FROM CBD NEWS SOURCE
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. –Director of Athletics Mark Alnutt named Steve Bieser the head baseball coach at Southeast Missouri State University on Wednesday. Bieser served as the Redhawks interim head coach since July 30, 2012.
Bieser, the fifth head coach in the program’s history, guided Southeast to its league record 19th-consecutive Ohio Valley Conference Tournament berth this season. The Redhawks enter next week’s OVC Tournament as the No. 6 seed.
“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,” said Alnutt. “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.”
Southeast, playing the 2013 campaign with a roster full of 17 underclassmen (eight freshmen), started a season at 5-0 for the first time since 1995. Academically, the Redhawk baseball team recorded a 3.23 cumulative grade point average, as 26 players achieved a 3.0 or better GPA.
“I am very honored and thankful to Dr. Dobbins and Mr. Alnutt for their trust and faith in allowing me to lead this baseball program,” said Bieser. “I must also thank Brady Barke for his assistance in helping me make the transition from assistant coach to head coach this past year. It was nice to have him to lean on. I am very excited about the direction the baseball program is headed as we are going to continue our efforts in building a top notch program everyone can be proud of.”
A native of Ste. Genevieve, Mo., Bieser has coached three seasons with the Redhawks. He served as the team’s pitching coach in 2011 and 2012 before taking over the Southeast helm this year.
Bieser mentored three Second-Team All-OVC pitchers in Shae Simmons (2012), Logan Mahon (2011) and Jordan Underwood (2011) during his time as pitching coach.
Simmons was selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 26th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball Draft, while Mahon was a 22nd-round draft pick of the Colorado Rockies in 2011.
Prior to Southeast, Bieser was very successful as the head coach at St. John Vianney High School in St. Louis. He led the Griffins to a 137-51 record and two state championships (2004, 2006) in seven seasons.
Bieser graduated from Southeast in 1989 and was a 32nd-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Phillies in June of that year.
On April 1, 1997, Bieser made his Major League debut with the New York Mets and appeared in 47 games as a utility player that season. The following year, he signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates, serving as a backup catcher and pinch hitter. In 2001, Bieser ended his playing career with the Memphis Redbirds.
