Every Tuesday morning, we dive deep into the world of local collegiate athletics with the Voice of the Ozarks himself, Corey Riggs, for our weekly Missouri State Report. Today, Ned Reynolds, Scott Puryear, and Art Haines get down to brass tacks regarding the massive roster transformations happening on campus. Between a weekend recruiting explosion at Plaster Stadium and a complete overhaul of the Missouri State Baseball roster via the transfer portal, things are absolutely red hot in Springfield.

A Historic Recruiting Weekend at Plaster Stadium

If you’ve been keeping an eye on social media, you already know that football coach Casey Woods is building something special. We learned that the football program hosted a staggering 48 recruits over the weekend for the class of 2027. In a massive win for the program, a wave of those athletes officially committed before they even walked out the doors of Plaster Stadium or the Forsythe building.

Joey Hawkins Reshapes Baseball Roster in the Portal

With heavy MLB Draft interest surrounding stars like Caden Bogenpohl and Curry Sutherland, Coach Joey Hawkins isn’t sitting on his hands. The transfer portal is wide open, and the Bears have already secured major commitments. We breakdown the addition of Mizzou center fielder Kaden Peer—a defensively elite asset who has a history of robbing home runs—and local Forsyth native Tristan Hunter coming back to the Ozarks from Kentucky. Additionally, the Bears added a massive 6’5″ right-handed power arm in Fisher Cantrell from Jacksonville State. With nearly 50% of the roster turning over, Hawkins is aggressively reloading the roster.

The True Cost of Chasing Omaha

We didn’t shy away from the elephant in the room: the sheer financial powerhouse that is the SEC. Following Oklahoma’s national title run, we discussed how the modern NIL and portal environment allows programs with full coffers to essentially “buy a new team” every off-season. With eight completely different teams making it to Omaha this year compared to last year, the gap between the “haves” and the “have-not” programs continues to widen, fundamentally altering how mid-major programs navigate the landscape.

Lady Bears Non-Conference Schedule Drops

To wrap things up, we got a sneak peek at the newly released Lady Bears non-conference basketball schedule. Circle your calendars for Thanksgiving weekend, because the Lady Bears are heading to Cancun, Mexico, for an MTE tournament to battle top-25 opponent Minnesota. Even closer to home, we’re tracking an exciting road trip to Laramie, Wyoming, where the Lady Bears will face former Kickapoo High School Lady Chiefs legend Heather Ezell and her Cowgirls program.