March 29, 2000
The Missouri Tigers (17-10, 5-4) board the bus on Thursday for a second consecutive Big 12 Conference road series. The Tigers play Friday (3 p.m.), Saturday (1 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.) at Cap Timm Field in Ames, Iowa, against the Iowa State Cyclones (7-18, 1-8). Missouri then starts a stretch in which it will play 15 of 17 games at home, including league matchups with Baylor (April 7-8-9) and Nebraska (April 14-15-16). Mizzou's probable pitching rotation features three righthanders: Jon Harris (2-2), Logan Dale (3-3), and Pete Sansone (3-0).
Series Record
Missouri holds a wide edge over Iowa State, 167-82-3, and swept a three-game series against the Cyclones in Columbia, last season (9-1, 7-6, 13-0). MU took two-of-three from ISU the last time it visited Ames in 1998. The Tigers took the first two games of the series by scores of 14-9 and 16-8 before losing, 3-1.
Missouri Takes The Kansas Series
Nick Wilfong and Jon Williams highlighted a 6-run fifth inning Sunday with back-to-back home runs as the Missouri Tigers won a 10-7 decision over the Kansas Jayhawks at Hoglund Ballpark and won the Big 12 Conference baseball series, two games to one. All six runs in the fifth on Sunday came with two outs. Wilfong's homer was a three-run job, giving him a team-leading four home runs on the season - three of those in conference play. Williams was involved in back-to-back homers for the second time this season. He joined Ryan Stegall with consecutive home runs in the season opener at Pepperdine. J.R. Warner cemented the victory for Missouri (16-10, 5-4) with a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Pete Sansone, battling a head cold, pitched the first five-and-a-third innings and improved his record to 3-0. He left the game with a 7-2 lead and let relievers Ralph McCasland, Mitch Kiler and Stegall complete the contest. On Saturday, Stegall went four-for-five and drove in five runs as Missouri cruised to a 12-2 victory. He hit a home run during a six-run eighth inning that broke open the game. Logan Dale pitched into the eighth inning and struck out a season-high 10 KU batters in squaring his record at 3-3. Warner, Mike Rallo and Luke Cassis contributed to Mizzou's 15-hit attack with two hits apiece. Kansas rode the pitching of lefty Pete Smart to a 3-0 victory over the Tigers in the season-opener on Friday. Smart scattered nine Missouri hits and went the distance in improving his record to 5-4. He tied a career high with seven strikeouts and didn't walk anyone. Missouri stranded eight base runners and committed two errors that allowed the Jayhawks two unearned runs. Stegall, Rallo and Wilfong each had two hits. Jon Harris pitched seven strong innings and didn't allow an earned run, but took the loss (2-2).
Tigers Move Up In Big 12 Race
Having won two of its three Big 12 Conference series, the Missouri Tigers have climbed into a fifth-place tie with the Oklahoma Sooners in the league standings. Both teams are 5-4 in league play, and just behind second-place Texas A&M (8-4), and third-place Baylor and Nebraska (both 7-5). Texas leads the loop at 12-2. The Tigers dealt the Longhorns one of those defeats. At this point a year ago, Mizzou was 2-7 in the conference. After this weekend's games at Iowa State, the Tigers will play nine straight conference games at home.
Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson
MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson has firmly established himself as one of the top young coaches in college baseball. In his sixth year, "T.J." has led Missouri to a 179-127 record, which includes three postseason conference tournaments, a trip to the NCAA Tournament, and a regular-season Big Eight title. Jamieson's Tigers are 160-93 since '96, and have won at least 30 games the last four seasons.
