By KY3 Staff
Published: Jun. 4, 2024 at 9:19 AM CDT|Updated: 6 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (Edited News Release/KY3) - Missouri State officially named Joey Hawkins as the school’s third head baseball coach.
The former MSU shortstop and current associate head coach takes the reins from Keith Guttin, who retired after the 2024 campaign following a 42-year career in charge of the Bears.
“I couldn’t be more excited to be chosen to lead the baseball program for my alma mater,” said Hawkins. “I am extremely thankful to Clif Smart, Kyle Moats, and Casey Hunt for the opportunity. I look forward to adding to the legacy and tradition that Coach Rowe and Coach Guttin built. The future is bright for Missouri State Athletics and I’m looking forward to getting to work in my new position.”
Hawkins played shortstop for the Bears from 2012-15 and was a team captain his final two seasons, returned to his alma mater as hitting coach and recruiting coordinator in June 2021, and was promoted to associate head coach one year later.In the three seasons since Hawkins took over as hitting coach, the Bears rank 13th nationally with 313 home runs, including three of the top seven single-season totals in program history and the Nos. 4 and 6 seasons in Missouri Valley Conference history. The Bears have led the Valley in home runs in all three of his seasons on staff while pacing the conference in slugging percentage twice.
“It became apparent to me over the last couple of years that Joey was the obvious choice to replace Coach Guttin,” said MSU Director of Athletics Kyle Moats. “His appreciation for our program’s history and the amount of pride he has in being a Bear will transcend to his recruiting and ability to connect with the community. Joey’s experience at the professional level, along with his understanding of how the modern college game is being approached, were also contributing factors in our decision. He is a team player and will be a great representative of our department.”
Hawkins, 31, has mentored eight players to a total of 10 all-MVC selections, with Spencer Nivens earning Joe Carter MVC Player of the Year honors in 2023 and Zack Stewart picking up the league’s Freshman of the Year award that same season. Both earned Freshman All-America honors during their rookie years as well. In 2024, Caden Bogenpohl set MSU freshman records with 20 home runs and 53 walks.The 2024 Bears hit 114 home runs to end the regular season ranked in the top 10 nationally, second at Missouri State and fourth in MVC history, with six players reaching double figures for just the second time ever at MoState. Dylan Leach, Nick Rodriguez, Stewart, and Bogenpohl each earned all-MVC honors, and the Bears ranked third in school history in walks drawn in addition to their home run prowess.In 2023, Missouri State pounded 89 homers, the sixth-most in school history at the time, and the Bears led the MVC in home runs and slugging percentage. Nivens became the sixth Bear to earn MVC Player of the Year honors and was chosen by Kansas City in the fifth round of the MLB Draft, and Stewart had 12 homers and 61 RBI as the league’s top freshman. Stewart’s RBI total trailed only Ryan Howard (66 in 1999) among true freshmen in school history, while his 32 extra-base hits sat behind only Howard (33) and Jason Hart (36 in 1996) in that category. Classmate Taeg Gollert was close behind with 30 extra-base hits - fourth among true freshmen in MSU history - and his 19 doubles ranked fifth among freshmen nationally.
The Bears bashed 110 home runs in 2022, good for second-most in MSU and fifth in MVC history at the time, ranking 13th nationally in round-trippers and 17th with a .512 slugging percentage while six players drove in at least 49 runs for the NCAA Regional club. Drake Baldwin was an ABCA All-Region First Team pick with 19 homers and 70 RBI, Dakota Kotowski ranked fifth in school history with 24 long balls on the year, and Nivens led the team with a .346 average and ranked in the top six in school history with 71 runs scored and 44 walks. Baldwin became the highest-drafted catcher in school history by going in the third round (96th) overall to Atlanta in the draft, and Kotowski also signed a free-agent contract with Philadelphia.A fan favorite during his time as a Missouri State player, Hawkins spent four seasons with the Bears from 2012-15 and was the MVC Defensive Player of the Year as a senior. He owns the top two single seasons in school history for sacrifice bunts and assists, holds MSU’s career sacrifice record with 62, and led the NCAA in that category during the Bears’ historic 2015 campaign that saw the team earn the No. 8 national seed and win the Springfield Regional on the way to a school-record 49 victories. He started the final 157 games of his MSU career at shortstop.
After college, Hawkins was drafted by St. Louis in the 40th round and spent two years playing professionally, advancing to the Double-A Springfield Cardinals in 2016. He was also drafted out of high school from Whitby, Ontario.Hawkins began his collegiate coaching career in 2017 as the recruiting coordinator and hitting coach at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo., and joined the Division I ranks at Saint Louis University later that year in the same capacity.
During the 2018 season at SLU, Hawkins was an instrumental part of the Billikens club that swept the Atlantic 10 regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the NCAA Tournament. He helped the offense lead in the A-10 in scoring, batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, RBI, and doubles, while the defense posted a .974 fielding percentage.Hawkins returned to professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization in 2019, beginning as a hitting coach in the Gulf Coast League, worked as a hitting coordinator at the Cardinals’ alternate site facility in 2020 with some of the organization’s top prospects, and served as hitting coach for the High-A Peoria Chiefs to start the 2021 season.Hawkins is married to former MSU softball player and three-time all-MVC selection Ashley Brentz, and the couple has two children, daughter Kinsley and son Cooper. He graduated from Missouri State with a sports management degree in December 2015.Hawkins’ contract is a three-year agreement through the 2027 season, with a base salary of $144,000. Additional achievement incentives for NCAA appearances, conference championships, coaching honors, and other standards are also included in the agreement. His hire and contract are contingent upon the approval of the MSU Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting.
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