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To Keep Bieser or Not... That is the Question

Mizzou Links for Friday, May 26

By Karen Steger
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The end of diamond sports season has brought about more questions than answers at the current time.

Late yesterday, the twitter account @softballportal announced, and some others confirmed later through the team, that Mizzou Softball is going to have a slew of transfers this time. Here they are.

NOTE: The Megans x2, Kendal Cook and Addie Lange all graduated, and thus would be looking to take a grad year/Covid year elsewhere. Snider is a CoMo native and a sophomore (.238, 79 AB), while Riley (.216 BA, 134 AB) is a junior and has played on and off, never really fully taking ownership of 1B, but had been pretty consistently in the lineup.

Throughout Larissa Anderson’s time at Mizzou, she’s largely been able to keep the team together, and they’ve had only a couple each season go portaling. Last season there were three, two of whom I don’t think we ever saw play a game, and the other left the sport after extensive injuries and to have a baby (Gabi Deters). After the up-and-down season Mizzou just finished, where wins at times were hard to come by, ESPECIALLY in the tough as hell SEC, it’s no wonder there’s going to be a bit of roster turnover. Winning is the cure for a lot of things, but when you’re not winning enough, it creates extra stress and leaves people to perhaps look for better situations. A better situation could be a better program, a new coach, a lower level program with more abundant playing time, any number of things. Who are we to judge why anyone in the portal is looking for a new home? I wish them the best, and you guys, the team will be fine. Mizzou is most certainly not the only team, especially in the SEC, with a lot of turnover. Per that aforementioned twitter account, here’s the SEC numbers I could find by a simple scroll: Auburn (7), Arkansas (4), MS State (3), Ole Miss (3)... and that’s just the start. Oregon State, who a year ago was in the WCWS, has 7 entrants.

Anway, I’m working on my season recap this weekend so there’ll be plenty more to discuss. I wasn’t even going to write about softball here, but since the news hadn’t been shared on the site yet, I figured it was my duty, as the CSO (Chief Softball Overlord), to share the news.

Now onto baseball, and the title of this piece of writing.

Much has been said about Bieser Ball this season. Much of it remarkably ill-informed (something both diamond sports teams have in common, hehe). But there are Mizzou Baseball people out there who I trust that follow the team religiously and get the scoops and have actually dug deep into the problems of the program as a whole, not just the performance under the man of the hour, Steve Bieser.

Let’s assess.

In Dave Matter’s chat Thursday at STLToday, someone asked about the Bieser situation and will be sticking around. Here is Dave’s response:

I’m waiting on some clarity on his status going forward. Stay tuned. Personally, I don’t see how a coaching change addresses the bigger issues holding this program back. Hypothetically, if they make a change and I’m interviewing the HC job, I’d ask these questions: 1. Why aren’t baseball players/recruits earning any NIL compensation? How can you compete in the best college baseball league without NIL? 2. How will you address travel? The team had a 12-hour bus ride home from the SEC tournament ... has taken just one charter flight in four years ... and routinely gets home from weekend road trips at 3 or 4 am Monday mornings - in a league where everyone flies charter. 3. How can you compete in the SEC without a full-time strength/conditioning coach devoted to baseball? The team has had to share a staffer with other non-revenue teams from semester to semester. You think LSU and Vandy and Florida don’t invest in a full-time strength coach for baseball?

Also, what’s the facility plan going forward? What’s the budget plan? The team’s operating budget is 45% of the average SEC budget - meaning half the teams in the league spend more than twice as much to operate their programs.

Matter is not wrong.

Now, is Steve Bieser a perfect coach? Absolutely not. But who is? And if you want the kick the man to the curb, who honestly are you going to get to replace him? As I said on the twitter when the Barstool Mizzou account (sorry, it’s the only BS acct I follow) took a poll about it, that a shiny new coach isn’t going to paper over the overall issues and lack of support the sport receives at MU. And who’s going to want to come here when those issues aren’t addressed? I can’t blame anyone for wanting someone new as he’s had his years to get this thing going, but as Matter said, as well as many others, that’s not all we should consider. They made it to Hoover WITH a decimated pitching staff.

Also consider this... a very lengthy but crazy in-depth thread by PBP announcer and Mizzou Baseball aficionado, Matt Michaels. Perhaps it will make you think. Or maybe it won’t change your mind at all. Please look through the whole thing though. I’ll share a few of the slides.

So what do you think, friends?

Poll

Based on the additional info, does Steve Bieser deserve another year?

view results
  • 18%
    Deserving? Eh. But who else we getting? Keep him.
    (49 votes)
  • 8%
    Another coach can turn this thing around and he’s gotten his shot. Adios, Stevie B.
    (24 votes)
  • 21%
    Yes, the injuries that tore through the pitching staff deserve another look when healthy.
    (59 votes)
  • 42%
    Yes, because we need to see what he can do with improvements & additional support from NIL and this new TSF baseball guy.
    (116 votes)
  • 2%
    It doesn’t produce a lof of revenue, so why should I care?
    (7 votes)
  • 5%
    Yes, this is a better team they’ve had in a WHILE.
    (16 votes)
271 votes total Vote Now

Sam... yes you read that right... will ALSO have a baseball piece this weekend, so stay tuned for that..

On to the Links! Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

Yesterday at Rock M

More Links:

Hoops

Young was one of six honorees to be inducted in Charlotte, joining Jan Jensen (Iowa), Dean Lockwood (Michigan State), Kate Paye (Stanford), Norm Roberts (Kansas) and Jim Rosborough (Arizona). Voting for the Hall of Fame is based on the candidates’ record of success, significant contributions to the game, as well as high character, integrity and respect among their colleagues.

Kobe Time/ Journey to the Pros

  • I’ll miss Dree.



Football

  • Breakout season for Luther? Would LOVE to see it
  • Hopper Time!

Softball News

  • PJ calls it a career.
  • Grad assistant of the past two years, Amber Fiser, is moving on as well. She recently graduated with her master’s and is still playing professional ball for the SmashIt Vipers
Per @Amber_Fiser IG

Track & Field at NCAAs in Sacramento

Various Mizzou Sports

  • This is super cool, and Kobe went last year. Aidan Shaw, T&F’s Parker Jackson, and four gymnasts- Kalise Newsom, Amari Celestine, Amaya Marshal, and Jocelyn Moore, represented Mizzou at the Black Student Athlete Summit. Looks like an incredible experience.
  • Very important question from Mizzou Club Hockey:

Former Tigers (AKA Cunningham Corner)

  • The president of the Phoenix Mercury was a guest on the Prime Video broadcast on Thursday, and they chatted about one former Mayor of Columbia for a bit. As a free agent this summer, she talked with both the Sparks (that would have been fun) and the Sun (Connecticut) but ultimately was persuaded to be part of what they called the Big 3 in PHX— Diana, BG & Soph. They love her in AZ, and she’s been able to do a lot in the desert.

As for her performance on Thursday evening against the Minnesota Lynx (featuring Incarnate Word legend Napheesa Collier), they won 90-81. Sophie played 24 minutes (she fouled out) and had 13 points on 4-10 FG (3-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 2 TO (she was +6). Here’s part of her interview:

  • How bout a little art class fun, featuring two Missouri natives? Sug Sutton, the Parkway North grad, went to UT but also spent last season with the St. Louis Surge (former Tiger Shug Dickson’s team)

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