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 Athletic Association (NCAA) and in the American Conference after 72 seasons in the Missouri Valley Conference.

The Shockers have made the College World Series seven times, winning the national championship in 1989. Wichita State has the eleventh-highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I baseball history at .646. That percentage currently leads the American Conference.

History

Early years: 1899–1923 Wichita State, then Fairmount College, played its first college baseball game on April 14, 1899, against Southwestern College. 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. Wichita would produce two Major League Baseball players during that time in Claude Hendrix and Lloyd Bishop.

After the 1923 season, the baseball program was shut down.

Second stint: 1948–1970 Having since joined the Missouri Valley Conference, Wichita decided to re-launch their baseball program for the 1948 season. 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.

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

Stephenson era: 1978–2013 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. Stephenson had been recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor for the Sooners under Enos Semore and helped lead Oklahoma to five College World Series appearances.

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. 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. Ultimately, the Shockers won 73 games in 1982, setting the NCAA record for wins in a single season. 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. 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. Wichita State made their seventh and most-recent tip to the College World Series in 1996.

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. 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.

After 36 years, WSU fired Stephenson on June 4, 2013.Sources: Wichita State’s Gene Stephenson given choice of his exit as baseball coach; The Wichita Eagle; June 3, 2013. Stephenson was fired after making the NCAA tournament for a 28th time, though that appearance was later stripped by the NCAA.NCAA Unveils Final Report on Shocker Baseball Violations; KWCH.com; Referenced January 28, 2015

Post-Stephenson era: 2014–present

Todd Butler was hired as just the second coach of WSU baseball's modern era 12 days after Stephenson was fired.Wichita State confirms hiring of Todd Butler as baseball coach; Paul Suellentrop; The Wichita Eagle; June 16, 2013. 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.Wichita State Baseball Fact Book; GoShockers.com; Referenced May 27, 2016

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 Conference Tournament. Butler finished his six-year tenure with a 169-180-1 record and did not make the NCAA tournament.

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.

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

Head coaches Harry Hess1899–1901750.583C. P. Clark1902840.667Walter P. Frantz1904820.800A. F. Holste1905962.600Willis Bates1906–1908, 191437260.587Roy K. Thomas1909–191223191.548E. V. Long19132120.143Harry Buck1915–1916391.250Lyle Sturdy1948440.500Ken Gunning1949–19519250.265Robert S. Carlson1951140.200Norvall Neve1951230.400Dick Miller1952–1953, 196113260.333Forrest Jensen1954–19558100.444Jerry Bupp19564130.235Ray Morrison1957–196054440.551Verlyn Anderson1965–197067711.486Gene Stephenson1978–201317986473.735Todd Butler2014–20191691801.483Eric Wedge2020–202265610.516Loren Hibbs202330250.545Brian Green2024–present32290.525

Year-by-year results

Wichita State in the NCAA tournament The NCAA Division I baseball tournament started in 1947. The format of the tournament has changed through the years. * indicates appearance was vacated by the NCAA.

YearRecordPctNotes 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 ChampionsCollege 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 RegionalCollege World Series (3rd place) 1989 10–2 .833 Won the West II RegionalCollege World Series champions 1990 1–2 .333 Eliminated by UCLA in the Midwest Regional 1991 7–1 .875 Won the Midwest RegionalCollege World Series (2nd place) 1992 4–2 .667 Won the Midwest RegionalCollege World Series (7th place) 1993 7–2 .778 Won the Midwest RegionalCollege 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 RegionalCollege 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 ChampionsEliminated by UC Irvine in the Wichita Super Regional 2008 4–2 .667 Stillwater Regional ChampionsEliminated 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

National awards The Sporting News National Player of the Year Joe Carter - 1981 Golden Spikes Award Darren Dreifort - 1993

All Americans

1979 Joe Carter, OF 1980 Joe Carter OF 1981 Joe Carter, OF Phil Stephenson, 1B 1982 Russ Morman, DH Bryan Oelkers, P Phil Stephenson, 1B 1983 Russ Morman, 1B Erik Sonberg, P 1985 Kevin Penner, OF 1987 Dave Haas, P Tim Raley, OF 1988 Mark Standiford, 2B 1989 Greg Brummett, P Mike Lansing, SS Mike McDonald, OF Eric Wedge, C 1991 Billy Hall, 2B Doug Mirabelli, C Kennie Steenstra, P Chris Wimmer, SS

1992 Darren Dreifort, P Todd Dreifort, OF Charlie Giaudrone, P Doug Mirabelli, C Scot McCloughan, DH Chris Wimmer, SS 1993 Darren Dreifort. P Joey Jackson, 2B 1994 Shane Dennis, P Carl Hall, OF 1995 Jason Adams, SS Casey Blake, 3B Mike Drumrights, P Braden Looper, P 1996 Casey Blake, 3B Braden Looper, P Travis Wyckoff, P/OF Ben Thomas, P/DH 1998 Marc Bluma, P Kevin Hooper, 2B Pat Magness, 1B Jeff Ryan, OF Zach Sorensen, SS 1999 Marc Bluma, P Kevin Hooper, 2B Pat Magness, 1B

2000 Blake Blasi, 2B Pat Magness, 1B 2002 Brian Burgamy, 2B John Tetuan, P 2004 Brandon Green, 3B Mike Pelfrey, P Logan Sorensen, 1B 2005 Mike Pelfrey, P 2006 Aaron Shafer, P Damon Sublett, 2B 2008 Anthony Capra, P Andy Dirks, OF Conor Gillaspie, 3B Rob Musgrave, P 2010 Jordan Cooper, P 2011 Charlie Lowell, P Chris O'Brien, C 2014 Casey Gillaspie, 1B 2018 Alec Bohm, 3B

All College World Series

1982 Tim Gaskell, OF Loren Hibbs, OF Russ Morman, DH Bryan Oelkers, P Jim Thomas, 2B 1988 Mark Standiford, 2B

1989 Jim Audley, OF Greg Brummett, P Todd Dreifort, P Pat Meares, SS Jim Newlin, P Eric Wedge, C

1991 Jim Audley, OF Kennie Steenstra, P 1993 Jason Adams, SS Casey Blake, 3B

Current and former major league players

Ken Berry Lloyd Bishop Casey Blake Jaime Bluma Greg Brummett Joe Carter Darren Dreifort Larry Foss Conor Gillaspie Tyler Green Dave Haas Don Heinkel Claude Hendrix Codi Heuer Koyie Hill Kevin Hooper Kris Johnson Mike Lansing Don Lock Braden Looper Pat Meares Doug Mirabelli Russ Morman Bryan Oelkers Mike Pelfrey Adam Peterson Nate Robertson Brock Rodden Daryl Spencer Kennie Steenstra Phil Stephenson Eric Wedge Rick Wrona Alec Bohm

Source: Baseball Reference

See also List of NCAA Division I baseball programs

References

External links