Summer Letter from AD Kyle Moats
June 08, 2022 | General
Dear Bears Fans:
Another year has concluded for Missouri State Athletics, and what a year it was! Our success on the field and in the classroom was remarkable, and it's so easy to be proud on our achievements.
As you read my summer letter and all the great things going on at Missouri State, I ask that you please consider buying season tickets. It is the most cost-effective way you can help our programs be successful.
Later this summer, we will be unveiling a new basketball and football ticketing strategy we have been working on for quite some time. I can assure you it will be a simpler, more affordable and more fan-friendly approach to our ticketing goals. It is paramount for our sustained success that fans invest in our programs by purchasing season tickets, donating to the Bears Fund, developing our growing list of corporate partners or being involved with our "collectives," which I explain later in this letter. Winning requires all of us to increase our current giving levels and adapt to the changing landscape of Division I athletics. We appreciate everyone's support, and your enthusiasm for the great things happening at Missouri State.
The NCAA's "transfer portal" has been a hot topic of late, and this era of "free agency" in college athletics looks like it is here to stay. We have benefited from the portal, and we have also been adversely affected by it. Student-athlete "rights" have been thrust into our daily workflow, and we must adjust to the changing landscape, despite some growing pains. It will take time to get to get to know new players, and it will become less and less common for athletes to stay in one place for four years. However, we will do our best to make sure our fans can connect with new faces, stay true to our brand, and help support the student-athletes who are competing for us.
Likewise, "NIL" has also burst onto the scene in the last year, allowing student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image or likeness. These agreements require a signed agreement between the student-athlete and vendor as well as filing the contract with the institution. There is little uniformity around the NCAA, and many states are creating their own variations of NIL laws. This lack of uniformity is causing competitive inequities, and many institutions have created what are called "Collectives," -- groups of individuals or businesses that combine resources to collect NLI money for the student-athletes. The collectives then decide how much and how often to pay student-athletes for whatever services are outlined in the contract. The intent of the NIL movement was to pay current student-athletes for their services, not to create a recruiting enticement. As I'm sure you've heard, the recruiting aspect of NIL is quickly and dangerously encroaching into the recruiting realm.
Missouri State currently has two "collectives" in existence. If you would like to know more about these, please contact our compliance office to see how you can assist. As we further determine our NIL strategy based on existing state laws and NCAA rules, we will continue to keep you posted and ask for help in this area. Again, the intent of NIL is to allow for compensation, not as a recruiting incentive.
That Championship Season
This is the first time in our history we have made it to the postseason in football (NCAA), men's soccer (NCAA), women's basketball (NCAA), men's basketball (NIT), softball (NCAA) and baseball (NCAA). Additionally, women's swimming and diving once again claimed the MVC conference title and sent its first-ever national qualifier to the NCAA meet. We also had one NCAA qualifier in indoor track and two more in outdoor track. Missouri State finished as runners-up in the MVC All-Sport Trophy standings for the second year in a row, which speaks volumes to the great level of success we had on our campus. Our goal is to always win that trophy, but we will continue to strive to be the best in a broad-based athletics program we can be.
Additional Notes of Interest
We have a lot of exciting things in the works for our future. In 2023, we will have two new HD scoreboards installed at Great Southern Bank Arena and Plaster Stadium. These boards are in addition to the new HD board recently installed at Killian Softball Stadium. With these new boards, we will have invested approximately 2.7 million dollars for these upgrades with the help of the Missouri State University Foundation.
I'm also excited to be partnering with Springfield Public Schools to build a throws area at Parkview High School, not far from campus. This shared area will help our track and field program as well as local high schools have a competition-ready area for our javelin and discus events, which gives us the ability to host a full home meet for the first time in years. This is long overdue, and I can't thank university President Clif Smart and the university enough for helping make this happen.
We also welcome some new coaches to Missouri State this fall. Former tennis standout Ellie Burger returns to lead our women's tennis program. Kirk Nelson will take over the reins of our women's soccer program, as he replaces Rob Brewer who just retired after starting our program in 1996. And as I mentioned previously, we also welcome new coaches Michael Seabolt as our men's soccer head coach and Beth Cunningham as our new women's basketball head coach.
