How Ellee Eck found her happy place (and power) back home at Wichita State
The power explosion of Ellee Eck this season for the Wichita State softball isn’t that much of a surprise to head coach Kristi Bredbenner.
And it shouldn’t be to anyone who watched Eck star for the Andale-Garden Plain softball team in high school, either.
“When we originally recruited her in high school, I saw her hit some towering home runs,” Bredbenner said. “So we knew it was there. She just needed more at bats. That’s when you start seeing the ball better and you start understanding what you’re looking for and what pitches you can drive. All of that is coming together for her and she’s able to utilize that power that she’s always had.”
Eck spent the past four seasons at Stanford, helping the Cardinal reach two College World Series — but primarily as a runner. In 132 career at bats, Eck never hit a home run at Stanford.
That changed this season when the Andale graduate moved back home to play for the Shockers. She’s still an elite base runner — her 22 stolen bases lead the American Athletic Conference and rank third all-time in WSU history — and now she’s returned to form as a power hitter with 11 home runs in 165 at bats this season to go along with 51 runs scored and 32 RBIs.
Eck, who is hitting .315 with a .429 on-base percentage, hit three home runs in a single game against Kansas City, joining a prestigious list of past Shocker sluggers in Addison Barnard, Lauren Mills and C.C. Wong to accomplish the feat.
“I would attribute a lot of that to the work we do in the weight room,” Eck said. “I felt like I got a lot stronger in the fall and then I worked hard over the winter. When I got back, the ball was just flying.”
Eck is far from the first transfer who has flourished as a hitter at WSU. And as so many before her did, Eck gave credit to the culture that Bredbenner and hitting coach Elizabeth Economon have created at Wilkins Stadium.
“Coach E is one of the best hitting coaches in the country,” Eck said. “She knows exactly how to fix you up. We all call her the hitting doctor.”
In order for Eck to return to the postseason, the Shockers (28-24-1) will need to rally to win four straight games at the AAC tournament in Tampa, Fla. this week. WSU secured the first one on Wednesday with a 5-2 win over Tulsa to advance to Thursday’s 11 a.m. quarterfinal against No. 4 seed North Texas.
WSU was picked as the preseason favorite to win the conference, but finished fifth in the standings — despite only losing one series. While WSU won seven of nine series this season, it failed to sweep a conference series for the first time since 2013.
“The better question for us is can we do it consistently,” Bredbenner said. “We’ve proven we can beat everybody in the league besides (top seed) Florida Atlantic. We’ve got to believe it and we’ve got to take care of the little things consistently. That’s where we’ve really struggled this year and that’s what we need to clean up.”
Bredbenner believes WSU’s tradition of success will work in this team’s favor this week.
The Shockers once again feature a hard-hitting lineup with double-digit home run hitters in Taylor Sedlacek (15), Lauren Lucas (13), Eck (11) and Camryn Compton (11). Freshman pitcher Ryley Nihart (10-7, 2.92 ERA) was also named the Co-Freshman of the Year and second team all-conference.
Regardless of how the week plays out in Florida, Eck says she has already had a storybook ending to her softball career.
“It’s been so awesome at Wichita State,” Eck said. “I’ve made amazing friends. I’ve loved the coaching staff. I’ve loved Wichita State as a whole. That happiness has led to confidence and it’s been so much fun this year. I’m so grateful to have had a last year like this. And you know what, even if it hadn’t gone as well, I would still be just as happy because I’ve been surrounded by family and friends and that’s all I could ask for being back home.”
This story was originally published May 7, 2025 at 11:23 AM.
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