COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball head coach Steve Bieser has rounded out his staff, adding Dillon Lawson as a volunteer assistant, Joe Migliaccio as a graduate assistant and Brian McRae as a student assistant, announced Thursday (July 28). In addition, Bieser has retained Evan Pratte as director of operations, Scott Bird as director of baseball strength and conditioning, and Brett Peel as a graduate assistant.

“I am extremely excited about this staff and how it all came together,” Bieser said. “We have a mix of rising stars to go along with seasoned veterans. I feel this staff complements each other very well and will give our players everything they need to succeed and develop as both a person and player.”

Lawson will serve as Mizzou’s hitting coach and is coming off of a successful stint as the Houston Astros’ Class A affiliate hitting coach. He was the hitting coach for two Ohio Valley Conference Champion teams at Southeast Missouri from 2013-15 for Bieser.

Lawson was a key contributor to Southeast Missouri’s success under Bieser as he mentored an offense that ranked among the league’s best over his three seasons. During his second season with the Redhawks, the offense ranked ninth in the nation in batting and eighth in the nation in runs per game (7.2). Only eight teams in the nation scored more runs than SEMO that season. His offense also swiped the 10th-most bases in the nation in 2014 with 97 total steals.

His Redhawk offense was even better in 2015, ranking third in the nation in scoring, fifth in runs, sixth in on-base percentage and seventh in home runs. His team also drew the third-most walks in the nation that season and ranked 12th nationally with a .303 team average and in hits. Southeast Missouri averaged 8.0 runs per game and slugged 66 total homers.

His contributions to the Redhawk offense caught the eye of the Houston Astros, who hired Lawson away from SEMO in January of 2016 and he has served as club’s Class A affiliate in Tri-City (New York), a position he has held until taking the job on Bieser’s staff at Mizzou.

Lawson, a Louisville, Kentucky native, is a 2007 graduate of Transylvania University with a degree in Exercise Science. Lawson was a four-year starter for the Pioneers earning All-Conference honors as a junior and senior.

Lawson received his master’s degree in education with an emphasis in strength and conditioning from Lindenwood in 2008. He and his wife, Amanda, welcomed son, Asa “Ace” Dash, on April 29, 2014.

McRae will join the program as a student assistant as he will finish his undergraduate degree after a 10-year career in Major League Baseball, including stints with the Kansas City Royals, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies and Toronto Blue Jays. In his nine years as a professional, McRae hit .261 with 103 home runs and 532 RBIs. He also stole 196 bases, including a career-high 37 with the Cubs in 1996. His best offensive season came in 1998 when he led the Mets in doubles, triples and steals while slugging 21 homers, 79 RBI and 80 walks, all career-bests. It was his first 20-homer, 20-steal season in the majors.

McRae is the son of former Major League All-Star and former Kansas City Royals manager Hal McRae. He was born in Bradenton, Fla., before moving to Blue Springs, Mo., where he was an All-State honoree in both baseball and football. He was selected in the first round of the 1985 MLB draft (17th overall) and bypassed a football scholarship at Kansas. He made his major league debut five years later in 1990 as the team’s center fielder, replacing an injured Bo Jackson.

Brian then played for his father, Hal, as he took over managing duties in 1991. It was just the fourth instance of a player being managed by his father in MLB history. Brian went on to play until 1999 with his final game coming in a Blue Jays uniform in 1999.

He then spent time as an analyst for WGN-TV and did five years working radio for MLB.com and appeared on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight as well.

Migliaccio comes to Mizzou after serving as Bieser’s graduate assistant at Southeast Missouri last season, working on the defensive development of position players and assisting with the offense. Before Southeast Missouri, he was at Siena, where he guided the team to its third-best fielding percentage in program history in 2015. He implemented new catching a defensive development programs while at Siena. In 2015, the infield completed conference games with a .981 fielding percentage, committing only eight errors, which was an improvement from .958 (21 errors) in 2014.

