'Interim' tag removed from Bieser's title

Steve Bieser emphasized when he was named Southeast Missouri State's interim baseball coach in late July that he hoped to keep the job past this season.

Bieser got his wish Wednesday when the university removed the interim tag from Bieser's title and announced him as the Redhawks' coach. He received a one-year contract, which is standard for Southeast sports other than football and basketball.

"I'm very excited. I appreciate the entire administration for showing their trust and faith in me to lead the program," Bieser said. "I think this program has lots of potential to be very good. I'm excited about where we're headed."

Bieser was tabbed to lead the program for this year on an interim basis after Mark Hogan -- the winningest baseball coach in Southeast history -- retired following 18 seasons.

Bieser, a former star player at Southeast, had been Hogan's pitching coach the previous two years. The native of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., becomes the fifth coach in the program's history.

"This is the place I always wanted to be. I'm a family man. All my family is in Ste. Genevieve. My wife and I both graduated from Southeast. We're very comfortable in this area and so are our [four] kids. My parents are getting older," Bieser said. "There are only a couple of Division I schools where it would be possible to stay close enough to my family. I spent so much time traveling when I was playing pro ball and now I want to be around my family as much as possible."

Bieser's oldest child, Cole, is a junior center fielder at Southeast who was putting together a strong year before suffering a season-ending wrist injury several weeks ago.

The family also has a daughter who will be entering Southeast in the fall, a daughter who will be a sophomore in high school and a second-grade daughter.

"I think Cape Girardeau is a great place to raise a family," Bieser said.

Southeast, despite being decimated by injuries this year and featuring an extremely young squad with only a handful of seniors, has qualified for the Ohio Valley Conference tournament for a league-record 19th straight time. The Redhawks will be the No. 6 seed for next week's six-team event in Jackson, Tenn.

The Redhawks, after losing many of their top players from last year, have been without three anticipated key pitchers for the entire campaign after they all underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason. In-season injuries have claimed several front-line players for various parts of the year.

Southeast was predicted to finish eighth in the 11-team OVC's preseason poll voted on by the league's coaches and sports information directors but wound up two spots better.

The Redhawks have also excelled academically, recording a 3.23 cumulative grade point average as 26 players achieved a 3.0 or better GPA.

"I've been very impressed with Steve Bieser during his role as interim head coach. He is fully committed to our mission of providing our student-athletes with a first class collegiate experience through academic excellence, social development and competitive success," Southeast director of athletics Mark Alnutt said in a release. "The team surpassed preseason expectations to make this year's OVC tournament. Steve is respected nationally and he is very well connected in our key recruiting areas. I look forward to our baseball program to continue to achieve at a high level under Steve's leadership."

Bieser, 45, graduated from Southeast in 1989. The Ste. Genevieve High School graduate was selected in the 32nd round of the 1989 major league amateur draft by the Phillies.

Bieser played professionally from 1989 through 2001. He appeared in 60 games with the Mets and Pirates during a two-year major-league stint in 1997 and 1998. He finished with a .250 batting average (20 for 80), four doubles and five RBIs.

Bieser compiled a 137-51 record in seven seasons as coach at Vianney High School in St. Louis, where his teams won state titles in 2004 and 2006, before coming to Southeast.

"This is something that, ever since I retired from pro ball, I coveted as a great place," Bieser said of Southeast. "I couldn't be happier. I hope I'm here for a long time."