Three weeks out from National Signing Day on Nov. 13, high school seniors know which collegiate school colors they will be representing in 2025. Here’s who will be repping Wichita State’s black and yellow — and what WSU’s coaches are saying about their freshmen classes.
Baseball
Wichita State landed seven players on National Signing Day and head coach Brian Green expects each of them to be day one contributors.
“We feel like these are guys that can impact the program,” Green said. “And I think if you look at us, with (Kam) Durnin, with (Camden) Johnson, with (Lane) Haworth, with (Tyler) Dobbs, with (Brady) Hamilton, when we evaluate a freshman that we think can play, we anticipate them playing.”
Karson Durnin, the brother of sophomore infielder Kam Durnin, will join the team in 2026. Green called the Durnin family “A-plus” in character, integrity and work ethic.
“I really believe in bloodlines and families,” Green said. “It’s very important to us when we recruit our families. So as good of a player as Kam is, Karson might even be a better athlete. So for us to potentially have that story of two Durnins being on the field next year, that was pretty intriguing to both of us.”
Green signed three pitchers — Gino Zagorac, Ethan Rogers and Mitchell Johnson — all of whom he said will have chances to start for WSU. Easton Phillippe, a catcher from Kansas City, Missouri, will need to “put on strength” but is a good hitter and fielder.
On the flip side, Green described catcher/infielder Luke Beeler as “physically strong.” Finally, outfielder Jackson Vaughn is a potential power hitter from Missouri.
Green said his goal is to recruit players who will stick around WSU for all four years. With the transfer portal, many high-potential players who might have to redshirt or ride the bench at first will choose to leave rather than stick it out at one campus.
“When we recruit these kids, they need to be really fast, be really skilled, (have high) baseball IQ, (and be) big or really strong,” Green said. “But if there’s maybe a chink in their armor, or you project them to possibly red shirt, probably not going to recruit that player anymore.”
Men’s basketball
It looks as if Wichita State will rely heavily on the transfer portal to replenish the roster over the offseason. Nine Shockers are playing their final year of eligibility this year, while WSU added only one freshman in its 2025 class.
Wichita State officially confirmed the signing of forward Tyrus Rathan-Mayes, who had verbally committed to WSU in September.
“Tyrus is as a productive high school player as there is in the entire country,” head coach Paul Mills said in a press release. “He is very proficient with his skills to score and facilitate. He’s an excellent rebounder and makes contributions to the game in a variety of ways. I refer to him as a ‘stat sheet stuffer’ because he can impact the game in different and significant ways.”
Like freshman guard Zion Pipkin, who joined the Shockers this year, Rathan-Mayes played AAU basketball for a Houston-based team coached by former WSU player P.J. Couisnard.
Rathan-Mayes stands at 6-foot-6 and was a 3-star recruit and the 13th-ranked high school player in Texas.
WSU also welcomed JUCO transfer Keandre Kindell, who won the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) title with Barton Community College last year.
“There are very few players in the country who possess his speed and ability to push the ball in the open court like Dre,” Mills said. “He also has great feel for the game and knows when to push the pace and when to be organized.”
Women’s basketball
Head coach Terry Nooner signed two players to the team on National Signing Day. Bella Belong and Jaida McDonald will become Shockers for the 2025-26 campaign.
Belong is a 6-foot-2 forward from Yaoundé, Cameroon, and currently plays for South Plains College, a community college in Levelland, Texas. This season for the Texans, Belong is averaging 14.3 points per game and 11.5 rebounds per game, has three separate games of 20 or more points scored this season and posted a career-high 27 points on Nov. 24.
“Bella is a long, athletic post player with incredible potential,” Nooner said in a press release. “She runs the floor like a guard and has the kind of upside that excites us as coaches.”
Like Belong, McDonald is starting her collegiate career at the JUCO level, playing for Pensacola State College in Pensacola, Florida. The 5-foot-11 forward is currently averaging 15.6 points per game and 10.7 rebounds a game for the Pirates.
As a freshman, McDonald was named Women’s Basketball Coaches Association All-America honorable mention after averaging 12.8 points per game and 9.3 rebounds per game.
Nooner said McDonald is hard-working, versatile and brings intensity at the forward position.
“Her ability to score and defend multiple positions, along with her skill finishing around the basket, is exactly what we’re looking for,” Nooner said.
