2022-23 Softball Offseason/Preseason Discussion

[ShockTalk]

Not sure if this belongs here (Sydney Mckinney), in the men's basketball forum (Gus Okafor I think) or the off topic forum:

Kudos to Okafor for being a good Joe.

[WstateU]

Kudos to Okafor for being a good Joe.

But he’s no Joe Carter…

[SubGod22]

I'm going to guess that Gus never played any baseball as a kid.

[1972Shocker]

Kudos to Okafor for being a good Joe.

Indeed. I think Gus is going to be a Shocker fan favorite.

[SubGod22]

Fun little story involving Syd from this weekend. I wasn't there, but got the text from my brother.

Syd was helping coach my niece's 16s team on Sunday. The SS asked the coach how deep she should play at SS and the coaches response was, 'you have the best SS in the country right here. Ask her'.

By all accounts she seemed to enjoy herself and I know those kids enjoyed the experience of being around such a star.

[WuDrWu]

Syd is a pretty cool story, to say the least.

[SubGod22]

Syd is a pretty cool story, to say the least.

And she's embraced her position in the community and run with it; while not getting a big head about any of it. She really is the poster child for NIL and how it's meant to work and how an athlete should handle it.

I get that not everyone is as outgoing as Syd and wouldn't want to do as much as she does through events and social media, but she is the blueprint for those who want to use it to its full potential.

[1972Shocker]

RH: Podcast with Kristi Bredbenner on Shocker Softball

Wichita State softball coach Kristi Bredbenner joins us to talk about fall practices and what she learned from eight scrimmages, four against NCAA Division I opponents. We discuss how the infield might shake out around shortstop Sydney McKinney, the new-look pitching staff and the recent addition of batting cages to the complex. Bredbenner updates fans on some of her newcomers, including a freshman infielder who is drawing comparisons to a former Shocker defensive standout at second base.

https://wichitastate.tv/podcast/roundhouse-podcast-with-shocker-softball-coach-kristi-bredbenner-2/

[1972Shocker]

HCKB said they initially had 6 D-1 games lined up for the fall but a couple of those fell apart. They added Hutch and Cowley County to fill out the schedule.

Fall ball results were as follows:

D-1 Games:
Kansas W, 8-2
Missouri W, 6-3
Oklahoma State L, 2-12
Oklahoma State L, 2-12

D-2 & Juco Games:
Pittsburg State W, 20-4
Seminole State W, 15-4
Cowley County W, 19-0
Hutchinson CC W, 15-2

The focus will be mostly on performances in the D-1 games in evaluating players and decidng what areas need the most work.

[1972Shocker]

Bailey Urban is doing some work now but is pretty limited. She will not be fully cleared until January.

Kristin Nelson, Jessica Garcia, Zoe Jones, Camryn Compton and Caroline Tallent are in the mix for filling the corner infield positions.

Obviously, Sydney is a lock as short and her mate in the middle will most likely be freshman Sami Hood who has impressed on defense. The question for Sami, who was an excellent high school hitter, will be how she makes the transition to facing D-1 pitching. Another freshman, Siera Hoekstra, is also in the mix for time at 2nd base. I assume one of those two will move over to short next year, probably Sami.

Other freshman: CC Fleming is pretty raw but very athletic and versatile. But is injured right now. Taylor Sedlacek could challenge for some playing time and is very strong. She is a middle infielder who they are transitioning to the outfield. They have to rein her in a little bit. CC and Taylor need to take advantage of learning form the upper classman in their freshman year.

HCKB did not talk about the catcher position. I am assuming that indicated Lainee Brown pretty much has that locked up. She talked a little bit about pitching but not a whole lot. I think it is pretty clear this is going to be another team that will rely on its offense to carry them.

[WuDrWu]

HCKB did not talk about the catcher position. I am assuming that indicated Lainee Brown pretty much has that locked up. She talked a little bit about pitching but not a whole lot. I think it is pretty clear this is going to be another team that will rely on its offense to carry them.

Lainee is the only catcher listed on the 22-23 roster so I'd assume she's behind the plate all year. I'm sure someone else at least knows how to put on the equipment but I hope they're doing everything possible to keep Lainee healthy.

[flyingMoose]

Lainee is the only catcher listed on the 22-23 roster so I'd assume she's behind the plate all year. I'm sure someone else at least knows how to put on the equipment but I hope they're doing everything possible to keep Lainee healthy.

Jessica caught some a couple of years ago.

HCKB mentioned that the softball world was moving to pitching-by-committee and the Shockers would lean in that direction also. I think she said the same thing last year. Several of her comments about pitching revolved around building confidence, especially Lauren.

[1972Shocker]

I think Jessica caught some last year as well. I suspect Jessica will fill in every now and then if for no other reason than to give Laine a break, especially in non-conference games.

And if Lainee isn't hitting and Jessica is then this good change. Last year, IIRC, Jessica got off to a very slow start with her hitting. I think if Lainee can hit at around .270 or better she will most likely do most of the catching. If she slumps materially below that and Jessica and whoever else is available at 3rd is hitting well then I think you could see more of Jessica behind the plate. Granted their is a lot more to the catching position then just hitting but this coaching staff seems to put a lot off weight on hitting.

[SubGod22]

Do we know anything about new signee Sophie Johnson out of River Ridge HS in Odessa, Florida?

I did a quick search and came up empty. It appears she also has connections to the Wichita Mustangs and is a catcher.

Also signed Chloe Barber, a RHP from Lino Lakes, Minnesota,

Erica Schertz, a RHP out of Miami, OK

Sydney Zenon, an INF from Haslet, TX

Avery Barnard, an OF from Beatrice, NE

Mila Seaton, a UTL from Tonganoxie, KS

I'll update as more come in, unless someone beats me to it

[flyingMoose]

Granted there is a lot more to the catching position than just hitting but this coaching staff seems to put a lot of weight on hitting.

Interestingly, Butters was recruited for her defense and turned out to be an awesome hitter.