WHS grad Loren Hibbs is not retained to become the permanent head coach for the Shocker baseball team
Loren Hibbs
Sumner Newscow report — Wichita State University announced interim head coach Loren Hibbs will not be promoted to the permanent head coach of the Shocker baseball team.
In a press release issued this morning through the athletic department Tuesday morning, the university will start a national coaching search. This will WSU athletic director Kevin Saal’s third high-profile hire during the first year of the job. WSU head women’s basketball coach Keitha Adams, who is an Oxford high school graduate, resigned earlier this year. Hibbs, a 1979 Wellington High School graduate, was voted the American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year for this past season after taking over the program two months before the start of the season and guided the Shockers to a 30-25 record and third-place finish in the league (see story here).
Saal said in the press release:
“Over the last eight months, we have examined the state of our treasured baseball program, its recent challenges, and what is needed moving forward. After careful and comprehensive thought — considering all factors and circumstances — we will launch a national search for a new head baseball coach. These decisions weigh heavy on our hearts because of their resulting impact on the people we care most deeply about … our student-athletes, coaches, and Shocker Nation.”
Hibbs officially took over the WSU program on Dec. 8 when Saal announced previous head coach Eric Wedge announced he was taking a leave of absence due to unspecified health issues.
Hibbs and his staff of pitching coach Mike Pelfrey, another former Shocker star player, recruiting coordinator Mike Sirianni and volunteer assistant coach Conor Behrens kept WSU’s roster intact through a turbulent time, then outperformed preseason expectations to become the first WSU coach to earn conference Coach of the Year honors since Gene Stephenson won the award in the Missouri Valley in 1998.
According to an article in the Wichita Eagle:
“Saal had a difficult calculation to make in assessing whether to retain Hibbs as long-term coach of the program. It was clear Hibbs and his staff were well-liked by players and they took a step in the right direction of fostering the right culture within the program. It’s also evident the staff had support from alumni who wanted to see former Shockers restore the program to being an annual postseason team. Multiple sources told The Eagle that Hibbs, 62, was invested in becoming the permanent head coach.”
Saal also had to weigh the fact that WSU once again was not in contention for an at-large bid, marking the 10th straight year the program has missed out on playing in the NCAA Regional.
“To progressively compete for league championships, deep runs in the NCAA Tournament and national championships, we must maintain a selfless commitment to purpose, an elite attention to detail, and a sense of urgency to return this program to Omaha,” Saal said in the release.
