Lance Rhodes enters his third season on the Mizzou Baseball coaching staff. Brought into the program in 2017 by head coach Steve Bieser, Rhodes has played a pivotal role into the Tigers' strong run the past two years. Mizzou's 70 wins from 2016-17 marked the program's winningest two-year stretch since 2008-09.
Rhodes' 2018 recruiting class at Mizzou has garnered national recognition, including a No. 17 ranking by Collegiate Baseball News, No. 20 ranking by D1Baseball.com and No. 30 ranking from Baseball America. Headlining the class are a pair of Gatorade Players of the Year in Seth Halvorsen (Minnesota) and Luke Mann (Missouri).
Rhodes was a vital part of the success that Southeast Missouri had under Bieser’s direction, serving as the program’s pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. He brought in some of top talent that Southeast Missouri has ever had, including two OVC Pitchers of the Year.
His recruits were a key reason why the Redhawks went from 26 wins in his first year to 37 in his second, 36 in his third and 39 in his fourth, including an NCAA Regional appearance in 2016. His 2014 signing class was the cornerstone of the team’s three consecutive regular season OVC championships (2014-16). He recruited 16 players who went on to earn All-OVC honors over those three campaigns.
Rhodes’ impact as pitching coach was felt quickly as well. He inherited a pitching staff with a combined ERA of 6.37 and lowered it to 4.00 in 2014. The following year, Rhodes guided Southeast Missouri to OVC-bests in ERA and opponent batting.
Rhodes was the primary position coach for a pair of OVC Pitcher of the Year winners – two-time winner Joey Lucchesi and Travis Hayes. Lucchesi was outstanding during his draft year in 2016, posting a 2.19 ERA with 149 strikeouts, averaging 12.08 per nine innings. In 2018, Lucchesi made his MLB debut with the San Diego Padres, turning in a solid rookie campaign with an 8-9 record and 4.08 ERA over 26 starts.
Rhodes, a former pitcher and volunteer assistant coach for the Redhawks returned to Southeast Missouri after serving as assistant coach for three seasons at Wabash Valley College in Illinois. He served as the pitching coach for the Warriors as they compiled 95 wins over a span of two seasons. While at Wabash Valley College he helped lead the Warriors to back-to-back Great Rivers Athletic Conference regular-season titles. The Warriors also won their first conference tournament championship in 14 years in 2010.
In 2012, Wabash Valley recorded a record of 48-13 as they ranked as high as third in the NJCAA Division I polls, their highest national ranking in school history. His pitching staff recorded an impressive ERA of 2.78.
He was also the pitching coach for the Quincy Gems of the Prospect League in the summer of 2009. He led the Gems to a Western Division Championship that season.
Rhodes graduated from Southeast Missouri in 2008 with a degree in general studies with an emphasis in physical education. He made 37 appearances for the Redhawks over two seasons, compiling a 5-5 career record in 67.0 innings pitched. In 2008, he led all Southeast Missouri pitchers with 22 appearances and 43.1 innings pitched.
The Sikeston, Missouri, native received his master’s degree in physical education from Emporia State University. Rhodes and his wife, Brittney, have two sons, Max (3) and Cooper (2).
Rhodes on Joining Mizzou Baseball's Coaching Staff...
“Being a guy who is from the state of Missouri, having an opportunity to join Mizzou, the state’s flagship university, truly is a dream job for me,” Rhodes said. “Being in the Southeastern Conference is an opportunity to compete alongside the best programs in the country and it gives you a chance to work with the best talent in college baseball and that excites me. I'm also really happy that I get the chance to coach at Mizzou with Coach Bieser. I know how much this job means to him and he's someone I'm extremely comfortable with and that will allow for a smooth transition. We have a lot of work to do. It's going to be exciting and I can’t wait to get started.”