Migliaccio played college baseball at FIU and Parkland College before transferring to Oral Roberts to finish his degree, graduating with Cum Laude distinction with a degree in recreation administration and a minor in humanities while playing shortstop for the Owls.

Pratte just finished his 19th season with Mizzou Baseball in 2016, his sixth as director of operations. Serving as the director of operations, Pratte is still heavily involved in the success of the program. He handles a variety of responsibilities that ensure that the student-athletes at Mizzou get one of the best experiences possible while playing collegiate baseball. From arranging travel to handling a wide variety of daily activities, Pratte’s contributions help the entire team and coaching staff succeed. He also brings with him a wealth of baseball experience after spending years as a player and coach.

Bird has been director of baseball strength & conditioning since 2014. He has over 25 years of proven success in the field of Strength and Conditioning, has worked with a variety of men’s and women’s sports at some of the country’s highest ranked universities. Bird has coached 37 All-Americans, seven conference players of the year and has had 55 players go on to play professional baseball, as well as numerous others go on to play professionally in their respective sport. At Kansas State Bird was part of the baseball program that had the three best win totals in the programs history including a school record 43 wins in 2009. In the 6 years at K-State the program had 22 players drafted in the MLB draft and six of those were drafted in the top 10 rounds.

Peel played at Mizzou for the 2014 and 2015 seasons, and will serve as a graduate manager for Bieser after coaching as a student assistant in 2016. Peel was Mizzou’s starting second baseman in 2015 and was one of the emotional leaders of the team, serving as captain. Peel started 57 games in 2015, leading off in 46 of those contests while hitting .257 with a team-high 40 runs, which were the most by a Tiger since 2012. He also stole 22 bases on the season, which ranked fifth in the SEC and tops on the team. His 22 steals rank as the fourth-most in a single season at Mizzou. Peel also just missed etching his name atop the school record list as he reached base in 30 consecutive games in 2015, falling just two short of the school record.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football junior DE Charles Harris (Kansas City, Mo.) has been named to the Preseason All-SEC Second Team, as announced Friday (July 15) by the Southeastern Conference following the annual SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. Harris garnered 103 total media votes to land on the second team, marking the first time he has earned preseason SEC honors.

Harris was a Second Team All-SEC honoree following the 2015 regular season. He led the SEC in tackles for loss (18.5) and registered seven sacks, emerging as the next star in a long line of standout defensive ends at Mizzou. He anchored the defensive line on one of the nation’s top defenses, starting all 12 games while finishing with 56 total tackles, two forced fumbles and a pass break-up.

— Mizzou Athletics —

WACO, Texas (AP) — Baylor hired Mack Rhoades as its new athletic director on Wednesday, bringing in an experienced administrator it believes will help the reeling program rebound from allegations that it didn’t properly handle sexual assault claims against its football players.

Rhoades had been Missouri’s athletic director only since April 2015, a month after he was named to the position.

“He is a charismatic leader who pays careful attention to details and cultivates solidarity among the coaches and staff,” interim school president David Garland said in a statement. “He intends to build champions on the field and on the court and to mold student-athletes into champions in their lives after sports. Most importantly, he is committed to and excited by Baylor’s Christian mission and vision.”

Rhoades replaces Ian McCaw, who resigned on May 30 after he was put on probation as part of Baylor’s response to a scathing report about its failure to properly respond to allegations of sexual assaults. That report also led the departure of football coach Art Briles. Baylor has hired former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe to replace Briles.
ADVERTISING

The 50-year-old Rhoades previously was AD at Houston for nearly six years, where he hired former Ohio State offensive coordinator Tom Herman as head coach of the Cougars. He was also the athletic director at Akron from 2005-09, and worked in the athletic departments at UTEP, Marquette and Yale.

“I look forward to the opportunity to join Baylor University at this important time in its history,” Rhoades said in a statement. “I am excited to support and develop programs of the highest caliber, in facilities that are second to none, alongside coaches who are among the best in the industry, all grounded in a Christian tradition and committed to academic excellence.”

