Wichita State head coach Gene Stephenson

In a stunning about-face, new OU head baseball coach Gene Stephenson, after being introduced at a press conference in Norman this morning, announced through a release from Wichita State's sports information office late this evening that he was staying at Wichita State.

"We are very appreciative for the opportunity to coach at the University of Oklahoma," Stephenson said. "However, some scholarship issues have arisen that are unresolvable to our satisfaction.

"We have worked over the years at Wichita State in order to use our scholarships and to plan for the use of our future scholarships.

"As we assessed the Oklahoma baseball scholarship situation, we would be too limited in our ability to take the program in the direction that we think it should go.

"OU has always been our dream job, and it is most unfortunate for all of us that this could not work. We dearly love the University of Oklahoma, and are very thankful to have been given the opportunity.

"Unfortunately, the scholarship issues have forced us to reconsider, and have made a decision to stay at Wichita State University."

OU Athletic Director Joe Castiglione released this statement late tonight:

"We're obviously disappointed in Gene's decision. Every coaching job,
especially in a time of transition, has obstacles. As is the case with
any incoming staff member, we disclosed issues we anticipated before the job was accepted. We believed in the decision to hire Gene and would
have enjoyed the opportunity to work with him. This is unfortunate, but
we'll move forward to fill our position."