The RoundHouse | 9/19/2019 2:47:00 PM

 Podcast with pitching coach Mike Pelfrey

There is, Wichita State baseball coach Eric Wedge maintains, a line from the paper cup on the locker room floor to winning games. Building the Shockers means understanding that connection.
 
Early in fall practices, the Shockers know all the Wedge catch-phrases: "Take care of your backyard." "Sweep the shed." "Every detail matters." There are more, mostly about focus, organization and professionalism. 
 
Fans get their first chance to see how Wedge's insistence on taking care of the little things translates to the field at 2 p.m. Saturday in a scrimmage vs. Nebraska at Eck Stadium. The Shockers are on board with the changes, even as the adjustments challenge them. 
 
Wedge insists on clean and organized workspaces, whether it's the All-American Club or the locker room. When the lights go out at the end of the day, every area is expected ready for the next day.
 
"One dude left his stuff out and I heard somebody get on him, and ever since then . . .," junior third baseman Paxton Wallace said. "If somebody leaves something, somebody else will walk by, pick it up, and throw it in their locker. It's so small, but it's so big at the same time."
 
That, over and over again, is the message the Shockers are hearing from coaches. 
 
"Everything is important," pitching coach Mike Pelfrey said. "I'm not just talking about on the field. Classroom. Being on time to weights. The locker room being cleaned up. Every little detail matters (to Wedge)."
 
A throw that hits the "R" in Shockers on the uniform is not as good as one that hits the "C" in the middle of the chest. It's a matter of a few inches. Those inches matter to Wedge, so they matter to everyone. Playing catch – the most basic baseball job – with purpose is valued.
 
"All these little details add up," Wedge said "It's not one big thing that happens. It doesn't work that way. The game's too hard. The baseball gods don't let that happen. It's all these little things that add up that allow you to be great in the end."
 
Being great around Eck Stadium starts with the humblest of jobs.
 
"Everything is really clean and organized and that's just the way Coach Wedge is," junior first baseman Garrett Kocis said. "Nothing on the floor. Chairs up. Lockers nice. Lights turned off. Laundry in. Keep care of your own backyard. Everything we do should be focused on getting better."
 
Wedge, the Shockers say, is naturally organized and meticulous. Add in his major-league experience as a player and manager and the result is a baseball planner who is used to running his operation with no room for sloppiness or half-measures. In his mind, it is a standard of professionalism and extends off the field into the locker room, classrooms and other facets of life. 
 
"You can't change a culture by saying 'This is our culture,'" Wedge said. "You have to live it. You have to learn to live it first, and that's what we're in the process of doing."
 
The Shockers receive a schedule, for practice, weights, meetings, etc. that extends out 10 days. It is important to Wedge to respect their time. They know what is coming and can plan other aspects of their lives around that schedule.
 
"Very structured," senior pitcher Preston Snavely said. "Each day, we go about our things listed. We have a sheet that tells us practices 10 days from now so guys can coordinate with study hall and academics and doctor's appointment."
 
Practices are described as designed to induce fatigue in order to teach the Shockers how to focus through tired legs and tired minds. The goal, Wallace knows, is to eliminate an error or running mistake in the ninth inning of a close game. Defense, an area in which Wichita State struggled in recent seasons, is an emphasis.
 
"He tries to wear us down with practice, so we can have the extra go when we need it when it comes game time," he said. "You can see a lot of guys that were tired in the beginning, really get focused in at the end. Even if they're tired, they don't look tired because they're focused and they're locked in and they're making the best out of it."
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.