OPINION|
As we open the book on the 2024 local college and professional sports year, a couple of big changes are coming as a pair of spring sports coaching icons are prepping for one final season.
Keith Guttin formally announced in November that the upcoming season — his 42nd as Missouri State’s head baseball coach — will be his last. It sets the stage to make the Bears’ season a must-see at Hammons Field and tops my list of what to watch in the year ahead.
With 1,373 victories since 1983, Guttin is 12th among the all-time leaders in college baseball coaching wins and second for active coaches. He also ranks a unanimous No. 1 among those who attempt to deflect attention from himself.
“The players come first,” Guttin, 68, said at the time he announced his retirement plans. The man who’s coached six Major League Baseball first-round draft choices and 21 future big-leaguers could have used Missouri State as a stepping stone but never did.
Guttin played for Bill Rowe starting in 1975 and came back as head coach when Rowe was promoted to athletic director in 1983. He said it wasn’t about the prestige of coaching in a major conference or making more money.
“If you like where you’re working with the people and you like where you’re living, to me that’s the two most important things beyond attaching yourself to a certain name of an institution or making a little bit more money,” Guttin said. “My wife, I met her here. She was working at the university. All three daughters went to school here. We’re pretty ingrained.
“I’ve been here since 1975. This is our home.”
The Bears are expected to have a team ready to contend for one more Missouri Valley Conference championship and one more NCAA Tournament berth. Guttin has guided the program to postseason play 12 times and a 13th would make for a heck of a story.
“I like it a lot,” Guttin said of the Bears’ roster. “I like the makeup, the character, the work ethic. Obviously every year at this time I say that, but I think it’s a really good group.”
The transition to a new era should be smooth. Associate head coach Joey Hawkins and pitching coach Nick Petree both are former Missouri State stars who have recruited the entire roster. It won’t be a surprise to anyone if Hawkins officially is named as Guttin’s successor prior to the season.
Missouri State opens its season Feb. 16 at Louisiana-Monroe. The home opener is March 1 against Arkansas State. The Bears’ final home series, May 16-18 against Southern Illinois, will provide fans a final chance to pay tribute to Guttin at Hammons Field.
The thought of a Keith Guttin Day at Hammons Field seems like a great idea, except to the man himself.
“I haven’t thought about it yet, honestly,” Guttin said of what he anticipates the final season will be like on a personal level. “When I got here as a 27-year-old I didn’t think about the future, I thought about the next day. Then when you get into the competition part and the only thing ever on your mind is the next game, not the one that ended 10 minutes ago.
“That’s kind of how we’ve approached it all these years.”
Here are some other local sports storylines to watch in 2024:
Another coaching finale on the diamond
The spring also will see another long-time Missouri State coach calling it a career. Holly Hesse announced in the fall that her 36th season as softball coach will be her last.
Hesse celebrated career win No. 900 late last season at home against Southern Illinois, becoming one of 19 active Division I coaches with at least 900 wins. She enters 2024 with 903 victories (most in Missouri Valley Conference history) while leading Missouri State to six NCAA Tournament appearances.
The softball Bears had their first undefeated home season in school history last season, going 15-0. They’ll open the 2024 schedule Feb. 8 against Clemson in Clearwater, Fla., with the home opener set for March 12 against Southern Illinois.
Basketball Bears, Lady Bears and the MVC
Both of Missouri State’s basketball teams enter the new year as potential contenders for Missouri Valley Conference championships, but in order to reach the NCAA Tournament it will take winning their respective conference tournaments during March.
Coach Dana Ford’s Bears are 9-4 overall and 1-1 in the Valley after finishing off the 2023 portion of the schedule with a big road win at St. Mary’s. Eighteen conference games await, beginning on Jan. 3 against long-time nemesis Northern Iowa. Missouri State is 2-8 against the Panthers under Ford, including 0-5 at Great Southern Bank Arena.
The Bears’ nucleus of Donovan Clay, Alston Mason and Chance Moore is as good a trio as any in the Valley. A key will be getting point guard Matthew Lee back from a wrist injury and having him settle into a role as distributor and on-floor leader.
The Lady Bears also have plenty of upside after navigating the non-conference portion of their schedule 6-3, with a three-game winning streak headed into a Dec. 30 league opener against preseason favorite Northern Iowa.
Coach Beth Cunningham’s team improved throughout last season and if that happens again, they’ll be in the mix at the right time. With three home games to begin league play, it’s a great opportunity to set the early pace.
Summer nights at Hammons Field
One of the biggest local sports stories of 2023 occurred early when the City of Springfield purchased Hammons Field and a new lease agreement was signed to keep the Springfield Cardinals as primary tenant through at least 2038.
The Double-A Cardinals open their 20th season at home on April 9 against the Wichita Wind Surge. Top pitching prospect Tink Hence will be a player to watch as he will be expected to take a big step forward in 2024 after some inconsistency in his half season with Springfield in 2023.
Look for left-handed starting pitcher Cooper Hjerpe (the Cardinals’ 2022 first-round draft choice) and outfielder Chase Davis (2023 first-rounder) as two more for fans to pay close attention to.
Bowling’s best in the world returning
Professional bowling’s best return to Springfield’s Enterprise Park Lanes for a second straight year, Feb. 12-18 for the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic. This year, the five finalists will compete in the $25,000-to-win finals live on Fox Sports 1 to determine the champion.
Hometown pro Keven Williams nearly wrote a storybook ending last year, earning the No. 1 seed for the finals before losing to Australia’s Sam Cooley.
Football (indoors and out)
The debut of the Ozarks Lunkers in The Arena League is set for June 1 at the new Wilson Logistics Arena at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. The Lunkers face Waterloo in the first of four home games.
Season Two of the Ryan Beard coaching era at Missouri State begins Aug. 31 when the Bears play at Montana. The Bears got a huge lift recently when all-conference receiver Raylen Sharpe announced that he would return to Missouri State after initially entering the transfer portal.
Another rugged schedule awaits with road games at Ball State and UT Martin, in addition to FCS finalist Montana. A home game with Lindenwood on Sept. 14 should provide a break before the annual gauntlet of Valley play.
Much of Beard’s offseason will be spent beefing up the defense as the Bears gave up more than 30 points seven times during a 4-7 season.
