Shane Wedd enters the 2025 season, his 10th overall with the Bearkats, and was elevated to Associate Head Coach prior to the 2024 season. He has overseen the Bearkat offense since 2020 and assists with recruiting and coaches the infielders.
Wedd has also served as the program’s Volunteer Assistant (2015-16, 2018), Director of Baseball Operations (2019) and Assistant Coach (2020-2023) during his time in Huntsville.
Along with his years at Sam Houston, Wedd has spent time with the Kansas City Sluggers, Pratt Community College, and Northeast Texas Community College where he has helped over 50 players reach Division I baseball.
During his career he has coached more than 130 players who have been drafted into professional baseball, including 11 first round picks and 26 players who have played in the big leagues.
The Kats have had 12 hitters selected in the draft during his time with the program, including nine since his return in 2018. Those selections are highlighted by Colton Cowser’s selection by the Baltimore Orioles with the No. 5 overall selection in 2021 and most recently Walker Janek being chosen by the Houston Astros at No. 28 overall in 2024.
Janek's 2024 selection came on the heels of being named to the all-Conference USA first team and the winner of the Buster Posey Award as the top collegiate catcher in the country.
Under Wedd’s direction, the Bearkat offense has become one of the most potent units in the nation, including a 2023 season for the books. The 2023 Kats finished the season with a 39-25 record, won the WAC Tournament advanced to the Baton Rouge Regional.
The season was a record-breaking one for the Bearkat hitters with eight team offensive school records being broken, including runs scored, runs per game, home runs, doubles, RBI, total bases, slugging percentage and the most runs scored in a single game when the Kats closed out the Rhode Island series by touching home 25 times.
In all, Sam Houston finished 2023 ranked in the Top 20 in the NCAA in seven different offensive categories, including the Top 10 in doubles, hits and runs scored.
The honors poured in after the season, primarily for first baseman Tyler Davis and outfielder Joe Redfield. The duo was joined only by the tandem Dylan Crews and Tommy White of national champion LSU with 100 hits apiece in a season. It was the first season in Bearkat history with multiple players finishing with 100+ hits and the first time since 2009 any Kat had done so.
Each player finished in the top 20 in the NCAA in five separate offensive categories, including the top 10 in hits and batting average. Redfield was selected as a third team all-American by both D1Baseball.com and the ABCA, while both were named all-region and were joined by Wishkoski on the all-WAC team.
That group, along with WAC Tournament MOP Walker Janek, helped push the Kats to the NCAA Tournament by fighting off four elimination games in a row to capture the tournament title. The Kats scored 72 runs in the final four games, spanning less than 48 hours in the Arizona desert heat, to earn the program’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017.
Redfield was chosen by the Los Angeles Angels in the fourth round of the MLB Draft at season’s end while Wishkoski was selected in the 16th round by the San Francisco Giants.
The 2022 Bearkats won 31 games, including putting up a 21-9 record to win the WAC Southwest Division crown. Outfielder Carlos Contreras piled up the individual accolades at season’s end, earning WAC Player of the Year, first team All-WAC and first team All-America honors by the NCBWA after hitting .400 with 14 home runs and finishing second in the country with 89 total RBI. He finished the year averaging 1.59 RBI per game, which was tops in the NCAA.
In addition to Contreras, Wishkoski was named second team All-WAC and Janek was named to the WAC’s All-Defensive Team. Bearkat hitters made their mark in the program’s record book, as they finished in the top 10 in 10 separate team offensive categories.
The 2021 Bearkats finished the season on a hot streak and a trip to the Southland Conference Tournament championship game, led by the duo of Cowser and Jack Rogers. Rogers, closed out the year hitting .367 with 16 home runs and 55 RBI, earning second team all-Southland Conference honors before being selected in the ninth round of the MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
Meanwhile, Colton Cowser capped one of the most storied careers in program history by hitting .374 with 16 home runs, 52 RBI and 17 stolen bases on his way to being named the Southland Conference Player of the Year. He earned multiple all-America honors before being selected with the No. 5 overall selection of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles, the highest selection ever in program and Southland Conference history. He went on to progress quickly through the Orioles system and made his MLB debut at Yankee Stadium on July 5, 2023.
