The RoundHouse | 3/11/2023 6:00:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Dale and Oktaha are 96 miles apart, almost a straight line west to east through central Oklahoma. Both high schools are known for baseball and, because they are too small to field a football team, they play a lot of baseball.
The towns are also linked by the middle of the Wichita State infield this season. Second baseman
Brock Rodden is from Oktaha, the 2009 and 2017 Class A fall state champions. Shortstop
David Herring, a newcomer to the Shockers, is from Dale, which owns 11 fall and 11 spring state titles.
"We have a lot of history playing each other," Herring said. "We sent them home a couple times and they sent us home a couple times."
On Saturday, the Oklahoma small-school alums enjoyed a big day in Wichita State's 9-3 win over Stetson at Eck Stadium. Herring went 2 for 4 with a double to extend his hitting streak and his on-base streak to 13. Rodden hit a two-run home run.
The Shockers (8-6) scored two runs in the first and seven in the third. Starter
Payton Tolle, who hit a two-run home run in the first, struck out nine and held the Hatters (9-7) to seven hits and three runs in six innings.
Robert Cranz threw three innings of one-hit relief to earn the save.
Rodden, one year older than Herring, estimates they played each other around 20 times in high school and began playing in middle school. Herring fondly remembers a walk-off victory over Oktaha in the 2017 Class 2A state semifinals he contributed to with a base hit.
"That was the season after they beat us in regionals, run-ruled us," Herring said.
Rodden recalls an even rivalry.
"It was always fun to play competitive baseball," he said. "Me and Dave, we went way back. It's really fun to see it come full circle and play up the middle with him."
Herring played the past two seasons at Cowley College, where he earned All-Region VI honors and played in two NJCAA World Series. He talked to Rodden about Wichita State, which added to his comfort in choosing the Shockers. Rodden, who starred in his first season as a Shocker in 2022, gave WSU coaches his highest recommendation.
"He's a dirt-bag and whenever the lights come on, he shows up," Rodden said. "He's a gamer."
Herring missed his first chance to play under the lights as a Shocker. He didn't start the first game of the season at Long Beach State. That did not make him happy, even though he admitted he understood the decision.
"It was a slow start," he said. "I wasn't doing real well in practice. We were (scrimmaging) each day and I just wasn't doing my best."
Herring played the next night and every game since.
"I already had an edge," he said. "It gave me an extra edge. It definitely motivated me more to work harder and take advantage of getting my chance."
Through Herring's struggles in practice and the first game, interim coach
Loren Hibbs watched him take the tough times and stay on task.
"He had struggled there for a couple weeks," Hibbs said. "But at the end of the day, he kept working. If a kid struggles and they keep working and they keep listening, we're going to hang in there with him."
Herring's attitude and Hibbs' faith are paying off. Herring is hitting .353 with four doubles and a home run. He is 14 of 30 in his past seven games.
"I really love to compete and when we're playing, doing the real deal, I seem to play better," he said.
Herring started Wichita State's third innings with a double, the first of four in the inning. He scored on a double by
Garrett Pennington.
Mauricio Millan and
Chuck Ingram also doubled to drive in runs. Rodden finished the scoring with his home run on a 2-2 pitch.
That left it to the Tolle and Cranz to keep the Hatters from rallying. Cranz struck out three and didn't allow a runner until a one-out single in the ninth.
"Tolle and Cranz were awesome," Hibbs said. "That's a good sign that those two guys really threw well. We really needed to have (Cranz) do that today to give your bullpen guys a rest."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
