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Wichita State Shockers
2024 Wichita State Shockers baseball team
Founded1899
UniversityWichita State University
Head coachBrian Green (1st season)
ConferenceThe American
LocationWichita, Kansas
Home stadiumEck Stadium
(Capacity: 7,851)
NicknameShockers
ColorsBlack and yellow[1]
   
NCAA Tournament champions
1989
College World Series runner-up
1982, 1991, 1993
College World Series appearances
1982, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996
NCAA regional champions
1982, 1988, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 2007, 2008
NCAA Tournament appearances
1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013*
Conference tournament champions
1980, 1982, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2013*
Regular season conference champions
1985, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2010
*vacated by NCAA
Eck Stadium home of Shocker baseball

The Wichita State Shockers baseball team represents Wichita State University in the sport of baseball. The Wichita State Shockers compete in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and in the American Athletic Conference after 72 seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference.[2]

The Shockers have made the College World Series seven times, winning the national championship in 1989.[3] Wichita State has the eighth-highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I baseball history at .655. That percentage currently leads the American Athletic Conference.[4]

History

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Early years: 1899–1923

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Wichita State, then Fairmount College, played its first college baseball game on April 14, 1899, against Southwestern College.[5] For the first three years, they were coached by Harry Hess, who was also the head football coach at the time.

Over the next two decades, the program would cycle through a number of coaches, none finding particular success or lasting more than 4 years.[5] Wichita would produce two Major League Baseball players during that time in Claude Hendrix and Lloyd Bishop.[6]

After the 1923 season, the baseball program was shut down.[6]

Second stint: 1948–1970

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Having since joined the Missouri Valley Conference, Wichita decided to re-launch their baseball program for the 1948 season.[6] Over the next 23 seasons, Wichita would struggle through a number of coaching changes and middling success, only once finishing at the top of the MVC's West Division.[3]

After the 1970 season, the baseball program was again shut down.[6]

Stephenson era: 1978–2013

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The modern era of Wichita State baseball began in 1977, when Oklahoma Sooners assistant coach Gene Stephenson was hired to run the program beginning with the 1978 season.[6] Stephenson had been recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor for the Sooners under Enos Semore and helped lead Oklahoma to five College World Series appearances.[7]

In just Stephenson's third season, led by three-time All-American Joe Carter, Wichita State qualified for the 1980 NCAA Division I baseball tournament, the first tournament appearance in Shocker history.[6] In his fifth season, Stephenson led the Shockers all the way to the 1982 College World Series, where they lost to the Miami Hurricanes in the championship game.[6] Ultimately, the Shockers won 73 games in 1982, setting the NCAA record for wins in a single season.[6] In 1988, Stephenson again led Wichita State to the College World Series before being eliminated by the Arizona State Sun Devils in the semi-finals.

In 1989, led by All-Americans Eric Wedge, Greg Brummett, Mike Lansing, and Mike McDonald, the Shockers returned to the College World Series and won the national championship, defeating the Texas Longhorns in the championship game.[6] To date, it is the only team national title ever won by a Shocker team in any sport.

From 1991 to 1993, led by multi-year All-Americans Chris Wimmer, Doug Mirabelli, and Darren Dreifort, the Shockers made three consecutive trips to the College World Series, finishing as the runners-up to the LSU Tigers in both 1991 and 1993.[6] Wichita State made their seventh and most-recent tip to the College World Series in 1996.[3]

Since 1996, the Shockers have had quite a bit of success, with 12 NCAA tournament appearances, including Super Regional Appearances in 2007 and 2008, but have failed to reach the same heights they found during the 1980s and 1990s.[3] Since 1980, Wichita State trails only Florida State in total wins and winning percentage

On July 11, 2005, Stephenson announced he was returning to Oklahoma as head coach, but decided to return to Wichita State just hours after his introductory press conference, citing concerns with Oklahoma's scholarship situation.[8]

After 36 years, WSU fired Stephenson on June 4, 2013.[9] Stephenson was fired after making the NCAA tournament for a 28th time, though that appearance was later stripped by the NCAA.[10]

Post-Stephenson era: 2014–present

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Infielder Alex Jackson leads off second base during a Fall 2018 exhibition game

Todd Butler was hired as just the second coach of WSU baseball's modern era 12 days after Stephenson was fired.[11] Butler had served as an assistant at Arkansas over the past eight seasons. Butler's teams struggled initially, posting losing records in three of his first four seasons, the only three sub-.500 years since Stephenson had restarted the program.[12]

In 2018, third baseman Alec Bohm was drafted in the First Round by the Philadelphia Phillies. The Shockers won 35 games in 2018, the best season under Butler.

