Post-Collegiate Adventures of Syd The Kid

[1972Shocker]

Nice article on Syd the Kid by Softball America. Click on synopsis below the photo to go to the full article.

[SubGod22]

I think this is pretty cool and perhaps deserves its own thread. Professional softball coming to Wilkins Stadium and Wichita, KS?

[1972Shocker]

I think this is pretty cool and perhaps deserves its own thread. Professional softball coming to Wilkins Stadium and Wichita, KS?

That is pretty cool and another feather in the cap of Shocker softball.

[Stickboy46]

I'd think this would be a great recruiting tool for the coaching staff.

[SubGod22]

I'd think this would be a great recruiting tool for the coaching staff.

Also could help in the way of fundraising for Stadium improvements/expansion efforts.

[Stickboy46]

Both this and TBT are ESPN events .. lets get some promos going with combo tickets. The Wichita Summer Sports package.

[1972Shocker]

Wichita State, Wilkins Stadium to Host Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/11/17/wichita-state-wilkins-stadium-to-host-athletes-unlimited-pro-softball.aspx

Athletes Unlimited Pro Softball today announced a multi-year agreement with Wichita State University to bring professional women's sports to the state of Kansas, becoming the first pro women's sports league ever to play a full season in Wichita. Beginning next summer, Wilkins Stadium, home of Wichita State Softball, will play host to AU Pro Softball's AUX competition.

AU Pro Softball AUX (pronounced A-U-X), is an intense competition featuring 18 games across two weeks with the world's best athletes competing in an innovative format to crown an individual champion. It is followed later in the summer by the AU Pro Softball Championship season in Rosemont, Ill. The 2024 event in Wichita will take place June 10-24, with season ticket deposits now being taken at www.auprosports.com.

[1972Shocker]

Quotables: Wichita State, Athletes Unlimited Press Conference

AUX Softball Press Conference Transcript
Friday, November 17, 2023
Heskett Center

Panel Members
Brad Pittman – Wichita State Senior Associate AD
Josh Howell – Vice President of Sports Development at Visit Wichita
Kristi Bredbenner – Head Softball Coach at Wichita State
Sydney McKinney – Current Athletes Unlimited Athlete and Former Wichita State Softball Student-Athlete
Cheri Kempf – Director of Partnership Marketing at Athletes Unlimited

https://goshockers.com/news/2023/11/...onference.aspx

[1972Shocker]

Coach B and syd throw down the gauntlet to Shocker and area sport fans. I would think we get quite a few folks up form Oklahoma as well considering how big softball is in the Sooner state.

Coach Bredbenner:

I would challenge our community, our city and sports lovers to sell out all 18 games because Cheri hit the nail on the head when she talked and quoted Taylor Eldridge. This is some of the best softball that our fans are going to see and some greats. And obviously for all of us, one of the most exciting things is to have Syd back.

Syd The Kid:

I may have mentioned to Cheri that we did sell out several games, so I really do challenge you guys to come out and I'm just super thankful for everybody that made this happen.

[1972Shocker]

Q: Cheri, kind of tell people what they can kind of expect to see with AUX and talk about the season, what we're going to start seeing as the ramp up and what we can expect.

A (Cheri):
"First off, what you can expect to see is spectacular softball. I actually worked with the broadcast team, and I will tell you that every single game we could submit a SportsCenter Top 10 play and sometimes multiple plays per game. So, you're going to see the game played by the best. It's a very dense talent pool with 42 total players. So, when you think about that, that is just elite level talent all in one spot. I think that's the biggest thing that excites me, but I will tell you, Athletes Unlimited has some nuances to it, and that is 42 players come to town. You are going to see softball as you know it. The game is played with very similar rules that you see in college competition, but what you also see that you don't normally see in team sports is a leaderboard. So, 42 players go on the leaderboard and three times they will play a series against each other and those top three players that are on the leaderboard will be team captains and they will draft their teams. So, you will see those combinations. You'll see nine total combinations of teams while we're here and I think you get to appreciate the game, but I think the structure of it and the nuances of it allow fans to dig a little deeper and have a little more fun with each play that's happening. I think that's the advantage of Athletes Unlimited. To your point about when will we get started, we kick off June 10th is the first day of competition. The players will probably arrive about 10 days before that to do some training and prep. So, all of that will pretty much the entire month of June here in Wichita."

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]

[1972Shocker]

RH: Podcast with Former Shocker Sydney McKinney

https://wichitastate.tv/podcast/roundhouse-podcast-with-former-shocker-sydney-mckinney/

Former Shocker All-American shortstop Sydney McKinney joins us from her new job as assistant softball coach at Marshall University. We discuss her move to coaching, how often she says the same things her Shockers coaches said and her advice for recruits considering options. We learn that people in West Virginia put butter in their coffee. We also talk about Athletes Unlimited pro softball coming to Wilkins Stadium in June, how she saw Shocker softball grow and more.

[1972Shocker]

This interview was just before this past Thanksgiving but is a good listen. Sydney's spot starts at about the 14:30 mark.

https://d1softball.com/d1softball-podcast-2023-with-sydney-mckinney/

What a great ambassador for Wichita State and for the City of Wichita.

[SubGod22]

Since we've talked about it here, tickets are now on sale

KSN - Tickets on sale for Pro Softball event at WSU this summer

Tickets for the 2024 AU Pro Softball AUX Competition at Wichita State are on sale now.

The event is 14 days long, taking place from June 10 to 24 at Wilkins Stadium on Wichita State’s campus. It’s an 18-game competition spread across two weeks with the world’s best softball players competing.

Tickets can be found at the Go Shockers website by clicking here.