Wichita State shortstops spent the summer learning
There are 27 newcomers on the Wichita State baseball team and they are confused and hesitant, unless they’re trying too hard.
Wes Phillips, a sophomore, can relate. So can Tanner Kirk, and he’s a junior. They went through it last season with a new coaching staff. Now they are two of Wichita State’s 15 returners who are charged with helping smooth out practices and classes for the newcomers.
“A lot of them are going to be brain-dead with the new system, coming from junior colleges and high school,” Kirk said. “I tell them to work hard every day and pay attention to detail. Do the little stuff, when the coaches ask you to do it.”
Wichita State starts fall baseball practice on Wednesday. Coaches sent Kirk and Phillips, both shortstops, off in the spring with similar instructions.
Last season, neither could hold down the starting spot. When they returned, coaches saw improved players ready to contribute more as the most experienced candidates to play shortstop. Kirk is steadier in the field after committing 10 errors in 39 games last season. Phillips is 15 pounds heavier and more prepared to handle college pitching. WSU spent the early weeks of school working in small groups, giving coaches a look at progress before team workouts begin.
“They understand what’s going on,” coach Todd Butler said. “They’ve been very clean defensively.”
Kirk played for the Derby Twins in the summer and earned second-team All-Jayhawk League honors. Last spring, he started 27 games at shortstop for WSU and hit .243. He often tried to do things too fast, especially in the field.
“(Coaches) wanted me to slow the game down,” he said. “Fielding — get my feet set before I field a ground ball. Relax, but be ready for the ball.”
Butler watched the Twins several times over the summer, checking on Kirk and incoming junior Chase Rader at third base. Kirk simplified his swing over the summer and showed more ability to hit baseballs into the outfield gaps.
“Kirk has really improved offensively,” Butler said. “I think he’s even stronger and I think he’s very tough mentally. Defensively, hopefully he’s going to be more comfortable with everything that goes on with our system.”
Phillips is up to 175 pounds and the added strength helps him in many ways.
“Your stamina actually goes up,” he said. “You have more power with the bat. More power with your glove. You’re more confident in yourself.”
Phillips played in 19 games and hit .303 but he struck out 11 times in 26 at-bats. Butler loves his consistent glove and his speed. Phillips needs to get on base more to take advantage of his legs.
“Defensively, he was ready to play,” Butler said. “Offensively, he wasn’t ready to compete against these older kids in college. With two strikes, he might swing at balls in the dirt or out of the zone. This fall he needs to show he can stay in the (strike) zone and be a tough at-bat. We’re not asking for him to hit .400 or hit 10 home runs. We’re just asking him to be an on-base percentage guy, be able to steal bases and play defense.”
While Phillips is bigger and stronger, he also wants to be stronger mentally and learn how to work against pitchers and understand his role in the offense.
“I need to be more disciplined up there in the box,” he said. “One year under your belt really helps a lot, helps you learn the game.”
Butler pushed back the start of fall practice to give his newcomers a chance to get more comfortable with baseball, weights and school. The Shockers will work on fundamentals such as bunt defenses and relay throws on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, he plans to scrimmage and get his first look at 16 freshmen and nine transfers (freshman pitcher Adam Thies and junior catcher Ryan Tinkham are injured) in a game as Shockers.
The Shockers, in addition to working in small groups, lifted and ran. Butler welcomed them back to school with a 2-mile run. He said about 70 percent of the team ran it in 14 minutes. A few players needed three or four attempts to get their practice gear.
“I like letting the guys get their legs in shape, their arms in shape,” Butler said. “When school starts, guys are very uncomfortable, trying to impress you, trying to do too much, trying to throw too hard, hit the ball too hard. Hopefully, they’re comfortable with the coaching staff and ready to go.”
The makeup of this team is much different than last season, when Butler inherited eight seniors and 12 juniors in his first season. With an experienced group, and one dealing with a coaching change, he didn’t feel the need to start his tenure as a taskmaster. He plans to show more tough love this fall.
The Shockers went 31-28, 13-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference and did not play in an NCAA regional.
“Last year, I was trying to get to know the team,” Butler said. “It will be no-nonsense. The guys should know what we’re trying to do and we need to improve. We need to be a lot better than last year. It starts Wednesday.”
Reach Paul Suellentrop at 316-269-6760 or psuellentrop@wichitaeagle.com. Follow him on Twitter: @paulsuellentrop.
Three questions for the fall
1. Who pitches on the weekend?
Sophomore Sam Tewes, if healthy, is the first choice. Tewes, 8-3 with a 3.27 ERA in 2014, sat out most of the summer with a strained elbow and won’t pitch this fall. The other two spots will likely go to a newcomer, with transfers Sam Hilliard, Isaac Anderson, John Hayes, Willie Schwanke and Jon Ferrendelli under scrutiny.
Hilliard, from Crowder (Mo.) College, finished first in the team’s 2-mile conditioning run. He is also hitting the ball hard and Butler considers him a two-way player with the potential to play first base or DH.
“He’s one of those guys that can do everything,” Butler said. “He’s an exceptional athlete. Offensively, he’s a left-handed hitter with some power.”
2. Who catches all the new guys?
The Shockers won’t feature experience behind the plate. Senior Bob Arens played in seven games last season and has seven starts in his career. Junior Brandon Kimbrel redshirted last season after transferring from Hutchinson Community College. Transfer Ryan Tinkham underwent shoulder surgery in May and won’t throw until November. Freshmen Taylor Sanagorski and Gunnar Troutwine were high-priority recruits for Butler last summer.
“Sanagorski is working extremely hard and he’s a baseball player with great baseball IQ,” Butler said. “(Troutwine) is a very physical player that has a very good arm and has power. Sanagorski and Troutwine both can run.”
3. Where does the offense come from?
Tough question for a team that hit .270 last season and loses first baseman Casey Gillaspie, a first-round draft pick who hit .389 with 15 home runs. In all, the players who hit 34 of WSU’s 38 homers are gone.
Outfielder Daniel Kihle, who hit .313 with three home runs last spring, is a starting point. He hit .247 with five home runs in the Cape Cod League this summer and playing against that competition often pays confidence-boosting dividends. He could be joined in the outfield by junior Mikel Mucha, who missed most of last season with a broken leg and Michael Burns, who redshirted last season. Burns led the Hays Larks with a .382 batting average this summer. Hilliard and Tinkham could share first base and DH duties. Detroit picked third baseman Chase Rader in the 16th round after he hit .434 with 14 home runs and stole 47 bases for Coffeyville Community College.
This story was originally published September 16, 2014 at 5:01 PM with the headline "Wichita State shortstops spent the summer learning."