March 9, 2000
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The Missouri Tigers (9-8, 3-3), who've played their best baseball on the weekends, hope to turn on that charm again starting on Friday night, when the Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-7, 3-3) come to Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field in Columbia. The first game of the series is at 5 p.m., Friday, followed by contests on Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.). Friday night is "Bank Night" in conjunction with area financial institutions. Saturday is "Oldies Day" and "Faculty/Staff Day" while Sunday is "Youth and Family Day." On Sundays, children under 12 years of age may purchase tickets for $1, and like every Sunday, a family of four will be admitted for $10.
Series Records
Oklahoma State leads the series with Mizzou, 115-67, but the two clubs have not played since 1998. Last year's entire series was weathered out in Stillwater. In '98, Missouri took two-of-three from the Cowboys during the regular season, then dropped a 11-8 contest to the 'Pokes at the Big 12 Tournament in Oklahoma City.
Oklahoma State beat Missouri Southern, 19-2, in mid-week play in Stillwater.
Weekend Pitching Matchups
? Game #1 - MISSOURI - Logan Dale, 6-5, Jr., RHP - 1-3, 6.35 ERA, vs.
OKLAHOMA STATE - Matt Smith, 6-4, 218, LHP - 2-2, 5.47 ERA
? Game #2 - MISSOURI - Pete Sansone, 6-0, Jr., RHP - 2-0, 2.89 ERA vs.
OKLAHOMA STATE - Frank Bludau, 6-1, Sr., RHP - 2-2, 4.26 ERA
? Game #3 - MISSOURI - Jon Harris, 6-1, Jr., RHP - 1-1, 6.52 ERA, vs.
OKLAHOMA STATE - Josh Merrigan, 6-4, 220, Jr., LHP - 3-1, 4.09 ERA
Missouri Is Ahead Of the Curve
Coach Tim Jamieson is especially pleased with MU's 3-3 start in the Big 12 Conference race - at least as it compares to a year ago. In 1999, the Tigers opened conference play against the same two opponents as this season - Texas Tech and Texas - and went 1-5 in those games.
So, one year later, the Tigers are two games better off in the conference standings than they were in '99.
What's At Stake
For the third straight weekend, Missouri will be playing against one of the Big 12's southern teams when Oklahoma State visits Columbia. The Tigers opened league play by taking two-of-three from Texas Tech, in Lubbock, then won one time against No. 4 Texas in Columbia, last week. Missouri's next conference action is in two weeks, at Kansas.
Missouri and Oklahoma State, which made it to the College World Series last season, are currently tied for fifth place in the Big 12 standings. Oklahoma State opened the Big 12 by losing 2-of-3 to Baylor, then won last weekend's series against Nebraska, 2-1.
Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson
Head Coach Tim Jamieson has firmly established himself as one the top young coaches in all of college baseball. In his sixth year, T.J. has led Missouri to a 171-125 record. That mark includes three postseason conference tournaments, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and a regular-season Big Eight title.
Jamieson's Tigers are 152-91 since 1996, and have won at least 30 games the last four seasons.
Tingler Is Latest Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Player-of-the-Week
Pesky freshman Jayce Tingler (Smithville, MO) was named Monday as the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week in voting by a select panel of media covering Big 12 baseball.
Tingler enjoyed the finest week of his young career with a .500 average (11-for-22) as the Tigers went 3-2 and completed the week with a 5-3 victory over the No. 4 Texas Longhorns. The rookie scored six runs, drove in six more, and was 3-for-3 in the stolen base department. He also threw out a Texas runner at home and made a diving, game-saving catch in Sunday's win.
Entering the Texas series, he reached base in 11-of-12 at bats - including a streak of nine straight spanning the final Texas Tech contest and both games against Western Illinois. He wore an 0-for-5 collar, though, on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State. Earlier this season, MU junior righthander Logan Dale was the Big 12's Pitcher of the Week.
