Wichita State Names Green Head Baseball Coach

[SubGod22]

Not to be a complete smartass, but find me one school where this isn’t the case.

I had the same thought to that one. Expecting it to be otherwise is pretty much insane, especially here.

[Shock Top]

Look at the two schools in the CWS Final:

Football >>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Football Recruiting >>>>>>>> Spring Football >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> >> Baseball

[shoxlax]

Not to be a complete smartass, but find me one school where this isn’t the case.

So if Siri should have been the guy when Wedge left, as everyone on the team seemed to want, according to the OP,
Saal chose wrong when he picked Hibbs. Did he get the players input before that decision like he said he did after the season? So in actuality, that interim hire was his mistake.

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Look at the two schools in the CWS Final:

Football >>>>>>>>>>>&gt ;&g t;>> Football Recruiting >>>>>>>> Spring Football >>>>>>>>>>>&gt ;&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>&gt ; >>>>>>>>>>>&gt ;&g t;>>>>>>>>>>>&gt ; >> Baseball

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ ^^

This.

Then Beach Volleyball. Then basketball.

Also, two Wichita area girls play on LSU Beach Volleyball team.

[wufan006]

Not to be a complete smartass, but find me one school where this isn’t the case.

Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton...

[SB Shock]

What about all that alumni $$$ for baseball I always hear about?? Does that only go to facilities??

There was some numbers posted - the loss of alumni $$$ was a false flag. Numbers under Wedge have been on the decline since Butler.

[Shock Top]

There was some numbers posted - the loss of alumni $$$ was a false flag. Numbers under Wedge have been on the decline since Butler.

What I meant was, if they were getting a lot of $$$ from alumni, where is it going if they have such a shoestring budget!

Seems if $$$ was flowing in, budget wouldn’t be an issue.

[wufan006]

What I meant was, if they were getting a lot of $$$ from alumni, where is it going if they have such a shoestring budget!

Seems if $$$ was flowing in, budget wouldn’t be an issue.

I took the comment that was made to me more as it is shoestring compared to other programs run, the basketball comment as I understood was that basketball gets way better perks and treatment than baseball.

[SB Shock]

So if Siri should have been the guy when Wedge left, as everyone on the team seemed to want, according to the OP,
Saal chose wrong when he picked Hibbs. Did he get the players input before that decision like he said he did after the season? So in actuality, that interim hire was his mistake.

Why was it mistake? If Siri was so ready to be a HC at WSU, why he still an assistant?

The head coach has to deal with more administrative than involved in coaching.

1. By moving Hibbs from DOBO to HC, Saal had a person who knew what the duties of HC were.

2. You would have had Siri now trying to get on his feet learning the responsbilities of HC, instead of focusing on coaching - if the players were not getting much development, then they would really not be being developed.

3. You would have had to back fill an assistant coaches position at late date. Probably be limited in the quality of person.

If there is a lesson that has been learned and does not need to be repeated is that you don't let your players choose you coaches. Their point of view is selfish and short sighted and does not have an eye to long term success.

[Kung Wu]

If there is a lesson that has been learned and does not need to be repeated is that you don't let your players choose you coaches. Their point of view is selfish and short sighted and does not have an eye to long term success.

Spot on.



Players should never be consulted about who to hire.

[Shock Top]

I took the comment that was made to me more as it is shoestring compared to other programs run, the basketball comment as I understood was that basketball gets way better perks and treatment than baseball.

Well, once baseball starts bringing the $$$ basketball does, then they can reap the reward of the those same perks.

[BostonWu]

Vanderbilt, Arkansas, Cal State Fullerton...

Not sure about hogs

[shoxlax]

Why was it mistake? If Siri was so ready to be a HC at WSU, why he still an assistant?

The head coach has to deal with more administrative than involved in coaching.

1. By moving Hibbs from DOBO to HC, Saal had a person who knew what the duties of HC were.

2. You would have had Siri now trying to get on his feet learning the responsbilities of HC, instead of focusing on coaching - if the players were not getting much development, then they would really not be being developed.

3. You would have had to back fill an assistant coaches position at late date. Probably be limited in the quality of person.

If there is a lesson that has been learned and does not need to be repeated is that you don't let your players choose you coaches. Their point of view is selfish and short sighted and does not have an eye to long term success.

My point being, if the narrative the OP said is completely true, then he is saying it was a mistake and that the decision was doomed from the start.

Side note: The players were consulted through all of this mess from September on and it’s 2023, so yes they have bargaining power like never before. By the players, I mean they’re them, their parents, agents and everyone else in their ear.

Back to discussion. I agree everything was logical on its face about Hibbs being named interim. But taking all of what was said earlier at face value, it made it seem like it was an obviously wrong decision.

Saal is also not one who is afraid to go against the grain if recent facts disrupt logic, which is why I find a lot of that hard to believe.

Here is more likely scenario. Players weren’t going to transfer because they grew closer together during turmoil. If Tolle or Rodden wanted to leave at semester, I can think of about 300 teams that would make room for them along with several other regular players. It would amaze me if players seriously thought Siri was going to be named interim over someone that had 800 wins. The stink of the last few weeks of the season clouded memories. If the locker room was lost after East Carolina got swept and we were 26-16 and ranked, then that was a hell of an acting job. It wasn’t lost “early on”. We started reeling and attitudes were **** and Hibbs was the target which is reasonable. But I ain’t buying the lines that things were predictably awful from the start.

[Veritas]

All interesting comments, I went out to watch a sunflower/jayhawk league game the other evening to get my baseball fix in, and happened to run into a father of one of our players and he was very open with me after awhile. Much of what he said mirrors the above comments.

• Saal was very transparent with players and families after decision was made.
• Hibbs lost the locker room pretty early on, he believed the players thought Siri would succeed EW as interim
• Hibbs would barely speak to most players in the facility and players felt like he was more concerned with keeping the job than winning games
• Player leadership was much better than previous years
• Program operates on a shoestring budget - these kids have friends at every level, and know what other programs do for their players.
• WSU Basketball > WSU Baseball in schools eyes
• Very little of any player development went on.
• Concurred with the previous comments that most of the players that decided to leave had already made the decision to leave based on the last 8 months and that most would have left in December, but there where no D1 opportunities to be had as virtually every team had their rosters set and player meetings completed

With that said, he was very optimistic about the future.

Curious as to any feedback on where exactly the players are being financially shorted? The facilities are top notch. Curious what the shoestring budget references.

I posted the KS / Shane Dennis interview under the MBB AD thread but here it is and KS talks a lot of baseball and thinks very highly of the facilities.

https://omny.fm/shows/shane-dennis/ep-509-hr-2-austin-cox-royals-kevin-saal-iojy?in_playlist=podcast

26:45 mark

[Downtown Shocker Brown]

Curious as to any feedback on where exactly the players are being financially shorted? The facilities are top notch. Curious what the shoestring budget references.

I posted the KS / Shane Dennis interview under the MBB AD thread but here it is and KS talks a lot of baseball and thinks very highly of the facilities.

https://omny.fm/shows/shane-dennis/ep-509-hr-2-austin-cox-royals-kevin-saal-iojy?in_playlist=podcast

26:45 mark

How many D1 ballparks have you been to in the past 3 years?

We have done a lot of work with the weight rooms, locker rooms, etc. and they are great. But the overall facility is not Top 50.

The baseball budget was part of a FOIA posted a couple years ago. Our coaches and staff do a great job squeezing every penny they can out of it, but especially since we got to the AAC, it’s just not enough to compete at highest levels.

Charter flights, team catered meals while traveling, etc. There is a lot that the kids at these big programs are talking to the players they want to come join them.