Baseball | 1/18/2023 4:08:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
One way to work into the fabric of a new team is with food.
Wichita State first baseman
Garrett Pennington lives with teammates
Brock Rodden,
David Herring and
Sawyre Thornhill. Pennington, a transfer from NCAA Division II University of Central Missouri, is the chef, happy to smoke and grill.
"This kid can whip up anything," Rodden said. "You just tell him what you want and it's kind of like going to a nice steakhouse. He made me my first smoked steak and it was awesome."
Whether it's steak, duck or venison – Pennington shot his first deer in November near Polo, Mo., – Pennington prefers eating at home to eating out.
"I always say 'My grill is an open grill,'" Pennington said. "I'll feed whoever wants to come over."
The Shockers started practice on Sunday and Pennington, a junior from Lenexa, is ready to cook in the middle of the batting order after a productive fall. He hit .397 with 11 home runs and a team-leading 23 doubles for Central Missouri, which went 46-9 and advanced to NCAA Division II regional play. He earned All-Central Region second team honors at designated hitter and first-team All-MIAA honors.
"He's got some talent – the ball comes off his bat different," Wichita State interim coach
Loren Hibbs said. "We've just got to try to get the ball to hit the barrel frequently. If we do that, he's got a chance to be pretty good."
Pennington attended camps and showcases at Eck Stadium and loved the idea of playing at Wichita State. When the Shockers didn't recruit him, he chose UCM, one of the nation's best NCAA Division II programs.
"Wichita was always up there, because I played here as a kid," he said. "The field is sweet. The facilities are top-notch."
Pennington and Rodden played briefly for Orleans in the Cape Cod League last summer. When Pennington decided to transfer, he connected with Rodden. They had bonded in the Cape with their similar backgrounds.
"There weren't very many Midwest guys," Rodden said. "We hit it off pretty quick. It felt nice to have a teammate who knew where I came from and what we were all about."
While an oblique injury limited his action early in the fall, Pennington made a good impression once he returned to the lineup. In the fall scrimmage series, he showed opposite-field power and the potential to convert some of the doubles he hit last year into home runs as a Shocker.
"He had a great fall for us," Rodden said. "We're expecting really big things from him."
Pennington expected some curiosity of an NCAA Division II ballplayer entering a new locker room. Rodden's stamp of approval helped. Pennington said he quickly felt like part of the group as the fall wore on and he played in intrasquad scrimmages and against outside competition.
"They were well accepting," he said. "Being able to be around those guys that believe in me is really cool. That's when the light bulb flipped, and I was able to play my own game."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State Athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