Power Surge Carries SEMO Past Tigers, 14-8
Jeff Bourbon and Charlie Marino combined to club five home runs on Wednesday, as Southeast Missouri rallied from a 3-0 first-inning deficit to beat the Tigers, 14-8, at Capaha Park in Cape Girardeau.
Bourbon hit three home runs and Marino added two as the two Indians combined to go 7-for-9, score eight runs and total 10 runs batted in.
With wins gusting up to 35 miles per hour to right field, four of the five shots carried out in the jet stream over the rightfield wall.
Mizzou was led by Ryan Stegall, who went four-for-five with two doubles and four RBI. But the Tigers stranded a season-high tying 12 runners on base and failed to make a couple of defensive plays that could have gotten them out of SEMO scoring innings. Lefty Ralph McCasland (1-2) started and took the loss for MU, allowing eight runs in three innings. Three others Tigers - Drew Endicott, Matt Hobbs and P.J. McGinnis - also pitched.
Last Weekend
Missouri fought No. 4 Texas tooth and nail at Taylor Stadium over the weekend, and finally came up with a 5-3 victory on Sunday after dropping 6-4 and 9-6 decisions on Saturday.
Jayce Tingler drove in three runs on Sunday, and Pete Sansone was the first of five Mizzou pitchers who did a masterful job of shutting down the Longhorns. Sansone pitched the first six innings and struckout seven to up his record to 2-0. Ryan Stegall pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.
On Saturday, the teams were forced to play two games, after Texas had difficulty arriving on Friday in time to play a schedule 7 p.m. game. Missouri had a chance in the ninth inning of the first game with the tying runs at second and third base with two outs and Stegall at the plate. But UT's Matt Rosenberg made an unbelievable diving catch across the tarp in foul territory to rob Stegall of a life at the plate and ended the game with Texas the 6-4 victor.
In the second game, Texas' D.J. Jones fanned 13 Tigers as the Longhorns defeated Mizzou, 9-6. The Tigers made four damaging errors in the contest and also ran themselves out of a couple of scoring threats.
MU's Stegall Is A Super Soph
Sophomore shortstop Ryan Stegall has hit safely in 14 of Mizzou's 17 games this season and is riding a five-game hitting streak - a period during which he has hit .524 (12-of-21), with four doubles and a home run.
In conference games, Stegall is the Tigers' leading hitter with a .481 average.
He leads the team in batting average (.406), hits (28), doubles (10), triples (2), RBI (22), total bases (48) and slugging percentage (.696)
On the mound, Stegall is second in the Big 12 with four saves. He's had only one rocky outing - in Game #1 at Tech when he surrendered six runs in the ninth inning. But he came back and set the Red Raiders down in the 10th to earn the victory and also got a save in Game 3.
Stegall has made 10 career relief appearances and has been scored on just once.
He set a Missouri and Big 12 Conference record March 1 by driving in six runs in the first inning against Western Illinois. The old conference mark was five by Iowa State's Matt Nordby against Northern Iowa last season. His first time at bat, he hit a three-run home run to right-center field. As MU batted around (the Tigers sent 14 men to the plate in the inning), Stegall came up again with the bases loaded and cleared them with a 3-run double.
Stegall has had three four-hit games this season, including Missouri's last outing on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State.
Mike Rallo Has MU's Longest Hitting Streak
Senior first baseman Mike Rallo enters the Oklahoma State series with a nine-game hitting streak - longest by a Tiger this season - and more than half-way to his career-long hitting streak of 16 games, accomplished in 1998.
Amazingly for a guy who ranks in Mizzou's career top-10 for home runs (28) and is nearing that list in career runs batted in, he didn't have an extra-base hit until he doubled on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri.
Rallo has hit safely in all but three games this season and has a batting average of .313. During the last nine games, he's hit .359.
