March 5, 2001
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Columbia, Mo. -- The University of Missouri baseball team (4-7-1, 1-5 Big 12) will first meet Wichita State Wednesday before having a home-and-home series with Kansas over the weekend in Big 12 Conference play.
Upcoming Schedule: Missouri faces the following foes:
*Wichita State - Wednesday, 5 p.m., Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Kansas - Friday, 6 p.m., KU's Hoglund Ballpark
*Kansas - Saturday, 3 p.m., Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Kansas - Sunday, 2 p.m., Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
NOTE: Wednesday's Wichita State game will now start at 5 p.m. That decision was made on Tuesday.
Tickets: Ticket prices for the 2001 Missouri baseball season are:
*$5 - reserved tickets
*$5 - general admission adult tickets
*$3 - general admission senior/student tickets>br>
Milestone Watch: Missouri head coach Tim Jamieson has won 199 games during his career at MU. Jamieson will become the third Tiger head coach to win 200-or-more games when MU wins its fifth game of the season. Gene McArtor had a mark of 733-430-3 in 21 seasons (1974-94) while John "Hi" Simmons was 481-294-3 in 35 season (1937-73).
Recent Action: The Tigers posted a 1-2 mark against Baylor in Big 12 Conference play. MU dropped the opener 3-2 after scoring two runs to open the game. Baylor tied the contest in its half of the first inning before a pitcher's duel developed by Drew Endicott and Steven White. BU ended the duel in the ninth inning with a two-out double. Baylor won Saturday's suspended game on Sunday by a 12-2 margin before the Tigers recorded a 5-4 win in 10 innings on a single by Mick Weiss which scored Jon Williams. Weiss ran his hit streak to seven games. He had three hits in the series finale, highlighted by his game-winning hit in the 10th inning. Weiss also drove in a pair of runs in that game. Weiss hit .500 (5x10) with three runs scored.
Wichita State Notes: The Shockers, who received votes in last week's Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' Poll, went 1-2 last weekend in California and are now 5-4 overall. The Shockers defeated Long Beach State 10-8 but lost to Cal State Fullerton 3-1 and Tennesee 14-4. The Shockers opened the season by winning four of five games. Bryan Burgamy is hitting .406 with a team-high four doubles. The Shockers are coached by Missouri alum Gene Stephenson, the active winningest coach at the NCAA Division I level. He has guided Wichita State to a mark of 1,273-385-3 in 24 seasons.
Missouri versus Wichita State: The Shockers hold a 4-3 edge in the series which started in 1905. Wichita State has won the past four meetings. Here is a rundown of the series:
*2000 - Wichita State 6, Missouri 5
*1999 - Wichita State 12, Missouri 1
*1998 - Wichita State 12, Missouri 3
*1996 - Wichita State 9, Missouri 2 (NCAA Regional)
*1980 - Missouri 5, Wichita State 4 (NCAA Regional)
*1978 - Missouri 9, Wichita State 1, Missouri 6, Wichita State 1
Note - Wichita State claims a 10-6 win over the Tigers in 1914. However, a check of the Missouri yearbook from that year as well as the team picture does not show that game on the MU schedule.
MU Vs. Wichita State 2000: Wichita State's Joey Blue hit a three-run home run in the sixth inning and the 19th-ranked Shockers scored three more runs in the seventh for a come-from-behind, 6-5 victory over Missouri at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium. Missouri led 4-0 entering the bottom of the sixth inning and was riding a one-hit pitching performance by righthander Pete Sansone, who had a no-hitter until Wichita State's Pat Magness doubled in the fifth inning.
