WICHITA, Kan. — One of the most decorated players in Wichita State softball history is coming home.
Sydney McKinney, the former All-American shortstop and record-setting hitter for the Shockers, will return to the program as a graduate assistant coach for the upcoming season, head coach Kristi Bredbenner announced Monday.
McKinney, who is currently playing professionally in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League (AUSL), spent the 2024 spring season as an assistant coach at Marshall University. Her return to Wichita marks a homecoming for one of the most accomplished athletes to wear the black and yellow.
McKinney’s collegiate résumé is stacked with accolades. She holds Wichita State’s career records in batting average, hits, at-bats, on-base percentage, runs scored and total bases. In 2023, she was the No. 1 overall pick in the Athletes Unlimited College Softball Draft after setting single-season school records with a .522 batting average, 103 hits and 76 runs scored.
She also posted a 34-game hitting streak during her career, the sixth-longest in NCAA history.
McKinney now brings her elite playing experience and rising coaching pedigree back to Wichita, where she helped elevate the Shockers into a nationally recognized program.