Former Mariners and Indians Manager Eric Wedge to Coach Alma Mater Wichita State

Some say the college years are the best of your life. Others love it so much, they return as employees of their alma mater. Eric Wedge appears to be one of those people.

The former MLB manager, who spent nine seasons in that role for the Cleveland Indians and two seasons as skipper of the Seattle Mariners, is returning to Wichita State, the school he attended, to be the next manager of the Shockers baseball team.

Wedge played catcher for the 1989 Wichita State Shockers College World Series team that won the NCAA title. His breakout performance and the resulting championship landed him his first professional opportunity with Boston Red Sox, who drafted him in the third round that year.

Despite all the success he had as a college player, it didn't translate into a successful big league career either as a player or manager. As an MLB player, he hit just .233 for his career and as a manager, he compiled a below-average .478 winning percentage with just one playoff appearance. However, he did take home AL Manager of the Year honors in 2007, the year he took the Indians to the postseason.

With his major league coaching days behind him, Wedge will return to Kansas as the Shockers head coach, helping lead the next generation of ball players towards achieving their big league dreams. It will be interesting to see how he fares in his new role.