Volleyball
Head coach Chris Lamb said the 10-player 2025 class could be the team’s best in a decade.
“I feel like it’s got as much upside to any class we’ve had since the amazing 2014 class,” Lamb said. “We got a little bit of everything.”
He grouped the players into two groups: players that he expects to contribute immediately and long-term projects with high potential.
In the former group, outside hitters Olivia Cohee, Jenna Cubbage and Danielle Moore could “walk in the door and compete right away” for playing time in the attacking rotation.
On the flip side, Lamb said if you give players like outside hitters Carly Wazac and McKenzie Jones and middle blocker Ashlynn Hollis a few years, “People will be talking about them, too.”
Lamb emphasized recruiting players who can score offensive points, something that has been a struggle at times for Wichita State this year and could become even more of a challenge next year without senior middle blocker Morgan Stout.
Lamb compared middle blocker Sophia Thompson, who hails from Beloit, Kansas, to Stout. While Thompson may not have Stout’s athletic gifts, she will arrive on campus as a more polished player.
“Sophia may not be as explosive as Morgan, but she’s not far off,” Lamb said. “And, you know, if we train her as an M1 right off the bat, I don’t think it’ll take long.”
Lamb said the recruiting process is finally starting to recover from the jolt of joining the American Athletic Conference seven years ago.
“I just feel like now, this many years into the conference, last year’s recruiting season was the first time since 2017 that it felt back to normal,” Lamb said.
Softball
Wichita State head coach Kristi Bredbenner described her 2025 class as “one of the best we’ve had in a while.”
The Shockers signed seven players, five of which are freshmen.
“Some very athletic kids that have played in really good travel ball teams, coming in in the freshman class,” Bredbenner said.
Shortstop Kinzey Woody holds the Fatima High School record for home runs in a career (44). Shortstop Skyler Rodgers and infielder Kammie Smith each come from small schools in Oklahoma. Bredbenner described the pair as athletic, versatile defenders who have some pop in their bats as well.
Outfielder Mackenzie Rooney, who stands at 5-foot-3, comes from Louisburg High School in Kansas, where she is a standout track runner and hurdler. Bredbenner said pitcher Jenna Edwards, the final member of the freshman class, has the ability to improve a lot in her time at WSU.
In addition, the Shockers added two JUCO transfers — infielder Trinity Allen and outfielder Mickayla Tosch — from McLennan Community College in Texas. Bredbenner said she tries to get recruits from McLennan due to their tough, Division I-heavy fall schedule and coaching.
“Their coach coaches them hard, and they are disciplined, they understand what it takes,” Bredbenner said. “And to be 100% honest with you, when they get to our place, they’re prepared, and it’s probably a little bit easier than what they’re used to.”
Bredbenner credits the solid class to her staff, an increase in their recruiting budget and some Power Five schools choosing not to recruit as many freshmen as they put an emphasis on the transfer portal.
“We took chances on kids that maybe could have played at a Power Five school, you know, and it ended up working out for us,” Bredbenner said. “And I think that investment continues to just show in our program, and it’s something that’s going to help us in the future.”
Cross country and track and field
On National Signing Day, track and field nabbed three recruits: Lilly Kenning, Zada Brown and Lilly Charest. Kenning will also compete in cross country.
Due to NCAA roster restrictions limiting the amount of athletes the team can carry, WSU’s director of track and field and cross country Steve Rainbolt said the team was looking for a “step up” in who they recruited this year.
“We need to try to target a higher level of athlete,” Rainbolt said. “…We’re looking to recruit athletes that can come in and compete effectively in the American Athletic Conference immediately.”
While attending Lincoln Southwest High School in Lincoln, Nebraska, Kenning set a personal-best time of 20:50.0 during the 5,000-meter event. She will run distance events for track and field.
“With the ability she’s shown so far, she could come in and definitely be a girl that’s scoring in the conference meets in both cross country (and) indoor and outdoor track,” head cross country and assistant track and field coach Kirk Hunter said. “But I hope that she gets to the level to be further than that (and) go to the NCAA regional meet and NCAA (championship), stuff like that.”
Brown will compete in sprint events for WSU. As a junior at Cypress Ranch High School in Cypress Ranch, Texas, Brown posted personal best times during the 100-meter and 200-meter events with times of 11.6 and 24.66, respectively.
