The RoundHouse | 6/14/2022 9:40:00 AM
Wichita State athletics will look back on 2021-22 as a transformational year, as will all NCAA Division I schools.
Managing name, image and likeness benefits surged to prominence over the school year. The continuing presence of the transfer portal added to the monumental shifts in college athletics.
At Wichita State, the search for a new athletic director is ongoing. On Friday, the American Athletic Conference announced the July 1, 2023 departure of Cincinnati, Houston and UCF to the Big 12. The American will add six schools – Rice, Charlotte, North Texas, UAB, Florida Atlantic and UTSA - for the 2023-2024 seasons.
A look at Wichita State's top stories of 2021-22:
1. A successful second act – Wichita State softball added another important accomplishment to its foundation. The S
hockers earned an NCAA regional spot – with an at-large bid – to give it consecutive appearances for the first time and three in the past four seasons in which the NCAA held regionals.
The 2022 Shockers did it much the same way the 2021 team did – a powerful offense. Wichita State set school marks for batting average (.348), slugging percentage (.667), on-base percentage (.437), runs (415), runs batted in (387) and home runs (121).
The Shockers finished second nationally in home runs (behind Oklahoma's 153) and slugging percentage and third in batting average.
The Shockers went 34-18, 14-4 in the American to finish second behind UCF. A 12-game win streak, bookended by wins over NCAA regional teams USF and UCF, highlighted the regular season. The pitching staff limited the opponent to three runs or fewer in nine of those games, that group's strongest stretch of the season.
That run started with
Zoe Jones' sixth-inning home run off USF All-American Georgina Corrick to deliver a 2-1 win in the series finale. After a sweep at Houston and a 9-1 win over Kansas, the Shocker offense dominated in sweeps of Memphis and ECU.
Erin McDonald threw a five-inning no-hitter in a 19-0 win over Memphis. Wichita State set a school record for runs in a 24-1 win at ECU. It homered 10 times, tying for second in NCAA history, with an NCAA-record seven in one inning. Right fielder
Addison Barnard homered three times and doubled.
A Friday win over No. 21 UCF (11-4) put the Shockers in position to claim the regular-season title. The Knights won the final two games, including a 3-1 thriller in eight innings on Saturday, to hold off Wichita State.
The Shockers went 1-1 in the conference tournament, highlighted by a 22-0 win over Memphis in which
Lauren Mills hit two grand slams.
On NCAA selection day, 32 schools earned at-large bids to the 64-team field. Thirty of those spots went to schools from the SEC, ACC, Big 12, Pacific-12 and Big 10 conferences. Wichita State and USF grabbed the remaining two spots.
The Shockers went 1-2 in the Fayetteville Regional, defeating Princeton and losing to Oregon.
2. Top of the order – The combination of team success, ESPN exposure, social media, NIL and individual excellence are creating the biggest stars in Shocker softball history.
Junior shortstop
Sydney McKinney, the NCAA batting champion, and Barnard, a sophomore who hit 33 home runs to finish second nationally, are All-American talents from small Midwest towns. Their stories and their spectacular softball careers are
elevating them to a status – locally and nationally – no other Shocker hits.
McKinney, who led the nation with a .522 batting average and 97 hits, was one of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year award. She also earned second-team All-American honors from the NFCA, D1 Softball and Softball America.
From Norborne, Mo., she is the first Shocker to lead the NCAA in an individual statistic since Sue Luttrell hit nine triples in 1982.
Barnard, who led the nation by hitting .63 home runs a game, earned first-team All-American honors from D1 Softball and Softball America and second team on the NFCA list. She was also named conference Player of the Year.
Barnard, from Beatrice, Neb., is the first NCAA player to record 30-plus home runs and 25-plus steals (25). She set Shocker marks for single-season homers and RBI (84).
She also carries a 3.73 cumulative grade-point average in health science and was named a first-team Academic All-American, the first for Wichita State since 1998.
3. Depth wins out – Wichita State's men's and track and field team won its first American outdoor title in May at Cessna Stadium.
The Shockers, chasing national power Houston and its elite sprinters since 2018, outscored the Cougars 186.5-179. Houston had won the five previous titles and six of seven since the birth of the American.
"Everyone here wanted it," Wichita State junior
Clayton Duchatschek said after clinching the title with his eighth-place finish in the 5,000 meters. "Team effort. When it comes to conference time, we just come together."
The Shockers outperformed projected finishes in 11 events with eight of those performances coming on the meet's final day. Wichita State scored points in 19 of the 21 events, compared to Houston scoring in 13.
Javelin champion Taran Taylor earned Most Outstanding Field Performance honors. The javelin throwers totaled 25 points on the meet's opening day. Michael Bryn won the hammer. On the second day, freshman Adria Navajon won the decathlon and Duchatschek won the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
On the final day, Matt Everett won the discus title to lead a 21-point effort from that group.
"I saw all the guys fighting, all the guys competing," head coach
Steve Rainbolt said. "It really meant the world to me because I really was impressed with the spirit and toughness of our team."
4. It starts with Craig – In late April, men's basketball guard Craig Porter Jr., removed his name from the transfer portal. His return provides the Shockers a solid place to rebuild the roster.
Porter, a fifth-year senior, averaged 7.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists last season. He blocked a team-leading 28 shots. In 14 conference games, he averaged 9.9 points, highlighted by a 17-point performance in 43 minutes during an overtime loss to Houston.
