Grizzly Baseball has announced the hiring of Max Bates as the programs new assistant coach. Bates officially joined the staff in June.
A native of Columbia, Missouri, Bates is a former standout at Hickman High School. He pitched more than 200 innings over a five-year collegiate career. He spent three seasons at North Arkansas College in Harrison, where he earned NJCAA All-American honors following the 2022 season. In 2023, he posted a 2.94 earned run average over 67.1 innings.
He concluded his playing career at Blue Mountain Christian University in Blue Mountain, Mississippi, where he led the team with 78.1 innings pitched in 14 starts during his lone season.
Bates earned an associate degree from North Arkansas College, where he was named twice to the NJCAA Academic All-American Team. At Blue Mountain, he completed a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and earned recognition on the Southern States Athletic Conference All-Academic Team.
He joins the Grizzly Baseball staff under the direction of Head Coach Kadem Tharp and assistant coaches Jake Woods and Bo Crites.
For more information about Grizzly Athletics, visit WP.MissouriState.edu/Grizzly.
