Wichita State assistant coach Easton Herring debuts on the podcast to talk about his journey from Pratt High School to Shocker baseball and into college softball. He talks about playing catch the right way, building relationships and the progress of fall softball. We also dive into his place in the Kansas high school baseball record book and what Sami Hood is working on as she moves to shortstop.
Join President Rick Muma for a conversation about the growth of Esports at Wichita State. Rick spoke with Travis Yang, director of Wichita State’s Esports program, and assistant director Joe Mazzara about Shocker Esports, which began in 2019 and quickly became WSU’s fastest-growing varsity program.
The “Forward Together” podcast celebrates the vision and mission of Wichita State University. In each episode, President Rick Muma will talk with guests from throughout Shocker Nation to highlight the people and priorities that guide WSU on its road to becoming an essential educational, cultural, and economic driver for Kansas and the greater good.
Wichita State women’s bowling will move to NCAA status for the 2024-2025 season, official as of Friday’s announcement. Coach Holly Harris explains why this is the right time for this change and how NCAA bowling operates. She talks recruiting as an NCAA school, why the Shockers expect to remain one of the nation’s top programs and how NCAA post-season play works. And what does this mean for the WSU men’s team, which will remain an independent varsity sport (as the NCAA does not sponsor men’s bowling)?
Wichita State’s Morgan Stout and Sophia Rohling stop by to chat about a big weekend in Illinois, the stellar play of the back row and how setter Izzi Strand is boosting the offense. We discuss “Smoothie Queen,” and “Mama Bear” and how those nicknames relate to Shocker volleyball. Also, what’s a protagonist? The Shockers play Kansas and Colorado this week at Koch Arena.
Wichita State men’s basketball assistant coach TJ Cleveland updates fans on the trip to Greece, what the Shockers accomplished and who stood out. We discuss Dalen Ridgnal’s immediate impact after joining the team right before the trip. We also talk about playing for Nolan Richardson at Arkansas and a career journey that started with a job at Blockbuster Video.
Wichita State softball pitching coach Courtney Oliver is at the microphone to talk about facing Shocker hitters from the opposite dugout, how her time as an athlete at Hofstra shaped her career and her pitching philosophy. Oliver, hired in June, came to Wichita State from Houston and also coached at ECU.
More memories from the 2013 Final Four season with Nick Wiggins and Demetric Williams. We talk about how coaches set the tone for that season off the court, the wacky win at Redbird Arena and how injuries shaped that season. We also discuss their affection for teammate Carl Hall and his beastly style of play, the emotions behind a senior night loss to Evansville and the scene in Atlanta.
Radio voice Mike Kennedy and former Wichita Eagle columnist Bob Lutz join us to reminisce about the 2012-13 Shockers basketball season, culminating at the Final Four. We talk about Cleanthony Early’s star turn on that team and his place in Shocker history, the importance of depth and the wacky win at Illinois State. We discuss the significance of the win over No. 1 Gonzaga, torment Bob with trivia questions and reveal some of our favorite moments. Many of those Shockers are in town this week for the alumni reunion at Friday’s AfterShocks game and dinner at Mark Arts on July 22.
We dive into the 2013 Final Four reunion with Ron Baker and Zach Bush by testing their memories on Tekele Cotton’s defense, Staples Center locker assignments and more from that run to Atlanta. We talk about which Shocker will lead the good times at the reunion, how the addition of Malcolm Armstead helped and how a tough stretch in MVC play shaped the season. We wrap up with a look at the AfterShocks roster.
FAU is one of six schools which will join the American Athletic Conference on July 1. Ken LaVicka, radio voice of FAU football and men’s basketball, updates us on the Owls after a run to the Final Four and their expectations for 2024. LaVicka discusses how coach Dusty May built the Owls and how a football school is learning to love hoops. We talk about how FAU baseball succeeds in spite of modest facilities and why LaVicka thinks the incoming schools from CUSA bring considerable pop to the American.
