Steve Bever
Head Baseball Coach
Steve Bever enters his 21st season as head coach of the Pittsburg State University baseball program.
Starting literally from scratch in 1991, Bever has hand crafted the Gorilla baseball program into one of the most successful programs in the South Central Region of the NCAA Division II ranks.
Bever’s formula for success has been an impressive one. He resurrected a defunct program in 1991, weathered the tough times early on in building the program from the ground up, then led the program’s emergence onto the national scene with four NCAA Division II Regional appearances in a six-year span (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002).
He enters the 2011 campaign with a 525-471 (.527) career record.
The early signs that Pitt State would make its mark in Division II baseball came when the Gorillas posted a 30-win season in 1994 – just four years into the entire process. Pitt State narrowly missed qualifying for the NCAA-II Regionals that year.
After a pair of .500 seasons followed, Bever engineered PSU’s breakthrough season in 1997. The Gorillas rolled to a school-record 39 wins that year and earned the school’s first trip to NCAA-II post season play. The Gorillas advanced all the way to the Central Regional finals before being upended a game away from reaching the Division II World Series.
The Gorillas returned to the NCAA-II Central Regional each of the next two years, enjoying 36-win seasons both times. In 1999, PSU captured its first MIAA title and the Gorillas again came a game away from reaching the Division II World Series.
In 2002, Pitt State matched its school record 39-win total and returned to the NCAA-II Central Regional for a fourth time in a 39-19 campaign. The Gorillas have narrowly missed the NCAA-II Regionals each of the last six seasons.
Since 1994, Pittsburg State has averaged 29 victories per season.
The Bever Chronology
Bever, a four-year starter at Pitt State from 1966-69 under coach Al Ortolani, assumed the head coaching duties of the Gorilla program in February of 1990, when university officials elected to bring back the national past-time to the PSU campus. (PSU had fielded a team from 1962-72, but discontinued the program prior to the 1973 season due to budget restraints.)
After a 19-year absence, Bever led the Gorillas into their first season of competition as a member of the MIAA and NCAA Division II.
The Gorillas posted a 15-32 record that year, including a 5-9 mark in the MIAA South Division.
In 1992, PSU notched a 17-26 overall mark. The Gorillas went 7-5 in MIAA South Division play, but missed qualifying for the four-team conference playoffs by 1/2 game.
In 1993, Bever led PSU to a 15-18 overall record, including a 7-8 mark in the MIAA South. The Gorillas jumped out to a 7-3 start in conference play, before dropping their last five league games.
In 1994, Bever directed the Gorillas to a 30-20 season, including a 12-5 mark in the MIAA South and the program’s first post-season berth since 1965. The Gorillas won their first-ever post-season games, sweeping two games from intrastate rival Emporia State in the first-round of the MIAA Tournament at Jaycee Park.
PSU then came an out away from upsetting perennial national power Missouri Southern, before falling, 8-7, and the Gorillas trailed eventual national champion Central Missouri by just a run after 7 1/2 innings before losing a hard fought 7-4 decision to end the season.
In 1995, PSU posted a 22-22 overall record and qualified for competition in the MIAA Tournament with a 10-10 MIAA South mark. The Gorillas bowed out of the playoffs in the first-round, dropping a 2-1 series decision to Northwest Missouri. PSU dropped a pair of one-run losses to the Bearcats after winning the first game of the three-game set. PSU lost a total of 10 games by two runs or less that year.
In 1996, PSU overcame a 4-9 start to finish the season with a 23-25 overall record. The Gorillas posted their first modern-era victory against a Division I opponent with a thrilling 14-12 win against the University of Kansas Jayhawks at Lawrence. PSU won four of its last six MIAA games to finish with an 11-7 conference mark and qualify for the MIAA Tournament.
In 1997, PSU enjoyed its best season ever, setting a school record for wins (39). The Gorillas victories included a 4-1 win against Division I Southwest Missouri, during a stretch when they won 24 of 28 games. PSU earned its first-ever national ranking in ’97, finishing the season 24th in the final poll.
PSU also virtually rewrote its record books, batting a whopping .364 as a team.
Despite bowing out of the MIAA Tournament in the semifinals, PSU still earned its first NCAA-II post-season berth, and the Gorillas made the most of their opportunity.
Marc Eddington, an All-America basketball player, pitched the Gorillas to a 5-3 win against Minnesota State in the opening round, before PSU fell twice to MIAA rival Central Missouri to end its season.
In 1998, Bever’s Gorillas replicated their success. After opening the season 1-4, PSU won 11 of their next 13 games. PSU added an 11-game winning streak between March 26 and April 11 pushing its record to 26-9, and the Gorillas closed out the regular season by winning their final eight games to improve to 36-12.
After an early exit from the MIAA Tournament, PSU’s 36-14 record earned the Gorillas a second straight trip to the NCAA-II Central Regional. MIAA rival UCM took a 10-2 decision against PSU and the Gorillas were unable to come back through the losers’ bracket the next day, dropping a 7-5 decision to Winona State.
