Walker steps down

[RoyalShock]

http://goshockers.com/news/2017/6/5/baseball-walker-steps-down-as-wsu-assistant-coach.aspx

[Cdizzle]

Crappy team? Fire an assistant! The excuse train rolls along, full speed ahead.

Steele better watch himself next year!

[AndShock]

Maybe we can get another solid hire like Steele. Then next year Butler can step down and we can get another solid hire. We are slowly getting a competent staff, one year at a time.

[Shocker3435]

Crappy team? Fire an assistant! The excuse train rolls along, full speed ahead.

Steele better watch himself next year!

sorry, but this was exactly what how it was reported. Brian is a huge family guy, he's got 4 youngins and 2 of them are babies. His wife has a business in Arkansas. He was in no way pushed out or fired. Wish the Walkers the best! Great people!

[Shocker3435]

Maybe we can get another solid hire like Steele. Then next year Butler can step down and we can get another solid hire. We are slowly getting a competent staff, one year at a time.

Lots of interesting names out there. Being in the AAC now gives Butler more to offer.

[Cdizzle]

Maybe we can get another solid hire like Steele. Then next year Butler can step down and we can get another solid hire. We are slowly getting a competent staff, one year at a time.

Are we positive Steele was a great hire? Seems like time will tell. The poor numbers and complete lack of competitiveness with teams owning a pulse leaves me more in 'wait-and-see' mode.

[Cdizzle]

sorry, but this was exactly what how it was reported. Brian is a huge family guy, he's got 4 youngins and 2 of them are babies. His wife has a business in Arkansas. He was in no way pushed out or fired. Wish the Walkers the best! Great people!

Yes, that's true.

Of course, it's also been true of every person removed from their position since the beginning of time. 'Spend time with ones family' is universally used as code for 'no longer found employment.'

[Aargh]

Gotta give Steele more than a year to fix the pitching staff. The problems with pitching are likely a combination of recruiting and previous instruction. As bad as the pitching was, I'd expect a 2-3 year time frame before Steele can be judged with any accuracy. Even after 2-3 years, if Steele isn't doing the recruiting, we still might not know anything about him as a coach.

[Cdizzle]

Gotta give Steele more than a year to fix the pitching staff. The problems with pitching are likely a combination of recruiting and previous instruction. As bad as the pitching was, I'd expect a 2-3 year time frame before Steele can be judged with any accuracy. Even after 2-3 years, if Steele isn't doing the recruiting, we still might not know anything about him as a coach.

I agree with this. But that also doesn't mean he did a good job this year and has proven the be a good hire at this point.

Anybody else notice that we had significantly more success having 19-year-old catchers calling pitches than 40 year old coaches? And games that didn't take 4 hours? Hmmm.

[Play Angry]

I'd give Steele at least a B for his performance this year. Staff ERA decreased from 5.97 to 4.77, although we undeniably ended with a lengthy thud in the second half of the season.

Next year he faces a major challenge thanks to attrition at graduation.

[1972Shocker]

I'll accept Coach Walker's reason for stepping down and wish him well. He may have been nudged along a bit to make that decision but it really doesn't make a lot of difference. I wish Coach Walker and his young family all the best. But unless HCTB is hiring a HCIW, which I doubt is happening, this doesn't move the needle much for me.

I thought the pitching staff got off to a reasonably good start this past season but faltered pretty significantly in Valley play with a 6.21 Valley ERA. Take Zach Lewis out of the mix, which he he will be next year, and that conference ERA jumps to 7.12. That didn't play very well in the Valley and it sure as heck won't get it done in the AAC.

Whether those results are due more to nature than nuture is hard to say. Put me in the camp that it is still wait and see on Coach Steele.

[pogo]

Usually the buzz phrase when someone is forced to leave is "Pursuing other opportunities". I have always wondered about this hire and I did not like the fact that the pitches were called from the dugout. Wichita has always prided itself on its catchers calling the game and being in sync with the pitchers. I do like the change in direction this summer by keeping the pitchers here in Wichita this summer to work out and condition in our own controlled environment. We will have to see if this is in the players/programs best interest. On the surface it would seem to be.

[DUShock]

Nothing more than rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic.

[ArtVandalay]

Usually the buzz phrase when someone is forced to leave is "Pursuing other opportunities". I have always wondered about this hire and I did not like the fact that the pitches were called from the dugout. Wichita has always prided itself on its catchers calling the game and being in sync with the pitchers. I do like the change in direction this summer by keeping the pitchers here in Wichita this summer to work out and condition in our own controlled environment. We will have to see if this is in the players/programs best interest. On the surface it would seem to be.

I'd be satisfied if our catchers would catch the ball. Not sure how ready they were to call a game.

[Cdizzle]

I'd be satisfied if our catchers would catch the ball. Not sure how ready they were to call a game.

I would not be satisfied with that. Don't let years of utter incompetence lower your standards for the program. It's how you end up with Year 5 of Todd Butler.