Guttin retires after 42 years: ‘I enjoyed every second’
EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Standing on the field moments after his season ended, Missouri State head baseball coach Keith Guttin spoke about the Bears’ downfalls of the year like he would after any other.
The pitching wasn’t what the Bears needed. They made mistakes in the field and couldn’t come through with clutch hits. It’s why the Bears were two-anddone at the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and their season is over.
Guttin then made eye contact with his family.
His daughters, waiting for him outside the playing field, wiped away tears. His wife of 35 years did the same. No matter how much time they had to prepare for the moment after Guttin announced his retirement before the season, a piece of their life ended when the ball hit the Belmont second baseman’s glove for the final out.
Guttin’s eyes started to water. He turned his back so he couldn’t see them.
“I’d be fine if they weren’t crying,” Guttin said. “I could make it through, but seeing them is going to be hard.”
The 12th-winningest head NCAA Division I baseball coach coached his final game on Wednesday afternoon. A bemuch loved southwest Missouri athletics icon heads into retirement after 42 seasons in charge of the maroon and white.
Missouri State didn’t provide him with the storybook ending many hoped for. There wasn’t enough bullpen help or consistent pitching and the Bears left too many on base at times. But the university, community and athletes still found a way to show how loved and how he meant to the Ozarks community.
“We had good kids,” Guttin said. “They did everything right. They worked hard and they didn’t perform. Some of that’s on them and some of that’s on us. But when you get knocked down, you gotta get back up and I think
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