K-State assistant Sawyers named baseball coach at Southeast Missouri State

A month after Steve Bieser departed to take over at Mizzou, Southeast Missouri State has its new head baseball coach.

The university announced Friday evening that it has hired former Kansas State assistant Andy Sawyers as the sixth head coach in Southeast baseball history.

Andy Sawyers

It is Sawyers' first Division I head coaching job.

Andy Sawyers

He most recently was Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator for the Wildcats.

"This is an incredible honor and I am appreciative of this wonderful opportunity," Sawyers said in a press release. "SEMO is a program on the rise. The conference championships, regional appearance and upcoming facility enhancements speak volumes about the administration's commitment to baseball. Coach Bieser and his staff did a marvelous job and I am looking forward to contributing to the progress that is already happening in our program."

The new head man will officially be introduced at a press conference Monday at 11 a.m. at the Show Me Center.

Sawyers' coaching career spans 18 years, during which he has been a part of two College World Series, three NCAA Super Regionals and 10 Regional Tournaments. Thirty-nine of his former players were drafted, including two first-round picks.

The 2015-16 seasons were Sawyers' second stint with Kansas State after also serving as an assistant from 2009-2010.

Sawyers has also been an assistant at Texas A&M and Nebraska. He began his career as a volunteer assistant at Northwestern (La.) State in 1999.

His only college head coaching experience came in two years at Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College.

He played college baseball at Point Loma (Calif.) Nazarene College and Mendocino (Calif.) Junior College before finishing his career at Nebraska.

"I am very excited to welcome Andy and his family to the Southeast Missouri State community," SEMO athletic director Brady Barke said in a press release. "Throughout the search process there were three main things I was looking for in our next head coach: great character, ability to recruit the region and a talent to develop quality student-athletes. Andy excels in each of these areas. His postseason experience proves he knows how to win and compete on the national level."

Sawyers is a native of Willits, California, and has one son, A.J., with his wife, Dena. 

Andy Sawyers At a Glance

Birthday

May 24, 1975 in Willits, California

Family

Dena (Lindeblad)

One son: Andrew James (A.J.), six years old

Education

Point Loma Nazarene College, San Diego, California, 1994

Mendocino College, Ukiah, California, 1996

University of Nebraska, B.A. in History, 1998

University of Nebraska, M.S. in Education, 2000

Playing Experience

Lettered two seasons at Nebraska (1997-98)

Coaching Experience

Northwestern State, Volunteer Assistant Coach (1999)

Kearney River Bandits (MINK League), Head Coach (1999)

Nebraska, Volunteer Assistant Coach (2000)

Hutchinson Community College, Head Coach (2001-02)

Nebraska, Assistant Coach (2003-07)

Texas A&M, Volunteer Assistant Coach (2008)

Kansas State, Assistant Coach (2009-10)

Texas A&M, Associate Head Coach (2011-14)

Kansas State, Associate Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator (2015-16)