Shockers Home and Home with K-State - Tues & Wed

[1972Shocker]

This KSU soft-tosser has Greyson Jenista totally tied up in knots as Greyson has struck out 3 times in 3 AB's with runners on base each time, twice with RISP. Greyson may not see another fastball in the stirke zone this year. He apparently has absolutely no clue on what adjustments to make against this KSU thumber.

[Awesome Sauce Malone]

My son just called Alex Bohm a ***** for moving out of the way of that pitch. Way to pass the torch.

[Cdizzle]

Well. At least they only struck out 15 times against the absolute bottom of the barrel of the KState pitching staff. They were on pace to do so much worse there for a while! Good comeback!

[1972Shocker]

The Shocks fall to KSU 2-5 despite outhitting the Wildcats 11-7 (including 5 doubles). I suppose the 3 errors the Shockers made and the seasson high 15 strike outs will do that to you. Shocks had 10 runners LOB, 7 of those in scoring position.

Shocker opponents now have 427 hits on the season to 421 for the Shockers. However, those opponents have scored 40 more runs.

A sign of a team that lacks mental toughness, BBIQ and coaching amd perhaps experience.

Would not be surprised to see the Shocks fall short of 20 wins at the end of the regular season.

[WSUwatcher]

Oh, we're just 7 - 23 combined against KU and KSU since 2009 and 1 - 9 against the in-state brethren in Butler's tenure. I thought it couldn't get any worse the last few years with Gene against these clowns, I was wrong.

Just a reminder, for those who eagerly and crankily wanted Gene gone sooner than he was, that it's important to be careful what you wish for.

[Veritas]

Just a reminder, for those who eagerly and crankily wanted Gene gone sooner than he was, that it's important to be careful what you wish for.

A lot of Gene bashers are getting exactly what they deserve. A crappy baseball program losing to crappy instate teams. Dumb asses. Don't even try spinning this crap.
The problem is that it's not what a lot of shocker fans wanted but must now live with.

Now it's time to fire the Butler and let the healing begin. What a freakin' joke! The guy is NEVER going to get it done. Thanks FADES!!! You are as infamous as Lew the screw Perkins.

[ShockerFever]

Let's rush Gene out the door and make a hasty decision to hire a coach that wins less than 20 games a year and has a buyout that will set the university back another two years.

Yep, I hope everyone that hopped on that bandwagon is happy.

And judging by the latest attendance figures, it sounds like they could care less.

[Shocker85]

Firing Gene is not the problem. Hiring a coach with no proven head coaching success is. For what they're paying Butler, WSU could have brought in a coach who had already proved his mettle as a D1 coach.

Problem #2 was keeping Kemnitz. Folks, there is something going on with him. Either he hates Butler and resents coming in to work or what, I don't know. He doesn't go from highly regarded pitching coach to laughing stock in just 3 seasons. Maybe it's the talent, but I doubt it. In years past, he turned some decent pitchers in to really good ones. I get the feeling Butler doesn't let Brent do his job his own way.

Gene had let the program slip into auto-pilot - witness the Under Armor debacle. He admitted during the investigation that he was busy with outside interests (personal, business, and health) and neglected proper oversight.

The program was already in a downward spiral over Gene's last 3 seasons (the regional the final season was a fluke) and Butler has just let it spin out of control into the toilet. Gene was too arrogant to change with the game (particularly the bats) and too arrogant to work out a graceful exit strategy.

You folks who have your lips planted firmly on Gene's a$$ should stop using that as an excuse. Butler was a bad hire and was given an even worse contract. The history with Gene has no bearing on that.

By the way Gene lovers, his record vs KU and KState in his final few seasons (since 2009) was 6-14.

[ShockerFever]

(the regional the final season was a fluke)

They finished in 2nd, one game back from 1st in the league. I dunno how you call winning the Valley tourney that year a fluke, but ok..

By the way Gene lovers, his record vs KU and KState in his final few seasons (since 2009) was 6-14.

At least those KU and KSU teams had pulses. The teams that are handling WSU's asses now are low-end garbage.

Gene's days may have been numbered but don't make a rushed decision where your only goal is to get him out the door. I'd take Gene's last few seasons over this shithole embarrassment of a program now.

[1972Shocker]

Sounds like Willie Schwanke may well be out for the season.

http://www.kansas.com/sports/college/wichita-state/article75737022.html

[ShockTalk]

They finished in 2nd, one game back from 1st in the league. I dunno how you call winning the Valley tourney that year a fluke, but ok..



At least those KU and KSU teams had pulses. The teams that are handling WSU's asses now are low-end garbage.

