Southeast Missouri State University Athletics

Since taking the reins of the Southeast Missouri baseball program in 2013, Steve Bieser has transformed the Redhawks baseball program into an elite team in the Ohio Valley Conference as well as on the regional and national level. 

Currently in his fourth season as head coach of the Redhawks, Bieser has amassed a career record of 138-97 (.587) and has earned a career Ohio Valley record of 79-39 (.669). Bieser is the only OVC head coach to guide his team to three consecutive outright regular season titles. This season, Bieser guided the Redhawks to their first OVC Tournament Championship and bid to the NCAA Tournament since 2002. 

In three championship seasons, Southeast is a combined 67-23 (.744) in OVC play. The Redhawks have recorded 36 or more wins in each of those seasons. In 2016, Southeast established a new program wins record of 39 wins. Southeast eclipsed the previous record of 37, set in 2000, 2002, and 2014, with a pair of wins in the Championship round of the 2016 OVC Tournament. 

The 2016 season was one of many milestones and new records. Bieser earned his 100th career victory in the fourth game of the season on Feb. 22 at Alcorn State. For the first time in Southeast’s history, the team opened OVC play with a perfect 12-0 record. Between Mar. 18 and Apr. 5, the Redhawks strung together an 11-game winning streak, the third-longest in program history, and had won 15 of 16 games around that span including earning a victory over in-state, Southeastern Conference adversary Missouri.

Bieser walked away with the title of 2016 OVC Coach of the Year, the second of his four-year career and second in three years (2014, 2016). Bieser became one of just 15 coaches in OVC history to win multiple Coach of the Year awards. He is the second Southeast Missouri head coach to win the award. 

Left-handed pitcher Joey Lucchesi came to Southeast in 2014 under Bieser’s tutelage and has become one of the elite pitchers in the all of college baseball. Lucchesi is the only pitcher to win OVC Pitcher of the Year in back-to-back seasons. The southpaw has 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. The senior from Newark, California was named the MVP of the 2016 OVC Tournament after pitching a complete game shutout, the first shutout in the OVC Tournament since 2012, as well as pitching three innings en route to earning a save in the Championship contest. 

Following the season, Lucchesi became the highest draft pick out of Southeast Missouri when he was drafted in the fourth round (114th overall pick) by the San Diego Padres. The Redhawks earned a second draft pick when Branden Boggetto was selected by the Washington Nationals in the 25th round (754th overall pick). It was the first time since 2012 Southeast had multiple draft picks. 

Southeast carried five First Team All-OVC members in 2016, tying a program high, and two Second Team All-OVC selections. In all, six Redhawks were named to the All-Tournament squad. During the season Southeast earned five National Players of the Week, two CoSIDA Academic All-Region members, and four players landing spots on national award watch lists. 

In four seasons at Southeast, Bieser has mentored two OVC Pitchers of the Year, an OVC Player of the Year, nine First Team All-OVC members, six Second Team selections, and two All-Freshman Team members. 

Southeast won its second-straight OVC crown in 2015 with a record of 22-8 in league play, 36-23 overall. The Redhawks earned a number of postseason honors. Most notably, Lucchesi was named the OVC Pitcher of the Year. Lucchesi finished the season with a 3.17 ERA, a 7-2 record, and 93 strikeouts; all of which were top in the OVC. Southeast had four Second Team All-OVC members: first baseman Ryan Rippee, shortstop Branden Boggetto, designated hitter Garrett Gandolfo, and utility player Andy Lennington. Freshman Trevor Ezell picked up All-Freshman Team honors.

Southeast Missouri made its 21st-consecutive appearance in the OVC Tournament in 2015. The Redhawks advanced to the championship round of the tournament for the first time since 2008. 

Other postseason honors included Capital One Academic All-American Second Team Honors bestowed upon Jason Blum, Ezell being named NCBWA Freshman All-American, and Boggetto picking up ABCA/Rawlings All-South Second Team Honors. 

Alex Winkelman began the next level of his baseball career when he was drafted in the 21st round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Houston Astros. Winkelman was the 619th overall pick in the draft and became the second draft pick under Bieser. In three years at Southeast, Winkelman compiled a 14-9 record and 4.51 ERA in 50 appearances and 35 starts. He was credited with two saves and recorded 204 strikeouts in 229.2 innings in his career.

The 2015 squad drew national attention with a pair of wins over Southeastern Conference opponents. Southeast defeated SEC powerhouse Arkansas on Mar. 18 in Fayetteville, 12-11. The Redhawks followed it up with an 8-5 victory over in-state foe Missouri on May 5. 

