The RoundHouse | 5/28/2021 11:21:00 AM
Wichita State coach
Kristi Bredbenner needs a catcher, a job opening she last auditioned in the fall of 2016.
In 2017, freshman
Madison Perrigan hit cleanup in the opener, doubled in her second at-bat, and Bredbenner wrote her name in the lineup for 243 of the 245 games over the past five seasons.
There will be a lot of that feeling of monumental change over the next eight months before Bredbenner reveals her 2022 lineup. The Shockers can't count on
Bailey Lange in the circle for the big game.
Ryleigh Buck's upbeat chatter and defense are no longer available at third, and on and on.
But while the 2021 Shockers were definitely a senior-led team, it isn't quite fair to call the lineup senior-dominated.
"You've got some pretty good pieces with some great experience," Bredbenner said. "The biggest key is going to be us figuring out some defensive alignments – third base is open, second base is open, center field is open, and catcher."
Those are prime positions. The Shockers who fill those spots will work with support from some of the 2021 lineup's biggest bats.
Shortstop
Sydney McKinney, the 2021 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, hit .439 with seven home runs. Right fielder
Addison Barnard, the conference Rookie of the Year, set the Shocker record with 22 home runs and 61 runs batted in. First baseman
Neleigh Herring led the Shockers with a .516 on-base percentage and 13 doubles. Designated player
Lauren Mills homered 11 times and hit .321 in 38 games. Outfielder
Bailey Urban started 40 games.
Some of the replacements for Perrigan, Buck, Lange, second baseman
Kaylee Huecker, the conference Defensive Player of the Year, and center fielder
Bailee Nickerson are on the roster. Some are recruits on the way or still to come.
The Shockers have four freshmen – two pitchers and two utility players – signed. Add freshman
Jordyn Pipkin, who redshirted, to the mix at pitcher next season.
"She'll be in the pitching rotation next year and I really thought she got better this spring," Bredbenner said. "The mindset for our team coming back is very positive. They're wanting to work hard and fill those voids."
At catcher,
Lainee Brown is a strong defender with a plus arm. She will compete with
Jessica Garcia, who showed her offensive potential with two pinch-hit home runs early in the season. Garcia also started three games at third and two in right field.
Camryn Compton started 24 games at first base and can play third. Outfielder
Wylie Glover is an experienced option with two seasons of starting experience.
"The person that improved the most was (outfielder)
Lauren Lucas," Bredbenner said. "Her and (Compton) hit every single day. And Lauren really started swinging the bat at the end. Her biggest challenge is getting out of her comfort zone a little bit in the outfield. She plays a little hesitant."
Bredbenner will have more Shockers in summer softball than in the past. Several are signed up or asking to play in the Florida Gulf Coast League, which started in 2020, and features 10 teams. Herring played in the league last summer. A few other Shockers retain age eligibility for travel teams.
"Now it's about getting the kids that are coming back focused on what they can do this summer to get themselves back into that situation, and maybe a better one," she said.
Bredbenner's biggest hope is that the returners and newcomers follow the lead of the departing seniors. Their work ethic and devotion to the program paid off with 2021 regular-season and tournament titles and NCAA regional berth. The Shockers (41-13-1) set a number of school records and attracted attention with their performance in NCAA play. They beat Texas A&M twice before losing to No. 1 overall seed Oklahoma in the Norman Regional.
The high-profile regional assignment and ESPN games gave the Shockers a chance to bring in new fans. They made a positive impression by pushing the Sooners 7-5 in the first meeting. Oklahoma coach Patty Gasso led the criticism of the NCAA's regional assignment process by calling it a shame that the Shockers landed on her home field. She continued to speak out this week before the super regionals to call for the NCAA to seed teams beyond the top 16 and offer more transparency into the process.
"The last couple days, it's been humbling to see how much our program got attention-wise and in media coverage," Bredbenner said. "The coolest thing was seeing how many people really got engaged with our program because of the games. We had grit and fight."
Bredbenner received many texts from coaching friends in the American and the Missouri Valley Conference. A text from Shocker volleyball coach
Chris Lamb helped her deal with the disappointment of landing at OU. In softball and volleyball, the NCAA seeds the top 16 teams and uses geography to limit travel costs to bracket most of the rest of the field. That puts Wichita State in a position where it will often head to national powers such as Nebraska for volleyball or Oklahoma for softball.
Lamb's advised Bredbenner to focus on who the Shockers played, instead of in what round.
"You got to the No. 1 team and you made them earn it," she said. "I thought that was a really cool message and it's a good way to look at it."
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
