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March 29, 2001

Columbia, Mo. -- After winning a series against a nationally ranked opponent for the second-straight week, the University of Missouri baseball team (17-10-1, 5-7 Big 12) will face Big 12 Conference member Texas Tech (21-12, 6-6) in a weekend series at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field. The Red Raiders are ranked 35th in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll and received 31 votes in the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll.

After sweeping a two-game series from Arkansas State earlier this week, Missouri has won 12 of its last 14 games and the past three weekend series.

Upcoming Schedule: Missouri's upcoming action is as follows:
*Friday, 7 p.m. - Texas Tech - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Saturday, 2 p.m. - Texas Tech - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Sunday, 1 p.m. - Texas Tech - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field

National Rankings: As a result of the Tigers' recent success over ranked teams, Missouri received eight votes in this week's Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll. The eight votes put the Tigers in 39th place nationally. Missouri's last appearance in the polls came in the 1997 season when the Tigers were ranked 21st by Collegiate Baseball and 25th by Baseball America. MU was ranked 19th in the 1997 preseason poll by Collegiate Baseball after advancing to NCAA regional competition in 1996.

Probable Starters: Missouri's tentative rotation for the Texas Tech series looks like this:
*Friday - Drew Endicott (2-4, 5.36 ERA, 31 K)
*Saturday - Mitch Kiler (1-1, 4.61 ERA, 18 K)
*Sunday - Shaun Marcum (2-0, 2.43 ERA, 16 K)

Endicott, a sophomore right-hander from Carthage, Mo., struck out a career-best eight batters against Oklahoma State on Feb. 24. Kiler, a left-handed pitcher from Shawnee, Kan., scattered seven hits in seven innings in a win over Nebraska. Kiler has allowed only three runs in his last two outings. Marcum, a true freshman from Excelsior Springs, Mo., limited Nebraska to five hits and two runs while throwing his first-ever collegiate complete game in the 3-2 win on Sunday (3/25). He threw seven scoreless innings against Kansas (3/11), allowing only three hits.

Texas Tech Notes: The Red Raiders (21-12 overall, 6-6 Big 12) won the best-of-three series with Oklahoma State, 2-1, this past weekend. Texas Tech won game one, 2-0, and game two, 10-2, before dropping the series finale, 2-1. Chris Phillips (Jr., RHP) improved to 8-1 with a win over the Cowboys. The Red Raiders have had the past two Big 12 Pitchers of the Week. Brandon Roberson (5-3, 4.03 ERA) was honored on March 19 and Phillips was chosen on March 12. Roberson will start Friday's contest while Phillips will start Saturday. Sunday's starter will be announced later. Head coach Larry Hays is in his 15th season as the Red Raiders' coach.

Statistical Breakdown: Here is how Missouri and Texas Tech match up:

-	Missouri	Texas Tech
Batting Average	.272	.302
Doubles	47	65
Home Runs	14	30
Runs Scored	176 (6.29 per game)	265 (8.03 per game)
ERA	3.69	4.07
Opponents' Batting Average	.254	.259
Strikeouts	164	241
Strikeout to Walk Ratio	2.19	2.67
Won Loss	17-10-1	21-12

Missouri-Texas Tech Series: The Red Raiders lead the series against Missouri by a 9-7 margin. The series started with Missouri winning two games in 1965 (6-3 and 26-3). The Tigers won the 2000 series (2-1) after seeing Texas Tech win two of the three games in the 1999 regular season series but Missouri won the Big 12 Conference Tournament game 8-7.

Missouri vs. Texas Tech 2000: Missouri won the best-of-three series, 2-1, at Dan Law Field in Lubbock, Texas. The series win was the Tigers' first over Texas Tech since the 1997 formation of the Big 12 Conference. In game one, Nick Wilfong powered a 19-hit attack with two home runs to pace the Tigers to a 16-14 victory over Texas Tech. Wilfong's second home run was a two-run shot to right field in the 10th inning to give MU the win. Texas Tech used a seven-run seventh inning to rally for a 11-6 triumph in game two of the series. In the series finale, Missouri scored two runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to pick up a 6-5 victory and the series win.

