New-look Wichita State softball embracing same expectations with a different method

A new era of Wichita State softball is underway at Wilkins Stadium this fall.

The program’s undisputed greatest player of all time, Sydney McKinney, has finally graduated, as have two other big bats in the lineup in Lauren Mills and Zoe Jones.

The pair of All-American hitters returning, Addison Barnard and Lauren Lucas, are both recovering from injuries and limited in what they can do during the fall season.

A high-octane offense has been the staple of the Shockers’ ascent under Kristi Bredbenner, but the recipe for success might have to change this spring if WSU plans on punching its ticket to a fourth straight NCAA Regional.

“We did lose a lot offensively, but one positive is our gains in the circle,” Bredbenner said. “I feel like our circle is going to give us some cushion where we don’t have to score as many runs and hit as many balls over the fence as we have in the past. That doesn’t mean we don’t want to get those runs and still have that high-powered offense, but I don’t think there’s going to be as much pressure on our offense as there has been in the past.”

WSU’s offense has finished sixth, second and seventh nationally in scoring the past three seasons, while the team ERA ranked 128th, 192nd and 45th during that same span.

Arkansas transfer Lauren Howell (18-4, 2.68 ERA) became the staff’s ace, while Alex Aguilar (15-4, 1.88 ERA) delivered a superb freshman season and Alison Cooper (11-4, 3.04 ERA) gave the staff a different look as a left-hander. All three return this spring, while Bredbenner is very high on the two incoming freshman additions: Erica Schertz and Chloe Barber.

“The freshmen may not be all-stars this year, but they both are going to be very good and I think have a lot of upside,” Bredbenner said. “I think with Lauren, Alex and Ali back, they’re going to take a lot of pressure off of our hitters and you hope that makes your offense better.”

Barnard, the program’s all-time home runs leader, is expected to fully recover from offseason shoulder surgery in time for the start of her senior season, but Lucas’ status for the upcoming season is still a “question mark” for the spring, according to Bredbenner.

The coach declined to specify the injury to Lucas, who has still been able to take limited at bats this fall. But her potential absence would be a massive difference for the Shockers after she hit .384 with 27 extra-base hits and a team-best 62 RBIs last season.

Even without the top five bats from last season’s lineup this fall, the program is still operating with the same high expectations with the American Athletic Conference tournament slated to be hosted at Wilkins Stadium in May.

“We’re playing a little bit more competitive fall schedule with five games against Division I opponents, so we’re trying to take away as much experience as we can get these girls,” Bredbenner said. “Everyone knows I’m a highly competitive person and I want to win every game, but we’re not going to play to win this fall. We’re playing to get a sense of what we need to do to win our conference next year.

“So this fall is a really great opportunity for our kids to get some experience and show us what they can do and give our coaching staff a great understanding of the things that need to be done over the next five months for us to claim that AAC championship.”

Sophomore Taylor Sedlacek, who started 47 games last season and hit .271, is one player who has flourished in an expanded role this fall. Bredbenner said she has been “crushing the ball” during the fall season and displayed improved defense in the outfield, where she played for the first time as a freshman after playing infield in high school.

Another sophomore who has seen an increased workload is Sami Hood, the slick-fielding infielder who won AAC Defensive Player of the Year as a freshman and will shift from second base to shortstop to fill the void left by McKinney. She has already become a vocal leader on the team, according to Bredbenner.

Two-year starter Lainee Brown returns behind the plate for her senior year, while newcomer Sophie Johnson is highly-touted by Bredbenner and one of many freshmen who could see immediate playing time for the Shockers.

Sydney Zenon, Avery Barnard (younger sister of Addison) and Tonganoxie native Mila Seaton are three more freshmen who are currently competing for playing time. Zenon, a power hitter, has been playing at first base and right field, while Avery Barnard and Seaton bring elite speed right away and can play anywhere in the outfield.

After battling injuries for the past two seasons, senior Bailey Urban is finally healthy and could reclaim her starting spot in left field with 92 career starts to her name. Others vying for playing time in the outfield include juniors Camryn Compton and Caroline Tallent.

Junior Krystin Nelson has started 73 games the last two seasons and can play a variety of positions. She mostly played third base last season but could also be an option at second along with sophomore Siera Hoekstra.

CC Wong, a graduate transfer from Grand Canyon, figures to be a power hitter somewhere in the lineup and could see time at third base, where senior Jessica Garcia is also competing for playing time. Multiple players are receiving repetitions to replace Jones at first base, with Compton, Tallent and Zenon receiving most of the work.

WSU closes out its fall season at Wilkins Stadium this weekend: first with a 10-inning exhibition against Emporia State, slated to start noon Saturday, followed by a doubleheader against South Dakota State scheduled to begin at noon Sunday.

“We’ve got a lot of expectations on this team and even though we’re only replacing three spots, which doesn’t sound like a lot, we had such great kids at such pivotal positions,” Bredbenner said. “We’ve got to try to figure out what’s going to give us the best offensive lineup without hurting us defensively. It is going to end up taking six or seven people to replace that (graduated) class.”