The Eric Wedge era of Wichita State baseball is over, as Shockers coach will not return

The Eric Wedge era of Wichita State baseball officially came to a mysterious end on Thursday evening.

On the night when the fall semester ended and players were set to return home for winter break, sources told The Eagle that WSU athletic director Kevin Saal called a meeting with WSU baseball players to inform them Wedge would not return to coach the 2023 season.

WSU confirmed Wedge’s departure with a vague statement on Thursday that simply said Wedge “will not be returning as head baseball coach at Wichita State University.”

It was announced on Oct. 20 that Wedge, 54, was stepping away from his coaching duties with the Shockers to focus on “personal health-related matters.” But WSU’s statement on Thursday notably made no mention of Wedge’s health or of WSU’s appreciation of Wedge’s three years as coach.

Loren “Scooter” Hibbs, who was the director of operations and player development under Wedge, will continue to operate as the interim head coach. Hibbs, 61, another former WSU star, was the head coach of UNC Charlotte for 27 seasons before joining WSU in 2019. He will be assisted by pitching coach Mike Pelfrey, recruiting coordinator Mike Sirianni, director of video Nate Brisco and volunteer assistant Connor Behrens.

Saal and Wedge declined interview requests on Thursday evening, while Hibbs did not respond to a text message from The Eagle.

Wedge was a splashy hire made by former WSU athletic director Darron Boatright in the spring of 2019, a Shocker legend on the 1989 national championship team with major-league coaching experience who had returned to his alma mater to restore the program to its past glory.

While Wedge successfully generated excitement in the fan base, the Shockers were unable to end their postseason drought that is approaching a decade since their last NCAA Regional appearance. Wedge finished his three-year tenure with a 65-61 overall record.

WSU was off to a 13-2 start in 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic ended the season, and the Shockers showed signs of progress in 2021 with a 31-23 record, including an 18-13 mark and third-place finish in the American Athletic Conference. But WSU took a step backward this past season, as its record dropped to 21-36.

Wedge was the second coach, joining Todd Butler, to follow WSU legendary head coach Gene Stephenson, who parted with the program following the 2013 season.

It was not immediately clear what kind of financial settlement WSU and Wedge had reached as of Thursday.

Wedge signed a two-year extension last summer to keep him at WSU through the 2026 season with his base salary set at $425,000 for this season and $450,000 the next three seasons. Add it all up and Wedge still had more than $1.5 million of base salary left on his contract.