For, Against, or Personal?

[Trigger]

I agree Gene has done a good job overall but where is the program at and where is it heading? Take one second and think back to when Gene mentally checked out of the Shocker program for the Sooners. This team shows no indication that it will be any better in the postseason, next year or the year after that. You cannot keep a guy simply because he built the program. Name the stadium after him if you wish, sure he deserves that but this program is about winning and Omaha. Now we're hoping for Mike Kennedy to say something funny during his play by play. The worst nightmare for Shocker baseball fans is if Gene retires and JT takes over. It's the exact same dude only younger.

[tru2thaduce]

I have been to a lot of states and always wear my Shocker gear and 9 times out of 10 if somebody says something to me about Wichita State, it is "They have a really good baseball program/team."

Same here.I went to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this year and my wife was wearing her WSU Shirt and several people commented on our baseball team.One even mentioned Gene going to and coming back from OU.

[ddog]

The worst nightmare for Shocker baseball fans is if Gene retires and JT takes over. It's the exact same dude only younger.

Unless you are in the program as I am not, but have pretty good information, you are dead wrong on this one!! JT would be a great fit to replace Gene, in fact, I wish they would do a role reversal for the rest of the season just to see the results, what could hurt? JT would loosen these guys up and not be the negative nilly willy as 10 is on a daily basis. Gene is well known amongst the players as simply a grumpy dude. He is concerned about wins and nothing else, and this being a season he is not accustomed too, I have been curious to see how he was going to react. For good or bad, I would say that he has been about a C-. Gene is not overly positive guy. In fact in Brent's book he talks about positive, negative, positve. Gene obviously has never read it as if you pay attention to his interviews, he is negative, negative, somewhat positive, and negative.

I know there will be the guys out there who say he hasn't had much positive to say this year, in which I will agree, but he was pretty negative the last 2 years during Super Regional appearances. I think it is jsut his nature. I think Brent would be a great replacement for Gene, JT running the operations and getting a high quality pitching coach for Brent to oversee. Gene has said many times the players have changed, to which I agree; but they are not going to change in today's world. If Gene can't change or adjust to today's players, maybe he needs to take a look at what he wants to do. I have been clear in my position that Gene is here as look as he feels he can succeed, but maybe he will need to adjust just as the players need to do so. IMO

[BostonWu]

I have been to a lot of states and always wear my Shocker gear and 9 times out of 10 if somebody says something to me about Wichita State, it is "They have a really good baseball program/team."

Same here.I went to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans this year and my wife was wearing her WSU Shirt and several people commented on our baseball team.One even mentioned Gene going to and coming back from OU.

Same acknowledgement in Boston. Heck I even went out to Honolulu and the bank president I was visiting made mention of Mean Gene.

[BostonWu]

The worst nightmare for Shocker baseball fans is if Gene retires and JT takes over. It's the exact same dude only younger.

Unless you are in the program as I am not, but have pretty good information, you are dead wrong on this one!! JT would be a great fit to replace Gene, in fact, I wish they would do a role reversal for the rest of the season just to see the results, what could hurt? JT would loosen these guys up and not be the negative nilly willy as 10 is on a daily basis.

You must share the same DNA with JT. JT's lucky to keep his position much past this season. If there's one thing I would change about the program it's the approach to hitting. Gene can stay as long as he likes but someone needs to tell him some changes must take place in that area.

[SpanglerFan316]

I would prefer Kimnitz to be head coach when Gene retires if we are only considering internal candidates. However I hope Gene stays a long time; he is a much better college coach than many realize. When Gene retires, I hope we do a national search and pick the best candidate.

Imagine if we had Florida State's coach; what a loser. Now the Dirtbags play "Shocker baseball"; I could see us hiring a current or former LBSU head coach.

[ShockerFever]

For what it is worth, it has been my experience that WSU is primarily recognized, if at all, for its baseball program – at least on the East Coast.

Living in the same area as you, I agree. Anytime I'm sporting any type of Shocker gear, it's immediately baseball that becomes the topic of conversation.

[Trigger]

ddog no offense but Gene and JT are clones. I'll go to say the decline actually started when Loren Hibbs left the program. The pitchers have Kemnitz to talk reasonably with and the hitters have no one. The positive, negative, positive is great but that only applies to the pitching staff.

[ShockerFever]

At the current...

It's nice to know that 77% of us aren't spoiled whiny lil impatient babies.

