Wichita State third baseman Chase Rader finds better balance after recovering from ear infection

Chase Rader’s problems started before last season with the flu in early February. It got worse after a doubleheader against Texas State later that month.

“Coach was talking to us in the locker room and I got up after the talk and got real dizzy, lost my balance,” he said. “It never got any better.”

Rader, a third baseman from Shawnee, played most of 2015 for Wichita State with an inner ear infection, similar to vertigo. The fluid in his left ear affected his left eye, further diminishing his abilities to move, catch and hit.

“Anytime I looked up and moved right, my left eye was slow to react,” he said. “It felt like my head was spinning at all times.”

So it’s not surprising that Rader hit .239, committed 10 errors and surrendered most popups to shortstop Trey Vickers. What’s surprising is that he played 51 of WSU’s 59 games.

“We go to Long Beach (State) and he’s nauseated, throwing up, can’t take batting practice,” coach Todd Butler said. “Can’t play that week. He battled through that all season. He struck out a lot. He had trouble fielding. And he still fought it.

“I actually told Trey, ‘Look, anything that pops up to Chase … he doesn’t have the balance. Go over there and take it over. Trey would run over there and catch the pop ups. He battled nausea, balance, air sense of the ball on pop ups. Then imagine going up there and hitting a 90 mph fastball.”

The illness passed early in the summer and Rader is back to normal and figures to be a key part of WSU’s lineup, perhaps hitting lead-off. If the Shockers are to rebound from their first losing season since 1970, Rader’s improved fielding and bat are critical. WSU, 26-33 in 2015, opens the season on Friday against Northern Colorado at Eck Stadium.

“He’s definitely seeing the ball a lot better this fall and spring,” first baseman Ryan Tinkham said. “He’s playing a great third base. The aura about him is a lot more confident.”

Rader came to WSU after two standout seasons at Coffeyville Community College, where he earned NJCAA All-American honors as a sophomore after hitting .434 with 14 home runs and 47 steals. The Detroit Tigers drafted him in the 16th round of the 2014 draft.

After last spring’s challenges and disappointments, he played summer ball for the Wellington Heat and enjoyed the fun atmosphere set by manager Rick Twyman. Baseball became fun again and he returned to WSU healthy and confident.

“I lost a lot of confidence,” he said. “I got back on the field and felt better. By the summer, I got back to normal.”

WSU last played in an NCAA regional in 2013. It finished fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference in 2014 and tied for third — with a 10-11 record — in 2015. The Shockers know all about the historical expectations. They don’t want to worry about May and June now.

“Everyone is ready to get going, ready to see what this team can do,” Rader said. “We think it’s our time, it’s our time to do it. But we’re not going to press for it. We’re just going to go out there and get better every day and have fun doing it.”

With nine seniors and seven juniors, Butler is happy with his team’s leadership. He can see his veterans helping and pushing the younger players. Hitters are using the indoor batting cages and practice facility more than in the previous two seasons. With six starting position players and his weekend rotation back, he sees depth and experience last season’s team lacked when 20 new players joined the team.

“They know who I am as a person and a coach and what I demand, and they’re comfortable with it,” Butler said. “I’m comfortable with our team. Maybe I haven’t had that with the two teams prior, because it was new.”

This story was originally published February 12, 2016 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Wichita State third baseman Chase Rader finds better balance after recovering from ear infection."