WSU notes: Softball pitcher spent busy summer in Canada

Softball games usually start with an anthem, handshakes and the exchange of lineup cards.

When a team plays New Zealand, there is more, lots more. Athletic teams from New Zealand perform a war dance, called a haka, before games. The ritual is described as a “fierce display of pride, unity and strength” by New Zealand’s tourism department and features foot-stamping, tongue protrusions and chanting.

“They actually get really into it, and it’s kind of scary,” Wichita State softball pitcher Kaitlyn Malone said. “Their eyes kind of got big and we were like, ‘I have no idea what you’re saying.’ It’s really interesting.”

Malone, from Crete, Neb., played for an Arkansas team in the Canadian Open in July and 4-0 win over over New Zealand stood out for the pregame pageantry. Post-haka, the New Zealanders are like any other team. They stayed at the same hotel as Malone’s team and the players traded stories.

Malone pitched every inning, except one, for her team in their 11-game stay in Surrey, British Columbia. That experience propelled her into her sophomore season at WSU, where she is expected to be the top starter for a team defending its Missouri Valley Conference title.

“The fact that I was the only pitcher made me push through everything,” she said. “It gave me a perspective on endurance. It made me really think about how I was using my energy. I met new people and I had to learn how to work with them very quickly.”

Softball is different than baseball. It is often difficult for softball players, depending on where they live, to find teams to play on during the summer. Malone worked out on her own and threw to a catcher in Crete. Facing live hitters provided a bonus in preparation and it is showing this fall.

“She came in in great shape,” coach Kristi Bredbenner said. “She had some in-game experience in the middle of the summer against some very competitive teams. The stuff we gave her to work on is hard to do without competition.”

Malone went 16-7 with a 4.33 ERA as a freshman. A special season ended with a thud in the MVC Tournament with a 4-2 loss to fourth-seeded Bradley. Malone gave up three runs and seven hits in four innings. Bredbenner saw a freshman who wanted to carry the whole team and sent her off for the summer with the goal of learning how to relax and trust her ability.

“She has to know that she has good stuff and not force it,” Bredbenner said. “When a pitcher tries to do too much, the ball stops moving.”

When Malone isn’t relaxed, she tries to guide the ball and overthrows, which reduces the spin and the speed. She also wears her down more quickly. She worked with pitching coach Samantha Sheeley to drop her arms in her motion and Bredbenner notices a difference in fall practices.

“When I’m relaxed, I’m fluid,” Malone said. “It’s just a normal body motion. When I’m all tense and not relaxed, my shoulders get really tight.”

Measure up — Does an inch or two matter when an NBA scout is evaluating a prospect?

Maybe not. Ultimately, a player can play or he can’t, and his height and weight are secondary. WSU strength and conditioning coordinator Kerry Rosenboom isn’t taking chances.

With scrutiny in WSU basketball players increasing, Rosenboom wants players listed at their precise height. In the past, the media relations department grabbed roster heights from the player, the roster at a previous school, a recruiting service or a newspaper article.

Rosenboom wants Shockers to measure up like they will at the NBA Draft Combine, where players are measured with and without shoes.

“A pet peeve of mine has always been where guys are listed at 6-foot-9 and they’re really 6-7 1/2,” he said. “Coach (Gregg) Marshall is bringing in guys that have a chance to be at that level, and so when they go to the combine, I don’t want the numbers being skewed.”

Rosenboom, who measures players with shoes, fixed a tape measure to the wall and placed a level on top of the player’s head.

He is convinced accuracy matters. Junior guard Ron Baker has been listed at 6-3, which Rosenboom says NBA evaluators consider point-guard height. He measured Baker at 6-4 1/4 with shoes. Draftexpress.com, Rosenboom’s preferred website for following the NBA Draft, now lists Baker as a shooting guard.

“He’s put himself in the height of his true position,” Rosenboom said. ““I wanted it to be as exact as possible.”

Rosenboom happily bumped guard Fred VanVleet up to 6-foot from 5-11. Junior Bush Wamukota is the tallest Shocker at 6-11 1/2, with freshman Rauno Nurger is at 6-10 3/4.

Wingspans can also indicate success, and Rosenboom measured the Shockers from fingertip to fingertip.

“You always want to find the people whose arm length are longer than their height,” Rosenboom said.

Baker’s wingspan is 6-9. Tekele Cotton, 6-3 tall, measures 6-8 with his wingspan. The longest reach belongs to Darius Carter, who at 6-7 1/2 has a wingspan of 7-2.

Preseason pub — Advance notice is setting up Wichita State men’s basketball team for a top-10 ranking in the Associated Press preseason poll, released in November.

The Shockers were ranked No. 16 in last year’s preseason poll, its first appearance since the 1981-82 team started No. 6. WSU’s highest AP preseason ranking came before the 1964-65 season at No. 3.

Most recently, Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook named VanVleet to its preseason All-America team, with Baker on the third team. The Shockers are No. 7 in Blue Ribbon’s top 25, behind Kentucky, Arizona, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Duke and Kansas.

Earlier this month, Athlon’s magazine named VanVleet to its second-team All-America list and also ranked the Shockers seventh.

MVC media day is Oct. 28 in St. Louis and the Shockers can count on leading the preseason poll for a second straight season (remember, they were picked fourth in 2012-13) and the third time in the past four seasons. The MVC conducted its first preseason poll before the 1985-86 season and WSU took the top spot for the 1988-89 season and not again until 2003-04.

This story was originally published September 26, 2014 at 6:33 PM with the headline "WSU notes: Softball pitcher spent busy summer in Canada."