SE: Conlon Grateful for Chance to Stay with K-State Baseball, Excited for Future of Program
Aug 01, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Twice, Shane Conlon has received a vote from Pete Hughes. Once, out of respect for his on-field abilities. Once, out of confidence in his coaching capabilities.
Conlon, a standout first baseman for K-State from 2011-15, was voted by the Big 12 coaches as a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection twice in his Wildcat career. The first time was in 2013 when K-State won the Big 12 Conference. The second came in 2015 when Hughes was the head coach at Oklahoma.
More recently, Conlon received a job offer from Hughes, named K-State's head baseball coach in June. Hughes wanted Conlon to stay on staff as its volunteer assistant coach, a position the former Wildcat has held since the 2016 season.
"I'm very thankful for Coach Hughes giving me the opportunity to stay here at Kansas State. This place means a lot to me and being able to continue my coaching career at my alma mater just means a lot," Conlon said. "Talking on the phone, we just hit it off. I really liked his philosophy of what's going to happen around here, how to build this place up to the expectations that we all want it to be and getting back on the path to the winning tradition that we had five years ago here."
Five years ago, Conlon was a big part of the best team K-State's ever had to offer on the diamond.
A redshirt sophomore in 2013, Conlon hit .341 and recorded a .430 on-base percentage to help the Wildcats win a school-record 45 games and reach the program's first Super Regional. After being picked in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Conlon returned for the final two years of his K-State career, which he finished in the program's top 10 in five career categories.
In 2015, the Naperville, Illinois, native got another chance at professional baseball. He was selected in the 34thround by the Oakland A's this time and hit .327 in his first season with the organization.
The following year on the last day before spring training ended, however, Conlon snapped a ligament in his wrist on his final round of batting practice. Surgery ended his second professional season before it started.
Soon after, Conlon, who had always wanted to get into coaching, received a phone call from former K-State head coach Brad Hill with an offer to return to K-State as its volunteer assistant.
The timing, Conlon said, seemed perfect to return to his alma mater.
"I voluntarily retired and I'm very happy with the decision," Conlon said. "I love this place at Kansas State and it really means a lot to me. That's why I want to go into the coaching profession. I had so many great coaches in my life have an impact on me, and that's what I wanted to give back to this place and the players that are going to come through here. It was an easy decision on one side to come back here, but on the other side it was tough to give up your playing career. But I'm happy how it worked out."
Had the initial opportunity not been to return to K-State, but another school?
"I would have tried to come back and play," Conlon said. "Places where you go to school, they mean a lot to you. You've invested a lot of time there, and I wanted to be part of this place starting new traditions, so that was ultimately why (I retired), my passion for this university. I want to see them win. Whether I'm here or not, I want to see Kansas State baseball do well."
Under K-State's new staff, including pitching coordinator Cord "Buck" Taylor and assistant Austin Wates, Conlon said he can already see a successful combination of leadership coming together.
(Read about Taylor's journey to K-State, here, and Wates reuniting with Hughes, here.)
"There's great camaraderie between us. I think he's put a staff together that has different personalities that mesh really well," he said. "They are a bunch of go-getters that really want to see this place turn around. I'm really excited to be part of that."
So far, Conlon's biggest role has been helping handle on-campus recruiting visits and serving as a go-to resource for the other Wildcat coaches for all things regarding K-State and Manhattan.
"I've been on the phone with all the assistant coaches and talk to Pete once or twice a day on the phone, just making sure they know about this school and making sure they are telling the guys everything that we have to offer here at Kansas State. I think that's where I come in and can help, just knowing this university really well," Conlon, who's lived in Manhattan for seven years, said. "I'm very excited. This summer gave me new energy. For me, looking down the road, I want to see this place get back to where we've been. I think that's going to happen."
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Twice, Shane Conlon has received a vote from Pete Hughes. Once, out of respect for his on-field abilities. Once, out of confidence in his coaching capabilities.
Conlon, a standout first baseman for K-State from 2011-15, was voted by the Big 12 coaches as a unanimous First Team All-Big 12 selection twice in his Wildcat career. The first time was in 2013 when K-State won the Big 12 Conference. The second came in 2015 when Hughes was the head coach at Oklahoma.
More recently, Conlon received a job offer from Hughes, named K-State's head baseball coach in June. Hughes wanted Conlon to stay on staff as its volunteer assistant coach, a position the former Wildcat has held since the 2016 season.
"I'm very thankful for Coach Hughes giving me the opportunity to stay here at Kansas State. This place means a lot to me and being able to continue my coaching career at my alma mater just means a lot," Conlon said. "Talking on the phone, we just hit it off. I really liked his philosophy of what's going to happen around here, how to build this place up to the expectations that we all want it to be and getting back on the path to the winning tradition that we had five years ago here."
Five years ago, Conlon was a big part of the best team K-State's ever had to offer on the diamond.
A redshirt sophomore in 2013, Conlon hit .341 and recorded a .430 on-base percentage to help the Wildcats win a school-record 45 games and reach the program's first Super Regional. After being picked in the 21st round of the 2013 MLB Draft, Conlon returned for the final two years of his K-State career, which he finished in the program's top 10 in five career categories.
In 2015, the Naperville, Illinois, native got another chance at professional baseball. He was selected in the 34thround by the Oakland A's this time and hit .327 in his first season with the organization.
The following year on the last day before spring training ended, however, Conlon snapped a ligament in his wrist on his final round of batting practice. Surgery ended his second professional season before it started.
Soon after, Conlon, who had always wanted to get into coaching, received a phone call from former K-State head coach Brad Hill with an offer to return to K-State as its volunteer assistant.
The timing, Conlon said, seemed perfect to return to his alma mater.
"I voluntarily retired and I'm very happy with the decision," Conlon said. "I love this place at Kansas State and it really means a lot to me. That's why I want to go into the coaching profession. I had so many great coaches in my life have an impact on me, and that's what I wanted to give back to this place and the players that are going to come through here. It was an easy decision on one side to come back here, but on the other side it was tough to give up your playing career. But I'm happy how it worked out."
Had the initial opportunity not been to return to K-State, but another school?
"I would have tried to come back and play," Conlon said. "Places where you go to school, they mean a lot to you. You've invested a lot of time there, and I wanted to be part of this place starting new traditions, so that was ultimately why (I retired), my passion for this university. I want to see them win. Whether I'm here or not, I want to see Kansas State baseball do well."
Under K-State's new staff, including pitching coordinator Cord "Buck" Taylor and assistant Austin Wates, Conlon said he can already see a successful combination of leadership coming together.
(Read about Taylor's journey to K-State, here, and Wates reuniting with Hughes, here.)
"There's great camaraderie between us. I think he's put a staff together that has different personalities that mesh really well," he said. "They are a bunch of go-getters that really want to see this place turn around. I'm really excited to be part of that."
So far, Conlon's biggest role has been helping handle on-campus recruiting visits and serving as a go-to resource for the other Wildcat coaches for all things regarding K-State and Manhattan.
"I've been on the phone with all the assistant coaches and talk to Pete once or twice a day on the phone, just making sure they know about this school and making sure they are telling the guys everything that we have to offer here at Kansas State. I think that's where I come in and can help, just knowing this university really well," Conlon, who's lived in Manhattan for seven years, said. "I'm very excited. This summer gave me new energy. For me, looking down the road, I want to see this place get back to where we've been. I think that's going to happen."
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