It has been a busy and successful year. To our student-athletes, please recharge your batteries and enjoy the summer. To our staff who really worked overtime on the heels of COVID 19, hosting two spring championships, and attending all the postseason events, take some time to spend with your family and loved ones. I can't thank you enough for the amazing year we have had. I'm excited for what 2022-23 has to offer. I can already smell the tailgating grills cooking, the band playing, and the sound of the cannon at kickoff on September 8! Go Bears!!!
Another year has concluded for Missouri State Athletics, and what a year it was! Our success on the field and in the classroom was remarkable, and it's so easy to be proud on our achievements.
As you read my summer letter and all the great things going on at Missouri State, I ask that you please consider buying season tickets. It is the most cost-effective way you can help our programs be successful.
Later this summer, we will be unveiling a new basketball and football ticketing strategy we have been working on for quite some time. I can assure you it will be a simpler, more affordable and more fan-friendly approach to our ticketing goals. It is paramount for our sustained success that fans invest in our programs by purchasing season tickets, donating to the Bears Fund, developing our growing list of corporate partners or being involved with our "collectives," which I explain later in this letter. Winning requires all of us to increase our current giving levels and adapt to the changing landscape of Division I athletics. We appreciate everyone's support, and your enthusiasm for the great things happening at Missouri State.
The NCAA's "transfer portal" has been a hot topic of late, and this era of "free agency" in college athletics looks like it is here to stay. We have benefited from the portal, and we have also been adversely affected by it. Student-athlete "rights" have been thrust into our daily workflow, and we must adjust to the changing landscape, despite some growing pains. It will take time to get to get to know new players, and it will become less and less common for athletes to stay in one place for four years. However, we will do our best to make sure our fans can connect with new faces, stay true to our brand, and help support the student-athletes who are competing for us.
Likewise, "NIL" has also burst onto the scene in the last year, allowing student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image or likeness. These agreements require a signed agreement between the student-athlete and vendor as well as filing the contract with the institution. There is little uniformity around the NCAA, and many states are creating their own variations of NIL laws. This lack of uniformity is causing competitive inequities, and many institutions have created what are called "Collectives," -- groups of individuals or businesses that combine resources to collect NLI money for the student-athletes. The collectives then decide how much and how often to pay student-athletes for whatever services are outlined in the contract. The intent of the NIL movement was to pay current student-athletes for their services, not to create a recruiting enticement. As I'm sure you've heard, the recruiting aspect of NIL is quickly and dangerously encroaching into the recruiting realm.
Missouri State currently has two "collectives" in existence. If you would like to know more about these, please contact our compliance office to see how you can assist. As we further determine our NIL strategy based on existing state laws and NCAA rules, we will continue to keep you posted and ask for help in this area. Again, the intent of NIL is to allow for compensation, not as a recruiting incentive.
That Championship Season
This is the first time in our history we have made it to the postseason in football (NCAA), men's soccer (NCAA), women's basketball (NCAA), men's basketball (NIT), softball (NCAA) and baseball (NCAA). Additionally, women's swimming and diving once again claimed the MVC conference title and sent its first-ever national qualifier to the NCAA meet. We also had one NCAA qualifier in indoor track and two more in outdoor track. Missouri State finished as runners-up in the MVC All-Sport Trophy standings for the second year in a row, which speaks volumes to the great level of success we had on our campus. Our goal is to always win that trophy, but we will continue to strive to be the best in a broad-based athletics program we can be.
