New pitching coach - Mike Steele

[shockerfanmas]

I too, questioned why the heck he would make a downhill move to come to Wichita, KS. You're leaving the great West Coast, and a team that is still keeping a decent baseball tradition in Long Beach State, to come to boring Wichita and be a coach at a scholl where the AD is a moron, the head coach is a moron, and the team is now the laughingstock of the MVC. It has to do with family and cost of living. Either that, or Butler is one heck of a salesman. Either way, my excitement about the baseball program is a little higher on the 1-10 scale than it was.

I feat it's going to take more than just a new pitching coach to turn this around though.

[JohnQShocker]

Does look like a really good hire. Hoping this will begin to turn things around.

[1972Shocker]

I like this hire and am pleasantly surprised that the Shocks could attract such a qualified coach. Having a coach with professional pitching and coaching experience might add a new perspective and perhaps a somewhat fresh approach to the program. Whether that will be a positive remains to be seen. Coach Steele has a big challenge to get this pitching staff turned around and moving in the right direction.

Welcome to Wichita Coach Steele and family. I hope you prove to be a major success story.

[Ricardo del Rio]

Does he teach nasty slider in the dirt? That is all I want to know.

[DUShock]

Does he teach nasty slider in the dirt? That is all I want to know.

Or maybe this:

[MizzouShockerFan]

It also can't hurt in the ability to recruit Southern California.

[1972Shocker]

It also can't hurt in the ability to recruit Southern California.

Maybe, but not really a natural recruiting area for the Shocks. Going from SoCal to Wichita is both a culture and weather Shock. Not sure how many California kids we have had over the years but I don't think it qualifies as a plethora. I think Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado will remain our bread and butter. Coach Steele only spent 2 seasons at LBSU so not sure how much of a network he would have built up. I don't think that will be much, if any, of a factor.

[shockerfanmas]

I don't know how many guys we've actually recruited from California, but I do know that when Gene was here, we always sent 3-4 guys to play for Bill Pintard and Santa Barbara Foresters during NBC ball. I miss those days. That's when we had players good enough to play there.

[WSUwatcher]

Good thing he didn't consult ShockTalk and fanmas before making his decision. (Although personally, having spent time in the LA area, including Long Beach, I'd choose Wichita as a home over Long Beach every day of the week and twice on Sunday, and I don't even like cold weather.) This looks like an excellent outcome; now we need to see some results.

[Shocker3435]

I too, questioned why the heck he would make a downhill move to come to Wichita, KS. You're leaving the great West Coast, and a team that is still keeping a decent baseball tradition in Long Beach State, to come to boring Wichita and be a coach at a scholl where the AD is a moron, the head coach is a moron, and the team is now the laughingstock of the MVC. It has to do with family and cost of living. Either that, or Butler is one heck of a salesman. Either way, my excitement about the baseball program is a little higher on the 1-10 scale than it was.

I feat it's going to take more than just a new pitching coach to turn this around though.

Who the **** are you? Troll? Downhill move? He's getting more money here and that money goes a long way. I bet you'd like lib California to raise your kids, ass.

Nothin' great about the West Coast except the view. This is a great hire and is going to start the climb back to greatness for Shocker baseball, regardless of what your idiotic statements are.

[shocker3]

I don't know how many guys we've actually recruited from California, but I do know that when Gene was here, we always sent 3-4 guys to play for Bill Pintard and Santa Barbara Foresters during NBC ball. I miss those days. That's when we had players good enough to play there.

. The only ones that I can think of off the top of my head are Tony Mills, Andrew Letourneau, and Ryan Tinkham. So not many. It is hard to picture players from So Cal coming to Wichita.

[RoyalShock]

Interview with Mike Steele (from May 2015).

[Cdizzle]

Here are the pitchers Steele could have been involved in recruiting to LBSU.

RHP SO 6-1
RHP SO 6-1
LHP FR 6-1
RHP SO 6-1
RHP FR 5-10

I'm guessing he won't be doing much recruiting here. Hope he can coach em up.

[Shockerman]

Wow, tip of the hat to Butler for pulling this one off. Everyone knows he can recruit, at least now there is a thread of optimism.

[Cdizzle]

Everyone knows he can recruit

How do we know this? If you recruit a whole bunch of really good players over 3 years, you don't put up a .400 record no matter how bad the development and coaching is.