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After going to the NCAA Tournament three out of the previous four seasons, Missouri State baseball took a step back in 2019.
Missouri State finished 20-36 for one of the worst seasons in the program's decorated history. The Bears have earned the right to have high expectations year after year under head coach Keith Guttin.
Heading into 2020, the Bears are ready to put last season in the past, but they also wanted to make sure they learned from it.
"Last year was a pretty brutal year," senior first baseman Ben Whetstone said. "We continue to preach to our guys that this is a new team and it's a new year. Just because we had one bad year, we still have a lot of talent. We're primed to make a good run and have a good season."
It's not like the Bears aren't capable of having a quick turnaround. With Guttin in charge for his 38th season, there's little doubt he can do it again.
After each season Guttin's squad finished with 20-29 wins, Missouri State has won 33 or more games the next season. This occurrence has happened six times in his career.
Most recently, Missouri State went 26-31 in 2014 before the Bears went 49-12 the following year in a season that ended one win short of reaching the College World Series.
With the Bears opening Friday afternoon at Central Arkansas, here's a look at Missouri State going into the 2020 season:
Last year's freshman pitchers are 'more ready' to play college ball
Missouri State was forced to play a lot of youth during the 2019 season. Although not all of the experience was good, Guttin thinks it will still be valuable heading into this upcoming season.
"Based on what I've seen so far, those freshman pitchers have seen a lot of progress," Guttin said. "They look more ready now to play at this level."
Five active sophomores pitched for the Bears last season — including Nick Schmidt, Hayden Juenger, Logan Thomazin, Petyon Carson and Forrest Barnes — and combined to go 4-14
Dakota Kotowski could be a special hitter
One of the bright spots of the 2019 season was the emergence of outfielder Dakota Kotowski.
Kotowski hit 12 home runs en route to earning Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American honors to go along with the MVC Freshman of the Year and first-team All-MVC nods.
"It's real power," Guttin said. "It's not metal bat or muscular power. He's got great bat speed and power. He's going to be a middle-of-the-order run producer for us."
His 12 home runs topped the four home runs Jake Burger hit and the nine Jeremy Eierman hit during their freshman years. D1Baseball projects Kotowski as the third-best prospect in the MVC in the 2021 draft.
Ty Buckner is injured again
After rupturing his Achilles tendon in the days leading up to the 2019 season, right-handed pitcher Ty Buckner finds himself sidelined once again.
While his Achilles has healed, Buckner suffered a medial sprain to his pitching elbow and will be out for an anticipated 8-10 weeks.
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Buckner figured to compete for the No. 1 spot in the Bears' pitching rotation upon his return. The St. Louis native was a second-team All-MVC pick as a freshman in 2018.
"He's never had an arm problem," Guttin said. "That's baseball."
Mason Auer will be a two-way player
Kickapoo product Mason Auer passed on signing with the Chicago Cubs to play at Missouri State, and he's going to have an opportunity to both pitch and play in the outfield.
Auer was selected in the 39th round of the 2019 MLB Draft on June 5 with the 1,182nd overall pick by the Cubs. By choosing to go to college, he won't be eligible for the MLB Draft until 2022.
MSU baseball:Kickapoo star Mason Auer to play at Missouri State, pass on starting pro career with Cubs
He signed with his hometown university during November's early signing period while coming off earning Class 5 All-State recognition as a utility player and leading Kickapoo to a district championship. Auer gave his verbal commitment to MSU during his sophomore year.
Guttin anticipates the righty to contribute out of the bullpen during his freshman season with the Bears. He's liked his bat during intrasquad games and has been impressed with his defensive ability in the outfield.
Logan Geha will replace Drew Millas behind the plate
Senior catcher Logan Geha will be tasked with replacing one of the better players in Missouri State's recent history.
Drew Millas was drafted by the Oakland Athletics in the seventh round following the 2019 season.
Millas was behind the plate for two NCAA Tournament teams — one coming in his freshman year when the Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament Super Regionals and the other ending in the Oxford Regional during the 2018 NCAA Tournament.
Geha has some big shoes to fill, but he's proven to be capable of doing so in recent years while getting time behind the plate as Millas' backup.
He has a career .980 fielding percentage and he saw some improvement during his junior year while making 53 starts as either a catcher, second baseman or left fielder.
Geha batted .197 with five home runs and 21 RBI in 183 at-bats.
"Geha is a really good defensive catcher," Guttin said. "He's played a lot over the last few years. He's certainly ready to move in and be the No. 1 guy."
