Southeast Missouri State’s baseball team is officially fully staffed with the final addition of Matthew Kinney as a volunteer assistant on Aug. 22. Former coach Steve Bieser accepted a new coaching position at Missouri in June, prompting Southeast to begin a search for a new baseball staff.
Andy Sawyers was announced as the new Southeast baseball team’s coach on July 29. Sawyers brings 18 years of collegiate coaching experience with him to Southeast. Previous schools at which Sawyers coached include Northwestern Louisiana State, Nebraska, Texas A&M and Kansas State. This is Sawyers’ first Division-I head coaching position.
Sawyers announced the addition of Curt Dixon to his staff as the new pitching coach/recruiting coordinator on Aug. 12. Dixon most recently served as the pitching coach at Eastern Oklahoma in Wilburton, Oklahoma.
Then on Aug. 22, Sawyers announced Craig Ringe as the program’s new hitting coach. The Texas Rangers drafted Ringe in the 2002 MLB Draft in the 23rd round. He played five seasons with the Rangers organization, rising as far as Double-A Frisco. Ringe earned his bachelor's degree in educational studies from the University of Missouri – St. Louis in 2010.
Volunteer assistant, Kinney is filling the role of outfield defense while assisting with pitching and hitting. Kinney spent time playing at Belmont, an Ohio Valley Conference school, and most recently pitched for Florida State.
The Southeast Missouri State baseball team will begins its fall season on Thursday with the new coaching staff in place.
