Mizzou AD Laird Veatch Speaks on State of Mizzou Baseball

With one investment on the way, the Missouri athletic director discussed the future of the baseball program and what is needed to turn it in the right direction

Missouri athletic director Laird Veatch speaks during a press conference inside Mizzou Arena on March 31, 2025 in Columbia, Mo. | Amber Winkler / Missouri Tigers On SI

It takes a long, uphill walk to make it to the home of Missouri Tigers baseball. The program itself will have to make a similar journey to get the team anywhere near competitive in the Southeastern Conference.

Due to lack of recent investments, the stadium sits as the worst in the conference and the team itself has found itself at last in the rankings all season. They are woefully behind their conference enemies in many capacities.

"It's a challenge," Laird Veatch said in a press conference Wednesday in the St. Louis area for Missouri's 'Zou to You' event. "That is an incredibly competitive sport in this league and that is an area that we have not invested like we need to. "

With zero wins in conference play and just three SEC series left, it could be assumed head coach Kerrick Jackson's job might be on the line. But Veatch hinted that is not the case, instead they are going to stand behind him.

"He did take over a difficult situation in many respects," Veatch said. "He'll keep after it, he'll keep doing it the right way. It's not an overnight thing. We will keep supporting him."

Given the circumstances, Jackson might be receiving a bit of leeway for the 2025 campaign. They already knew that their players wouldn't have quite the same talent level as their conference foes, but his staff has dealt with countless injuries alongside that.

"We need to support our coach and help him be successful," Veatch said. "That is a process and that doesn't happen over night."

The Mizzou athletic director stressed patience in turning the program around. Turning the program in the right direction will require support and investment, which the team is currently not getting much of.

After advertising that a fully turf field would be coming since 2018, it appears that it is finally on its way. A bid was recently submitted for $1.3-1.4 million to completely replace the current turf at Taylor Stadium.

"It had gotten to the point where it is not a luxury, it's a necessity," Veatch said. "In order to have safe, competitive competition, we got to be able to provide those surfaces and do those things."

It appears that the athletics department is looking for a donation similar to the one given right next door to Taylor Stadium. The namesake of the Walton Track and Soccer Stadium gave a large donation to cover the needed repairs, one of the largest in Mizzou history.

"We were fortunate to get a really nice gift from Mrs. Walton on the track and soccer side," Veatch said. "We are working on different areas of support to get that done for baseball."