Sansone Gives Yeoman Performance
Junior righthander Pete Sansone, whose status was doubtful just days before, took the mound as Mizzou's Game-3 starter against Texas and gave a strong six-inning performance that propelled the Tigers on to a 5-3 win over the No. 'Horns.
Sansone took a line drive off of his right hand at Texas Tech, and while X-rays on his ring and pinkie fingers proved to be negative, it was thought that he'd be on the shelf for awhile.
Against Texas, he struckout seven and scattered five hits in his six innings of work. He's 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA and leads the team with 20 strikeouts in 18.2 innings.
Jamieson Can Be Quick With The Hook
Head Coach Tim Jamieson and pitching coach Chal Fanning have used their bullpen for a total of 65.1 innings so far in 2000. The MU relievers were instrumental in Mizzou's series win at Texas Tech, earning both victories and a save.
Against Western Illinois on March 1, five of the six relievers used by Jamieson didn't allow a hit. And against Texas, the Longhorns scored just one run off of Mizzou relief pitching in three games.
For the season, Mizzou's bullpen crew has posted a 3.99 earned run average while allowing 63 hits and 38 runs (29 earned), with 68 strikeouts and 38 walks.
Williams Heating Up At The Plate
Catcher Jon Williams, Mizzou's leading hitter a year ago with a .362 average, slumped through the first few weeks of the season, but is regaining his stroke now. He's hit at a .429 clip during his current five-game hitting streak.
For the season, Williams' batting average is up to .306, and he leads the team with 21 bases on balls which gives him a team-best .559 on-base percentage.
Wilfong Feasts On Big 12 Pitching
Figure this one out. Centerfielder Nick Wilfong is hitting .478 in six Big 12 Conference games and just .167 in non-league action. In league play, he has a .913 slugging percentage with two doubles, a triple and two home runs (both of which game in Game 1 of the Texas Tech series).
For the season, though, the left-handed swinger also leads the teams with 19 strikeouts. He fanned three times on Wednesday at Southeast Missouri State.
Around The Bases
? Landon Brandes had to leave Wednesday's game in the fourth inning after being struck in the left hand with a pitch. He suffered a bruised wrist but should play this weekend.
? Missouri has hit into 24 double plays this season, while turning just seven. The Tigers have not had a game in which they've completed more than one double play.
? Missouri had not allowed a first-inning run in five straight games before Southeast Missouri State's Indians plated six on Wednesday.
? Jayce Tingler and J.R. Warner lead MU's defensive efforts in the outfield. Each of them has two assists this season.
? Nine of Missouri's 17 games have been decided by two runs or less. The Tigers are 3-1 in one-run games and 2-4 in two-run games.
? Jon Williams has walked at least once in 13 of the 15 games in which he's played this season.
? Missouri hitters have struck out 59 times in six Big 12 Conference games (9.8 per game) - 69 times in their other 11 contests (6.3 per game).
? Missouri's first Big 12 Conference series at the new Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field against Texas drew nearly 2,600 spectators to the ballpark.
? Catcher Ryan Pickett was honored at MU's home basketball game against Oklahoma State as one of Mizzou's three Bank of America Community Champions.
? Mike Rallo, Ryan Stegall and J.R. Warner have started all 17 games for the Tigers.
? Missouri went 3-1 on its trip to Natchitoches, La., in February, beating Nicholls State (3-2), Northwestern State (2-1) and Centenary (10-2) and losing to Arkansas-Little Rock (9-3). The Tigers rode their pitching and some timely hitting to the three wins. MU opponents hit just .160 against the Tigers, who posted a team ERA on the trip of 2.50. Missouri pitchers rolled up 33 strikeouts against 17 walks.
Next For Mizzou
Missouri's eight-game homestand continues on Tuesday and Wednesday, when Arkansas State comes to town. The Tigers will host Bowling Green State next weekend - March 17-18-19 - as Mizzou takes a bye from the Big 12 wars.
Missouri's next road trip is to nationally ranked Wichita State on March 21.