Player of the Week: For the second-straight week, Missouri has had someone named Big 12 Player of the Week. Jayce Tingler was honored as the co-player of the week after recording a .588 batting average (10-for-17), seven RBI, and an on-base percentage of .688. Tingler had three multi-hit games and also stole five bases in six attempts and walked five times. He led MU in hits, stolen bases and RBI during the five-game span. MU's first Big 12 Player of the Week in 2001, freshman outfielder Lee Laskowski made his first-ever start against Missouri Valley (3/13) and has been impossible to remove from the lineup. During a five-game stretch, he hit .429 (9x21) with two doubles and two home runs. Laskowski, from St. Louis, drove in five runs and recorded three games with two-or-more hits.

Tigers on Tears: The keys to the Tigers' run of success has been offense, defense and pitching. But then again, aren't those factors always among the keys to success? Four of the Tiger regulars are hitting .300-or-better. Jayce Tingler leads the way with a .368 batting average and 15 runs batted in. Lee Laskowski has been a terror since cracking the lineup, hitting .333. Wes Fewell has returned from a wrist injury and is hitting .312 with four doubles. Jon Williams has a .306 average to go with 15 RBI. Mick Weiss is hitting .288 during the stretch but has scored 17 runs and driven in 13 more. W.T. Hoover has a .348 batting average to go with six RBI while appearing in 11 games.

As a team during that 14-game stretch, Missouri is hitting .285. But the Tigers have done more than just hit the ball as Missouri has also stolen 37 bases on 43 attempts, led by Tingler's nine swipes. Luke Cassis has stolen six bases as has Williams while Fewell has five stolen bases. MU's pitching staff has a 2.38 earned-run average during those 10 games and allowing opponents to hit only .221. The Tigers are also fielding at a .964 clip.

The Running Tigers: Missouri has stolen 46 bases in just 28 games this season. At the current pace, the Tigers would surpass the school record of 83 set in 1979. In comparison to recent seasons, the Tigers stole only 54 bases in the 57-game 2000 season. Individually, Jayce Tingler leads the way with 10 stolen bases and he is one of five players with five-or-more thefts.

Calling Mr. Ripken?: While the consecutive games played streak set by Cal Ripken, Jr., is not quite in jeopardy, Ryan Stegall has started every one of the 140 games he has played for the Tigers. Stegall started all 55 games he appeared in as a freshman but did not play in the March 31, 1999, non-conference game against Kansas but has started every game since then to bring his streak to 113 games. Stegall was the lone Tiger to start all 57 games in 2000 and he is one of four players to start all 28 games in 2001. All-American Ryan Fry started 172 consecutive games to set the school record.

Recent Action: The Tigers downed Arkansas State 10-0 and 9-4 in 10 innings on Tuesday and Wednesday in a road series. MU used nine hits, two by Wes Fewell, on the way to the 10-run outburst. Ryan Stegall hit his 25th career home run in the eighth inning of the first game. Stegall ranks ninth all-time on the MU career home run charts. Matt Hobbs tossed his first-ever complete game shutout as he struck out eight and scattered five hits. The eight strikeouts tie Hobbs' career best.

In the second game of the series, Missouri rallied with two runs in the ninth inning to tie the game before erupting with five runs in the 10th. Jayce Tingler had a two-run double to tie the game at four before MU used six hits to score five runs in the 10th. Luke Cassis had two hits and drove in three runs to lead the offensive attack.

Missouri won two of three games against nationally ranked Nebraska last weekend. After falling 14-4 in game one of the series, Missouri won the next two games, 6-2 and 3-2. The Tigers became the first team to win a series at Nebraska since 1999 when MU won two of three games. Ironically, Missouri rebounded from losing game one to win the remaining games of the series each time. Tingler had six hits in the series and drove in four runs. Tingler had two hits in the opener and a three-hit game in game two. While MU had only three hits in the series finale, all three came in the second inning as Missouri scored three times - one a Tingler single, one on a balk and another on a Cody Ehlers single.

In the opener, Nebraska scored two runs in each of the first four innings to take an 8-1 lead before recording the win. Mitch Kiler scattered seven hits in seven innings while the MU offense scored four runs in the first two innings. Lee Laskowski had four hits for the Tigers who won game two, 6-2.

In the series finale, Shaun Marcum allowed five hits as he picked up his first-ever collegiate complete game as MU made its three second-inning runs stand up in the 3-2 triumph.