In 1999, PSU won its first-ever MIAA title in dramatic fashion. Needing to capture the conference championship to earn a third trip to the NCAA-II Regionals, PSU went 5-0 in the conference tournament to claim the league title. The Gorillas exorcised a demon by beating UCM for the first time in 15 tries to sew up the league title.
PSU then posted a 2-2 record in the Central Regional. After posting a win over Minnesota State, PSU lost a grueling 11-inning game to Rockhurst. The Gorillas bounced back with a second straight win over UCM, but PSU was unable to beat Rockhurst and the Hawks eliminated the Gorillas, 6-2, in the regional final to halt PSU’s season.
In 2000, the Gorillas posted a 29-21 overall record and in 2001 PSU faltered down the stretch and finished 26-25 overall.
In 2002, Bever meshed new talent and guided the Gorillas to a fourth appearance in the NCAA-II Central Regional. PSU started the season 3-3, but the Gorillas tied a school record with 12 straight wins to begin to assert themselves.
PSU concluded the regular season with a 36-17 record, and, after the MIAA Tournament was scrapped due to inclement weather, the Gorillas advanced to the Central Regional.
The Gorillas sandwiched a 7-5 win over Nebraska-Omaha in between a pair of losses to MIAA nemesis Central Missouri before bowing out of the regional.
In 2003, Pitt State enjoyed another 30-win season, but the Gorillas came up just short in a return trip to the NCAA-II Central Regional.
The Gorillas posted a 32-19 overall record and a 15-14 mark in MIAA play.
In 2004, the Gorillas again enjoyed a 30-win season – finishing 34-25 overall – but PSU came up empty on an NCAA-II Regional berth after bowing out in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament.
In 2005, Pitt State posted a 29-21 record. The Gorillas were victimized by six one-run losses, including four in MIAA play.
In 2006, Pitt State finished with a 27-25 record. The Gorillas again were victimized by close losses – five one-run games and four more two-run setbacks.
In 2007, Pitt State posted a 24-30 record. The Gorillas again battled a plethora of close losses, dropping seven one-run games and six two-run contests.
In 2008, Pitt State posted a 22-28 record and a 16-20 mark in MIAA play. The Gorillas suffered five one-run losses in MIAA play as well as two more two-run setbacks.
In 2009, the Gorillas battled injuries throughout the season. Pitt State finished the season with a 15-38 record and a 12-26 mark in MIAA contests. The Gorillas lost 12 games by three or fewer runs, including six one-run decisions.
Last year, Pitt State posted a 15-29 record with a 13-27 mark in MIAA play. The Gorillas lost 10 games by three or fewer runs.
In addition to his coaching responsibilities, Bever serves as an assistant athletic director for home event administration.
Steve and his wife, Johna, have two adult children: Dawn and Gabe.
Dawn and her husband, Greg live in Wichita. They have two sons, Alex, 10, and Isaac, 7.
Dawn received her bachelor’s degree in accounting at PSU in 1993. She is a CPA and a high school youth leader at their church. Greg, also a CPA, is the Vice President and Controller for LodgeWorks, a hotel management company. Alex and Isaac attend Maize schools. They both play baseball, basketball and soccer. Alex also plays guitar.
Gabe received his bachelor’s degree from PSU in 1996 in wildlife biology, his master’s degree in geology from Fort Hays State in 2000 and his PhD in vertebrate paleontology from the University of Texas in December of 2006. After working three years at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, he is currently working at Yale University in New Haven, Conn., as the Bateman Interdepartmental Research Fellow in the departments of geology and geophysics and ecology and evolutionary biology.
Gabe’s wife, Amy Balanoff, a native of Austin, Texas received her bachelor’s degree in geology and her master’s degree in vertebrate paleontology from the University of Texas. Amy is currently completing her PhD in paleontology at Columbia University in New York City.
Gabe and Amy currently reside in Manhattan, New York.
Steve and Johna reside in rural Farlington, Kan.
Bever’s Career Coaching Record at Pitt State
Year Overall Pct. MIAA Pct. Post-Season
2010 15- 29 .341 13- 27 .325
2009 15- 38 .283 12- 26 .315
2008 22- 28 .440 16- 20 .444
2007 24- 30 .444 15- 20 .429
2006 27- 25 .519 17- 14 .548
2005 29- 21 .580 16- 14 .533
2004 34- 25 .576 17- 14 .548 MIAA Tournament
2003 32- 19 .627 15- 14 .517
2002 39- 19 .672 19- 11 .633 NCAA-II Regionals
2001 26- 25 .510 13- 17 .433
2000 29- 21 .580 15- 14 .517
1999 36- 14 .700 12- 7 .632 MIAA Champions/
NCAA-II Regionals
1998 36- 16 .692 17- 5 .773 NCAA-II Regionals
1997 39- 18 .684 17- 7 .708 NCAA-II Regionals
1996 23- 25 .479 11- 7 .611 MIAA Tournament
1995 22- 22 .500 10- 10 .500 MIAA Tournament
1994 30- 20 .600 12- 4 .750 MIAA Tournament
1993 15- 18 .455 7- 8 .467
1992 17- 26 .395 7- 5 .583
1991 15- 32 .319 5- 9 .357
TOTALS 525-469 .528 266-253 .513