Baylor plans to formally introduce during a news conference Monday.

Much has changed at Missouri in Rhoades’ 15 months on the job.

Student protests on campus over social issues and racial tensions spilled over into the athletic department last season when the football team essentially went on strike in support of the protesters, who were demanding the resignation of university systems President Tim Wolfe. Former coach Gary Pinkel and Rhoades stood by the players, who in the end didn’t miss any practice time, much less a game. Both the president and school chancellor, R. Bowen Loftin, resigned.

“The past year has taught me a great deal about who I am as a person and as a leader,” Rhoades said. “I am very grateful to the people I’ve worked with and come to know throughout the state of Missouri. The experience has helped galvanized a commitment to my core values and to the values I want to infuse into an athletics program.”

Pinkel retired after last season and announced he was fighting cancer. Permanent replacements for Wolfe and Loftin, who hired Rhoades, have not been hired.

Rhoades promoted defensive coordinator and former Missouri player Barry Odom to head coach, but the school, athletic department and Rhoades have faced continuing criticism from fans, boosters and state lawmakers for their handling of the players’ threatened boycott. Rhoades also had to hire a new baseball coach and dealt with a Title IX office investigation of softball coach Ehren Earleywine.

The announcement of Rhoades’ departure to Baylor came on the same day Missouri was one of the teams appearing at SEC football media days in Hoover, Alabama.

“He’s got an opportunity that he thought was best for him and I know that I’m very, very excited about the University of Missouri and what I’ve got in place with my staff from a football program standpoint,” said Odom, who had a long discussion with Rhoades on Tuesday night. “I absolutely know we’ll get a great director of athletics in here. The things we’ve done in the last eight months are going to set us up for the next 20 years.”

Baylor is facing at least three federal lawsuits brought by women who claim the school was indifferent to or ignored claims of sexual assault and didn’t enforce federal gender discrimination protections under Title IX. When Baylor released its report May 26, school regents suspended Briles “with intent to terminate.” The school and Briles mutually agreed to part ways a month later.

— Associated Press —-

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball head coach Steve Bieser has hired Patrick Hallmark and Lance Rhodes to his coaching staff, as announced Tuesday (July 12). Hallmark joins Mizzou after coaching at Rice for the last 11 seasons, including the last four as pitching coach, the same role he will hold at Mizzou. Rice went to an NCAA Regional in all 11 years that Hallmark was with the program, including three College World Series appearances. Rhodes comes to Mizzou after serving on Bieser’s staff at Southeast Missouri, where he helped the Redhawks to three consecutive seasons with at least 35 wins for the first time in school history, culminating in Ohio Valley regular season and tournament titles in 2016. Rhodes will be the recruiting coordinator at Mizzou.

“I am very excited to have both Hallmark and Rhodes join the Mizzou baseball family,” Bieser said. “Both of these guys bring a lot of passion, energy, and talent to our program. One goal I had from the beginning was to find guys who have been proven winners throughout their careers and both of these guys have that track record. Another component was to find guys that are versatile and complement each other well.”

Hallmark comes to Mizzou after an impressive run at Rice, where he helped build the team into a national power. Aside from reaching NCAA Regional play in all 11 seasons with Hallmark on staff, Rice made three trips to the College World Series (2006-2008) with five Super Regional appearances. A proven winner and a catcher by trade, Hallmark transitioned to the Owls pitching coach role prior to the 2013 season and the team saw immediate success under his guidance. In 2015, Rice pitching finished 12th in the NCAA in strikeouts per nine innings (8.8) and registered the fifth-highest single-season saves total in school history (18) while also finishing among the NCAA’s top teams for ERA (3.16), hits allowed per 9.0 innings (8.2) and WHIP (1.27). A total of five Rice pitchers were selected in the 2015 Major League Draft.

