The RoundHouse | 9/20/2019 9:47:00 AM

 
Coaches calling pitches from the dugout can work – most college teams choose pitches that way and some of them excel.
 
It is not, however, the way the Shockers used to run a game. 
 
Wichita State catchers call pitches and it worked for a line of top-notch ones such as Charlie O'Brien, Eric Wedge and Doug Mirabelli. They take the lead role in deciding if it is time for a pitcher to bounce a curveball in the dirt, mix in a changeup or fire up a fastball. It's as much as part of Shockers baseball as Gene Stephenson's origin-of-the-program stories, the flying W and the outfield hill.
 
Wedge, hired in May to coach the Shockers, is handing the power back to the catchers. 
 
The old guys approve. They grew up as a Shocker believing it gave them an edge, a swagger, helped their development and kept the game moving, especially in contrast to those ponderous, pitch-calling West Coast schools.
 
"It gave us a sense of pride," said Brandon Hall, who played for the Shockers from 2003-06. "When you're not calling a game, you're kind of robot back there." 
 
Wichita State scrimmages Nebraska at 2 p.m. Saturday at Eck Stadium.
 
Almost all college coaches, over the past 20 years, claimed those pitch-calling duties. They use hand signals, color-coded charts and arm bands to communicate pitches to the catcher, who relays the choice to the pitcher. Wichita State continued to put that responsibility on the catcher until early in the tenure of former coach Todd Butler.
 
Coaches who call the game cite their experience, their wealth of information on batter tendencies and pitch sequences and their willingness to study scouting reports.  
 
"You like to think your chances of succeeding are better with a professional coach who's been in the game for years, versus a young, 18-year-old kid who probably called the pitch that's easiest to catch for him," LSU coach Paul Mainieri told the New York Times in 2017. "It's just part of the game."
 
Wedge, who caught at Wichita State from 1987-89 and played four seasons in the major leagues, thinks differently. 
 
"Pitchers and catchers call their own game and, of course, we're going to be there to support them," he said. "We're big believers in teaching these guys the game of baseball. We might have some growing pains with that along the way, but that's OK. We want them to learn the game of baseball."
 
Wedge said he asked two questions on his recruiting visit to Wichita State. Would coaches help him reach his potential? Would he call pitches?
 
"Almost every high school, summer team, college team are calling pitches now," he said. "I think that's the easy way out. I'd rather . . . teach them, help them, support them and let them do what they do out there."
 
Shocker pitching coach Mike Pelfrey, who pitched for the Shockers from 2003-05 and joined the coaching staff before the 2019 season, recalls one of his first conversations with Wedge this summer.
 
"He said 'I'm letting you know you right now, they're calling their own game,'" Pelfrey said. "Last year, I was calling the pitches, which is fine. But it takes away from the flow of the game. It also allows those pitchers and catchers to develop, as well, by having to think through things."
 
Junior catcher Ross Cadena said he thinks it will help his understanding of how to work with pitchers, help him develop for pro ball (where catchers routinely call pitches) and help his infielders and outfielders stay alert. 
 
"Wedge always tell us he's preparing us for the future, and the future is pro ball," Cadena said. "When we get there, we're already a tick ahead of everybody else. You're thinking with the game, and that's something you don't do when you get your pitches from the pitching coach."
 
Pitchers are part of the process. In an ideal world, Pelfrey said, catchers put down the sign and pitchers are free to throw a pitch they believe in without thinking too much.
 
"If I'm going to call my own game, I have more conviction in my pitches and I have more trust in myself," senior pitcher Preston Snavely said. "Rather than 'Hey, coach wants you to throw this pitch.'"
 
Coaches who allow catcher to call the game do it out of belief that the person squatting next to the batter is the best person to understand how to attack. It isn't a quick fix for Shocker pitching, but it is one more connection to the past that can help Wedge's makeover.
 
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.