Junior infielder Sawyre Thornhill joins the podcast to talk about how the Shockers stayed together and rallied after a tough start to the season. He talks about his one superstition during a hitting streak, how COVID-19 changed his college plans and how he ended up starting in left field. He discusses his love for deer hunting, which Shocker teammate is the best basketball player and why shortstop Carlos Correa is his favorite baseball player.
Brad Pittman, tournament manager for the NCAA Tournament women’s basketball regional rounds coming to Intrust Bank Arena on March 25-28, joins the podcast to discuss preparations. Pittman talks about ticket sales, hoped-for schools assigned to the bracket and the timeline for getting the arena ready for visitors and fans. We get into why the arena has been a success for luring NCAA events and how upgrades to the airport and hotels are also part of the competition. Pittman wraps it up with his memories of organizing the 2006 Rolling Stones concert at Cessna Stadium, which started with a phone call that was hard to believe.
Wichita State competes in the American Athletic Conference Indoor Championships this weekend in Birmingham, Ala. John Wise, assistant director of track and field and cross country, talks about Wichita State’s Destiny Masters (pentathlon), Adam Moore (mile), Michael Bryan (weight throw) and Amanda Kakoulias (shot put) and how they stack up in the conference meet. We discuss the best opportunities for the Shockers to grab unexpected points and the quirky habits of throwers. Also on the schedule is a look at how the American’s changing membership affects track and field recruiting and a look at Wise’s YouTube series “Travel with a Wise Guy,” highlighted by a discussion of Joyland’s place in Wichita pop culture.
Wichita State pitchers Spencer Hynes and Connor Holden talk about upcoming season with topics ranging from uniform choices to Major League role models to advice for their freshmen selves. Hynes discusses his love for rodeo and Holden talks about his time as a middle blocker in volleyball. They reveal some of the newcomers fans should watch as the Shockers get started this weekend and their thoughts on pitcher Jace Kaminska following up his strong freshman season.
First baseman Neleigh Herring and infielder Madyson Espinosa join the podcast to talk about the start of softball season, pets and candy. We discuss their roles in team chemistry, what they learned from fall scrimmages and newcomers to watch. We also dive into Espinosa’s “Shocks” tattoo and her affection for the team, how Hank the guinea pig helped win an important series last season and the whys of shortstop Sydney McKinney’s talents. And, of course, we talk about Hi-Chew candy and Espinosa’s role in that part of Shocker softball.
Brent Kemnitz is one of the inductees into the Pizza Hut Shocker Sports Hall of Fame. We talk about his 38-year career as pitching coach, starting with a detailed response from Gene Stephenson that directed him away from a career teaching history and driver’s education in high school to college baseball. Kemnitz details his “Brain” and “Flow” meetings, two essential parts of his work with pitchers. He talks about best wins, toughest defeats and chooses one Shocker to get a crucial strikeout. He discusses selling Shocker football tickets for former AD Ted Bredehoft, low-maintenance pitchers such as Kennie Steenstra, Jordan Cooper and Aaron Shafer and the highest of all high-maintenance pitching stars of the 1989 NCAA champions.
The 1982 Shockers finished second in the College World Series with a blend of powerful hitting and a fearsome pitching staff. Shortstop Dave Lucas, a late addition to the team before that season, quietly played a vital role with his solid defense and hitting. Lucas, coach Gene Stephenson said, was the perfect fit for that team. Lucas talks about his journey to Wichita State, which started in Alaska, and almost detoured to Southern Cal. He discusses the rough start to the season, how the Shockers bounced back and what it was like going to Omaha just as ESPN coverage began highlighting college baseball.
Bryan Oelkers earned NCAA Pitcher of the Year honors in 1982 and was part of one of college baseball’s greatest staffs. The Shockers went to the College World Series in their fifth season under coach Gene Stephenson, led by a powerful offense and the rotation of Oelkers, Erik Sonberg and Don Heinkel. Oelkers talks about how he chose Wichita State after Missouri offered him a walk-on spot, how the Shockers coaching staff turned the Shockers into national contenders and a moment with catcher Charlie O’Brien that foreshadowed his success. Oelkers remembers how his summer in Alaska set the stage for his junior season and discusses a bit of mind trickery from pitching coach Brent Kemnitz that played a part in getting his mind right after a tough sophomore season.
Shockers center Kenny Pohto joins the podcast to discuss his freshman season, learning basketball in Sweden, his former life as a soccer player and how practicing against Morris Udeze helps him. We talk about his 14-point performance on Tuesday and why the Shockers offense improved. Pohto also talks about his favorite NBA players, his desire to be one of the faces of basketball for Sweden and how the emphasis on fundamentals and defense in Europe helped shape his game.
Radio voice Steve Strain discusses why the Shockers are scoring more, how improved post play is helping, Seraphine Bastin’s leadership role and how the AAC race is stacking up.
