Wichita State Names Green Head Baseball Coach

[WuDrWu]

Yes it is.

[ShoxFan7]

[1972Shocker]

While I don't really remember Tad from his playing days at WSU in 2004 and 2005 this seems like a decent hire to fill the Dobo/Video Analyst position.

[shoxlax]

Teammate of Pelfrey.

[Aargh]

This is the most interested in Shocker baseball I've been since a few years before Stephenson was fired. I thought Wedge would revive the program, but I was waiting to see his results. His results didn't get to the point of interest that I have now.

I'm afraid my interest now is to see whether a coach who could'nt win at Washington State can win at Wichita State.

[ShockerFever]

I’m as skeptical about the hire as anyone but NOBODY could win at Washington State.

[MikeKennedyRulZ]

I’m as skeptical about the hire as anyone but NOBODY could win at Washington State.

Exactly. I do not judge based on any of the results at Wash State. You can basically throw that out the window, IMO.

[1972Shocker]

Exactly. I do not judge based on any of the results at Wash State. You can basically throw that out the window, IMO.

Not to mention that he actually did win at Wazoo, if you define winning as winning more games than you lose. Not sure how Aargh is defining the term. His Wazoo teams were 91-76 (0.526). The Shockers post-Gene Stephenson are 278-257 (0.520). So apparently winning at Wichita State is not much easier than winning at Wazoo over the past decade.

It remains to be what kind of success Brian Green will have at Wichita State. The Shocker gig is clearly not as prestigious as as it was in the old days and the fan base is about as far away from energized as you can get. Certainly little to no momentum for Coach Green to build on in just about any way, shape or fashion.

Clearly it's debatable whether or not Brian Green was the best choice available to Wichita State, but I am actually more upbeat about Coach Green than I have been of any of the other 3 guys since Gene. That said there is no guarantee he (or anyone else) will have great success at Wichita State in the current environment. Very possibly we will just keep middling along as we have since Gene was removed.

All that said I think his first year will a very challenging one for Coach Green with the massive turnover in the roster and what appears to be a very youthful roster with a relatively small amount of D-1 experience, especially in the pitching staff. My metrics for evaluating this year will be with whether or not the team shows development and improvement as the year progresses as much as how many wins they can rack up (which I don't think will be a big number).

One thing I do expect is that Brian Green will perform better relative to the fans expectations at the time of his hiring than Eric Wedge, hailed as the Saviour, did. But I guess that is a pretty low bar.

[Dan]

Whoever the coach is, they gotta start winning and competing for championships to get get fans back in the stands. I know the past coaches and teams were frustrated by lack of fan support, but the general public likes to watch winners, it’s just the way it is.

[Aargh]

Green's approach, philosophy, and apparent rah-rah community involvement is a good start to getting butts in seats. I was critical of the hire, but as I've learned more about him, I've adjusted my thinking. Getting the support he's gotten from Stephenson and Kemnitz will also go a long way in getting WSU baseball fans behind him.
.

[1972Shocker]

Well Coach Green said he would engage with the community. Seems like he is a man of his word.

[WstateU]

Well Coach Green said he would engage with the community. Seems like he is a man of his word.

[1972Shocker]

It would appear that Mike Pelfrey is holding no grudges. Not sure who reached out to who but good to see.

[JJClamdip]

It would appear that Mike Pelfrey is holding no grudges. Not sure who reached out to who but good to see.

I wonder if Kemnitz is planning on retirement and grooming MP for his job?

[pogo]

Saw Mp at tbt and asked him how a big man like him could fit into the seat he was in. His reply “ not easily “