Softball | 5/11/2023 9:54:00 AM
By Paul Suellentrop
Senior shortstop
Sydney McKinney is Wichita State's greatest softball player. Her teammates and coaches talk about her kind spirit, enthusiasm, and selflessness before her work as a speedy leadoff hitter and defender.
They tell stories about McKinney caring for stray or neglected dogs. They will remember the constant presence of a cup of coffee in her hand. Her reminder "We've got your back" calms frazzled pitchers and relieves anxiety for a slumping hitter.
"It's really cool to see how she leads," first baseman
Zoe Jones said. "She pays a lot of attention to the small things. Not just with herself, but with everybody else. She is very composed and, not so much loud, but her presence is really loud out there."
McKinney, named American Athletic Conference Player of the Year on Wednesday, will end her college career as one of the NCAA's greatest hitters. That is only a part of her legacy at Wilkins Stadium.
"She's Shocker special," junior infielder
Madyson Espinosa said. "She's been there for me when I've gone through mental struggles, emotional struggles. She's always been someone I can rely on, like a Shocker sister."
Top-seeded Wichita State (43-9) plays in the semifinals of the AAC Championship against either No. 4 Tulsa or No. 5 Houston at 11 a.m. Friday (ESPNU).
McKinney's story, as told by those in the softball program:
McKinney, from Norborne, Missouri, transferred to Wichita State after spending one semester at Missouri. She earned All-American Athletic Conference honors after hitting .329 as the leadoff hitter and playing second and third base as a freshman.
In 2019, she was the newcomer. Last fall, a helpful, humble All-American welcomed the Shockers freshmen.
Freshman outfielder Taylor Sedlacek
"I remember coming in here in the fall. I knew Syd was really, really good at softball. I didn't know how she set herself apart from people. At the first practice, you could just feel it. You could feel she was on a higher level. Syd is on Syd McKinney level. She had this aura around her. Shining like a star. She is one of the best players in the country and she would never act like that.
"I thought 'Oh, she's never going to talk to me. I'm a freshman that doesn't really do anything.' Syd immediately talked to me all the time and she's so easy to approach if you need help."
Freshman pitcher Alex Aguilar
"The thing I like most about Syd is how down to earth she is. When I was coming here, she was a superstar and I was not expecting her to be as wise and as calm as she is. She's one of the people that says, 'It's OK, you're part of the team.' And that's awesome. She just gets it."
Freshman second baseman Sami Hood
"Super-fun to play beside. If you make a mistake in the field, she's right there and she's going to say 'You got it. You got the next one.' I learned a lot about college softball from her. She helped me learn the pace of the game."
Freshman infielder Siera Hoekstra
"She has made me improve so much, just by watching her. I told myself she's the person I want to take me under her wing. All the questions I've asked have really helped me throughout the season. I've definitely improved since the fall just by watching her and talking to her."
Wichita State nominated McKinney for 2023 NCAA Woman of the Year, an award that honors "graduating female student-athletes who have distinguished themselves throughout their collegiate careers in the areas of academic achievement, athletics excellence, service and leadership."
Director of athletic academic services Gretchen Torline
"I told her the other day that I think of her like I thought of Fred (VanVleet) when he was here. She was always a leader, even when she was young. Took everything seriously. Worked hard. Always willing to help. Always willing to do what you ask her to do. She has always been an example I hold everybody else to, like I did when Fred was here."
Junior pitcher Lauren Howell
"Really great human. I've never met anyone like her. She needs more credit than she gets. Some of it goes unnoticed. Not only on the field, but how she is as a person. I'm going to remember her for how good she was on the field, but also, she's a really great person, too. Good friend to have in your corner."
Assistant coach Presley Bell
"You will always find her with a cup of coffee in her hand. She's a walking coffee cup. Always has a smile on her face. Even if her body doesn't feel like practicing, she's always happy to be here, which I think is awesome.
"It rubs off on everybody else. She takes everyone under her wing, even if that's not who she was two years ago. She's blossomed into that kind of a person."
Sophomore third baseman Krystin Nelson
"Her outlook on life has helped me a lot. She says softball isn't everything. She doesn't make softball her life. Finding hobbies. Talking to people. Being nice to people gets you a lot further than looking at things negatively.
