New Mizzou baseball coach Steve Bieser hires two assistants

Less than two weeks after he was hired to take the Missouri baseball program’s reins, Steve Bieser started to fill out his coaching staff Tuesday by hiring Patrick Hallmark and Lance Rhodes.

“Both of these guys bring a lot of passion, energy, and talent to our program,” Bieser said in a release from Mizzou athletics. “One goal I had from the beginning was to find guys who have been proven winners throughout their careers and both of these guys have that track record. Another component was to find guys that are versatile and complement each other well.”

Hallmark, who will serve as the Tigers’ pitching coach, joins Bieser’s staff after a successful 11-year run at Rice, including the last four as pitching coach.

The Owls were an NCAA Tournament regional team each season, including three College World Series appearances, and posted a 3.73 team ERA or better each of the last four seasons.

“I am super excited to join Mizzou and coach Bieser’s staff,” Hallmark said. “I’ve heard nothing but great things about him. His offensive teams at Southeast were incredible and I look forward to seeing what we can do together at Mizzou.”

Rice had five pitchers drafted in 2015 and 10 overall during the last four years.

Hallmark, a Houston native and 1995 Royals draft pick, was a hitting instructor and coached catchers and outfielders defensively prior to becoming the pitching coach.

“Being part of the SEC is what every good coach wants,” Hallmark said. “It’s the biggest challenge there is in our profession. It is going to be a step up. It’s going to fun and exciting and we have a lot of work to do, but I am really excited.”

Meanwhile, Rhodes follows Bieser, who was introduced July 1 as Tim Jamieson’s successor, from Southeast Missouri.

Rhodes, a Sikeston, Mo., native, who played at Southeast Missouri, will serve as the recruiting coordinator for Missouri. He had been the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator for Bieser since 2013.

“Being a guy who is from the state of Missouri, having an opportunity to Mizzou, the state’s flagship university, truly is a dream job for me,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes helped lower the Redhawks’ staff ERA from 6.37 to 4.00 ERA last season and coached two Ohio Valley Conference pitchers of the year — two-time winner Joey Lucchesi and Travis Hayes.

Future staff additions are expected to be announced soon.

Tod Palmer: 816-234-4389, @todpalmer

This story was originally published July 12, 2016 at 3:27 PM with the headline "New Mizzou baseball coach Steve Bieser hires two assistants."