Missouri State University, New York Yankees, Aaron Meade, Ross Detwiler -- Missouri State's Meade
Missouri State's Meade Gambles on Extra Season of Work
Aaron Meade knew the legacy of Missouri State starting pitchers advancing to professional baseball when he made the decision to attend MSU. Now he’s positioning himself to join that group.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefthander from Kansas City had a breakout season for the Bears as a sophomore in 2009, going from a 4-3 freshman year to a 9-2 record last spring. He was second in the Missouri Valley Conference in wins, fourth in strikeouts (89) and seventh in earned run average (3.39) and landed a spot on the all-MVC first team. Now, as a junior, he’s the ace of the Bears’ staff.
After the 2009 season, Meade was eligible for the Major League draft and was a 28th-round selection of the New York Yankees.
“At first I was really excited by the draft pick,” Meade recalls, “but I realized I could come back and get better and improve my stock and help our young guys the way I was helped when I first came here.”
Meade picked MSU over Mizzou and Central Missouri and was very aware of Bear starting hurlers joining the pro ranks in recent seasons, including Brett Sinkbeil in 2006 and Ross Detwiler and Scott Carroll in 2007. That group was joined by 2009 MSU pro signees Buddy Baumann and Tim Clubb.
For Meade, the path ahead is simple, both for his own interests and for Coach Keith Guttin’s Bears. “The biggest thing is that if I’m successful, the team will be too, and hopefully we’ll get a win. I want to put us in a position to win every start I make and be more consistent with all four of my pitches. And, I don’t want to worry about the draft. If we can do well as a team and get into a regional, I can let the draft fall where it will.”
Guttin cites the growth Meade has made in his time with the Bears. “We’ve seen Aaron develop both physically and mentally. Coach (Paul) Evans has really done a good job of preparing him to go out and compete and use the tools he has to be successful. He’s a team captain this season and he’s done a great job of providing leadership for our club.”
Meade, who heightened his experience level even more last summer by pitching for the Harwich Mariners of the prestigious Cape Cod League and gaining a spot on the league all-star team, enjoys his role as captain and the opportunity he has to share his knowledge with his teammates. “I look at our young guys like Pierce Johnson and Grant Gordon and Mike Kickham and I see myself two years ago. I want to help them become more consistent like I was helped when I was new here.”
The Cape Cod League whetted Meade’s appetite to get the Bears into postseason play. “There were a lot of big-name players out there,” he says, “who were on college teams that were in the NCAA or got all the way to the College World Series last year and they couldn’t stop talking about what unbelievable experiences they had with that.”
“I want to see us have that experience here at Missouri State,” he concludes.
Missouri State's Meade Gambles on Extra Season of Work
Article from March/April 2010 Issue
Aaron Meade knew the legacy of Missouri State starting pitchers advancing to professional baseball when he made the decision to attend MSU. Now he’s positioning himself to join that group.
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound lefthander from Kansas City had a breakout season for the Bears as a sophomore in 2009, going from a 4-3 freshman year to a 9-2 record last spring. He was second in the Missouri Valley Conference in wins, fourth in strikeouts (89) and seventh in earned run average (3.39) and landed a spot on the all-MVC first team. Now, as a junior, he’s the ace of the Bears’ staff.
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