Stegall Is Among The Big 12's Best
Sophomore shortstop/pitcher Ryan Stegall is on a five-game hitting streak, having gone 11-for-22 in that span (.500), with two doubles, a home run, eight RBIs and seven runs scored. His batting average has climbed to .407 which ranks third in the Big 12 (all games). His league-games average of .500 tops the loop. He's among the league leaders in a number of categories, leading the Big 12 in doubles with 13 and second in saves with seven. At KU last weekend, Stegall went 7-for-13, which included a 4-for-5 day in Mizzou's 12-2 victory on Saturday when he homered and drove in five runs. He was 3-for-5 last week in the Tigers' narrow 6-5 loss at Wichita State. A week ago, Stegall recorded three saves in MU's series against Bowling Green - the defending Mid-American Conference champion - and upped his season saves total to seven. That's just two off the school record of nine set by Jeff Cornell in 1978. He is 7-for-7 in save opportunities in 2000, and for his short Missouri career, he's been scored on only twice in 15 pitching appearances. Stegall has hit safely in 23 of Mizzou's 27 games this season, including 14 of the last 15. He leads the team in batting average (.407), hits (44), doubles (13), triples (2), RBI (35), total bases (70) and slugging percentage (.648). 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.
Many Happy Returns For Landon Brandes
Third baseman Landon Brandes missed nine games with a broken bone in his left hand before returning to action on Tuesday against Central Missouri State. He had some troubles in the field early, committing two errors, but he atoned for those miscues at the plate where he went 2-for-3, walked twice, and drove in an important run during a 5-run eighth inning that gave Mizzou a 12-8 victory. In his absence, MU went 7-2, thanks largely to Kurt Propst who filled in at third base. Propst started seven of those games and hit .286, with three doubles, a home run and four RBIs.
Jamieson Can Rest Easy When He Calls On The 'Pen
Missouri's bullpen continues to shine. So far in 2000, Missouri's bullpen crew has worked 102.2 innings with a 3.68 earned run average while allowing 99 hits and 53 runs (42 earned), with 108 strikeouts and 48 walks. The relievers most called upon are Mitch Kiler (14 appearances), Ryan Stegall (12), Drew Endicott (10), P.J. McGinnis (10), Matt Hobbs (9), and Ralph McCasland (9).
Beware Of 'The Vulture'
When junior lefty Ralph McCasland strides from the bullpen to the mound, there's a pretty good chance that he's going to be the winning pitcher. McCasland did it again on Tuesday, pitching 3.2 innings (four hits, one run, four strikeouts, two walks) to improve his record to 5-2. Four of his victories have come in relief appearances during Mizzou's last nine games. A couple of rocky starting appearances early in the season still have him saddled with a 7.28 earned run average - highest on the staff - but in his relief role, his ERA is 3.05. Out of the pen, McCasland has pitched 17.2 innings, allowing 20 hits, 7 runs (6 earned), with five walks and 18 strikeouts.
Tigers Get Quality Starts At Kansas
Missouri got three solid pitching performances at KU from starters Jon Harris, Logan Dale and Pete Sansone. Dale was the winner in Mizzou's 12-2 decision on Saturday, and in that game he had a season-best 10 strikeouts, while scattering seven hits and walking just three, in seven-and-a-third innings. It was the fifth time this season that Dale has pitched at least into the seventh inning. Sansone won Sunday's 10-7 verdict despite running out of gas a little earlier than usual (in the sixth inning) as a result of a bad head cold. Harris was the tough-luck loser on Friday night. He allowed only four hits and no earned runs in seven innings, but fell victim to the complete-game, three- hit shutout tossed at the Tigers by Pete Smart.
Tingler On A 10-Game Hitting Streak
Pesky freshman Jayce Tingler (Smithville, MO) is currently riding a 10-game hitting streak, and if he gets a hit against Iowa State on Friday, he'll own the longest streak by a Tiger this season. He's currently tied with Mike Rallo. During the last 10 games, Tingler has hit .359 (14-of-39), walked 10 times and scored 10 runs. Earlier this season, he was the Phillips 66 Big 12 Player of the Week after enjoying 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.
Wilfong Continues To Feast On Big 12 Pitching
Centerfielder Nick Wilfong is hitting .405 in nine Big 12 Conference games - seventh in the league - but just .186 in non-league action. In league play, he has a .811 slugging percentage with two doubles, two triples and three home runs. Two of his homers came in Game 1 of the Texas Tech series (the second a game-winner in the 10th inning), and the third was a three-run shot last Sunday at Kansas. For the season, though, the left-handed swinger also leads the teams with 25 strikeouts.
