Missouri Names Ricky Meinhold as New Pitching Coach
In 2022, the Missouri Tigers pitching staff, while not the worst in the SEC, were far from the best. They would finish the season 12th in the SEC with an overall team ERA of 5.58, ahead of only the Georgia Bulldogs and Mississippi State Bulldogs.
As a result, coach Steve Bieser was determined this offseason to bring in a pitching coach that could turn things around for the Tigers. Doing so will be of utmost importance, as competing in the SEC starts with a strong pitching staff.
On Tuesday morning the school announced that the team had found its new pitching coach, naming Ricky Meinhold to the position.
"First of all, this process has been terrific," Bieser said in a statement. "The interest in the pitching coach position and the level of highly-qualified coaches who wanted this job tells me people understand the potential we have to bring back Pitcher U here at Mizzou. Ricky's combination of pitching knowledge, talent evaluation and, most importantly, coaching and relationship building separated him from the pack. He brings a passion for development and the game that will complement our staff well. I am so excited and ready to get to work with Ricky."
Meinhold will come in and work with a young but talented staff, that showed flashes of becoming an elite group of pitchers. He will aim to get the Tigers back to their pitching prominence, as from 2017-19 the Tigers owned one of the elite staffs in the SEC, posting an ERA of 3.75 or better in each season and leading the SEC in league ERA in 2019.
Meinhold most recently spent the past season as the Director of Pitching for the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization. Over the course of 11 years in professional baseball, he has played major roles in pitching, development and scouting.
"I am truly humbled to be a Tiger," Meinhold said. "I'm honored to be on this great staff and have the opportunity to lead the pitching staff in our quest for an SEC title and an opportunity to compete in Omaha. Thank you to coach Bieser and Director of Athletics for the confidence they have in me as the right coach at the right time. My family and I cannot wait to get started and serve these student-athletes, the university and our community. M-I-Z!"
As the Tigers look to return to prominence once again, that must start with the pitching returning to form. Hiring Meinhold is a big step in the right direction, with his hire signaling Missouri's commitment to being competitive in college baseball once again.
You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98
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