The RoundHouse | 2/15/2019 2:17:00 PM

 
There is a lot of speed on Wichita State's baseball team. There seems little debate over which Shocker possesses the most.
 
"Him," said freshman Jack Sigrist, looking at fellow outfielder David VanVooren. 
 
"David VanVooren," agreed junior center fielder Jacob Katzfey. "It isn't me. He flies and it shows, because he catches everything."
 
VanVooren, a freshman, comes a family of track athletes, all sprinters. He stuck with baseball.
 
"My dad was always big on 'Use your speed,'" he said. "Just making sure that I can use my speed in a positive way whenever I can is something I've really tried to emphasize since I've been here."
 
From VanVooren to second baseman Alex Jackson to Sigrist and Katzfey, wheels are plentiful. Coach Todd Butler views speed as critical this season after going 35-21-1 (9-14-1 in the American Athletic Conference) in 2018. Wichita State ranked second in the American with 57 home runs and a .437 slugging percentage. 
 
Much of that pop is now playing in the minor leagues after the professional draft took 10 Shockers – matching a program best – led by first-round pick Alec Bohm (16 home runs), second-rounder Greyson Jenista (nine) and ninth-round selection Gunnar Troutwine (seven).
 
Wichita State opens the season on Friday in Phoenix vs. Grand Canyon (7 p.m.) in the Angels College Classic. It also plays No. 5 Stanford and Pepperdine this weekend.
 
"This is by far the fastest team we've had," Butler said. "That's kind of who I am – being a runner when I was a young player. Last year's team was very big and strong and offensive. We're going to have to play a lot more aggressive baseball with this team, which I think is fun."
 
Steals, bunts, extra bases, running catches in the outfield. That is the vision for the Shockers. 
 
"We've really pushed to run," Butler said. "We've had the green light on these guys all fall and spring."
 
The speed guys love it.
 
"We're going to have to run and we're going to run a lot," Katzfey said. "It's kind of like a 'Never let up' mentality. You notice that balls don't drop as often, or balls that might one-hop the wall are caught and that's the speed out there."
 
Wichita State's outfield will likely feature Katzfey in center and hitting third. Sophomore Paxton Wallace will start in right field with VanVooren in left and Sigrist and sophomore Hunter Gibson in the mix. VanVooren may be limited this weekend by a slight right hamstring strain. Wallace hit .281 in 25 games last season will likely bat fourth in order.
 
Katzfey, who played in 33 games and started 11 last season, is the leader of the group, both because of experience and his position in center. They want to be a group that considers almost any ball in the air an automatic out. 
 
"He's helped me a ton in the outfield," VanVooren said. "Just in the way he reads swings and positions us. He's really smooth in the outfield and just watching helps you."
 
The infield starts with senior Luke Ritter at third base and likely hitting second in the order. Ritter, an all-conference pick last season, started at second base and in the outfield. 
 
"Ritter at third is very athletic and such a great baseball player," Butler said.
 
He hit a team-leading .341 with six home runs and 12 doubles. Senior Jordan Boyer returns after starting 26 games at shortstop last season. Jackson, expected to hit lead-off, largely played in the outfield as a freshman and sophomore before moving to second. 
 
At first, senior Mason O'Brien and sophomore Garrett Kocis are options. Freshman switch-hitter Jake Plastiak impressed coaches late in spring practices. 
 
Junior Noah Croft and sophomore Ross Cadena will share time at catcher.  
 
Jackson, Kocis, Katzfey and O'Brien provide left-handed bats.
 
"I love the energy of this team," Butler said. "They really talk a lot, communicate. It's really been a fun group to be around."
 
Senior Clayton McGinness, a reliever who compiled a 4.93 ERA and a 2-0 record, moves into the rotation and will start Friday's opener. Junior Preston Snavely, 4-1 with a 5.18 ERA, follows with redshirt freshman Ryan Stuempfig scheduled for the third game. Junior Tommy Barnhouse, also a reliever in 2018, is scheduled for the fourth game. He went 3-2 with a 2.96 ERA last season.
 
Butler is pleased with staff's work under pitching coach Mike Pelfrey, who took over in early January.
 
"I saw a great improvement from two weekends ago, pitching, to last weekend," Butler said. "The pitchers threw strikes and guys were throwing secondary pitches for strikes down in the count."
 
The Shockers are picked seventh in the American and the loss of Bohm, Jenista and Friday starter Codi Heuer will depress expectations. Butler loves the mood on the team and thinks his roster is more experienced and talented than presumed.
 
"There's a 'No one is better than us' mentality," Katzfey said. "We did lose a lot of talent and it's a little different. But it's a different team. We've got a lot of tools that team didn't have. We've got speed. We're younger, but our maturity has grown a lot."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.