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.”

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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.

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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.

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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.

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