6.23.23

Grit & Grace

It was a Friday night in mid-spring when the Wichita State softball team faced off against the University of Central Florida in their 2022 series opener. A few short innings later, the Shockers found themselves trailing their American Athletic Conference (AAC) foe, the Knights, 4-0. But they weren’t worried — they were prepared.

“The crowd was electric,” says Sydney McKinney ’23, Shocker infielder and 2023 Top 10 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year honors. Her face beams with excitement as she recalls the memory. “It was alumni night and family night, and we were playing to a sold-out crowd. The energy was huge.”

The Shockers seized the offensive momentum in the sixth inning, putting seven runs on the board and carrying their team to victory. Fans stormed the field, and the players found themselves surrounded by youth teams clamoring for autographs as they celebrated their win.

“We ended up losing that series, but we got a big win that night,” McKinney says. “It’s my favorite memory because there were so many fans out there cheering us on, and we played so well for them.”

The momentum that carried the team to a sold-out crowd and a shot at the regular season title in 2022 didn’t happen overnight. It’s been building for the better part of a decade, and in the 2023 season it led to attendance records and the highest ranked season of Shocker softball in the history of the program. With three consecutive appearances at regionals under their belts, these student-athletes are setting a new standard of excellence for the team.

“It used to be that our standard was to get into the top three or four teams of the Missouri Valley Conference,” says WSU Head Coach Kristi Bredbenner, affectionately called “Coach B” by her team and staff. “Now our standard is to make it to regionals every year, and hopefully we’ll win a regional and get to a super-regional and continue growing the program that way.”

The growth of the program is reflective of the growth of collegiate softball across the nation. The last few years, the NCAA’s Women’s College World Series has been watched by more than one million viewers per game, with attendance records being set at colleges all over the United States.

“It’s a very fast, growing game, and it’s fun,” says Pam Palmer ’85, a fan and supporter of the softball program. “Our team is awesome, and so is softball in general. It’s an action-packed game. There’s lots of hitting, there’s great defense, and people are realizing that.”

Palmer began attending games regularly a few years ago, and says one of the first things she noticed was the facilities, and the fact they didn’t match the caliber of the team. As she got to know members of the team and coaching staff better, hosting them for dinners and asking questions about their experiences, she learned more about some of their challenges and knew she wanted to help.

She wasn’t alone, and in early 2023 Wichita State announced a $17.5 million master plan to renovate Wilkins Stadium.

A Top-tier Facility

The planned changes to the stadium, which will be executed in three phases, will create a state-of-the-art training and playing facility, complementing the competitive growth the coaches and student-athletes have achieved. In addition, the renovated stadium will bolster Wichita State’s opportunities to host NCAA and regional softball tournaments, WSU Athletic Director Kevin Saal says.

“The NCAA has minimum standards for hosting post-season play on campuses, and this facility will be built with those standards in mind,” Saal explains. “In a lot of cases, we’re going to exceed those minimum standards, from fan amenities and capacity, to dugouts, visiting team accommodations and indoor practice space.”

The renovations feature a 12,471-square-foot complex, which will house locker rooms for the team and coaches, a classroom, team room, training room, staff offices and more. It will abut a 14,400-square-foot indoor practice facility with a full indoor infield and batting cages, along with storage areas and viewing areas for coaches.

“These ladies have put in a ton of work and they’ve evolved this program and made it a national standard,” Bredbenner says. “They deserve a great place to practice in and hang out and prep for games. To see something big, new and state-of-the-art is huge for our program, and it will help us not only entice student-athletes to come to Wichita State, but to stay.”

The team facilities aren’t the only thing getting a facelift. New fan amenities will include an enclosed concourse with a grand front entrance, expanded seating areas, a new scoreboard and videoboard, additional concession stands and restrooms, plus more.

“It’s going to completely change the fan experience, and I can’t wait to be out there with all the other alumni and watch the program grow as a whole,” McKinney says. “I know the teams I’ve played for have made a huge impact here and it makes us really proud. It just shows how far we’ve come in the program and that we’ve had a part in the facility happening.”

Bredbenner echoes that statement, attributing the growth of the program to the many current and former student-athletes who have left it better than they found it.

“We’ve done a good job recruiting in the past, getting the kids who we know have the potential to be really good,” she says. “We recruit a caliber of athlete who works hard and gets better, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing.

“This facility will give the team a space they can be proud of — and that’s something you can really sell in the recruiting process.”