In 2014, Rice pitching finished 13th in the NCAA with a new school record for ERA (2.56). The Owls were also 20th in the nation in both fewest hits allowed per game (7.7) and WHIP (1.19). Rice pitchers registered 18 saves while also finishing with the program’s lowest number of walks since the mid-1980s (192 walks in 573.1 inn., 3.0 per game). He mentored LHP Blake Fox to consensus All-America honors and 2014 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year accolades that year as well.

In his first year as pitching coach at Rice in 2013, his Owls set a Rice single season record with 12 shutouts, ranking second in the NCAA that year. Hallmark’s versatility as a coach was paramount to Rice’s success and appealed to Bieser, who was the model of versatility during his major league playing career. Before coaching pitchers, Hallmark was the Owls hitting coach and trained catchers and outfielders defensively.

Hallmark was a successful player, earning All-Southwest Conference honors in 1995 while guiding Rice to its first 40-win season in 11 years. He played nine years of professional baseball after being drafted by the Royals in 1995. He played in two minor league All-Star games and was part of three consecutive minor league champion teams from 1997-99.

“I am super excited to join Mizzou and Coach Bieser’s staff,” Hallmark said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. His offensive teams at Southeast were incredible and I look forward to seeing what we can do together at Mizzou. Being part of the SEC is what every good coach wants. It’s the biggest challenge there is in our profession. It is going to be a step up. It’s going to fun and exciting and we have a lot of work to do, but I am really excited.”

Rhodes was a vital part of the success that Southeast Missouri had under Bieser’s direction, serving as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He brought in some of top talent that Southeast Missouri has ever had, including two OVC Pitchers of the Year. His recruits were a key reason why the Redhawks went from 26 wins in his first year to 37 in his second, 36 in his third and 39 in his fourth, including an NCAA Regional in 2016. His 2014 signing class was the cornerstone of the team’s three consecutive regular season OVC Championships (2014-16). He recruited 16 players who went on to earn All-OVC honors over those three seasons.

Rhodes’ impact as pitching coach was felt quickly as well. He inherited a pitching staff with a combined ERA of 6.37 and lowered it to 4.00 last season. In 2015, Rhodes guided Southeast Missouri to OVC-bests in ERA and opponent batting.

Rhodes was the primary position coach for a pair of OVC Pitcher of the Year winners – two-time winner Joey Lucchesi and Travis Hayes. Lucchesi was outstanding during his draft year in 2016, posting a 2.19 ERA with 149 strikeouts, averaging 12.08 per nine innings.

Rhodes, a former pitcher and volunteer assistant coach for the Redhawks returned to Southeast after serving as assistant coach for three seasons at Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He served as the pitching coach for the Warriors as they compiled 95 wins over a span of two seasons. While at Wabash Valley College he helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back Great Rivers Athletic Conference regular-season titles. The Warriors also won their first conference tournament championship in 14 years in 2010.

In 2012, Wabash Valley recorded a record of 48-13 as they ranked as high as third in the NJCAA Division I polls, their highest national ranking in school history. His pitching staff recorded an impressive ERA of 2.78.

He was also the pitching coach for the Quincy Gems of the Prospect League in the summer of 2009. He led the Gems to a Western Division Championship that season.

Rhodes graduated from Southeast Missouri in 2008 with a degree in general studies with an emphasis in physical education. He made 37 appearances for Southeast over two seasons with the Redhawks.

The Sikeston, Mo., native received his master’s degree in physical education from Emporia State University. Rhodes and his wife Brittney have two sons, Max (2) and Cooper (1).

“Being a guy who is from the state of Missouri, having an opportunity to Mizzou, the state’s flagship university, truly is a dream job for me,” Rhodes said. “Being in the SEC is an opportunity to compete alongside the best programs in the country and it gives you a chance to work with the best talent in college baseball and that excites me. I am also really happy that I get the chance to coach at Mizzou with Coach Bieser. I know how much this job means to him and he is someone I am extremely comfortable with and that will allow for a smooth transition. We have a lot of work to do – it is going to be exciting and I can’t wait to get started.”

