Dixon named pitching coach for Southeast Missouri State baseball

New Southeast Missouri State baseball coach Andy Sawyers announced the first addition to his coaching staff, as Curt Dixon was named pitching coach and recruiting coordinator on Friday.

Dixon most recently worked as pitching coach at Eastern Oklahoma State, where he helped the program to a pair of National Junior College Athletic Association Region 2 Championships in 2012 and 2016. Under his charge, four pitchers were selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, while 45 moved on to four-year universities.

Former Southeast pitcher Jacob Lawrence played under Dixon, as did current Redhawk catcher Kylar Robertson.

"I am extremely honored to be a part of Southeast Missouri baseball," Dixon said in a press release. "The opportunity to work for Coach Sawyers will not just make me a better baseball coach, it will make me a better man. My family is excited to be a part of the SEMO and Cape Girardeau communities."

During the offseasons, Dixon spent the last five years leading the Brazos Valley Bombers in the Texas Collegiate League, where he went 224-68 with five straight regular-season championships. His pitching staff led the league in ERA and opponent batting average each season and he was named the Texas Collegiate League Coach of the Year from 2012-2015.

Prior to joining Eastern Oklahoma in 2011, Dixon was the pitching coach at Clarke (Iowa) University, where in one season his team broke a school record for ERA and conference victories. He began his career at the University of the Ozarks, his alma mater, as an assistant from 2008 to 2010.

"I am very excited to welcome Curt, his wife Whitney, and their daughter Addie to the SEMO family," Sawyers said in a press release. "Not only is he known as an excellent teacher of pitching, he recruited many players to Eastern that have gone on to prestigious Division I universities including Southeast.

"As a good a baseball coach as Curt is, he is a better human being. He is first and foremost an individual with great character and our players are lucky to be able to be mentored by him."

As a player, Dixon is the program's career leader in wins (24), strikeouts (205), and innings pitched (256.2). In 2008, his senior season, he was All-Region Team and All-American Southwest Conference Team selections after going 9-1 on the mound.

He played four seasons professionally in independent baseball.

Dixon earned his Bachelor's degree in Political Science from the University of the Ozarks in 2008. He will finish his Master's in Sports Administration/Sports Coaching from the United States Sports Academy this Fall.

[Editor's note: Story corrected to identify Dixon as pitching coach.]