Names you should get to know
Peyton Carson — The first name out of both Guttin and Whetstone's mouths when asked about under-the-radar players was Carson's.
Carson is a left-handed pitcher who made 10 mound appearances as a true freshman. Six of his appearances left opponents scoreless.
In 10.2 innings pitched as a reliever, Carson finished with nine strikeouts. He's listed as the Bears' Sunday pitcher in the team's opening weekend rotation.
"He's taken a step," Whetstone said. "He's really looked strong for us."
Hayden Juenger — Following the departure of Connor Sechler, it will be Juenger who takes over for the Bears as their closer.
The right-handed sophomore made 26 appearances for the Bears in 2020 and finished with a 4.58 ERA in 57 innings. Opponents had a .245 batting average against him.
Hayden Minton — The other Hayden that has been impressive through the offseason has been Hayden Minton.
Minton is a freshman right-handed pitcher who only allowed four earned runs in a year in which he earned Oklahoma District 5A-4 Player of the Year honors. He was ranked as the No. 9 prep standout in Oklahoma by Prep Baseball Report.
D1Baseball ranks Minton as the No. 1 impact freshman in the MVC. He is listed as the Bears' Saturday pitcher in the opening weekend rotation.
Drake Baldwin — Another freshman to keep an eye on is Baldwin, who made an appearance in the Bears' starting lineup as a designated hitter during MSU's fall game against Wichita State.
Baldwin is a catcher, but with Geha taking the starting role this season, you can expect the freshman in a DH role along with the backup catcher spot this season.
Guttin said he's been impressed by Baldwin's bat. He was rated as the No. 4 overall recruit in the Class of 2019 in Wisconsin. D1Baseball ranks him as the No. 6 impact freshmen in the Valley this upcoming season.
Trey Ziegenbein — The right-handed pitcher joins Missouri State after a season at Johnson County (Kansas) Community College.
Ziegenbein had 10 wins and a 2.64 ERA to earn Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Freshman of the Year recognition last season.
He struck out 109 batters and limited opponents to a .228 batting average.
Before his standout freshman year, he was forced to redshirt after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery.
Leadership is as strong as ever
Nine position players who saw consistent playing time in 2019 will return to the Bears this season, and the veteran leadership should be as strong as ever.
Whetstone, Geha, John Privitera, Jack Duffy, Logan Wiley and Collin Clayton will lead a strong senior class this season.
"The group we have this year is a really tight group," Whetstone said. "We don't really have anyone who's a cancer to the locker room. Everyone is going to play for the guy next to them and we have a group of strong leaders this year who have experienced a lot."
Ben Cruikshank will miss the season
The No. 1 Valley pro prospect in the 2021 draft will miss the season as he undergoes Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his ulnar collateral ligament.
Cruikshank is a sophomore left-hander who made 12 appearances in 2019 including four starts. He had a 9.13 ERA and allowed a .294 opponent batting average.
Other things to know
Fall starting lineup vs. Wichita State on Oct. 5
Pitching rotation vs. Wichita State on Oct. 5
Logan Wiley (3 innings)
Hayden Minton (2 innings)
Ben Cruikshank (1 inning)
Trey Ziegenbein (2 innings)
Nick Schmidt (2 innings)
Hayden Juenger (2 innings)
Logan Thomazin (Walnut Grove)
Coaches Preseason MVC Poll
Jack Butler, Illinois State
Joe Butler, Illinois State