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Football senior LB Michael Scherer (St. Louis, Mo.) has been named to the Butkus Award® Preseason Watch List, as announced Tuesday morning (July 12) by the Butkus Foundation. The Butkus Award honors the nation’s top linebacker at the Division I level. This is the second time that Scherer has been on the preseason list after earning a spot a season ago.

Scherer has been one of the top-producing linebackers in the SEC over the last two seasons, tallying at least 90 tackles in back-to-back seasons as a leader on one of the nation’s top defenses. He is coming off of a 2015 season that saw him rack up 93 tackles (47 solo), which ranked 11th in the SEC and eighth among non-seniors. Of his 93 tackles, 9.0 went for a loss and he also added a fumble recovery, two QB hurries and three pass breakups to his ledger. He had four games with 10+ tackles in 2015 and earned the team’s Aaron O’Neal St. Louis Player of the Year Award for his efforts a year ago.

In 2014, Scherer finished second on the team with 114 tackles for the SEC East Champion Tigers and has 207 tackles over the last two seasons.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball has signed promising forward Jakoby Kemp (Layton, Utah), a 6-9, 215-pound student-athlete, to the program’s 2016 recruiting class, head coach Kim Anderson announced. The recent signee Kemp has begun summer classes at the University of Missouri and has joined the Tigers for offseason workouts.

Once a much smaller wing player for his Layton High School program, Kemp grew substantially prior to his senior season in 2015-16 for head coach Kelby Miller. Kemp adjusted well, averaging 12.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game while helping power Layton to the Utah Class 5A State Championship semifinals.

“We’re thrilled to have Jakoby join the Mizzou Basketball family,” Anderson said. “His height and athleticism stood out to us on the recruiting trail, but his work ethic and resiliency may be his strongest attributes. He is obviously someone we came across later in the process, but you would not be able to tell by his positive attitude and willingness to embrace our program. He will fit in well with our guys, and we look forward to helping him grow as a student of the game and of this great university.”

Kemp and Layton won it all during his junior campaign, as the future Tiger helped get the Lancers their first state title since 1988. Layton was aided by 11 points from Kemp in the championship game of Utah’s largest high school division, as the Lancers overcame a 13-point second-half deficit to edge Brighton High School, 48-46.

Kemp blossomed as a senior forward, nearly doubling his scoring average from his junior season (6.9 points per game). At the conclusion of his career at Layton, Kemp was selected to play in the Utah High School Basketball Coaches Association’s Senior All-Star Game. He also earned all-state honorable mention from The Deseret News.

“Coach Anderson is a great coach with a bunch of great young players,” Kemp said. “It’s exciting to get to a school where there is something to build, something great we can achieve together. Mizzou is at the highest competitive level in college sports, with great facilities and support. I can’t wait to get started.”

Kemp, whose given first name is Kedric, drew heavy interest from other programs throughout the summer, including LSU, Georgia Tech, Memphis, TCU and Southern Miss.

Kemp’s older brother, Marcus, is a senior wide receiver at Hawaii. His mother, Karen Martin, and step father, Derrick Martin, reside in Layton.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou will usher in a new era of baseball as Steve Bieser has been tabbed as the next head coach, announced Thursday by Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades. Bieser will be Mizzou’s 14th head coach and just the fourth since 1937. Bieser comes to Mizzou after an extremely successful career at Southeast Missouri, where he became the only coach ever to win three consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Championships and guided the Redhawks to their first NCAA Regional last year since 2002.

A two-time OVC Coach of the Year, Bieser won 35 or more games in each of his last three seasons at SEMO, a feat that had been accomplished just once before he took over the program in 2013. Bieser turned in a .587 winning percentage in his time at SEMO, the best among any coach in program history.

Bieser turned in a banner year in 2016, as he earned his 100th career victory and opened OVC play with a perfect 12-0 record, the best start in program history. The season culminated in a regular season OVC Championship, an OVC Tournament title and the school’s first NCAA Regional since 2002, qualifying for the Starkville Regional at SEC Champion Mississippi State.