Wedd’s first season in a full-time assistant role came in the COVID-hampered 2020 season which saw the Kats play just 14 games before the nation went on hold due to the worldwide pandemic.
The previous year he held the role as Director of Baseball Operations, handling all aspects of team travel and internal operations in helping the Kats to another league title. The Bearkat hitters earned several accolades, including a total of six hitters being selected to All-Conference teams. Cowser capped his freshman year by earning First Team All-Conference, Southland Conference Hitter of the Year, Freshman All-American before being selected to play for Team USA’s Collegiate National Team.
Wedd’s second stint with the Kats began in 2018 when he returned to Sam Houston after spending a year as head coach with Northeast Texas Community College. While in charge of the program at Northeast Texas CC, Wedd helped the Eagles double their win total from the previous season while hitting 40 more home runs and lowering the pitching staff ERA by two full runs.
Upon his return in 2018 as the volunteer assistant to coach hitters and infielders, he helped four Bearkat hitters earn all-Southland Conference honors on their way to the first of back-to-back league titles. Shortstop Andrew Fregia earned a first team all-SLC nod that year after hitting .328 with 11 homers, 49 RBI and seven triples before going on to be selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles.
Blake Chisolm also earned an all-league nod that year, as did Hunter Hearn, each of who would go on to MLB Draft selections themselves - Chisolm to the Washington Nationals and Hearn to the Philadelphia Phillies in 2019.
In 2015 and 2016 he served as volunteer assistant for the Sam Houston baseball program, coaching infielders, assisting with the hitters and running the Bearkat Baseball Camps. Wedd helped the Kats to consecutive Southland Conference Tournament title appearances. During 2016, the Bearkats won the league's regular season and tournament championship for the first time in the same season. The squad advanced to the NCAA Lafayette Regional, logging 42 wins including an impressive 24-6 conference mark -- matching the most league victories in team lore.
Wedd was an assistant coach at Northeast Texas Community College from 2012-2014. He served as the recruiting coordinator and ran the Eagles’ offense and helped develop 12 NTCC hitters into all-conference players during his three years at Northeast. The 2012 offense featured the team’s speed, as the Eagles led Region 14 with 128 stolen bases.
The Eagles finished the season 33-17, including a 26-10 record in the conference. Northeast was ranked as high as no. 10 in the national polls. The Eagles clinched the conference championship on the last day of the regular season by sweeping a doubleheader from Navarro College, the defending national champions. The conference championship was the program’s first since 2003.
Prior to his start at Northeast Texas, Wedd served as the recruiting coordinator/hitting coach at Pratt (KS) Community College from 2008-2011. While at Pratt, Wedd mentored four All-Jayhawk Conference hitters. In 2009, first baseman Ryan Laing broke the school’s homerun record and was named All-Region VI and Honorable Mention All-American. In 2011 Wedd helped the Beavers reach their highest season win total and first playoff victory since 2004.
From 2007-2011, Wedd spent his summers as an assistant coach for the Falmouth Commodores in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2007 he coached third base and worked with the Commodores’ hitters and helped them reach the league’s championship series. From 2008-2011 he was the pitching coach for the Commodores. The 2011 pitching staff held the league’s lowest ERA, and helped Falmouth reach the championship series.
Before to his time in Falmouth, Wedd was the general manager of the Kansas City Sluggers Baseball Club. Wedd was hired by the Sluggers in 2000 as director of baseball operations and was promoted to general manager in 2005. The Sluggers qualified for the AABC Connie Mack Regional five times and the Premier World Series in 2006.
Wedd played collegiately at the University of Kansas, lettering for the Jayhawks from 1997-2000. He primarily played catcher and first base for the Jayhawks while being voted team captain his junior and senior seasons by his teammates. He finished his career in the top- 10 for career home runs at KU. He was a three-time honorable mention Academic All-Big 12 performer, and was named first-team Academic All-Big 12 in 2000. He was named the recipient of the 2000 Ron MacDonald Coaches Award, given by the coaching staff at KU, for his leadership contributions on and off the field.
Raised in Lawrence, Kan., Wedd attended Lawrence High School and lettered in football and baseball. He was named First Team All-State in both football and baseball while helping the Lions win the state championship in both sports his senior year.