Statistical Breakdown: Here is how Missouri and Wichita State match up:
| - | Missouri | Wichita State |
| Batting Average | .245 | .288 |
| Doubles | 16 | 16 |
| Home Runs | 6 | 4 |
| Runs Scored | 56 (4.67 rpp) | 52 (5.78 rpg) |
| ERA | 4.70 | 3.69 |
| Opponents' BA | .282 | .260 |
| Strikeouts | 62 | 70 |
| K/BB Ratio | 1.68 | 2.92 |
Jayhawk Talk: Kansas is 7-6 on the season and 1-5 in Big 12 play after dropping two of three games to Oklahoma State. John Nelson is the Jayhawks' leading hitter with a.396 batting average. He also has three triples. Pete Smart is 3-0 with a 4.21 earned-run average. Head coach Bobby Randall is 125-160 in six seasons at Kansas and 434-471-1 in 17 seasons. Kansas plays at Southwest Missouri Tuesday before the Missouri series.
Missouri versus Kansas: Missouri holds a 193-112-2 edge in the series which started in 1901 with a 6-3 Tiger triumph. Here is a rundown of the past two seasons:
*2000 - Kansas 3, Missouri 0, Missouri 12, Kansas 2, Missouri 10, Kansas 7
*1999 - Kansas 3, Missouri 2, Missouri 12, Kansas 8, Missouri 7, Kansas 4, Missouri 9, Kansas 1, Missouri 14, Kansas 12
MU Vs. Kansas 2000: Missouri won the series 2-1. In the opener, KU's Pete Smart handcuffed the Tigers as the Jayhawks won 3-0. Game two saw Ryan Stegall go 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. Nick Wilfong and Jon Williams highlighted a 6-run fifth inning with back-to-back home runs as the Tigers won a 10-7 decision over the Jayhawks to close the series.
Statistical Breakdown: Here is how Missouri and Kansas match up:
| - | Missouri | Kansas |
| Batting Average | .245 | .282 |
| Doubles | 16 | 27 |
| Home Runs | 6 | 4 |
| Runs Scored | 56 (4.67 rpp) | 90 (6.92 rpg) |
| ERA | 4.70 | 5.77 |
| Opponents' BA | .282 | .299 |
| Strikeouts | 62 | 89 |
| K/BB Ratio | 1.68 | 2.17 |
Ranked Teams: Missouri is currently 1-6 versus ranked opponents in 2001. The Tigers posted a 4-10 mark against ranked foes in 2000. Prior to Missouri's 5-4 victory over Baylor Sunday, MU's last road win against a ranked opponent was Feb. 27, 2000, a 6-5 victory over Texas Tech. MU has already faced nationally ranked Pepperdine, Oklahoma State and Baylor and will meet the ranked squads of Pepperdine (again) and Nebraska throughout the season.
MU vs. 2000 NCAA Participants: The Tigers have 16 games scheduled against teams which participated in the 2000 NCAA Championships. The Tigers are 2-2-1 so far this season against those foes, defeating Loyola Marymount, winning one of three games against Baylor and tying San Jose State. Wichita State advanced to the NCAAs last season.
Possible Rotation: The Tigers have sent Drew Endicott and Matt Hobbs to the pitching mound to open the past three weekends. Endicott (1-2) is expected to throw the opener against Kansas with Hobbs (2-2) to take the mound in game two. Senior Mitch Kiler (0-0) could start game three. No formal decision has been made on the starting pitcher for that game or for Wednesday's contest. Endicott has a team-high 22 strikeouts in 27 and two-thirds innings. He limited San Jose State to two hits in the season-opening game and picked up the win over Nevada-Las Vegas. After giving up two runs in the first inning, Endicott blanked Baylor for seven innings before allowing the winning run. Hobbs has wins over Loyola Marymount and New Mexico but saw his win streak snapped against Oklahoma State. Kiler has not recorded a decision in three starts (Utah, Oklahoma State and Baylor). The Tigers could have a number of pitchers throw against Wichita State with either Endicott or Hobbs expected to start but not throw more than five innings.
Hot Bats: Mick Weiss has a seven-game hit streak currently. He is hitting .370 during the streak. Luke Cassis has four games with two hits this season, including the series finale against Baylor.