Porter and center Kenny Pohto are the lone returning Shockers who played last season. Redshirts Jalen Ricks, Isaac Abidde and eight scholarship newcomers join them.
The Shockers are on campus and working out this summer with new strength and conditioning coach
Ryan Horn.
Coach
Isaac Brown went after athletic ability, size and scoring for his additions. While it's early to guess at lineups and rotations, the Shockers added much-needed size with Florida State transfer center Quincy Ballard and Alabama transfer James Rojas.
Shooting was also a priority, and Siena transfer Colby Rogers made 42.9 percent of his three-pointers to averages 14.1 points last season. Xavier Bell, from Andover Central, made 35.7 percent of his threes for Siena. Gus Okafor averaged 14.6 points for Southeastern Louisiana and showed an ability to score by taking 135 foul shots (more than any Shocker has since 2019) and making 79.3 percent.
5. Throw it again – The Shockers men's throwers enjoyed one of their finest seasons all the way to the NCAA Championships in June. Bryan led the way with two All-American honors in 2022.
Bryan, a senior from Wamego, earned first-team All-American in the hammer in the NCAA Outdoor Championships by throwing 234-9 to finish fifth and extend his hold on the school record. At the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, he placed 14
th in the weight throw (68-8 ½) to earn second-team All-American honors. He claimed Most Outstanding Performer for field events in the conference meet after winning the hammer.
He is the school record-holder in the hammer and weight throws.
Taylor, from Arkansas City, finished his career with a school-record throw of 258 feet, 5 inches to finish fourth in Eugene, Ore., and earn first-team All-American honors. He completes his career with the school record and two conference titles in the event.
6. Volleyball resurgence – Led by a youthful lineup and strong teamwork, the Shockers went 19-10 overall and 13-7 in the American Athletic Conference, both their best marks since 2017.
"It was a joy to play this year," outside hitter
Brylee Kelly said. "Everyone on the team contributed. We're only going to get better from here."
The Shockers set the stage for next fall with most of the starters and top reserves returning. Kelly earned all-conference honors, joining setter Kayce Litzau and middle Natale Foster on the second team. That is the most representation on the all-conference teams for the Shockers since 2017.
7. Going the distance – Yazmine Wright won the 2021 American women's cross country title to join recent conference champion Shockers such as Desiraye Osburn, Kellyn Johnson, Tonya Nero, Aliphine Tuliamuk,
Rebekah Topham and Winny
Koskei.
8. Rodden on fire – A newcomer gave Shocker baseball fans a look at how
coach Eric Wedge wants to continue to build his roster.
Second baseman Brock Rodden, a sophomore transfer, earned all-conference honors and was named the American's Newcomer Position Player of the Year. He hit a team-leading .338 with 17 home runs.
"I think he has a chance to be a great leader," Wedge said. "Every championship team needs leaders. It's his passion. It's his presence. His focus."
Outfielder Chuck Ingram, who hit .310 with 14 home runs, and pitcher Cameron Bye, joined Rodden on the all-conference team.
9. The ups and downs – The Shockers went hot and cold during a 15-13 men's basketball season. A stretch early in non-conference play hinted at the strengths and weaknesses.
It started with a thrilling comeback in an 82-78 loss to Arizona in Las Vegas. Two days later, the Shockers rallied from 11 points down to defeat UNLV 74-73. Tyson Etienne scored 23 second-half points.
Wichita State followed that with wins at Missouri (61-55) and Oklahoma State (60-51), its third consecutive victory in Stillwater.
10. New rivals – The American loses three important members in Cincinnati, Houston and UCF.
Cincinnati, boosted by its history in the Missouri Valley Conference, and Houston immediately became Wichita State's top men's basketball rivals. UCF and the Shockers grew into an intense softball rivalry.
However, the six new schools (Rice, Charlotte, North Texas, UAB, Florida Atlantic and UTSA) come with their own advantages from Conference USA. The American targeted major cities and geographic fits to help with travel time and expenses.
For Wichita State, the addition of North Texas, Rice and UTSA is important because of their location. In addition to travel benefits, Texas is a place the university increasingly recruits - both for athletics and other students.
While football guides these decisions by the conference, the additions offer help in sports that concern Shocker fans.
North Texas men's basketball, which defeated the Shockers this season in non-conference play, played in the NIT and defeated Purdue in the NCAA Tournament in 2021. North Texas and UAB finished first and second in C-USA's West Division and four of the six additions had winning records.
Charlotte earned a No. 1 seed in the women's conference tournament and won the title to advance to the NCAA Tournament. North Texas played in the WNIT.
Charlotte, which split two games with the Shockers, finished the season No. 33 in the NCAA softball RPI. North Texas advanced to the NCAA regional final at Oklahoma State, eliminating Nebraska along the way, and is No. 47.
In baseball, UTSA finished with a No. 37 RPI.
Rice made its fourth consecutive trip to NCAA volleyball with an at-large bid and defeated San Diego before losing at Texas.
In men's golf, Charlotte and UAB spots in the NCAA play with North Texas and UTSA doing so for the women. Charlotte swept the outdoor track and field titles and won the men's indoor.
Paul Suellentrop covers Wichita State Athletics and the American Athletic Conference for university Strategic Communications. Story suggestion? Contact him at paul.suellentrop@wichita.edu.