I am a little concerned with the 7% of us that have some personal hatred towards the coach. I'm hoping that 7% is mostly made up of a combination of shoxlax and the KSU troll with multiple names.

[ShockerFever]

ddog no offense but Gene and JT are clones. I'll go to say the decline actually started when Loren Hibbs left the program. The pitchers have Kemnitz to talk reasonably with and the hitters have no one. The positive, negative, positive is great but that only applies to the pitching staff.

Didn't Hibbs leave in 1992?

So you're saying the 1993 CWS Championship appearance, 1996 CWS team, and our late 90's power hitting teams were all apart of the 'decline'?

Really?

[Trigger]

I agree with the '93 and '96 appearances and that's fine but that's 13 years ago and how much longer before another CWS appearance. It will not be in Gene or JT's tenure and this program will continue its downward spiral.

[rrshock]

I agree with the '93 and '96 appearances and that's fine but that's 13 years ago and how much longer before another CWS appearance. It will not be in Gene or JT's tenure and this program will continue its downward spiral.

I think you have a point in that Gene and JT are the same. Maybe Gene doesn't need to go, but the hitting hasn't been what we were all used to in the years past.

Isn't JT the hitting coach? I have seen it brought up several times over the past few years that maybe JT needed to be replaced.

[shockerfanmas]

Part of the reason that I want Gene gone sooner than later is the fact that he is so negative towards his players. I mean who wants to play for a coach that says "I have given up on this team, I don't know what to do with them anymore." Any coach that says that ought to be fired on the spot. I coached basketball for several years, and I had some pretty bad teams, even teams that didn't win a game, and I never, ever gave up on my teams or my players. They always played hard, just didn't have much talent to work with. This team this year has some talent, but absolutely no heart. I talked to Tyler Grimes the other day, and he basically said that the consencus among the players is that #10 has ripped the heart out of this team.

Everybody always talks about Gene's wins and winning percentage, and I'm sorry, but that's an absolute joke. If you take away all his wins against teams like Friends and Tabor and Butler County, he would have about 200 wins less than what he does. I've talked to several people that agree with me that Gene is not as good a coach as his record shows.

The one thing I can say about Gene is that he did bring back WSU baseball, and he has had limited success in getting this team to Omaha. You can't deny all the 40 win seasons this team has had. However, how many of those 40 win seasons would not have been without 10 wins against NAIA teams. Overall, I'm iffy on whether or not I want Gene Stephenson to be the coach at WSU next year. Part of me wishes he would have just stayed at Oklahoma. I think there are better coaches out there that WSU could get, but I don't think Gene will go anywhere until he retires, solely because of his "success and winning percentage."

[newshock1234]

People who arent against Gene are pretty unintelligent Shocker baseball fans and i would worry about their sanity. If it werent for Gene we wouldnt have a Baseball program. So what if he has one bad year in 30 years, it happens to every major programs in every sport.

[rrshock]

Part of the reason that I want Gene gone sooner than later is the fact that he is so negative towards his players. I mean who wants to play for a coach that says "I have given up on this team, I don't know what to do with them anymore." Any coach that says that ought to be fired on the spot. I coached basketball for several years, and I had some pretty bad teams, even teams that didn't win a game, and I never, ever gave up on my teams or my players. They always played hard, just didn't have much talent to work with. This team this year has some talent, but absolutely no heart. I talked to Tyler Grimes the other day, and he basically said that the consencus among the players is that #10 has ripped the heart out of this team.

Everybody always talks about Gene's wins and winning percentage, and I'm sorry, but that's an absolute joke. If you take away all his wins against teams like Friends and Tabor and Butler County, he would have about 200 wins less than what he does. I've talked to several people that agree with me that Gene is not as good a coach as his record shows.

The one thing I can say about Gene is that he did bring back WSU baseball, and he has had limited success in getting this team to Omaha. You can't deny all the 40 win seasons this team has had. However, how many of those 40 win seasons would not have been without 10 wins against NAIA teams. Overall, I'm iffy on whether or not I want Gene Stephenson to be the coach at WSU next year. Part of me wishes he would have just stayed at Oklahoma. I think there are better coaches out there that WSU could get, but I don't think Gene will go anywhere until he retires, solely because of his "success and winning percentage."

I had never thought about the all the wins against the smaller schools. That is a good point you bring up.