In only his second season as head coach, Bieser’s Redhawks won the 2014 OVC regular-season championship, tied a program record for wins in a season going 37-20, posted the ninth-best team batting average in the country (.309), scored the ninth-most runs in the nation (408), finished eighth in scoring (7.2 runs per game), mentored Matt Tellor, 2014 OVC Player of the Year, and Travis Hayes, the 2014 OVC Co-Pitcher of the Year, and saw three players go on to continue their professional careers on the baseball field. 

The 2014 team made a name for itself by ranking nationally in a number of statistical categories as a team as well as individually. The team’s .309 batting average ranked ninth in the nation. Southeast averaged 7.2 runs a game, ranking eighth, while their 408 total runs ranked ninth. The Redhawks finished second in the country in sacrifice flies with 47 on the season. Southeast boasted a .389 on-base percentage and a .422 slugging percentage on the season. Defensively, the Redhawks turned the ninth-most double plays and averaged 1.11 per game. On the bases, Southeast ranked 10th in the nation with 97 stolen bases; stealing 1.7 bases a game. 

Individually, Derek Gibson and Tellor ran the gambit in a number of categories. Tellor ranked in the top-25 in 10 different statistical categories while Gibson appeared in five top-25 lists. Tellor was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the MLB First-Year Player Draft in the 10th round. Tellor was the 313th overall pick of the draft and is the highest draft pick out of Southeast Missouri since Galen McSpadden was drafted in the sixth round of the 1974 draft. Gibson signed a free agent contract with the St. Louis Cardinals on June 19, 2014. Bieser’s son, Cole, went on to sign with the Gateway Grizzlies out of the Frontier League.

Academically, the Redhawks have been equally impressive with Bieser at the helm. 

His clubs produced 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. Southeast recorded a team GPA above 3.0 each of the last four years, grabbing one OVC Team Academic Award along the way. Additionally, Bieser’s teams are active in the community, averaging 550 team community service hours each of the last two years. 

Bieser was named the fifth head coach of Southeast Missouri baseball on May 15, 2013. 

Prior to taking over as head coach of the Redhawks, Bieser served as the pitching coach in 2011 and 2012. 

Bieser coached starting pitcher Shae Simmons, who led the OVC in strikeouts in 2012 with 89 on his way to being named Second Team All-OVC. Simmons was drafted by the Atlanta Braves in the 26th round of the 2012 MLB Draft. Simmons made his MLB debut May 31, 2014 against the Miami Marlins. 

In 2011, the Redhawks pitching staff ranked third in the OVC in pitching recording a team ERA of 4.97, as the Redhawks recorded their first earned run average under five since 2007.

The Redhawks team ERA also improved from 2010 as the Southeast hurlers trimmed their team ERA by over one run. Bieser also mentored two pitchers to Second Team All-OVC honors in Logan Mahon and Jordan Underwood. Mahon was later drafted by the Colorado Rockies in the 22nd round of the MLB Draft.

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

Five of his players were selected in the First Year Major League Player Draft (1st, 5th, 21st, 22nd, & 42nd rounds). Over 80 percent of his high school players went on to play collegiate baseball with 16 playing at the Divisi`on I level, four attaining freshman All-America status and one, former Redhawk Jim Klocke, being named a two-time All-American.

In 2009, he took over the Danville Dans of the Prospect League. Bieser coached the Dans to the Central League Championship.

As a player, Bieser graduated from Southeast Missouri State in 1989 and was selected in the 32nd round of the 1989 June Draft by the Philadelphia Phillies.

On April 1, 1997, he made his Major League debut with the New York Mets as a catcher. Bieser was the ultimate utility player for the Mets playing all three outfield positions and the catching position. The following season, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, serving as backup catcher, outfielder and top pinch hitter. Bieser finished his major league career with a .250 batting average and a perfect career major league fielding percentage over his two-year MLB career. 

Bieser played 13 seasons professionally with nine of those seasons being at the Triple-A level or higher. Bieser played every position on the field in his professional career; twice doing it in the same game. He finished second in the batting race of the International League playing for the Ottawa Expos with a .322 average in 1996. Four times in his career, he finished in the top 25 in offensive statistical rankings. 

Bieser finished his professional playing career in 2001 with the Memphis Redbirds when he helped lead the Redbirds in 2000 to the Triple-A World Series. 

Bieser and his wife, Diahann, have a son (Cole) and three daughters, Whitley (21), Briley (18) and Carley (10).