Bieser will be presented publicly in a press conference set for 11 a.m. Friday morning on top of the McArtor Baseball Facility at Taylor Stadium.

“Steve Bieser is a rising star in the college baseball ranks and a proven winner,” Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades said. “He has an impressive track-record of success, winning championships at each stop in his coaching career. He will be a tremendous role model for our student-athletes and has demonstrated a unique ability to develop his players athletically, academically and socially beyond what they believed they could achieve. He boasts remarkable intellectual horsepower and has a very cerebral approach to the game of baseball. He is a relationship-builder and will be a great fit for Mizzou. We are excited to welcome Steve, his wife Diahann and their children, Cole, Whitley, Briley and Carley to the Mizzou family.”

Prior to serving as SEMO’s head coach beginning in 2013, Bieser was the pitching coach for his alma mater from 2011-12 and he carried his prowess for developing hurlers into his head coaching tenure. His most notable pupil was LHP Joey Lucchesi, who became the only pitcher to ever win OVC Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back season. Lucchesi shattered the Southeast Missouri and Ohio Valley single-season strikeout records while also consistently leading the nation in 2016 in the category. He became the first Southeast pitcher to win 10 games in 13 years. He was on the watch lists for the prestigious Golden Spike Award, as well as the College Baseball Hall of Fame’s National Pitcher of the Year award.

Following the season, Lucchesi became the highest draft pick ever out of Southeast Missouri when he was selected in the fourth round (114th overall pick) by the San Diego Padres. He was one of two Redhawks drafted in 2016, marking the first time since 2012 that Southeast had multiple draft picks.

“I am truly honored and humbled to have the opportunity to be a part of the University of Missouri community and serve as the head baseball coach,” Bieser said. “I can’t express enough the gratitude I have for Interim Chancellor Foley, Athletic Director Mack Rhoades and the search committee for having the confidence in me to lead this program. When I started my coaching career, I had always dreamed of the opportunity to lead this program.  There is a strong tradition and rich history of Missouri Tiger baseball. I understand the responsibility and I am fully committed and ready to continue building the tradition. As life-long Missourians, my family and I feel truly blessed to be part of the University of Missouri and the Columbia community.”

Aside from success on the field, academic success was a hallmark of Bieser’s program at SEMO. He mentored three Academic All-Americans, 10 Academic All-District picks, one OVC Scholar-Athlete, six OVC Medal of Honor recipients and 48 OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll selections. SEMO had at least a 3.0 cumulative grade-point-average in all four years under Bieser, grabbing one OVC Team Academic Award along the way.

After a successful playing career at SEMO, Bieser was drafted in the 32nd round of the 1989 MLB Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. He played 13 years as a professional with nine of those years coming at AAA or higher. He made his Major League debut on April 1, 1997, with the New York Mets and played 60 career MLB games between the Mets and the Pittsburgh Pirates, compiling a .250 career average and a .351 career on-base percentage. Bieser made his Major League debut as a catcher, but his versatility led him to play a variety of positions over his career. He closed out his professional career with Memphis (AAA), where he guided the Redbirds to a AAA World Series in 2000. He played every position on the field during his professional career.

Bieser, a native of Saint Genevieve, Mo., went to Southeast after a very successful campaign as head coach at St. John Vianney High School in Kirkwood, Mo. In seven seasons leading the Griffins, his team won two state championships in 2004 and 2006. He compiled a record of 137-51.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced on Tuesday that former standout guard Bri Kulas has rejoined the program as a graduate student manager. Kulas, a 2014 WNBA Draft pick and two-time All-Southeastern Conference performer, joins the Tigers staff after completing her professional playing career and spending last season as an assistant coach at Johnson County (Kan.) Community College.

“We’re thrilled that Bri has returned to our Mizzou family as she is looking to further her coaching career and education,” Pingeton said. “She was one of our players who laid the foundation for success with our current roster. She was able to continue on to play at the highest level, and her experiences here and in the pro ranks will only help mentor our student-athletes. Her familiarity with us and love for Mizzou made this a natural fit. We couldn’t be happier to have her join our staff.”