"I'm figuring it out still, but I came in with a mindset that softball is my whole life. I had a lot more bad days than I did good because of that mindset. She paints. She does yoga. She hangs out with her dogs. Those are her things that she does outside of softball that give her a better outlook on life. I'm learning from those kind of things."
McKinney is one of 10 finalists for USA Softball's Collegiate Player of the Year for a second time. This season, she leads the nation in batting average (.533) and hits (96) and is trying to become the first to lead those categories in consecutive seasons. She hit .522 with 97 hits as a junior.
Coach Kristi Bredbenner
"She's the most well-rounded student-athlete that's ever played for me. Knows who she is. Who she wants to be. How she wants to treat people. Has done an awesome job of growing the game and growing her brand in a really positive way, instead of a really selfish way. She has a really clear vision of her life and what she wants to do with it. It hasn't always been easy for her.
"She's going to leave here as the best softball player that's ever played the game in this program and that will never change in my lifetime."
Junior outfielder Addison Barnard
"She is one of the most competitive people I know. She can do anything you need in a game. She can hit a home run. She can bunt. She can hit a double. She's just so athletic. It's been so fun to learn from her. Her mindset is 'I can do this. I can hit pretty much any pitch.'"
Sophomore outfielder Bailey Urban
"My second year I usually was (batting) in the ninth spot and she was leadoff. She was always saying so many encouraging things, any kind of pointers about the pitchers. When that comes from somebody who has so many credentials that she has it means a lot. She has that kind of belief in me. It's been a pleasure to play with somebody like that."
In addition to this season's AAC Player of the Year honor, McKinney also grabbed that honor in 2021. She earned multiple second- and third-team All-American honors in 2021 and 2022.
In her time at Wichita State, the Shockers played in the 2021 and 2022 NCAA regionals and are set to make the field this season. They won the 2021 and 2023 AAC titles.
Sophomore first baseman Caroline Tallent
"It's awesome to watch how into it she is. She's never down, even if she strikes out, which is pretty much never. Her expressions are always energy and always happy. She can find the good in about anything."
Senior first baseman Zoe Jones
"It's really cool to see what she's done in this program. We kind of talked about both of our transfer stories and how we didn't really know how either one of us was going to get out of our rut and find our love for softball again.
"We both ended up here. She's poured all her heart and soul into this program. It's so cool to see how much she loves the game, loves this program and loves every person she comes across. She is motivated by reasons other than herself. She wants to be the best for everybody else."
McKinney plans to stay at Wichita State and serve as a graduate assistant with the softball team. She is a criminal justice major who is considering law school.
On Monday, the Athletes Unlimited professional league made McKinney its No. 1 pick in the draft. The season takes place from July 28-August 27 in Rosemont, Ill.
Associate head coach Elizabeth Economon
"You can't say her career hinges on this single up the middle, this grand slam, her first home run at Arkansas. No moment is bigger than any other, because when you step back and look at it, she's just a good human being and has been fun to work with.
"She's the kind of kid I love having around my family. I'm glad she's sticking around and can teach everybody else stuff she knows."
Senior designated player Lauren Mills
"We would sit in her car or my car and listen to Eminem on repeat. We both love him. I think he's a cool dude. She thinks he's a cool dude. I call her Slim Sydney.
"What I've learned from her the most is that everyone knows she's good, but having that mindset of 'I'm going to stay calm and collected.' It says a lot about her and how she handles herself. She has this pep in her step always and the best attitude about things."
McKinney captains the infield as a superb shortstop. Former Shockers such as Laurie Derrico, Madison Perrigan and Ryleigh Buck helped her transition to NCAA Division I softball. The past two seasons, McKinney is the team's elder.
Sophomore pitcher Alison Cooper
Freshman year, I would say I had a lot of ups and downs. I was her roommate for the Houston series (in 2022), and I remember I had a conversation with her. She just straight out told me 'Listen, we all believe in you. I believe in you. You make everyone want to run through a brick wall for you. Know that I'm back there and I want to run through a brick wall for you every time. I think you've just got to put your trust in the team.'
"That's always stuck with me, knowing that she's not out there because she's Syd McKinney. She's out there because she's there for me, she's there for pitchers, she's there for the team. For all of us."
