BieserBall Year 2
Under Steve Bieser, Mizzou Baseball has rapidly developed a national reputation for innovation and technology. Throughout the off-season several members of the coaching staff have been included as instructors in various conferences, workshops, podcasts, and videos.
Our second clinic from our host staff @MizzouBaseball ➡️ HC @biesersr walks our coaches through program culture 'Build to Last' #ABCAclinics pic.twitter.com/VhRHmSl7Rx
— ABCA (@ABCA1945) September 17, 2017
I had an unbelievable time speaking at the @ABCA1945 convention yesterday with @Jason_cOchart, @jeffmalbert, @DBU_Baseball, and @CoachSchlech_25.
— Dillon Lawson (@DLawson_Astros) January 7, 2018
“Good coaching is our greatest technology.” It’s time for us hitting coaches to get ahead!
Consider that a warning #PitchingTwitter. pic.twitter.com/gSHUmrk47a
Dillon Lawson’s reputation as a hitting coach was apparently a little too well known. He has since left the Mizzou staff and returned to the Astros organization.
The man, the myth, the legend. @DLawson_Mizzou wanna know how I went from 1 Hr to 12 HR, I give all the credit to this man.. https://t.co/wghPopYSmL
— Trey Harris⚾2⃣2️⃣ (@JustCallMe_Duce) January 7, 2018
Among several new additions to Bieser’s staff is Jae Fadde, taking over the newly created position of Director of Player Development. From mutigers.com:
“We are excited to add Jae and his wife Lindsey to our family here at Mizzou,” Bieser said. “Jae has been on the cutting edge of technology and video in sports for years and brings a wealth of knowledge that will undoubtedly help our coaching staff. He was a key cog in Texas A&M’s transition to the SEC with both the baseball and football programs and he has a tremendous amount of baseball experience. I will look forward to Jae helping us to continue to develop in the areas of video and technology.”
Fadde is the son of Dr. Peter Jae Fadde, Professor of Learning Systems Design & Technology at SIU, and the Chief Science Officer and Co-Founder of GameSense Sports, one of the leading developers of sports training technology.
Fadde came to A&M from Purdue University where he served in the same capacity as a graduate assistant. While at Purdue, Fadde developed a film training system designed for linebackers and defensive backs called GameSense. Fadde was awarded a $1500 grant in the Burton Morgan National Business Plan contest for his work on GameSense, and earned his M.S. in Sports Administration & Pedagogy from Purdue in 2008. AggieAthletics.com
Last year’s pitching coach, Pat Hallmark, left to become head coach at UIW, so Bieser hired Fred Corral, a pitching coach who also has a reputation for embracing innovation.
Need a pitcher's guide to visualization? University of Missouri pitching coach @FCorral34 created this for you. (@Scotta_Lyn)
— The Big League Brain (@bigleaguebrain) November 19, 2017
Click the link for the full video:https://t.co/0DDUcRhDqx pic.twitter.com/9kvVxZS6mr
The wheels of progress are turning this fall. Teams are creating their futures by trying new strategies and principles associated with implicit training. Cool video @MizzouBaseball thanks to @FCorral34 pic.twitter.com/S6iCY0ULet
— V-Flex Sports (@VflexSports) December 4, 2017
Corral also has pro baseball experience (pitching coach for the Expos and Dodgers, 1999-2001). Bieser likes to hire coaches with pro experience, including new Volunteer Assistant Jonathan Roof and #MizzouMade Graduate Assistant Austin Tribby.
Along with the major changes on the coaching staff, last year’s analytics whiz, Mizzou student Matt Kane, is also moving on.
I am excited and honored to announce that I am officially an analytics intern for the Pittsburgh Pirates and their Baseball Informatics department this 2018 calendar year #LetsGoBucs pic.twitter.com/rIjMJBFe1r
— Matt Kane (@HurriKane51) January 20, 2018
All this tech and innovation is aimed at developing better hitters and pitchers, but it’s also intended to attracting recruits. And it appears to be working.
Since taking over as the Tigers coach in 2016, Steve Bieser and his staff have embraced analytics and technology when coaching hitters. Taylor Stadium is equipped with a radar device that tracks the movement of baseballs, allowing coaches to study advanced measures such as launch angle and exit velocity. It blew Matheny away on his visit and was one of the main reasons he liked Missouri. Columbia Tribune, 1/11/18
That recruiting edge is probably why Bieser’s staff is not shy about promoting their “brand” on social media.
@therealRoof3 programming our new developmental tool. Let the games begin! Thanks @hittrax and Andrew Barry for all the assistance today. pic.twitter.com/cWRsAzfIFx
— Steve Bieser (@biesersr) November 16, 2017
New toy. pic.twitter.com/R1y2k2ShNi
— Dillon Lawson (@DLawson_Mizzou) November 15, 2017
So, Mizzou Baseball is winning Twitter, but they’ve yet to prove they can win the SEC, let alone a trip to Omaha.
The Tigers exceeded expectations in Bieser’s first year at the helm, starting the season with a 20-1 winning streak that brought them national recognition.
But then they stutter-stepped their way to a 16-22 record for the remainder of the season. In large part that was due to a 14-16 showing in the SEC regular season.
Missouri batted a paltry .215 against SEC opponents, which ranked worst in the conference. It also finished first in strikeouts by a wide margin — the Tigers struck out 254 times in SEC play, 30 times more than second-place Texas A&M.
Sometimes, high whiff counts coincide with lofty power numbers, but such was not the case for Missouri. It finished second-to-last in slugging percentage with .331. The Tigers finished in the same slot in on-base-percentage with .315. PowerMizzou 2/6/18
The team did compile a 36 win season, their most since 2008. That, plus the mediocre performance of three other SEC East teams, got the Tigers into the SEC Tournament (as the 10th seed), but it was not enough to win them an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. If Bieser hopes to get to a Regional and beyond, it’s imperative for Missouri to improve their in-conference record.