“I believe that (at) the very least, she will be a contributor right away as a relay participant in the four-by-one (4×100-meter) and such,” Rainbolt said. “And then as time goes along, I’m confident she’ll be advancing up into finals in the American Athletic Conference.”
Charest, a Sheridan, Wyoming, native will compete in pole vault events. While competing for Sheridan High School, as a junior, Charest set a personal best vault with a height of 12-feet-4.
“I was impressed with her speed on the runway,” Rainbolt said. “I was impressed with her technique and also her presentation … (She is a) very impressive young lady and has a good personal record from junior year in high school. I just think (she) has got a lot of upside (and) potential and we’re excited about her.”
Overall, Rainbolt said he is very impressed with the recruits the teams have signed so far. He said they could make an immediate impact in the conference.
“We feel like these three could make an immediate impact and help our team, you know, right away,” Rainbolt said. “So we’re excited about them.”
Men’s golf
With four seniors graduating after the spring 2025 season, head men’s golf coach Judd Easterling said he signed recruits with “big shoes to fill.” Not only that, he wanted players who are competitive, hard-working and have a passion for golf.
On National Signing Day, Easterling snagged three players he thinks will be able to play right away as freshmen and develop throughout their careers as Shockers.
Jace Chaney is an Ardmore, Oklahoma, native that Easterling said was overlooked by a lot of schools.
“(I was) shocked he was still available,” Easterling said. “He’s a hard-working kid and comes from a competitive golf family. His sister, she plays at OU (the University of Oklahoma) … he actually committed during his visit, which is really cool because that’s the first time that something like that has happened to me.”
Chaney is the defending Oklahoma 4A Individual State Champion. Chaney’s sister, Reagan, placed fourth in the Big 12 Championship last spring.
Easterling said he had the privilege of watching Rhett O’Rear, another signee, for the last three years. Similarly to Chaney, O’Rear was overlooked.
“He wants to make a difference and prove a lot of those schools wrong,” Easterling said. “And that they made a mistake on (not recruiting) him. I’m excited to get him; he’s a really hard worker and has the pedigree of playing a lot of events, high-level tournaments. He’ll be a great addition for us next fall.”
In his last tournament win, O’Rear came from behind two strokes in the final round to win by one.
After a good visit to WSU, TJ Quinn announced his commitment to the program. Quinn is a Shorewood, Illinois, native and holds the Minooka High School record for average score per round (71.7) and lowest single-round score (64).
Quinn has also qualified for the U.S. Junior Amateur Championship and the Junior PGA Championship.
With a decorated junior career, Easterling said Quinn’s only going to get better as he becomes a “Shocker for life.”
With only three signings so far, Easterling said he’ll need one more recruit, likely through the transfer portal, to provide depth to the roster.
Women’s golf
Head women’s golf coach Tom McCurdy signed two international players on National Signing Day, one of whom will be ready to compete in the upcoming spring 2025 season. With four juniors on the roster this year, McCurdy said the signees will provide roster continuity during future seasons.
Kayla Van de Ven will help during the 2025 spring season. McCurdy signed the Napier, New Zealand, native because the team needed to fill one final roster spot. He said that the signee would be able to come and make an impact right away.
“She’s a really good player,” McCurdy said. “Fundamentally, I think she’s really sound.”
Van de Ven will have to travel across the world in a short amount of time to get ready for the spring season.
“But I think we’ve got a great bunch of girls on the team who are going to welcome her and help her out right away,” McCurdy said. “And I think, you know, on paper, she’d come in and probably travel for us and have a good impact right away.”
Van de Ven boasts an average round score of 74 strokes and has won four tournaments over the last year.
Magdalena Domine rounds out the recruits for women’s golf. McCurdy said he has been recruiting Domine since she became available Despite other schools’ interest in the Rio Cuarto, Argentina, native, Domine signed with WSU because according to McCurdy, “everything we had is what she’s looking for and vice versa.”
Like Van de Ven, McCurdy said Domine is very sound fundamentally.
“(She has a) really solid resume,” McCurdy said. “(With) good international experience. (She has) won two national championships. She’s a player.”
Domine’s last win came in August 2024, when she took down the Campeonato Juvenil de Chile after shooting 214 for the tournament. Since then, Domine has added three top-10 finishes to her resume.
