COLUMN: Missouri baseball needs more than a new coach to compete in SEC

There are not many places in college baseball where a coach can lead a team to a winning record in seven seasons and get the boot.

That was the case for Steve Bieser, who was recently fired by the University of Missouri. The 55-year-old skipper led the Tigers to an overall 188-155-1 record, including a 30-24 record this past season.

Before that, Bieser put his alma mater on the map, guiding Southeast Missouri State to the NCAA Tournament in 2016, something that he wasn't able to do in Mizzou.

Bieser will surely find another head coaching job with a likely easier path to the postseason. Andy Sawyers took the baton from him and sent the Redhawks soaring to two straight OVC Tournament championships in 2021-22, so a return to SEMO may not make sense at the moment.

Missouri coach Steve Bieser watches during the first inning of the team's Southeastern Conference tournament NCAA college baseball game against South Carolina, Tuesday, May 22, 2018, in Hoover, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

Mizzou announced a "national search" to find Bieser's replacement shortly after the firing. The school turned to a St. Louis native and former assistant to take over the reins. Memphis coach Kerrick Jackson was named as the new head coach on Saturday, June 3, and will be the first-ever Black head coach in SEC baseball.

"We set out to find a leader of high character with success rejuvenating a program, and we certainly found that in Kerrick Jackson," Mizzou athletic director Desireé Reed-Francois said. "He's a tireless recruiter, fierce competitor, and a coach with deep roots in the Midwest. Coach Jackson knows what success looks like in college baseball, specifically at Mizzou. He has a vision for success and a tremendous amount of experience at all levels of baseball. I look forward to him building on our traditions and returning us to the national stage."

It's a historic hire and one that warrants fan support and optimism. In making the new hire, Mizzou will have to realize that a heavy increase in resources will be necessary for Jackson to be successful. The last time the Tigers were in the NCAA Tournament, Jackson was on the coaching staff as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, and the program was in the Big 12.

Jackson is returning to a familiar campus but a much different game. The SEC is far and away the greatest conference in sports, especially baseball.

Bieser led the Tigers to the SEC Tournament for the first time since 2019 on his way out the door. 12 of the 14 teams qualify for the conference tournament each season, and this year, eight SEC teams — Alabama (40-19), Arkansas (41-16), Auburn (34-21-1), Florida (44-14), Kentucky (36-18), LSU (43-15), South Carolina (39-19) and Vanderbilt (41-18) — hosted NCAA Regionals.

At the end of Bieser's tenure at Mizzou, he was the lowest-paid head coach in the SEC, according to the Tennessean, which annually posts coaching salary stories. Bieser ($475,000.08) was among five head coaches in the SEC who are paid under one million dollars and the only head coach who was paid under $500,000. The second lowest-paid coach was fired for his part in a gambling scandal, all while leading Alabama to host its own regional.

Upon his firing, Reed-Francois said in a statement, "Baseball is important to our University, our conference, and our state.” Taylor Stadium was built in 2002 and upgraded in 2014. The rest of the conferences have recently renovated stadiums that make Mizzou's ballpark look like Capaha Field in comparison.

This is what Jackson and Reed-Francois are up against. It's only going to get more challenging when Oklahoma and Texas enter the conference after next season. A complete overhaul in the investment in the program will have to happen for Jackson to have a chance in the SEC.