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April 3, 2001
Columbia, Mo. -- The University of Missouri baseball team (19-11-1, 7-8 Big 12) meets Southeast Missouri State Tuesday before returning to Big 12 Conference action with a weekend series at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field against Oklahoma.
Missouri has won 16 of its last 20 games and its past four weekend series.
Upcoming Schedule: Missouri's upcoming action is as follows:
*Today, 6 p.m. - Southeast Missouri - Capaha Field
*Friday, 7 p.m. - Oklahoma - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Saturday, 2 p.m. - Oklahoma - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*Sunday, 1 p.m. - Oklahoma - Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
National Rankings: As a result of the Tigers' recent success over ranked teams, Missouri received 14 votes in this week's Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches Poll. The 14 votes put the Tigers in 33rd place nationally, tied with Texas Tech and UCLA. Missouri received eight votes in last week's edition. 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. Missouri is ranked 34th in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. It is MU's first-ever appearance in that poll.
Probable Starters: The Tigers could have the following starting pitchers.
*Today - Matt Hobbs (5-2, 4.26 ERA, 33 K)
*Friday - Drew Endicott (2-4, 5.55 ERA, 34 K)
*Saturday - Mitch Kiler (1-2, 5.19 ERA, 21 K)
*Sunday - Shaun Marcum (2-0, 3.82 ERA, 18 K)
Hobbs, a junior from Alta Loma, Calif., has won his past three starts. In his last start, