Game Notes 

• Mizzou Baseball closes the regular season with a pivotal three-game series at SEC East rival Tennessee, beginning this Thursday (May 18) at Lindsey Nelson Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn., with first pitch scheduled for 5 p.m. (CT). Game two of the three-game set will be Friday at 5 p.m. (CT) while the finale with be Saturday at 1 p.m. (CT). The only way fans can follow the game is on KTGR 100.5 FM/105.1 FM/1580 AM or online at KTGR.com as SEC Network+ will not carry the games. 
• Mizzou is coming off of a 13-4 midweek win over Eastern Kentucky Tuesday night. Mizzou scored its most runs since April 12 as freshman Kameron Misner drove in four runs, including a three-run homer. Classmate Chris Cornelius added a double and a triple with a run and an RBI in the win as well. His last six hits have gone for extra bases. Junior Alex Samples also drove in three runs with a double as Mizzou scored 11 times over the first three innings. Sophomore LHP Michael Plassmeyer earned the win and is now 5-1 on the year. 
• The Tigers have a huge chance this weekend to improve their NCAA Tournament resume. Having already clinched a berth in next week's SEC Tournament, the Tigers are ranked 63rd in this week's NCAA RPI after taking two of three from South Carolina (then No. 24 in the RPI) last weekend. Mizzou jumped eight spots in the RPI following those two wins. Tennessee comes into the weekend with the nation's No. 44 RPI, so a couple of road wins over Tennessee could go a long way in helping the Tigers improve their resume in advance of next week's SEC Tournament. 
• Mizzou has won more than 30 games for the first time since 2012 (33 wins while advancing to the NCAA Tuscon Regional) while Mizzou's 11 SEC wins are its second-most ever since joining the league. The Tigers still have three SEC games remaining this weekend as first-year head coach Steve Bieser has Mizzou trending in the right direction.

• Plenty of  current Mizzou players have notables stat lines against the Vols over the years, highlighted by junior RHP Tanner Houck. Although he is not listed in the rotation this weekend, he has two career starts vs. the Vols. Houck is 1-0 with a 3.55 ERA over 12.2 innings with 10 strikeouts and just two walks. Last year, he went 7.2 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs (two earned) in a 6-5 Mizzou win. In 2015, he went 5.0 innings, allowing six hits and three runs (all earned) with two walks and four strikeouts in an 8-3 Mizzou win. 
  Other notable pitchers against Tennessee include sophomore LHP Michael Plassmeyer, who went 1-0 in 5.1 innings last year against Tennessee, boasting a 3.38 ERA. He allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Redshirt junior Cole Bartlett also pitched in last year's series, tossing 2.2 shutout innings, picking up a save while scattering just two hits over two appearances.
  Mizzou also has plenty of position players with experience against the Vols. Below is a quick look:

      Brett Bond:     4 GP | 4-13 | 3R | 2B | HR | 3 RBI
      Ian Nelson:     3 GP | 2-11 | 2 RBI
      Connor Brumfield:     3 GP | 2-11 | 3 R | 2 BB
      Trey Harris:     6 GP | 2-22 | 2 R | RBI | BB | SB
      Kirby McGuire:      3 GP | 2-4 | R | 2 RBI

• In looking ahead to next week's SEC Tournament, there is still a lot at stake for Mizzou. Mizzou could finish as high as third in the SEC East and no lower than sixth. The top 12 teams are seeded for the SEC Tournament and Mizzou can finish anywhere from 12th to eighth. Mizzou would need a sweep to have a shot at the No. 8 seed. Should Mizzou lose one game, it can finish no higher than ninth. Either way, Mizzou is assured to play on the opening day of the SEC Tournament (May 23).

• Tennessee needs at least two wins and a South Carolina sweep of Georgia to get in. If Georgia wins one game over SC, Tennessee would need to sweep Mizzou. 

Pitching Matchups

• Thursday
  LHP T.J. Sikkema (7-1, 2.59 ERA)  vs. RHP Hunter Martin (5-6, 3.87 ERA)

• Friday
  TBA  vs. RHP Garrett Stallings (3-3, 3.61 ERA)

• Saturday
  TBA vs. TBA

Series History

• Mizzou and Tennessee have met 12 times in history with all 12 meetings coming since Mizzou joined the SEC for the 2013 season. Mizzou swept Tennessee last season at Taylor Stadium and has won five straight over the Vols after winning the final two games of the three-game series on Rocky Top in 2015. Mizzou has won the last two series after dropping series in 2013 and 2014. 
          • Series: 7-5
          • at Lindsey Nelson Stadium: 3-3
          • at Taylor Stadium: 4-2
          • Neutral site: 0-0
          • Last year: Mizzou, 3-0 (5-4, 6-5, 8-3) 
                 - Current win streak: 5, Mizzou
          • Last Mizzou series win: 2016, 3-0
          • Last Mizzou win: 2016, 8-3
          • Last Mizzou shutout: Never accomplished
          • Last Tennessee shutout: March 22, 2013 - 4-0 in Knoxville
          • Most Mizzou runs: 14 in a 14-6 win on March 23, 2013, in Knoxville

For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Baseball and missouri_baseball, respectively).