Brent Kemnitz, longtime Wichita State pitching coach, stepped down as pitching coach of the Shocker baseball team on June 6 after 38 seasons. 

“We are thankful for everything he has given to the program and that he will continue working with Wichita State,” Head Coach Todd Butler said in a news release. 

Mike Steele of Long Beach State was named the new pitching coach for WSU on June 18.

“I am excited to add Mike Steele as our new pitching coach,” Butler said. “Mike has done an incredible job the last two years at Long Beach State. The fact that Mike has coached at both the collegiate and professional levels will make an immediate impact to our pitchers and program.”

Kemnitz became part of the Shockers staff in 1979 at 21-years-old under former head coach Gene Stephenson. While head of the pitching staff, WSU led all NCAA Division I teams in ERA twice. He coached the 1982 staff to an NCAA record 46 complete games and a 2.53 ERA, while the 1991 pitching staff led all NCAA teams with a 2.91 ERA. 

Under Kemnitz, WSU pitchers have been drafted in the first round. Sixteen pitchers have made it to the major leagues. 

Kemnitz looks forward to a new role in the Shockers program. 

“I’m excited for the future of Shocker baseball with Todd Butler, and that I was able to bridge the gap between head coaches,” Kemnitz said in a news release. “I think my role has been fulfilled and I look forward to working with the program in another capacity.” 

No title or description has been given.

Steele’s résumé begins with his own pitching career. He was drafted in the 29th round of the 2000 MLB draft by the Detroit Tigers. The three-time minor league All-Star retired in 2005, and spent the following two years as Michigan State’s pitching coach. 

In 2008, he began a seven-year term with the Pittsburgh Pirate’s organization; six of those years were as a minor league pitching coach with three of the Pirates minor league teams. During his time with the Pirates, he guided the arms of Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon in the minor league. 

Steele has spent the last two seasons with the LBSU Dirtbags. In his first year, Steele led Chris Mathewson to Big West Freshman Pitcher of the Year and Freshman All-America honors. Mathewson finished with a 1.94 ERA and, with the help of Darren McCaughan, threw Long Beach State’s first no-hitter in history on March 1, 2015. 

In his second season with LBSU, McCaughan won Big West Pitcher of the Year. Steele’s staff finished with a 3.17 ERA that helped earn the Dirtbags a spot in the 2016 NCAA Regionals. 

Three of Steele’s pitchers were drafted in the 2016 MLB Draft, including first team all-Big West selection Austin McGeorge in the 7th round. 

Steele’s move to Wichita brings him closer to his family in the Midwest.

“I am extremely grateful to Coach Butler for giving me the opportunity at Wichita State,” Steele stated in a news release. “The job that he and Coach Walker have done with recruiting is by far one of the most impressive things I’ve seen.” 

Steele inherits a WSU pitching staff that recorded a 5.97 ERA last season under Kemnitz.