Power Surge For Jon Williams
Catcher Jon Williams has homered in each of Missouri's last two games. He hit a solo homer on Sunday at Kansas, and a 2-run blast on Tuesday that brought the Tigers to within 7-5 against Central Missouri State in a game that the Tigers would eventually win, 12-8. Williams and Wilfong are now tied for the team lead in home runs with four. On a three-game hitting streak, Williams has his average up to .338. Add in his team-leading 26 walks and Williams also leads the club with a .515 on-base percentage.
Tigers Play Plenty Of Close Games
Missouri is 8-5 in games this season that were decided by one or two runs. MU is 5-2 in one-run games and 3-3 in two-run affairs. Mizzou has also played four three-run games.
Around The Bases
? Missouri has hit into 31 double plays this season, while turning just 11. The Tigers have not had a game in which they've completed more than one double play.
? MU's pitchers are piling up the strikeouts. Tiger pitchers have fanned 227 opposing batters this season and have issued 108 walks. Twelve times this season they've had 10-or-more strikeouts, including eight of MU's last 12 games.
? Missouri has hit back-to-back home runs twice this season - Ryan Stegall and Jon Williams vs. Pepperdine in the first game of the season, and Nick Wilfong and Williams against Kansas last Sunday.
? Missouri's recent 5-game winning streak was its longest of the season, and longest since the Tigers won six in a row between April 24 and May 8 last year. During the streak, MU hit .292 as a team and posted a 3.60 earned run average.
? Jon Williams has walked at least once in 17 of the 24 games in which he's played this season.
? Ryan Stegall and J.R. Warner have started all 27 games for the Tigers.
? Missouri hitters have struck out 75 times in nine Big 12 Conference games (8.3 per game) - 104 times in their other 18 contests (5.8 per game).
? J.R. Warner and Jayce Tingler lead MU's defensive efforts in the outfield. Warner has four assists this season and Tingler two.
? 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.
? 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.
? 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.
MU RECORD BREAKDOWN
Overall 17-10 Home 10-3 Away 5-6 Neutral Sites 2-1 Non-Conference 12-6Big 12 Conference 5-4 Tournament Play 2-1 Vs. Ranked Opponents 4-4 Vs. Top-10 Opponents 1-2 Vs. Division I Opp. 15-9 Vs. Non-DI Opponents 2-1
Day Games 12-7 Night Games 5-3 When Temperature is above 50o 12-9 When Temperature is below 50o 5-1 In 1-run Games 5-2 In 2-run Games 3-3 In Extra Innings 1-0
In February 7-5 In March 10-5
On Mondays 0-0 On Tuesdays 4-2 On Wednesdays 2-1 On Thursdays 1-0 On Fridays 2-3 On Saturdays 3-4 On Sundays 5-0
Vs. Lefthanders 5-3 Vs. Righthanders 12-7 When MU Scores First 9-6 When Opp. Scores First 8-4
In 2-Game Series 4-2 In 3-Game Series 8-4 In Single Games 5-4
In Shutouts 1-1 When Scoring 0-5 Runs 4-6 When Scoring 6-10 Runs 7-4 When Scoring 11-20 Runs 7-0
When leading after 1 inning 5-1 When leading after 2 innings 7-2 When leading after 3 innings 9-3 When leading after 4 innings 10-2 When leading after 5 innings 12-2 When leading after 6 innings 13-2 When leading after 7 innings 12-0 When leading after 8 innings 14-0 When leading after 9 innings 15-0 When leading after 10 innings 1-0
Longest Winning Streak 5 Longest Losing Streak 3 (includes final game of1999) Longest Game 3:56 vs. Texas, 3/5 Shortest Game 2:07 vs. Pepperdine, 2/11 Most Innings 10 at Texas Tech, 2/25
In The State of Missouri 10-4 Against In-State Opponents 2-2 Against Out-of-State Opponents 15-8 Vs. Independent Schools 1-0 Vs. Mid-American Conference 3-0 Vs. Mid-Continent Conference 2-0 Vs. Missouri Valley Conference 0-1 Vs. Ohio Valley Conference 0-1 Vs. Southland Conference 2-0 Vs. Sun Belt Conference 2-1 Vs. West Coast Conference 0-2