The Missouri State Bears baseball team has a new head coach, Joey Hawkins. Hawkins played shortstop for the Bears from 2012-2015 and said he is excited for the opportunity to coach where he played.
“(It's a) dream job for me. Obviously getting this opportunity at such a young age and, you know, I had a lot of really good memories here as a player,” said Hawkins. “And, you know, this place means a lot to me, so to be able to lead the program, like I said, dream job and really excited about the opportunity.”
Hawkins played professionally for the Saint Louis Cardinals for two years before transitioning into coaching. He coached teams like Jefferson College and Saint Louis University, and he was even the hitting coach for the Peoria Chiefs, the High-A affiliate for the Saint Louis Cardinals. Hawkins returned to his alma mater, Missouri State, in 2021 as the hitting coach.
“I just love the intensity and competitiveness of college baseball. It's just a different level of that, and, you know, you get to impact kids off the field a little more as well,” Hawkins said.
During the last three years with Hawkins as the hitting coach, the Bears are ranked 13th nationally in homeruns with 313.
“I think we laid a really good foundation offensively the last three years,” said Hawkins. “You know, myself, Geoff Jiminez, Jeremy Cologna, Tanner Petersen, we run a really good system with the offense.”
The Bears look to continue their offensive domination under first year head coach Joey Hawkins come baseball season of 2025.