Coming out of Andale High School in Kansas, roughly 30 minutes from Wichita, Ellee Eck initially committed to play softball for Wichita State. But when Stanford University made efforts to recruit her, Eck moved to California because, in her words, “It’s Stanford.”
After four years as a Cardinal — and two appearances in the College World Series — Eck decided to enter the transfer portal prior to her final year of eligibility. She received a text from WSU head coach Kristi Bredbenner the day after she entered the portal, and that was all she needed to know she wanted to come home.
“I remember her (Bredbenner) saying, when I had told her I was going to decommit to go to Stanford, that I’d always have a place here if I wanted it, if anything ever happened,” Eck said. “And so, I don’t know, I just could feel how genuine she was. And you know, that still holds true to this day.”
Returning to Kansas
On top of the prestige of Stanford, Eck said she initially chose the Cardinal because she wanted to get away from home. But Eck grew to miss her family in Kansas.
“It kind of takes going away from home to realize how good home is,” she said. “So, yeah, I missed my family. I missed missing out on all the big events in their lives, and I was just ready to come home.”
Additionally, the business and lifestyle of California began to wear thin on Eck. She missed the slow pace of Kansas — although she said she could do without the cold weather.
“I was just talking to people about how I had not experienced that cold weather that we just had, like, the past couple weeks in four years, because I’ve been in California for it,” Eck said. “So it was definitely an adjustment, but I’m actually doing a lot better than I thought I would be doing.”
Eck had connections to the Shockers. As a kid, she went to camps and attended some Wichita State games. Her sister, Kasidee, played one year of softball at WSU. Talking with her gave Eck the “inside scoop” on what being a Shocker would be like.
“She texts me a lot, just making sure I was certain this was the decision I wanted to make, giving me kind of like a neutral standpoint on everything,” Eck said. “… I feel like there really wasn’t any changing my mind anyways, but it was nice to talk to her about it.”
Bredbenner said bringing Eck back after her previous commitment was a “full-circle moment.”
“(She’s) very humble, and can be a really special player for us,” Bredbenner said. “And so we were really excited to have her back here in Wichita.”
Eck got in the gym and practiced with new WSU teammate and graduate student Lauren Lucas over the winter break. Lucas described Eck as tenacious, fun and a hard worker.
“It was just fun to watch her, you know, kind of come into her own, especially as somebody who didn’t get a ton of time at her previous school,” Lucas said. “Like, it’s been really fun to watch the way that she’ll help us because I know that she will.”
College World Series experience
During Eck’s time at Stanford, the Cardinal made the College World Series each of the past two seasons. The experience of playing on that stage meant a lot to Eck, who had watched the World Series live almost every summer growing up.
It also gave her a better understanding of what it takes for a team to reach those heights.
“I have a better understanding of what makes a College World Series team, or what makes a Regionals or Super Regionals team,” Eck said. “And I’ve really liked, you know, assessing Wichita State in that sense, and seeing how much talent we have.”
Eck said the Shockers have the mentality and talent to reach the Regionals and even advance to the Super Regionals of the NCAA tournament.
“Obviously, we have a lot of talent offensively,” Eck said. “We’ve got some power hitters, but we also have people. We have speed too. So you know, doubles and triples are in the cards for us. And defensively, I think things are looking good as well.”
Eck plays a variety of positions on defense, but Bredbenner said she’ll mostly contribute to the Shockers as a speedy outfielder. Bredbenner also values the experience Eck brings to Wichita State.
“When you have an athlete that has made it that far and knows the challenges that you’re going to have to overcome to get there, that’s huge,” Bredbenner said.
Eck said she’s worked to become a leader and mentor on the team. She also teaches athletes off the field as a math tutor.
“It kind of helps reinforce things in my mind,” Eck said. “Like, when I am teaching someone something, or (answering) a question about something, it kind of reminds me … even though that’s kind of muscle memory now, like, it’s still something I need to think about.”
Eck doesn’t like thinking about her future plans too much but is keeping an open mind for now.
“I’m very adaptable, and I like to try new things,” Eck said. “So I’m just kind of thinking, you know, once I graduate, I’ll keep an open mind and apply where I can and learn new things, and if it’s not for me, move on.”
