Here are the southwest Missouri sports storylines to keep an eye on in 2023
As we start to put 2022 behind us, we're also looking ahead to 2023 with a handful of storylines that will surely rule our headlines in the new year.
Here's a look at the top southwest Missouri sports storylines to keep an eye on heading into 2023:
How will Springfield react to Link Academy at the Bass Pro Tournament of Champions?
The Super Bowl of Springfield sports begins Jan. 12 with the 38th annual Bass Pro Tournament of Champions taking place at Great Southern Bank Arena.
Branson-based Link Academy will be the headliner for the event. The program finished as the national runners-up last year and has a roster full of four- and five-star athletes who are bound for the biggest college basketball programs in the nation.
More:Who is on the Link Academy high school basketball roster in 2022-23?
The event also includes a handful of teams from outside the area who are worth the price of admission. Christ the King (New York), St. Rita (Chicago), Sunrise Christian (Kansas), Calvary Christian (Florida), Bartlett (Tennessee) and Staley (Kansas City) will join Link and Kickapoo in the field.
How far along will the Lady Bears be after Beth Cunningham's first season?
First-year head coach Beth Cunningham has a young roster that made some strides late in non-conference play. Whether the Lady Bears are ready to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference is a question that remains unanswered.
The growth of the Lady Bears will be the main focus instead of wins and losses. Seeing improvement in young players such as Kennedy Taylor, Jade Masogayo and others will be critical as they'll be among those who should be around after this season. Winning would be a great sign with Sydney Wilson, one of the winningest players in program history, graduating at the end of the year.
What will the conversation around Missouri State men's basketball be throughout the next few months?
An up-and-down non-conference slate has understandably had Missouri State men's basketball fans upset with the current direction of the team in its fifth season under head coach Dana Ford.
If Ford can turn the Bears into winners and challenge for a Valley title or go on a run at Arch Madness, all will be forgiven. If not, the heat that's already under Ford's chair will get hotter. A potential buyout is affordable for Missouri State at the end of the year if it decides it needs to go in a different direction.
Winning cures all. A great run from the Bears and it could turn into whether MSU would be able to keep him in Springfield or not. College basketball can be that weird.
Which high school basketball teams compete for state championships?
As usual, southwest Missouri has a handful of elite high school basketball programs that are threats to go on big runs in the postseason.
On the boys' side, Nixa, Republic, Kickapoo and others have proven to be elite early in the year and have the pieces to make a statement from a state perspective. The Ozarks saw Norwood win a state title this past year with Nixa and Catholic both making the state semifinals.
On the girls' side, there are plenty of high-level programs which include Republic, Nixa, West Plains, Strafford, Fair Grove and others. The area is loaded with girls' basketball talent and we're typically a shoo-in to get multiple title-worthy teams each year.
Missouri State to the Sun Belt? Anybody?
Conference realignment talk isn't going to slow down anytime soon, and Missouri State has often been connected to the Sun Belt. It's something we have to continue to keep an eye on.
The latest reports of the Bears' connection to the Sun Belt came in October. Despite the university denying the reports, it wouldn't be a surprise if MSU has had or continues to have conversations with the league.
How great will the high school baseball scene be in 2023?
Baseball talent in the Ozarks has been on an upward trajectory and it's about to go even higher heading into the new year.
Ozarks baseball could be as good as ever with some of the talents in the area and with some of the state-contending teams that we have.
Logan-Rogersville is the headliner this year after making the state championship last season. It has three Missouri State baseball commits with all three capable of throwing big innings in the postseason.
Catholic could get there as well — but there seems to be a possibility that the Wildcats and Irish could end up in the same district. Mizzou commit Ben Smith is going to be one of the best overall players in the state with Coleman Morrison right there with him.
Those aren't the only two great teams with great programs also including Nixa, Glendale, Willard, Kickapoo, Fair Grove, Marionville, Aurora and others. This should be a fantastic season of high school baseball.
Will Missouri State baseball live up to the hype?
Missouri State baseball made a surprise run to the NCAA Tournament at the end of last season. With the hype around the Bears this season, they shouldn't be surprising anyone now.
The Bears are expected to be more consistent this year while revamping their pitching staff, maintaining a lot of the big bats and adding more to the lineup.
Recognizable names in the field include Spencer Nivens, Mason Hull, Mason Greer, Will Duff and Cam Cratic, but you're also going to get to know the likes of Charleston Southern transfer Nick Rodriguez, former Lebanon standout Zack Stewart and others.
Pitching will be the likes of top-tier MLB prospects like Alabama transfer Jake Eddington and Johnson County Community College transfer Hayden Minton (who makes his return to the Bears after transferring out). They're added in there with Vanderbilt transfer Gage Bradley, Crowder College transfer Reed Metz and Saint Louis transfer Scott Youngbrandt. The Bears also have Forrest Barnes and Trey Ziegenbein back for another go.
If this is a team that's hanging around .500 at the end of the regular season, something must have gone really wrong.
Can Ryan Beard lead the Bears to a bounce-back season?
Ryan Beard was recently promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach and he'll be tasked with getting the Bears back on the right track following the departure of Bobby Petrino.
A 5-6 season wasn't something anyone predicted heading into 2021, but the Bears fell flat. Areas of weakness are going to need to be addressed while also trying to figure out who the starting quarterback will be in 2023.
More:Ryan Beard, Missouri State’s new 33-year-old head football coach, preaches ‘standard of excellence’
Beard returns the entire coaching staff under Petrino, which is a plus. He also has a promising batch of freshmen coming in as the team is one that was more developed within the MSU system. We'll see if that turns into a better showing while playing one of the more difficult schedules in the country.
Who will be southwest Missouri's next surprise high school football team to go on a deep postseason run?
Reeds Spring was the surprise team of 2022 as it went on a run to the state championship game for the first time in school history. Does anyone else have that type of magic in them?
We know Lamar and Webb City will make runs and that Nixa and Carthage will be right there as well. Maybe this is the year when Republic makes the leap to challenge for a Central Ozark Conference title or that Seneca can jump Lamar in the postseason with the skill it brings back. Mount Vernon and Fair Grove are teams that will probably make another leap as well.
Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield News-Leader. You can contact him at 417-371-6987, by email at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He's also the co-host of Sports Talk on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Southwest Missouri sports storylines to watch in 2023
