Over the summer, the Shocker baseball program had many changes to its program, including the replacement of head coach Gene Stephenson with Todd Butler.

During that coaching transition, it was identified that members of the team received improper clothing and apparel benefits. To investigate possible violation of the NCCA rules, the athletic department has begun an internal review.

According to the NCAA rules, if a student-athlete is to receive an “extra benefit” not authorized by the NCAA, he or she risks losing eligibility to compete at the school that he or she represented at the time the benefit was received.

“We take this matter very seriously,” Director of Athletics Eric Sexton said. “Our commitment to institutional integrity is unwavering and we must hold everyone associated with our athletics programs accountable for lapses in judgment. We believe this to be an isolated case limited to our baseball program. However, we will look into this exhaustively to ensure our compliance with the Missouri Valley Conference and NCAA rules.”

No further comment or information will be provided by Wichta State until the review has been completed.

To assist with the review, Bond, Schoeneck & King PLLC from Kansas City will partner with the athletic department.