The RoundHouse | 1/8/2019 3:43:00 PM

 
Mike Pelfrey remembers a 2013 game in Oakland when a young pitcher missed the team bus. He didn't consider that his business, until Minnesota Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson told him to deal with the problem.
 
"He said 'You better say something to him – you don't want me to get involved,'" Pelfrey said. "I said 'What are you talking about?' He said 'Somebody's not here. This is your staff, you take care of it.'"
 
Pelfrey talked to his teammate and never stopped offering advice to pitchers during the rest of his playing career. He spent his final professional seasons as the helpful locker-room source for the Twins, Tigers and White Sox. Those experiences served as his preparation to coach baseball and put him on the path to Tuesday's introduction as Wichita State pitching coach. 
 
"From that day forward, it was almost like babysitting for millionaires," he said. "I would always say something to younger guys, ask questions, boom, boom, trying to accelerate their comfort level into the big leagues. I did that over the next five years. That was the beginning of starting to turn my head into coaching."
 
Tuesday afternoon, Pelfrey met with the media to discuss his new job. Then he headed to Eck Stadium to get back to work. He knows the stadium well after his All-American pitching career from 2003-2005, during which he put himself on the top level of Shocker stars before pitching for 12 seasons in the major leagues. 
 
"I was in the office today for the first time – got my first desk," he said. "Pretty cool experience. Guys were coming in, talking. I've got a meeting later with (athletic trainer) Dan (Cahill) about arm care. I've got a meeting later with the weights guys. I sent a text out to all the players, talking about 'Hey, man, this isn't an overhaul. We're going to be successful.'"
 
Tuesday already seems like a success. Pelfrey replaces Mike Steele, who took a job with the Cleveland Indians organization earlier this month. Shockers coach Todd Butler called Pelfrey, who spent the past year-and-a-half as an assistant coach at NCAA Division II Newman University, and brought him across town.
 
Pelfrey brings with him the big-league experience, name recognition and a resume that includes All-American honors, two Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Year awards and the No. 9 spot in the 2005 draft by the New York Mets.
 
"He loves Wichita State and all the great things that go on here," Butler said. "The thing about Mike that I love the most is the person that he is, the heart that he has and the love for Wichita State, and the city of Wichita, the state of Kansas and Shocker baseball. Not many college athletes get to work with 12-year major leaguers."
 
That 2013 season with the Twins opened Pelfrey's mind to a future in coaching and he wants that career to be back at Wichita State. Former teammate Brandon Hall is Pelfrey's best friend and remembers him talking about the change. As a Shocker, Hall didn't see Pelfrey as a future coach. As his role in the major leagues changed, Hall saw Pelfrey embrace the job as wise veteran willing to share knowledge.
 
"Something clicked in Minnesota when he took on a leadership role," said Hall, a former catcher for the Shockers. "They had a bunch of young guys. I don't think he realized how much he knew."
 
When Pelfrey retired, Hall, himself a former assistant at Newman, suggest Pelfrey talk to Jets coach Zane Ehling. Pelfrey's eagerness to work at an NCAA Division II school and take on the grind of recruiting phone calls and bus rides proved something to Hall.
 
"First, I tried to talk him into playing more," Hall said. "Then, when I offered to set him up with Zane, I was half-joking. When he took me seriously and called (Ehling) that afternoon, I knew he was serious."
 
On Tuesday, former Shocker coach Gene Stephenson and former pitching coach Brent Kemnitz watched Pelfrey, who turns 35 next week, talk about his new life. They remember Pelfrey as an immensely talented 6-foot-7 pitcher out of Wichita Heights High who stepped into the role of ace immediately. He did not carry any of the attitude of a star prospect, a demeanor that Kemnitz thinks will help in his job as coach.
 
"He's not that guy that's entitled," Kemnitz said. "He was very coachable, very mold-able. Very respectful. He was always hungry for new knowledge. And loved by other pitchers. Great teammate."

Kemnitz and athletic director Darron Boatright visited Pelfrey in 2017 in Chicago and they talked about life after baseball. Pelfrey wanted to stay in the sport and stay busy.
 
"He's passionate about this," Kemnitz said. "When he got through playing, he made it clear that he wanted to finish his degree and my dream is 'I want to be a pitching coach and, ultimately, I want to be the pitching coach at Wichita State.'" 
 
Butler is pleased to turn his pitchers over to Pelfrey to continue their development. The Shockers improved their ERA to 3.91 last season from 5.97 in 2016. Butler praised Steele's work over the previous two seasons and Pelfrey said much of his job is keeping the pitchers on track. 
 
"He left me in a very good spot," Pelfrey said. "I have to do what Brent did and hype these kids up. These kids are extremely talented, extremely gifted. If I can make them believe in themselves and trust their stuff, the sky's the limit."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.