Big 12 Leaders: Missouri has a number of players among the leaders in this week's Big 12 Conference statistics. Here's a look at the leaders in various categories:
*Drew Endicott is in an nine-way tie for most shutouts (1) and is in a four-way tie for complete games (3).
*Matt Hobbs is also in the nine-way tie for most shutouts (1).
*Ryan Stegall is in a four-way tie for fourth place in saves (3). Stegall also is in a three-way tie for seventh place in home runs (5).
*Jayce Tingler ranks fourth in walks per game as he has walked 20 times in 28 games (0.71 bb/game). He is tied for seventh in stolen bases (10).
*Mick Weiss ranks in a tie for sixth in walks per game (0.68 bb/game).
*Jon Williams ranks eighth in walks per game (0.64 bb/game).
*Shaun Marcum ranks seventh with a 2.43 earned-run average and he is ninth in opponents' batting average (.232).

In all games, the Tigers rank fifth with a 3.69 earned-run average. Missouri has allowed 75 walks -- second-fewest in the Big 12.

Hit Streaks: In terms of current streaks, Brian Desch had an eight-game hit streak snapped against Arkansas State (3/28). Jayce Tingler has a seven-game hit streak going. He had a six-game streak earlier this season. Jon Williams saw a 10-game hit streak snapped in the 12-0 win over Western Illinois (3/20). Williams also had an eight-game hit streak earlier this season. Mick Weiss had a team-best 13-game hit streak snapped this past weekend.

MU vs. 2000 NCAA Participants: The Tigers have 19 games scheduled against teams which participated in the 2000 NCAA Championships. Missouri is 5-3-1 so far this season against those foes, defeating Loyola Marymount and Wichita State, winning two of three games from Nebraska this past weekend, winning one of three games against Baylor and tying San Jose State. Upcoming opponents Texas Tech (this weekend), Oklahoma, Texas and Creighton also advanced to the 2000 NCAAs.

Missouri vs. Ranked Teams: Missouri has posted a 5-8 record against teams nationally ranked. However, MU has won four of the last six games against opponents ranked in the nation's top 10 with all four of the wins coming in the past two weekends.

Home Sweet Home: The Tigers have posted an impressive 9-1 record this season at Taylor Stadium. Missouri went 18-12 in 2000 - the first season at Taylor Stadium.

Milestone Watch I: Ryan Stegall hit his 25th career home run in the win over Arkansas State on March 27. Stegall is in ninth place on the career home run chart, passing Mark Thiel (1974-76) and his 24 round-trippers. Aaron Jaworowski (1995-97) and Mike Rallo (1997-2000) are eighth with 28 homers.

Milestone Watch II: Ryan Stegall is in second place with 15 career saves. He passed Jeff Cornell, who recorded 14 saves from 1976-78, in a win over Kansas (3/11) to move into sole possession of second place. Stegall set a single-season school record in 2000 with 12 saves. Scott Black (1987-90) holds the career mark with 19 saves.

Weather: Weather has played a factor in the Tigers' season. MU has had six games affected by rain or snow or fog.

Missouri's season-opening contest against San Jose State was called with the Tigers coming to bat in the sixth inning due to rain and the score tied 0-0.

MU's game with Creighton will now be played April 18 at 7 p.m. at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field. That game was originally scheduled for Feb. 21 but was postponed due to snow and cold. Missouri's game with Lincoln on Feb. 27 was cancelled due to snow. The Tigers replaced that contest with the game against Truman State.

The second game of the Tigers' series with Baylor was suspended due to fog covering the outfield in the bottom half of the first inning. The contest was completed on March 4.

The doubleheader against Pepperdine (3/17) was due to snowfall and cold temperatures while the doubleheader against Nebraska (3/24) was due to cold temperatures and single-digit wind chills the day before.

Technically, the list could be seven as the second day's action of the Cal Poly/J.Carroll Classic was cancelled due to rain. However, MU was able to schedule a game with Loyola Marymount to fill that open date.

A Tie?: Yes, the Missouri Tigers had a tie game to open the season. The tie was not the first in school history. Missouri tied Illinois 3-3 in the 1986 season and tied Murray State 8-8 in the 1984 campaign. The 1980s decade featured three tie games. MU has been involved in seven tie games since 1940. It now has played 19 tie games all-time with 10 of those games occurring between 1897 and 1921.

Preseason Honors: Junior shortstop/relief pitcher Ryan Stegall has collected a number of preseason honors this season. They are: *Named to Rotary Smith Award's watch list for Player of the Year
*Big 12 Player of the Year by Collegiate Baseball
*Second-team All-American utility player by Collegiate Baseball
*Third-team All-American utility player by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association

Sophomore outfielder Jayce Tingler and senior pitcher Mitch Kiler were mentioned as "Players to Watch" in the Big 12 by Collegiate Baseball.