Milestone Watch II: Ryan Stegall hit his 23rd career home run in the loss to Utah. Stegall is tied for 10th place with Nick Wilfong (1998-2000) and Kevin LeCompte (1984-87) on the MU all-time charts. Mark Thiel (1974-76) is in ninth place with 24 round-trippers.
Milestone Watch III: Ryan Stegall is tied place for second place with 14 career saves. He is tied with Jeff Cornell (1976-78) for second place. Stegall set a single-season record in 2000 with 12 saves and recorded his first of the 2001 season against Loyola Marymount. In other news, Stegall has started 97 consecutive games.
Weather: Weather has played a factor in the Tigers' season. MU has had four 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 will now meet Truman State March 14 at 7 p.m. at home. Tickets issued for the Lincoln game can be used for the Truman State contest. 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 Sunday.
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 the 1940 season and now has played 19 tie games all-time. A total of 10 of those tie games came between the 1897 and 1921 seasons.
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.
Stegall recently received the "Brock Olivo Award" from the Kansas City Tiger Club as the MU male student-athlete of the year from the Kansas City metropolitan area. The award honors the character, dedication and leadership shown by Olivo during his career as he set Missouri's all-time rushing record.
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 enters his seventh season and has an overall mark of 199-148-1 and a record of 87-86 in Big 12/Big 8 play. 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 0-4 against Wichita State and is 16-9 against Kansas.
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 will be 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 contests). Kelley is in his third season as the voice of the Tigers.
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 six home runs.
Big 12 Statistics: In conference-only games through Feb. 27, MU ranks sixth in earned-run average (5.76) and seventh in batting average (.212). In all games, MU ranks fifth in ERA (4.44) and ninth in batting average (.256). In all games (through 2/27), Jon Williams ranks 12th with a .375 batting average while Luke Cassis ranks 18th at .348. Ryan Stegall is one of five players with three home runs while Williams is one of seven with two triples. Matt Hobbs (3.18), Pete Sansone (3.18) and Drew Endicott (3.32) are ninth (tied) and 11th, respectively, in earned run average. Sansone ranks ninth in opponents' batting average (.220) while Endicott is one of three players to have hurled a shutout. Stegall's two home runs against Loyola Marymount is tied for the best single-game performance this season in the Big 12 with two other players. MU's 18 assists against Loyola Marymount are the most assists in a game this season.
Tigers By Inning: Missouri has found the fifth and sixth innings to be its favorite for scoring runs. The Tigers have scored 10 runs in each of the two innings. Missouri has scored three runs twice this season in the fifth inning (UNLV and New Mexico) and scored a season-best four runs in the second inning (New Mexico - 2/17).
| - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Extra | Total |
| Missouri | 5 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 56 |
| Opponents | 9 | 16 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 64 |
Home Sweet Home: When the Tigers will open the 2001 home schedule, Missouri will play in the friendly confines of Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field. Taylor Stadium debuted in 2000 and Missouri posted an 18-12 mark at home.
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.
Next: The Kansas series starts a nine-game homestand for the Tigers. MU will face the following teams with the following promotions:
*March 13 - Missouri Valley, 7 p.m.
Two for Tuesday - Fans in pairs will receive admission for the price of one
*March 14 - Truman State, 7 p.m.
TBA
*March 16 - Pepperdine, 7 p.m.
Bank Night - Bank employees from mid-Missouri will be able to get in for $3. Stop by your local bank for ticket information.
*March 17 - Pepperdine, 2 p.m.
70's Day - Fans wearing vintage 70's clothes will receive admission for $3
Faculty/Staff Day - MU faculty/staff get into the game for $3
*March 18 - Pepperdine, 1 p.m.
Family Day - A family of four gets in for $10
*March 20 - Western Illinois 7 p.m.
Two for Tuesday - Two tickets for the price of one
*March 21 - Western Illinois 4 p.m.
Business Day Special - Business men and women get in for $1 by presenting a business card.