Gene's days may have been numbered but don't make a rushed decision where your only goal is to get him out the door. I'd take Gene's last few seasons over this shithole embarrassment of a program now.

@Shocker85:'s point is that WSU was not an at-large level team, 2nd place in the Valley meant nothing as to being NCAA worthy.

As for a rushed decision, that process started 5 years prior. If you were welcomed backed after leaving for OU, use up your current and previously signed players over the next 4 years and you're going to take home around half a mill a year the next 5 while having no at-large teams, there have been discussions. Yet Gene made no changes/improvements to turn the program around. Whether he'll admit it or not, he knew what could happen. I just didn't think they would actually do it.

I don't like where the program is now, but I'd guess you didn't like the level of no at-large level teams over Gene's last 5 years either, unless mediocrity for $500,000 a year was OK with you. Was it?

Requiring BK be kept on the staff was a mistake and made the pickins for a new quality coach few. The athletic department made what they thought was a lower risk hire than someone without D-I coaching experience. The problem was, that hire came at a premium. Hiring a Hooper or Standiford may very well have been a bigger risk of becoming a success, but it would have come at a lower cost and fans would have been more receptive and had more patience.

[ShockerFever]

@Shocker85's point is that WSU was not an at-large level team, 2nd place in the Valley meant nothing as to being NCAA worthy.

As for a rushed decision, that process started 5 years prior. If you were welcomed backed after leaving for OU, use up your current and previously signed players over the next 4 years and you're going to take home around half a mill a year the next 5 while having no at-large teams, there have been discussions. Yet Gene made no changes/improvements to turn the program around. Whether he'll admit it or not, he knew what could happen. I just didn't think they would actually do it.

I don't like where the program is now, but I'd guess you didn't like the level of no at-large level teams over Gene's last 5 years either, unless mediocrity for $500,000 a year was OK with you. Was it?

Requiring BK be kept on the staff was a mistake and made the pickins for a new quality coach few. The athletic department made what they thought was a lower risk hire than someone without D-I coaching experience. The problem was, that hire came at a premium. Hiring a Hooper or Standiford may very well have been a bigger risk of becoming a success, but it would have come at a lower cost and fans would have been more receptive and had more patience.

I'm well aware of the fact that WSU was not an at-large level team in 2013. But they didn't make a regional because it was a "fluke". They made it because they earned another way into it. Just because you get the autobid in a non at-large year doesn't mean the bid didn't count. I just love that excuse. At the current level, I'd gladly take an autobid over a two and through like we're destined for this year or what's been provided the last 3 years.

Again, in case you missed it, I stated that Gene's time was limited. I'm fully aware of the fact that his salary was not lining up with the results on the field. But AGAIN, if you're gonna replace a LEGEND, you better have your ******* ducks in a row and make a landmark hire, and not just rush a guy out the door just because Sexton has the littlest balls on earth.

And now you're to the point where the program is far below Gene would have ever have left it and setting records of futility and embarrassment left and right. And now it's gonna cost the university a **** ton of money just to rid themselves of the mistake that was made. This doesn't include the price of digging out of a ridiculously expansive hole that has now been dug.

Gene NEVER finished below .500. EVER. And now it's a regular thing with a good possibility that the current team finishes with less than 20 f***** wins on the season. I would take Gene's last few years of 75-100 level baseball over the embarrassment that is being put on display now. Get it right. Don't make a rushed dumbass decision. Hire the right guy. Let the legend leave without retention - NOT a force out. Instead, you have this mess of a situation where all decisions look like dumbass ones. **** that.

[WSUwatcher]

Disagree, 85. If you had said "replacing" Gene wasn't the problem, I'd be with you, because as much of a Gene fan and admirer as I've always been, it seems clear to me -- hindsight is a wonderful thing -- that his program was definitely in decline at the end. It happens, and to coaches every bit as distinguished as Gene was: Cliff Gustafson at Texas his last 5-6 years (and Augie Garrido at Texas now); to football coaches, too, like Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno.

Your point about Gene's distraction and lack of focus toward the end is well taken. I'll even agree that he was arrogant and overconfident, convinced he was safe, even bulletproof. But I still think they should have let him serve out his contract, and that doing what they did instead made a mess, and it even diminished the job.

Having said that, I'll agree that the bigger problem was choosing and overpaying Butler (and, as we can now see clearly, saddling him with Kemnitz). They can undo some of the damage by either (a) starting completely over now or getting rid of Brent and giving Butler one more year to show he can get it done. I'd favor (a); I expect (b) or some variation on it, and am not convinced how well it wiil work.