker 1 00:26:35 So you mentioned off the, uh, you know, being a leader, those kind of things. Sid McKinney made the video that I think a lot of team, a lot of people saw the impressions of of Coach Elizabeth the conneman. How, how do you rate that video for, for accuracy?
Speaker 2 00:26:48 Yeah, it's pretty, pretty spot on. You know, I think, um, you know, Coach E has been a, I mean obviously a best friend of mine, but just somebody that I think is a really good compliment to me. I mean, she's a lot more low key. She doesn't ever, very rarely does she get uber angry and like she's not much of the yeller. In fact, I'm always like, Okay, you be the bad guy today. It's always me. I'm always the one that taking him down the line and having to try to create the energy and things like that when we're struggling and she never does it. She, you know, she, her her her way of, uh, frustration. I think the girls get it. And, and so, you know, the best part about her is that, you know, she loves hitting and, and you know, she's very, very obvious about it.
Speaker 2 00:27:37 You know, when I talk about defense, she's always rolling her eyes like, Ugh, can we just talk about hitting, you know, And the girls love that about her and doesn't like to bunt. So it was easy for me to think of something that was, uh, gonna be a good representation of how she was, how she would handle it if I bunt it or didn't bunt. And, um, but, you know, I think it just goes to show, I, I think Sid's done such a great job of her brand, but her brand and identity with Wichita State and bringing it back to our, our program and, and the great things about our program and Elizabeth is definitely one of 'em.
Speaker 1 00:28:14 So you played with Elizabeth for a year or two at Truman, right? And then coached her. Was she that offensively oriented as a, uh, as a, as a, as a bulldog also?
Speaker 2 00:28:24 Yeah, so we played one year together. She was a freshman when I was a senior, um, and was great. And she bated three whole, I batted four and uh, you know, just kind of a, a good little duo, you know, that last year for me. And then, um, I always give her a hard time and reminder her, her batting average was similar to Sids, uh, this past year when she was a sophomore. So the one year that I was there, she hit over 500 and I said, yes, because you had excellent coaching that year. Cuz I was just there the one year and, and, but she was a three time all American. Um, yeah, great. I mean, just loves the game. Um, loves hitting, loves talking, hitting loves, looking at different things when it comes to, you know, being offensive loves the prep. I mean, it's what gets her up every morning when it comes to softball and her job. And I think, uh, it has shown in a big way in our program.
Speaker 1 00:29:19 So I think Sydney's work with the n ni has also attracted a lot of attention. Uh, why do you think she's the type of person who's really been able to kind of seize this moment in this way?
Speaker 2 00:29:30 Well, success is always gonna be a big benefit to, to n I l and, and you know, the success that she's had on the field for our program is, you know, I mean immeasurable. But I think the biggest thing for Sid is that she's a, she's a grower of the game. You know, she's a people person. She's always very thankful on Twitter and Instagram and all the things that she's posting out there. When people comment to her, she's responsive, you know, whereas you see some of these people that, you know, start, are trying to generate some ni ni sorry, they, they just post something and it's like their one post and you know what? They got $10,000 for it. Good for you. That's awesome. Sid's working for her, you know, she's not afraid to do things. She's got her artistic side that she loves to show off because it really shows her and shows people that, you know, softball isn't just your identity, It's, there's other things that you can identify with that make you happy.
Speaker 2 00:30:29 And, and art's a big one for her. And, um, it's a great outlet for her to get, you know, her mind off of softball every now and then, which I think's really important. Um, I, I just think she's a good person and to me, I would much rather get behind a, a student athlete that's had success, that is a good person and is willing to be thankful and, and embrace growing the sport. And, and you know, the people that love it than, you know, the one that's just looking for a handout. And I think, um, you know, she's, she's not afraid to do things, man. We talked this morning and she said she's got quite a few meetings and different zooms that she's got. She's got a meta meeting today and you know, so she's taking charge of her own brand too. And really, you know, being picky about what she gets involved with to make sure that it's something that's gonna be positive for this sport and positive for herself. And I think that goes a long way.
Speaker 1 00:31:26 She's done a really nice job with it. Christie, thank you for your time. We appreciate it.
Speaker 2 00:31:30 You're welcome. Thanks Paul.
Speaker 3 00:31:43 Hi, this is Rick Nema, 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.
Speaker 1 00:32:11 Thank you for listening to the Roundhouse podcast, courtesy of Wichita State University strategic communications. We appreciate your time. We encourage you to rate reviews, subscribe wherever you get your podcast, such as on iTunes or Google Play. You can find more roundhouse
[email protected]. Thank you for listening.
Speaker 4 00:32:33 And they let him pass it up court and then it 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 to the Sweet 16. Go crazy with Utah. I know you are.
