The RoundHouse | 9/23/2023 5:29:00 PM
By Paul Suellentrop
Teammates noticed
Gannon Snyder when he walked into the Eck Stadium locker room earlier this week with a fresh cut.
"A lot of 'Who is he?'" Snyder said. "Double takes. Some laughs. I hadn't seen my ears in a couple years."
Snyder, a freshman infielder from St. Louis, returned to the mullet hairstyle he remembers fondly from his high school days. In Saturday's first full scrimmage of fall practices for Wichita State, teammates again noticed him after he doubled twice.
"I think it has superpowers," he said. "I'm here at Wichita State and I'm like 'I have to get a mullet.' So, I cut all my hair off."
The Shockers opened practices on Saturday at Eck Stadium with drills followed by a five-and-a-half inning scrimmage. First-year coach
Brian Green liked much of what he saw and talked to the team after about details and maintaining positive, focused energy.
"First everything," Green said. "Getting in signs in. Hustle. Defensive approach. The how. How we act in the dugout. Those are the focal points for us."
Snyder and first baseman
Ryan Callahan provided most of the offensive highlights. Snyder doubled in a run in the second inning and doubled again in the fifth. Callahan homered in the fifth.
Snyder, from Parkway West High School, committed as a junior to the previous Shocker coaching staff. He stuck with the program when Green took over. Snyder heard great things about Green from a coaching friend in California. The Zoom meeting with Green after he took over in early June sold him.
"He told us 'Give us some time; just don't flake on us right now,'" Snyder said. "He was very confident in how he works everything, and he should be because it's been unbelievable."
Snyder, who played third base on Saturday, said Green quickly helped his fielding by instructing him how to get lower early when playing ground balls. Green and assistant coach
Anthony Miller are helping with his timing and approach as a hitter.
"It's been unreal, working with them, being able to go in their office and showing them videos and working through it," Snyder said.
The work is paying off.
"He's got some juice in his bat," Green said. "He's put some really good swings on the ball the last week-and-a-half. He's flattened his swing out quite a bit."
Callahan, a junior transfer from Johnson County Community College, knew a lot about Wichita State. The previous coaches recruited him, and he grew up in Kansas City. He is majoring in business and Wichita State's Barton School of Business impressed him. When Green hired Miller, an assistant at Johnson County, Callahan happily signed on.
"Right place, right time, good people," Callahan said. "Phenomenal facilities. I chose Wichita State because I feel like this is a place I can grow as a player and grow as a person."
Callahan, a lefty, smacked a two-strike homer to right field on Saturday, more evidence of what Green likes about his smarts at the plate and ability to hit with two strikes.
"Ryan's probably been our best hitter," Green said. "He's very specific on having an offensive approach. Really dialed in."
After the scrimmage, Green spoke to the team. Then he and Miller gathered the hitters near first base. Pitching coach
Anthony Claggett spoke to the pitchers in the bullpen. A recruit and his family waited for their attention.
The work of building back Wichita State baseball entered its fall stage and the countdown to spring begins.
Paul Suellentrop writes about Wichita State athletics for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
