Tuesday, April 24
Columbia, Mo.
6:30 p.m.
University of Missouri
vs
Missouri State
@MizzouBaseball Wraps Up Five-Game Homestand With Its On Us Night vs. Missouri State
4/23/2018 4:32:00 PM | Baseball
Tigers and Bears play at 6:30 p.m. with postgame fireworks scheduled
- Mizzou Baseball closes a five-game homestand Tuesday against in-state foe Missouri State. First pitch will be at 6:30 p.m. at Taylor Stadium. The game will air live on SEC Network+ with Ben Arnet and Tim Jamieson providing the call. The game will also be broadcast on the radio waves on KTGR with Tex Little and Matt Michaels providing the commentary.
- Mizzou Baseball is coming off an impressive week, going 3-1 while claiming its first ever series win over No. 10 Vanderbilt, taking the first two games on a Thursday-Saturday series.
- Mizzou won game one of the series, 2-1, getting a go-ahead RBI single by Trey Harris in the sixth inning and got 3.0 perfect innings from senior RHP Andy Toelken to close the game. Mizzou also got a tremendous start from sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema, who went 6.0 innings, allowing just one run on seven hits with a career-high 10 strikeouts
- The pitching was even better in a 3-1 win Friday, getting 6.0 innings of one-run ball by Tyler LaPlante and then 2.0 dominant innings from Bryce Montes De Oca and a save from Nile Ball. Freshman INF Mark Vierling snapped an 0-for-21 with a two-run, go-ahead pinch hit single in the eighth inning to put the game away. It came with the bases loaded and two outs on a 2-2 pitch. Mizzou dropped the Saturday finale, 6-2.
- MSU leads the all-time series, 29-27. MSU won both meetings a year ago, winning 5-3 in Columbia and 5-1 in Springfield. The Bears had won six of the last seven meetings dating back to 2014 before the Tigers claimed an 8-6 win in Springfield earlier this season on April 10. Mizzou and Missouri State were supposed to play at Busch Stadium on April 3, but poor weather forced a cancellation of that game. The all-time series dates back to 1975.
- Second-year Mizzou head coach Steve Bieser played Missouri State three times when he was the head coach at Southeast Missouri from 2013-16. Bieser went 1-2 against the Bears, losing 11-4 in 2013, winning 6-5 in 2014 and losing in 2015, 2-1. The two teams did not play in 2016.
- In the first meeting this season, Mizzou defeated No. 18 Missouri State, 8-6, scoring six of the eight runs with two outs, including three in the seventh inning, just after Missouri State took a 6-5 lead. Mizzou opened a 5-1 lead before seeing that slip away in the middle innings. Junior OF Zach Hanna had a huge game that Tuesday at Missouri State. He had a big go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the first inning and added a solo homer, driving in three. He was also hit by a pitch with two outs to spark the seventh inning rally that helped Mizzou win, 8-6.
- Mizzou will send junior RHP Brian Sharp to the mound Tuesday to make his third start of the season. On the year, he has posted a team-best 1.80 ERA in seven appearances, including two starts. Sharp was sensational at No. 24 Miami in a start during week two, allowing just four hits and zero walks over 5.0 shutout innings while striking out a career-high eight. Sharp started Mizzou's game at Western Illinois on March 28, but that game was cancelled after 1.5 innings due to poor field conditions. He started last week against Chicago State and earned the win after allowing two runs on five hits over 4.0 innings while striking out three.
- Mizzou has 15 games remaining, all of which are against RPI top-100 teams, with seven of the next eight games coming against RPI top 50 teams.
- Mizzou has played 14 games vs. the RPI top-25, the fifth-most nationally. Mizzou is 7-7 in those games and the seven wins against RPI top-25 teams are the second-most nationally, trailing only Florida. Mizzou also has the 10th-most wins against RPI-top 50 teams with nine.
- Mizzou continues to rank in the top 15 nationally in both ERA and Fielding Percentage, joining Florida as the only teams in the nation that can make that claim. Mizzou is third nationally in fielding at .983 and is 11th nationally with its 3.13 ERA.
- Mizzou is now fielding at .983 clip this season, ranking third nationally. Mizzou fielded at just .966 a year ago, 194th nationally. Mizzou's turnaround in the fielding percentage from last year to this year continues to be the nation's top turnaround in that category.
- Mizzou's pitching and defense have led to the Tigers being one of the nation's elite teams when it comes to keeping the opponent off the score board. Mizzou is allowing just 3.375 runs per game, sixth nationally. Mizzou has limited its opponents to two or fewer runs in 19 of 40 games and three or fewer in 22 of 40 games.
- Mizzou head coach Steve Bieser won his 200th career game as a Division I head coach Thursday vs. Vanderbilt. He already has more wins in his first two years at Mizzou than any other Mizzou coach in his first two years (63).
- Mizzou had a season-high 3,146 fans in attendance Saturday vs. Vanderbilt, its largest crowd since 2007 in an NCAA Regional game vs. Louisville on June 3.
PROJECTED STARTERS
- Tuesday: Junior RHP Brian Sharp (3-0, 1.80 ERA) vs. RHP Austin Knight (1-0, 5.83 ERA) - OR - RHP Ty Buckner (3-3, 4.57 ERA)
Players Mentioned
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