2000 Recap: The Tigers went 33-24 in 2000 and advanced to the Big 12 Conference Tournament for the fourth consecutive campaign. Ryan Stegall was honored as the first-team all-Big 12 shortstop and was named an All-American utility player by two organizations. Jayce Tingler was named to the Freshman All-American team.

Coaching Staff: Head coach Tim Jamieson is in his seventh season and has an overall mark of 212-151-1 and a record of 91-88 in Big 12/Big 8 play. He recorded his 200th career victory over Wichita State (9-8) on March 7. A University of New Orleans graduate, Jamieson was an assistant coach for the Tigers for six seasons before taking over the top spot. He led the Tigers to the 1996 Big 8 regular season crown and a berth in the Midwest Regional. Jamieson is assisted by Chal Fanning (pitching coach, fifth season), Evan Pratte (hitting coach/infield, fourth season) and Chris Smith (outfield, first season). The Tigers have had 16 players enter professional baseball during Jamieson's tenure. Jamieson is 5-9 against Texas Tech. Jamieson's milestone victories:
*1 - Missouri 12, Lincoln 2 - Feb. 27, 1995
*50 - Missouri 8, Nebraska 2 - April 24, 1996
*100 - Missouri 3, Eastern Michigan 0 - March 14, 1998
*150 - Missouri 5, Oklahoma 2 - April 17, 1999
*200 - Missouri 9, Wichita State 8 - March 7, 2001

Jamieson will receive a plaque in recognition of his 200th victory prior to Saturday's contest.

Another Season, Another 30 Wins: Missouri has won 30-or-more games the past five seasons and in 14 of the last 16 campaigns.

Success: The Tigers opened the 2001 season ranked 35th among all NCAA Division I teams with 1,743 wins. In its 104 seasons of baseball, Missouri has won 61.0 percent of its games.

Broadcasts: The Tigers' games this season are carried on KWWC (90.5 FM) as well as on www.mutigers.com. Sean Kelley serves as the play-by-play announcer while color commentary will be provided by Mike Cronemeyer (home games) and Matt Schmidt (road games). Kelley is in his third season as the voice of MU baseball.

Home Runs for Kids: Again this season, the Tigers have teamed with the University of Missouri Children's Hospital to develop a special program called "Home Runs for Kids." The program is geared to raise money for sick children at the Children's Hospital at University Hospital and Clinics. The fund-raising program will recruit baseball fans, individuals, businesses, clubs and organizations, to pledge 25 cents to $10 or more for every home run the Tigers hit this season. All of the money raised by the "Home Run for Kids" program will be used locally to fund equipment, research and programs for patients at Children's Hospital. Currently, the Tigers have hit 14 home runs.

Tigers By Inning: Missouri has scored 30 runs in the eighth inning, fueled by 20 runs in the past eight games. The Tigers have scored 20-or-more runs in five innings. Missouri scored a season-high eight runs in the eighth inning in the win over Peperdine (3/17). Missouri has outscored its opposition 48-17 combined in the fifth and sixth innings. The second inning has been the Tigers' downfall, allowing 25 runs.

-	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	EI	Total
Missouri	15	19	12	20	26	22	20	30	6	6	176
Opponents	13	25	15	17	7	10	14	9	10	1	120

Academic Success: Seven members of the Tigers' squad were named to Missouri's Fall Student-Athlete Dean's List. They are: Dan Bane, Garrett Broshuis, Logan Dale, Bo Davis, Mitch Kiler, Malachi Momper and Andy Runyan.

Birthdays: Two of the Tigers, Drew Endicott and Kurt Propst, will celebrate their birthdays this weekend. The following Missouri players will have their birthdays during the 2001 season with their performances if they played:
Feb. 16 - Mick Weiss (2 hits, 1 run scored, 1 RBI vs. Nevada-Las Vegas)
Feb. 19 - Dan Bane (DNP)
March 2 - Matt Hobbs (DNP)
March 10 - W.T. Hoover (1 hit vs. Kansas, 1 run scored, 1 RBI)
March 24 - Shannon Wheeler (DNP)
March 25 - Brian Desch (DNP)
March 30 - Drew Endicott
April 1 - Kurt Propst
April 16 - Cody Ehlers
May 18 - Jon Williams

Next: Missouri heads to Southeast Missouri State for a 6 p.m. game on April 3 in Cape Girardeau before taking on Oklahoma in a Big 12 Conference series April 6-7-8 at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field.