What former Wichita State two-way baseball star Payton Tolle considered in TCU transfer
It was an emotional final public appearance in Wichita for Payton Tolle.
Just two days after the former Wichita State two-way baseball superstar’s decision to transfer to TCU, Tolle was in attendance Thursday evening at the Greater Wichita Sports banquet at Drury Plaza Hotel Broadview to accept the College Male Athlete of the Year award.
It was clear how much Wichita and his time at WSU had meant to Tolle, who passionately spoke about it to local media following his victory.
“It means so much to me because I love this place,” Tolle said. “It’s home. I love everyone that’s been in Wichita. I’m so thankful for everybody I’ve come into contact with in Wichita. And this award, I’m honored to get it.”
Tolle racked up All-American honors earlier this summer from multiple outlets and was named a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year award. The 6-foot-6 lefty hit .311 at the plate with 13 home runs and 50 RBI, while he finished with a 9-3 record and 97 strikeouts on the mound and led the American Athletic Conference in wins and innings pitched.
The past year has been a tumultuous one within the Wichita State baseball program, which parted with former head coach Eric Wedge this past December and then later moved on from interim head coach Loren Hibbs and his staff of Mike Sirianni and Mike Pelfrey following a 30-25 season with no postseason for the 10th straight year.
When nearly the entire team decided to enter the transfer portal following the coaching change, Tolle was the final holdout. Without any of the coaches who recruited him to play for the Shockers, he ultimately decided to do what was best for his career.
“It was definitely a tough decision for me,” Tolle said. “Like I said, I love Wichita and it was a decision that was probably one of the biggest decisions in my life. I needed time to think about it, to pray about it and to talk to my family about it and then do what’s best for me and my career.
“I’m super grateful for the opportunity and I couldn’t be more thankful to Wichita and Wichita State and the coaching staff I’ve been with. None of this would be possible without them.”
Tolle is just one of a litany of high-profile transfers out of the program, joining Nate Snead (Tennessee), Garrett Pennington (North Carolina State), Clark Candiotti (Arizona), Jace Miner (Oklahoma), Grant Adler (Kansas), Chuck Ingram (Kansas State), Caden Favors (Kansas State), Robert Cranz (Oklahoma State), Austin Henry (Oklahoma) and Jack Little (Baylor).
TCU is also one of the premier programs in the new college baseball landscape, coming off a 2023 appearance in the College World Series. The Horned Frogs have reached Omaha six times since 2010 and played in every NCAA tournament but two since then, as well.
In looking for a new home, Tolle said the willingness of a team letting him hit and pitch played a factor in his decision.
“That’s something that went into my decision-making,” Tolle said. “It’s something we’re going to look at and try to do. I’m super excited to hopefully keep doing that with TCU.
“I love the people there. The coaches, the feeling in the community. Fort Worth is a special town and I’m really excited to be there.”
It was clear that the decision to leave Wichita was a difficult one for Tolle, who took time one more time to thank the Wichita State coaches for their belief in him.
“It meant so much to me,” Tolle said. “They stuck to their word and they let me compete and do the two-way thing as long as I did. I’m super thankful to coach Pelfrey, coach Siri and coach Hibbs for giving me the opportunity to do that.”
