After a long, turbulent offseason with many changes, Wichita State baseball and newly hired Head Coach Eric Wedge are set for a scrimmage against Nebraska on Saturday.

“I’m excited for us — I’m excited for the players, more importantly — to play someone in a different uniform,” Wedge said. “They’ve been playing so many intersquad games. At some point in time, you have to play someone on the other side of the field.”

As a member of WSU’s 1989 National Championship team, Wedge knows the importance of developing a culture that breeds success, and that culture goes beyond the game of baseball.

“We talk about creating a culture. We talk about driving success,” Wedge said. “We talk about helping these young people understand what it’s going to take to be the best version of themselves.”

With 18 newcomers on the team, Wedge said he’s been encouraged this far with their progress and how the team has shown signs of improvement.

“They’re starting to figure it out,” Wedge said. “It’s a good group. They care about the right things, they’re working hard, they’re grinding to get better, and they’re coming together.”

Without naming names, Wedge explained that two or three players have stepped up as leaders. But he said he wants the entire team to be leaders in their own way.

“We want them all to be leaders,” Wedge said of his players. “We’re looking for every individual to be a leader in their own way. But ultimately, you need people that go beyond that.”

Wedge said he hopes to be pleasantly surprised by fan turnout on Saturday.

“Now is the time to get on board, because not too far from now, everybody will,” Wedge said. “Right now, get on board here and watch the process and be a part of that process.

The kids continue to work and get better. This was a special program for a long time — it’s going to be a special program again.”

“The only thing we’re not sure about is the timetable. Nobody’s smart enough to figure that one out.”

Wedge said he hopes as many players as possible see action Saturday . The scrimmage will be around 12 innings.

“We want to try to get as many of the pitchers that we feel need to be exposed on Saturday,” Wedge said. “We’re trying to work back, be strategic with everything we’re doing, but without a doubt, Saturday will be a special day for us.

“Regardless of what happens, we’ll have something to work off of, and that’s a positive.”

The game is set to begin at 2 p.m. Saturday at Eck Stadium. Last season, the Cornhuskers went 32-24 before falling to UConn in the Oklahoma City Regional of the NCAA Tournament. So far, WSU has one other offseason opponent on the schedule. They’ll travel to Springfield, Missouri, to play Missouri State on Oct. 5th.

WSU is looking to bounce back after a tough season which saw them go 28-31. The Shockers last made the NCAA Tournament in 2013 under legendary coach Gene Stephenson.