Wichita State baseball recruiting reboot aims to restore ‘the Shocker way’
For the second time in three years, Brian Green finds himself essentially starting from scratch with the Wichita State baseball program.
When Green first took over the Shockers in 2023, he inherited a roster with just three players. Now, following one of the most disappointing seasons in program history, he’s essentially back at square one — this time with six returning players from last season’s travel roster.
The mass exodus — upwards of 20 players entered the transfer portal, one of the highest totals in the country — has forced Green into another monumental rebuild. But this time around, the third-year head coach is changing his approach.
“Philosophically, we thought it was critical to change our focus to (proven) success,” Green said. “We focused too much on projection (last year). There was just too much risk. We wanted to go with the most secure way to put the best, most competitive team on the field.”
After bringing back a large core from a team that played for the American Athletic Conference tournament championship in 2024, expectations were high last spring. Instead, the Shockers stumbled to a 20-36 record, leaving fans frustrated and Green reevaluating his approach.
Gone are some of WSU’s most talented players, including Josh Livingston (Texas), Kam Durnin (Missouri), Camden Johnson (Oklahoma) and Aaron Arnold. In their place, Green is rebuilding with a new priority: proven production over potential.
WSU’s 25-player recruiting class reflects that shift, with a heavy emphasis on junior college standouts and seasoned transfers. The group includes four junior college All-Americans, with another on the way, and five additions from the transfer portal.
Green’s most recent recruiting win was Florida International shortstop Alex Ulloa, who was drafted in the fourth round of the 2021 MLB Draft and has racked up 18 home runs, 80 RBIs and 78 runs while hitting .305 the past two seasons at the Division I level.
Other headliners from the recruiting class include:
- Outfielders Josh Wulfert (Midland College) and Anthony Cepeda (Feather River College) both earned JUCO All-American recognition. Wulfert hit .423 with nine homers, 72 RBIs, 82 runs and 32 stolen bases, while Cepeda batted .429 with 20 stolen bases.
- Infielder Drew Bugner, an Andale graduate, hit .407 with 53 runs, 46 RBIs and 13 stolen bases this past season at Pittsburg State.
- Catcher Ethan Gonzalez was a key piece for a Blinn College team that won the JUCO national championship in 2024. He hit .381 with 10 home runs and 39 RBIs this past season.
- Outfielder Jacob Gutierrez (Lubbock Christian) hit .408 with 57 RBIs and 57 runs.
- Max Kaufer has three years of experience playing in the SEC for Texas A&M and South Carolina. The catcher doesn’t have much production to show for it, but does have 84 games and 169 at-bats under his belt of valuable experience.
- M.J. Sweeney, the son of Royals legend Mark Sweeney, hit 15 home runs with 47 RBIs and 51 runs this past season at Grossmont College.
“Let’s start with attitude, toughness, hustle, blue collar,” Green said. “It’s so easy in the world of the portal to watch some video, get a positive phone call and bring a guy on board. We haven’t done it that way this time. We’re taking our time and getting to know these kids.”
Green also made changes to his coaching staff, hiring Marty Lees as his new recruiting coordinator. Lees, a former head coach at Washington State with stints at Oregon State and Oklahoma State, brings a reputation for identifying winning players — not just prospects with flashy metrics.
The biggest difference can be seen in which pitchers WSU has targeted this offseason.
The Shockers are bringing in a wealth of pitchers who have a proven track record at the collegiate level. Those include:
- Brok Eddy was the ace for a nationally-ranked Blinn College team and finished with an 11-3 record, a 2.44 ERA with 90 strikeouts and only 31 walks in 84 innings pitched. He comes with JUCO All-American honors.
- Glendale ace Matthew Cuccias is another JUCO All-American who had a 7-2 record with 109 strikeouts and only 29 walks in 84 innings pitcher with a 3.96 ERA.
- Dax Sharp was the ace for Central Oklahoma, as the left-hander racked up a 7-2 record with a 1.88 ERA, the third best in Division II, and a 1.01 WHIP.
- Other proven JUCO arms include Kansas City Kansas product Caleb Reed, who was 9-0 with a 2.16 ERA and 72 strikeouts and 25 walks in 66 innings, and Grossmont starter Johnny Nuanez, who compiled a 6-2 record with a 4.90 ERA to go along with 63 strikeouts to only 12 walks in 64 innings.
- Eastern Kentucky transfer Wyatt Foley maintained a 4.41 ERA in 34 innings with a 4-2 record this past season.
“We had a lot of good metric guys last year, but they didn’t produce,” Green said. “It felt like we walked the most hitters in the history of college baseball. So we’re focused more on the numbers now — I don’t mean spin rate, I mean winning.”
Green acknowledges losing 20-plus players to the portal is eye-opening, but he believes that’s simply the reality of modern college baseball. Even in a best-case scenario, he expects around 15 players to leave annually.
The key, Green says, is building a culture where players want to stay — and where winning helps solve roster turnover.
“It’s on me and it’s on us to win,” Green said. “If we win, I think this is a really special place and people like playing here and we’re not going to lose all (great talent). But when you win 20 games, that made that (portal) number go up.”
Despite another major overhaul, Green remains confident in the direction of the program. According to the coach, WSU is positioned in the top-3 of the AAC with resources in the new revenue sharing era. That alone makes him believe the foundation is in place for long-term success — but it starts with getting back to the program’s roots.
“I’ve been hammered pretty good and rightfully so,” Green said. “We won 20 games and hit the way we hit and pitched the way we pitched, you should hammer the head coach. But when I get hammered about the number of portal guys, I’m not sure how interested Shocker fans are in a bunch of guys who hit .170 and punched out way too much.
“So let’s go get some great competitors and guys who really want to wear this uniform and are proud to do it. Because that’s the Gene (Stephenson) way, that’s the Brent (Kemnitz) way, and that’s the Shocker way. And we need to get that Shocker way back.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 6:59 AM.
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