In 2015-16 at Johnson County, Kulas mentored players with on-court coaching, played a vital role in recruiting, handled film breakdown and oversaw the team’s study hall program. JCCC went a perfect 30-0 during the regular season, won the East Jayhawk Conference title and advanced to the NJCAA Region VI Division II final.

“I am excited and thankful for the opportunity given by Coach Pingeton to work with her staff as a graduate student manager,” Kulas said. “I was fortunate enough to play at Mizzou for two years and I am happy to be back with my Mizzou family. I have great respect for what Coach Pingeton and her staff have done with the program and cannot wait to absorb my surroundings and learn as much as possible as I continue my coaching career.”

Prior to joining the coaching ranks, Kulas was the 28th pick in the 2014 WNBA Draft by the San Antonio Stars. She also played professionally in Spain for Gran Canarias and Rivas and in Germany for Halle Lions.

Kulas played her final two collegiate seasons at Mizzou, leading the Tigers in scoring both years while earning All-SEC recognition. She became the 32nd member of the program’s 1,000-Point Club in only 63 games, finishing with 1,008 points at Mizzou.

As a senior in 2013-14, she was a first-team All-SEC selection by the league’s head coaches and earned second-team All-SEC honors from The Associated Press. She averaged 18.3 points per game, which ranked second in the SEC.

As a junior, Kulas was a second-team All-SEC honoree after scoring 13.8 points per game, which was the ninth-best total among SEC players. She led the Tigers in scoring, rebounding, made field goals, made free throws and minutes played.

Kulas began her collegiate career at Kansas State then transferred to Johnson County, where she became an NJCAA Division II All-American and led her team to a 32-3 record, Jayhawk East Conference title and a perfect 18-0 mark in conference play in 2011-12.

A native of Overland Park, Kansas, Kulas graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Parks, Recreation and Tourism with an emphasis in Sport Management in 2014. She is pursuing her master’s in Educational, School and Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in Positive Coaching.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) — Missouri baseball coach Tim Jamieson has resigned after 698 victories in 22 seasons.

Jamieson coached eight All-Americans and 10 freshman All-Americans. Seventy-five of his players were drafted, with 10 playing in the major leagues. The list includes Max Scherzer, Ian Kinsler, Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson.

Jamieson was a two-time coach of the year and his 2006 team was the first No. 4 seed to an NCAA regional. Missouri also won the Big Eight in 1996 and the SEC Tournament in 2012 under Jamieson.

The school said Saturday it was exploring the possibility of Jamieson staying in an administrative role while beginning a nationwide search for a new coach.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball junior SS Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) was selected in the fifth round (No. 155 overall) of the 2016 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft by the San Francisco Giants on Friday (June 10). Howard is the first Mizzou player off the board in this year’s draft and he is the highest drafted position player at Mizzou since James Boone went in the third round in 2005.

Howard is coming off of a junior season in which he hit .295 with 13 doubles, five homers and a triple while driving in 27 runs and scoring 40 more. He was outstanding over his final 16 games of the season, hitting a team-best .381 with 13 runs and nine RBIs while hitting five of his 13 doubles and two of his five homers in that span, raising his average from .259 to .295. He also had eight of his 19 multi-hit games in that 16-game span.

A Francis Howell Central graduate, Howard has hit .284 in 163 career games played at Mizzou, starting all but three of those contests. He has been Mizzou’s starting shortstop since 2015 and has slugged 46 extra-base hits in his career while driving in 86 runs over three seasons. He spent last summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team as the starting shortstop and was a preseason All-SEC First Team pick at shortstop by the league’s coaches.

This is the second time that Howard has been drafted by the San Francisco Giants after being taken in the 31st round a year ago. The draft will conclude tomorrow with the remaining rounds.

— Mizzou Athletics —