Max Wright, Indiana State
Jordan Libman, Illinois State
Jack Duffy, Missouri State
Dakota Kotowski, Missouri State
Colton Johnson, Illinois State
Collin Liberatore, Indiana State
Tyler Grauer, Indiana State
Returning 2019 batting stats
Duffy -.305avg, 54gs, 197ab, 32r, 60h, 13(2b), 1(3b), 1hr, 20rbi, .392ob%, 27so
Kotowski - .288avg, 38gs, 139ab, 27r, 40h, 4(2b), 12hr, 29rbi, .381ob%, 52so
Privitera - .250avg, 56gs, 212ab, 28r, 53h, 11(2b), 3(3b), 1hr, 25rbi, .332ob%, 43so
Herron - .244avg, 30gs, 119ab, 15r, 29h, 5(2b), 2hr, 19rbi, .336ob%, 40so
Whetstone - .240avg, 56gs, 204ab, 36r, 49h, 11(2b), 7hr, 32rbi, .357ob%, 41so
Polak - .218avg, 46gs, 170ab, 24r, 37h, 6(2b), 8hr, 27rbi, .394ob%, 73so
Geha - .197avg, 53gs, 183ab, 34r, 36h, 8(2b), 1(3b), 5hr, 21rbi, .330ob%, 58so
Hull - .196avg, 50gs, 153ab, 19r, 30h, 10(2b), 1(3b), 4hr, 24rbi, .292ob%, 44so
Clayton - .195avg, 25gs, 82ab, 16h, 1(2b), 2(3b), 1hr, 4rbi, .313ob%, 18so
Returning 2019 pitching stats
Wiley - 3.67era, 5-5, 15app, 15gs, 92h, 37er, 82so, .261avg
Juenger - 4.58era, 2-5, 26app, 3gs, 52h, 29er, 54so, .245avg
Barnes - 6.55era, 1-3, 11app, 7gs, 33h, 24er, 25so, .266avg
Thomazin - 6.68era, 1-3, 13app, 4gs, 30h, 24er, 34so, .256avg
Schmidt - 8.42era, 0-3, 19app, 3gs, 33h, 29er, 25so, .277avg
Cruikshank - 9.13era, 0-2, 12app, 4gs, 25h, 23er, 17so, .294avg
Witherspoon - 10.19era, 1-0, 14app, 26h, 20er, 16so, .366avg
Carson - 13.50era, 0-0, 10app, 20h, 16er, 9so, ..408avg
Not on 2020 roster after being on 2019 roster
2020 Missouri State baseball schedule
Feb. 14, 3 p.m. - @ Central Arkansas
Feb. 15, 1 p.m. - @ Central Arkansas
Feb. 16, 1 p.m. - @ Central Arkansas
Feb. 20, 3 p.m. - @ Austin Peay
Feb. 21, 4 p.m. - @ Belmont
Feb. 22, 2 p.m. - @ Lipscomb
Feb. 23, 1 p.m. - @ Middle Tennessee State
Feb. 25, 3 p.m. - @ Oral Roberts
Feb. 28, 6:30 p.m. - @ Rice
Feb. 29, 2 p.m. - @ Rice
March 1, 1 p.m. - @ Rice
March 3, 3 p.m. - @ Oklahoma State
March 6, 3 p.m. - Maine
March 7, 2 p.m. - Maine
March 8, 1 p.m. - Maine
March 10, 3 p.m. - Oral Roberts
March 11, 3 p.m. - SIU Edwardsville
March 13, 8 p.m. - @ UC Irvine
March 14, 8 p.m. - @ UC Irvine
March 15, 3 p.m. - @ UC Irvine
March 18, 3 p.m. - Alabama
March 20, 3 p.m. - San Jose State
March 21, 2 p.m. - San Jose State
March 22, 11 a.m. - San Jose State
March 24, 6:30 p.m. - Arkansas State
March 25, 3 p.m. - Arkansas State
March 27, 6 p.m. - @ Bradley
March 28, 2 p.m. - @ Bradley
March 29, 1 p.m. - @ Bradley
March 31, 6:30 p.m. - Kansas
April 3, 6:30 p.m. - Illinois State
April 4, 2 p.m. - Illinois State
April 5, 1 p.m. - Illinois State
April 7, 6 p.m. - @ Kansas
April 9, 6:30 p.m. - Southern
April 10, 6:30 p.m. - Southern
April 11, 2 p.m. - Southern
April 13, 6:30 p.m. - SEMO
April 14, 6:30 p.m. - @ Arkansas
April 17, 1 p.m. - Evansville
April 18, 5 p.m. - Evansville
April 19, 11:30 a.m. - Evansville
April 21, 6:30 p.m. - @ Mizzou
April 24, 6:30 p.m. - @ DBU
April 25, 2 p.m. - @ DBU
April 26, 1 p.m. - @ DBU
April 28, 6:30 p.m. - Mizzou
May 1, 6:30 p.m. - Southern Illinois
May 2, 2 p.m. - Southern Illinois
May 3, 1 p.m. - Southern Illinois
May 8, 3 p.m. - @ Valparaiso
May 9, 1 p.m. - @ Valparaiso
May 10, 12 p.m. - @ Valparaiso
May 14, 5:30 p.m. - @ Indiana State
May 15, 5:30 p.m. - @ Indiana State
May 16, 1 p.m. - @ Indiana State
May 19-23 - MVC Tournament (Carbondale, Illinois)
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or join the conversation on Twitter where his handle is @WyattWheeler_NL. You can also sign up for his free "Bears Beat" newsletter by subscribing on News-Leader.com.
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