Butler was fired following the 2019 season in which the Shockers finished 28–31 after making the semifinals of the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Butler finished his six-year tenure with a 169-180-1 record and did not make the NCAA tournament.[13]

In June, 2019, former Shocker All-American catcher, and Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Famer Eric Wedge was hired as the third baseball coach in Wichita State modern era history. Wedge led the Shockers to a 13–2 season cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Shockers were ranked 30th in the country when the 2020 season was suspended and were a perfect 10–0 at Eck Stadium.[14]

On April 10, 2021, the Shockers hosted the University of Houston in the first game played at Wichita's Riverfront Stadium.[15]

Head coaches

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Name Years Won Lost Tied Pct.
Harry Hess 1899–1901 7 5 0 .583
C. P. Clark 1902 8 4 0 .667
Walter P. Frantz 1904 8 2 0 .800
A. F. Holste 1905 9 6 2 .600
Willis Bates 1906–1908, 1914 37 26 0 .587
Roy K. Thomas 1909–1912 23 19 1 .548
E. V. Long 1913 2 12 0 .143
Harry Buck 1915–1916 3 9 1 .250
Lyle Sturdy 1948 4 4 0 .500
Ken Gunning 1949–1951 9 25 0 .265
Robert S. Carlson 1951 1 4 0 .200
Norvell Neve 1951 2 3 0 .400
Dick Miller 1952–1953, 1961 13 26 0 .333
Forrest Jensen 1954–1955 8 10 0 .444
Jerry Bupp 1956 4 13 0 .235
Ray Morrison 1957–1960 54 44 0 .551
Verlyn Anderson 1965–1970 67 71 1 .486
Gene Stephenson 1978–2013 1798 647 3 .735
Todd Butler 2014–2019 169 180 1 .483
Eric Wedge 2020–2022 65 61 0 .516
Loren Hibbs 2023 30 25 0 .545
Brian Green 2024–present 32 29 0 .525

Year-by-year results

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For the entire season-by-season results, see List of Wichita State baseball seasons.

Wichita State in the NCAA tournament

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Year Record Pct Notes
1980 0–2 .000 Eliminated by Cal in the Midwest Regional
1981 1–2 .333 Eliminated by East Tennessee State in Atlantic Regional
1982 12–2 .857 South Regional Champions
College World Series (2nd place)
1983 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Oral Roberts in the Midwest Regional
1985 3–2 .666 Eliminated by Oklahoma State in Midwest Regional
1987 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Oral Roberts in the West I Regional
1988 6–2 .750 Won the Midwest Regional
College World Series (3rd place)
1989 10–2 .833 Won the West II Regional
College World Series champions
1990 1–2 .333 Eliminated by UCLA in the Midwest Regional
1991 7–1 .875 Won the Midwest Regional
College World Series (2nd place)
1992 4–2 .667 Won the Midwest Regional
College World Series (7th place)
1993 7–2 .778 Won the Midwest Regional
College World Series (2nd place)
1994 0-2 .000 Eliminated by Georgia Tech in the Midwest Regional
1995 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Lamar in the Midwest Regional
1996 4–2 .667 Won the Midwest Regional
College World Series (7th place)
1997 0–2 .000 Eliminated by Alabama in the South II Regional
1998 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Arizona State in the Midwest Regional
1999 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Oklahoma State in the Wichita Regional
2000 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Nebraska in the Minneapolis Regional
2002 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Oral Roberts in the Wichita Regional
2003 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Rice in the Houston Regional
2004 1–2 .333 Eliminated by Arkansas in the Fayetteville Regional
2005 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Tennessee in the Knoxville Regional
2006 2–2 .500 Eliminated by Oklahoma in the Norman Regional
2007 4–3 .571 Wichita Regional Champions
Eliminated by UC Irvine in the Wichita Super Regional
2008 4–2 .667 Stillwater Regional Champions
Eliminated by Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional
2009 0–2 .000 Eliminated by Washington State in the Norman Regional
2013* 0–2 .000 Eliminated by Arkansas in the Manhattan Regional

Individual awards

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National awards

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Joe Carter - 1981
Darren Dreifort - 1993

All Americans

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All College World Series

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Current and former major league players

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Mike Pelfrey
Source: Baseball Reference

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Wichita State Athletics Brand Guide 2019 (PDF). August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2019.
  2. ^ "American Athletic Conference votes unanimously to add Wichita State". ESPN.com. 7 April 2017.
  3. ^ a b c d "Year-by-Year Results" (PDF). goshockers.com. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  4. ^ "2012 Division 1 Record Book" (PDF). NCAA.org. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  5. ^ a b "Year-by-Year Scores" (PDF). goshockers.com. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The History of Shocker Baseball" (PDF). GoShockers.com. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  7. ^ Newell, Kevin. "He Built It and They Came". Coach and Athletic Director Magazine. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
  8. ^ Kimmey, Will (12 July 2005). "True Shocker: Stephenson returns to Wichita State". Baseball America. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
  9. ^ Sources: Wichita State’s Gene Stephenson given choice of his exit as baseball coach; The Wichita Eagle; June 3, 2013.
  10. ^ NCAA Unveils Final Report on Shocker Baseball Violations; KWCH.com; Referenced January 28, 2015
  11. ^ Wichita State confirms hiring of Todd Butler as baseball coach; Paul Suellentrop; The Wichita Eagle; June 16, 2013.
  12. ^ Wichita State Baseball Fact Book; GoShockers.com; Referenced May 27, 2016
  13. ^ Taylor Eldridge (May 26, 2019). "Wichita State fires baseball coach Todd Butler". www.kansas.com. The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved May 26, 2019.
  14. ^ "Collegiate Baseball Div 1 Poll (3-16-20)". Collegiate Baseball Magazine.
  15. ^ Terhune, Ellen (April 10, 2021). "Thousands of fans turn out to watch Wichita State in Riverfront debut". KWCH. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
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