Wichita State pitching coach Brent Kemnitz resigns after 38 seasons

Wichita State baseball coach Todd Butler and assistant Brent Kemnitz met Monday morning and came to an amicable parting. A coaching partnership that made sense during a transition didn’t make so much sense as a long-term union.

Kemnitz announced his resignation as pitching coach, after 38 seasons, on Monday afternoon, severing the last link to the Gene Stephenson era.

Both coaches emphasized the positive nature of the announcement. Kemnitz will likely continue working for the athletic department and wants to remain close with the program. He talked of watching practices, uniting fans and former players around the Shockers and hanging out with Butler on his deck this summer.

Kemnitz has two years remaining on his five-year contract. While staying in Wichita is important for family reasons — he has two daughters in school — he did not rule out a return to coaching, perhaps in professional baseball, in the future.

“Obviously the last couple years have been tough, especially from a pitching standpoint,” Kemnitz said. “In my mind, it was time for a change. (We) had a great conversation. He knows I’m going to be their biggest fan. I will be a big ally of him and the program as they move forward.”

Kemnitz, 59, called it a gut feeling, one created by the past two seasons in which WSU’s usually strong pitching performance declined. Amid changes and serious injury problems, Shocker pitching faltered. WSU’s 5.10 ERA in 2015 and 5.97 this season stand as the worst since 6.20 in 1978.

“I take the heat for that; I’m the pitching coach,” Kemnitz said. “The last two (seasons) have been painful. That’s on me. Have I lost confidence? No. At the same time, you look at it and say maybe it’s time for a change.”

Butler said he appreciated Kemnitz’s work for the program and his help when Butler took over for Stephenson after the 2013 season. Kemnitz helped hire Butler and served as a link to WSU’s powerful tradition to smooth Butler’s path.

“The contributions Brent has given to Wichita State for 38 years — unbelievable,” Butler said. “It’s tough to replace a guy like Brent Kemnitz. I think so much of him as a person and a coach. For three years, he’s been fantastic.”

Kemnitz’s role diminished over the past three seasons, changes that ultimately led to Monday’s meeting. During the 2013 season, assistant coach Brian Walker began calling pitches from the dugout, changing a Shocker tradition of letting catchers call games. Kemnitz is no longer recruiting coordinator, a position that Butler said he doesn’t designate, and Butler will take over scheduling duties to prepare the 2017 schedule.

At least twice this season, Kemnitz missed games while on a recruiting trip, something unprecedented in his previous 37 seasons.

As those changes — and others, such as the ending of his long-running radio show, set in — it became clear that the match wasn’t working as planned in 2013. Kemnitz was used to full control on pitching matters; Butler deserved to assemble a coaching staff as he saw fit.

“It’s weighed on him and it’s weighed on me,” Kemnitz said. “I take full responsibility for the last two years. But there is a difference in philosophy. We discussed it.”

Most college coaches call pitches from the dugout and Butler wants to help inexperienced catchers benefit from the scouting report. He said catcher Gunnar Troutwine, a junior next season, may earn more responsibility to handle pitchers. In previous seasons, Butler saw calling pitches from the dugout as the best strategy.

“The coaches have scouting reports,” Butler said. “We let Troutwine call the game at times. The one thing I do want is to control things from the dugout a little bit more until we get a veteran guy that understands how to control the game and Troutwine’s probably getting close to that.”

For Kemnitz, that change exemplified what he saw as a shrinking role in running a pitching staff.

“I joked with him this morning that I was a team player, but I was kind of a fish out of water,” Kemnitz said. “The Wichita State style forever was the catcher calling the game. We changed that. It upset a lot of people, maybe catchers more than pitchers. But people need to understand that most people in college baseball call the game from the dugout and that’s what Todd was comfortable with. The guys that are critical of him need to stop and say, ‘Well, that’s what’s going on.’ ”

Butler said, “Different philosophies — I don’t think so. We were both trying to win ballgames. Brent was giving his best. We were giving our best.”

Kemnitz talked at length about his optimism for the future of the program during a Monday news conference. The offensive talent in the sophomore and freshman classes became obvious during the 2016 season. Kemnitz said he is confident pitchers such as Cody Tyler, Clayton McGinness and Connor Lungwitz will improve.

“Everybody needs to support the program and support Todd Butler,” Kemnitz said. “We need that to happen and I think it will happen. There’s nice pieces there and another good recruiting class coming in. I think it’s going to come together and I think it’s next year.”

Kemnitz, who makes a base salary of $166,924, signed a five-year contract in 2013. He said he expects to continue his unspecified duties at WSU at the same salary. Also on Monday, he discussed his future with interim athletic director Darron Boatright.

Kemnitz survived WSU’s decline after 2008, largely due to the continued performance of the pitching staff, which finished first or second in the MVC in ERA from 2009-11 and third in 2012. He was willing to remain as pitching coach, with no intention to apply for head coach, when WSU fired Stephenson and assistant Jim Thomas after the 2013 season.

Kemnitz became the public face of the program during the search and helped hire Butler.

“It’s a situation where I’ve known Brent for a long time, I welcome that,” Butler said in 2013. “It was a fantastic move, and it helps the transition with me as a head coach. I also believe Brent is the best pitching coach in the country, so it’s fantastic to keep that going.”

Kemnitz started at WSU as a graduate assistant in 1979 and became an assistant coach for the 1981 season. With Stephenson, he helped build a national power, one that won the 1989 College World Series and dominated the Missouri Valley Conference.

Under Kemnitz, WSU built a reputation as one of college baseball’s top pitching schools, leading the nation in ERA in 1982 (2.53) and 1991 (2.91). The 2007 pitching staff ranked second. He coached national award winners such as Bryan Oelkers and Darren Dreifort and future major-leaguers such as Mike Pelfrey, Greg Brummett, Tyler Green and Braden Looper.

He coached All-Americans and first-round draft picks Oelkers, Dreifort, Looper and Pelfrey. Sixteen of his WSU pitchers appeared in the major leagues and 12 earned MVC Pitcher of the Year honors.

This story was originally published June 6, 2016 at 1:45 PM with the headline "Wichita State pitching coach Brent Kemnitz resigns after 38 seasons."