- Football once again qualified for the NCAA FCS Playoffs, marking back-to-back playoff appearances for the Bears for the first time since 1989 and 1990. Coach Petrino and his staff finished 8-4 last season, were conference runners-up, and are ranked in the top five in the NATION in the preseason polls for the upcoming season! Come this fall, I hope you will buy season tickets and encourage others to come out and enjoy the atmosphere and team. Opening night is Thursday, September 8 at 7 p.m. in a playoff rematch against UT Martin. BearFest Village and tailgating will be in full force Thursday afternoon, so adjust your work schedule now and let's pack Plaster Stadium! Men's soccer continued its winning ways, earning the MVC Tournament title and hosting Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. After a long and storied career, coach Jon Leamy retired and long-time associate coach Mike Seabolt takes over this fall. I expect our team to continue its championship success.
- Women's Basketball had another successful season, finishing second in the MVC earning an at-large berth in the NCAA Championship. They defeated Florida State in the opening round and nearly defeated Ohio State in the next round. Coach Mox departed for an opportunity at Virginia, and we hit the jackpot with Beth Cunningham, a former head coach at VCU and long-time assistant at Notre Dame and Duke. You will really enjoy Coach Cunningham, and we hope you'll join us for a breakfast at Great Southern Bank Arena (Prime Overtime Club) on Tuesday, June 28 starting at 8 a.m. Admission is free.
- Men's Basketball has been very busy in the off season. Coach Ford has done an exceptional job navigating the transfer portal after coming off a 23-win season, second-place finish in the Valley, and an NIT berth. We had two first-team All-MVC players in Gage Prim and Isiaih Moseley.
- Softball had a very solid year, finishing second in the MVC regular season and then winning the MVC Conference Tournament here in Springfield which qualified us for the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2011. Steffany Dickerson was named MVC Pitcher of the Year, while the Bears went on to get an NCAA win with a victory over the No. 2 regional seed Illinois.
- Baseball had an unbelievable finish by winning the MVC Conference Tournament here at Hammons Field. By winning the conference tournament, we represented the Valley as the automatic NCAA qualifier and earned a win over Grand Canyon in the Stillwater Regional. Coach Guttin pushed all the right buttons along the way to peak at the right time of the season.
- Our first-ever women's NCAA qualifier in swimming was Anna Miller who leaves the program as the most-decorated swimmer in our history. She holds school records in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, and 100-yard butterfly, while winning 27 MVC gold medals in her career, including 11 individual events and 16 relays.
- Congratulations are also in order to NCAA outdoor track qualifiers Rochelle Etienne (MVC champion in the javelin), and triple jumper Jamilah James for their incredible seasons and careers. Likewise, Madison Meredith concluded her career at the NCAA Indoor Championships in March, finishing 15th in the 60-meter dash to earn second-team All-America honors!
Additional Notes of Interest
We have a lot of exciting things in the works for our future. In 2023, we will have two new HD scoreboards installed at Great Southern Bank Arena and Plaster Stadium. These boards are in addition to the new HD board recently installed at Killian Softball Stadium. With these new boards, we will have invested approximately 2.7 million dollars for these upgrades with the help of the Missouri State University Foundation.
I'm also excited to be partnering with Springfield Public Schools to build a throws area at Parkview High School, not far from campus. This shared area will help our track and field program as well as local high schools have a competition-ready area for our javelin and discus events, which gives us the ability to host a full home meet for the first time in years. This is long overdue, and I can't thank university President Clif Smart and the university enough for helping make this happen.
We also welcome some new coaches to Missouri State this fall. Former tennis standout Ellie Burger returns to lead our women's tennis program. Kirk Nelson will take over the reins of our women's soccer program, as he replaces Rob Brewer who just retired after starting our program in 1996. And as I mentioned previously, we also welcome new coaches Michael Seabolt as our men's soccer head coach and Beth Cunningham as our new women's basketball head coach.
It has been a busy and successful year. To our student-athletes, please recharge your batteries and enjoy the summer. To our staff who really worked overtime on the heels of COVID 19, hosting two spring championships, and attending all the postseason events, take some time to spend with your family and loved ones. I can't thank you enough for the amazing year we have had. I'm excited for what 2022-23 has to offer. I can already smell the tailgating grills cooking, the band playing, and the sound of the cannon at kickoff on September 8! Go Bears!!!
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