Junior infielder Madyson Espinosa
"An amazing role model. My freshman year I was stressed all the time. I asked her the same question every single practice about the same drill we would do every day. She never once was rude to me. She was always patient."
Sophomore catcher Lainee Brown
"Very calm and collected, and she knows when to get (after us). She's kind of quiet, but she knows when to bring her voice."
Sophomore infielder Camryn Compton
"She's always been the type of teammate to have your back. She's always there if I need someone to say 'You got this' in hard situations. And you always know how to pick her up, by bringing her a coffee on any day."
McKinney is a national role model in using her name, image, and likeness rights to connect with fans, build a brand and make money. Her love of animals, coffee and painting expands her appeal beyond the softball field.
Sophomore pitcher Kenzie Schopfer
"My favorite thing about Syd is when she's talking about her dogs (Judd, a husky, and Max, a pit bull) and she uses this funny voice. It's hilarious. She loves both of her dogs. She really loves all dogs. Everywhere we go, if there's a dog, she's running over there and asking if she can pet it. I think that shows how kind she is in every part of life."
Director of operations Nicole Pendley
"She likes to express herself through art. She has a very specific style to her the way she dresses and her tattoos.
"When you think of her as a softball player, it's very intense. Looking at her numbers and her accolades you are wowed. Syd as a person, to me, has a much bigger wow factor because she is very compassionate for animals. She is very into the community. Small acts of kindness. Syd outside the field is much more impressive than Syd on the field."
Student manager Hannah Munstermann
"She is very compassionate and you can totally see how much she cares about, not only humans, dogs and the community."
Junior outfielder Lauren Lucas
"My favorite funny story is (from 2022), towards the beginning of the year, and it was rainy. It was getting her glasses wet. Coach B had called the whole team, outfield and everybody, into the circle to talk. I'm sure there was some chaos. Before (Bredbenner) got all the way to us . . . I had glanced over at Syd, and she had pulled her jersey up and was wiping her glasses with it and she goes 'err-ooh, err-ooh.' She made the windshield wiper sound. I thought it was really funny."
This generation of Shockers, boosted by social media, ESPN network games during NCAA play and talents such as McKinney, played a large role in increasing softball's presence. The success of Bredbenner's 12-season tenure led to record attendance in 2023 and plans to expand and update Wilkins Stadium with offices, locker room and indoor facility.
The Shockers take their job of promoting the game seriously and McKinney leads the way by doing youth camps and accommodating all interviews, from student reporters to local TV and national softball websites. She responds to every social media post with a word of thanks and, like all the Shockers, signs autographs and poses for pictures after games.
High-profile schools would have loved for McKinney to enter the transfer portal. She declined and stayed to represent Wichita State.
Freshman pitcher Sarah Proberts
"Even before I got to campus I was driving around, and we would see billboards of her. You could see she had an impact on the community. As a softball team, we like to go out a lot together. There are definitely a couple of restaurants we go to, and they recognize us now. They are always like '
Sydney McKinney, we love her. We love watching her on TV. We love watching her interact with fans.' She's made a good impact on the community and it's awesome."
Junior utility player Jessica Garcia
"My nephew, his name is Maddux (6), is Syd's biggest fan. He asked me to buy him a USA Syd McKinney jersey for his birthday. Every time he is here, he makes it a point to ask 'Can I talk to Syd, can I talk to Syd?' She's inspiring so many people, boys and girls, at such a young age. I have 10 nieces and nephews and all of them appreciate Syd."
Assistant director of communications Weston Pletcher
"She is a superstar, but you wouldn't know it by talking to her. Never puts herself ahead of anybody else. She's easily the athlete I've had the most media requests for and has never turned one down. Even if it was a lot, she wouldn't ever tell me. I started with softball the same time she got here. We've been through it all together. She'll go down as one of my favorites.
Content producer Brian Barnes
"The process of what she does during games is amazing. The process of getting ready and going through her (batting practice), it's fun to watch. Going through the game day – it's the same thing. Every game, you're seeing her getting on base, getting a base hit. Every time it feels refreshing. It just keeps amazing you each time that she's just that good."
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
