Some of the team building exercises that Wichita State baseball players participated in during the fall were volleyball, basketball, poker and fishing. Adding to the variety and enjoyment of team bonding, one player even had to jump in a lake – the consequence of losing a game at a barbeque.
Clearly, the coaches used a plethora of activities to bring the team closer together.
Coming off a disappointing 2025 season with the second-most losses in program history, Shocker baseball welcomed 31 new players, and only seven returners, for practice in the fall. Coach Brian Green and his staff put an emphasis on building team chemistry and making the newcomers feel as welcome as possible.
One of the newcomers is MJ Sweeney, the son of Kansas City Royals Hall of Famer and five-time MLB All-Star Mike Sweeney. MJ said it is a “blessing” to have a father who played at the highest level.
“When I go home, I have my own hitting coach,” he said. “You get to work out and do defense, running, and get after it together.”
Sweeney, a junior transfer, remembers his father hitting a home run in his last at bat at Petco Park. He was also in attendance when Mike recorded a base hit up the middle in his last at bat in the MLB on a 102 mile-per-hour fastball from Aroldis Chapman.
Sweeney is a 6-foot-8, 250-pound left-handed hitting first baseman. It can be challenging to hit at his size because his strike zone is larger than the average player. So Sweeney, who hit .377 with 10 homers for Grossmont Community College in California, watches a lot of video of some of the best tall hitters in the world.
His favorite player is Aaron Judge, a 6-7, 280-pound outfielder who plays for the New York Yankees. Judge has found success despite his tall stature, winning three American League MVPs, including two in a row the last two seasons.
“I try to model my swing after him as much as I can,” Sweeney said. “He’s so slow and early and everything is under control, and he uses his bottom half really well.”
Sweeney enjoyed a very successful summer with the Madison Mallards — a summer league team in Madison, Wis. — before arriving at WSU. He was awarded the second half MVP of the Mallards, hitting .356 with eight home runs and 26 RBIs.
Coming into the fall season off of a rib injury, he said he was proud of his performance. Sweeney also hopes to keep this momentum going into the spring season.
“I hit the ball hard multiple times, and overall felt really good,” Sweeney said. “But there’s always work to be done and adjustments to be made.”
“If we see him continue to improve, he might be a really fun hitter to watch,” Green added.
Another addition to the Wichita State roster is junior college standout Jack Quick. Quick decided to come to WSU because of how impressed he was with the coaching staff.
“When I got on the phone with them it was just different,” Quick said. “I felt a connection right away, and it seemed like they genuinely cared about me.”
Quick struggled at his first college, Dyersburg State in Tennessee. He hit just .095 with one extra base hit in 21 at bats.
“That was probably one of the toughest moments of my life baseball wise,” Quick said. “I didn’t see much playing time and my first start came when the kid missed the bus. I kind of thought about quitting baseball.”
However, his time at Andrew College in Georgia was a complete turnaround. Quick hit .415 with 19 home runs and 91 RBIs. Quick, who can play both infield and outfield, primarily attributed this improvement to his mindset.
“Let’s have fun,” he said. “I have all the talent, I have all the skillset. This could be my last time playing baseball. Let me go out and see what I can do, and go out with a bang.”
Quick was injured in the second half of the fall season, but said he was happy with how he played in the first half. He focused on improving his timing at the plate in practices, adding a toe tap for rhythm.
Despite the amount of newcomers, Wichita State only has one true freshman on the roster. Ethan Rogers is a left-handed pitcher out of Lone Jack High School in Missouri. He was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 18th round of the 2025 MLB draft, but chose to play for the Shockers.
“I think he was lonely in the dorms,” Green said with a laugh. “Ethan did a great job in the fall, and showed signs of greatness by striking out the side against Nebraska (in a fall game).”
Jaden Gustafson, a fourth-year Shocker and Wichitan, has been a great leader for all the new faces on the team, Green said.
“I’m trying to make everyone feel as comfortable as possible as soon as possible so we can get acclimated together,” Gustafson said.
The left-handed hitting outfielder has improved statistically every year – hitting .260, .296 and .303 in his first three seasons – so Gustafson hopes to continue this trend.
Even though Gustafson was hurt for most of the fall season, Green was impressed.
“His swing has improved and his throwing has improved,” Green said. “I’m really proud of him and looking for him to hopefully have a breakout year.”
Wichita State went 20-36 last year. Green hopes that this huge roster change can lead to a much better year. The team opens the season on Feb. 13 against Northern Colorado in Eck Stadium.
Green said the turnover of the roster was a “perfect storm” of circumstances that he doesn’t plan on duplicating, but he said early signs show that the program is benefitting from all the new additions.
“It’s been an extremely positive fall,” Green said. “We’ve been able to bring that many guys together, and we’ve got a really good vibe.”
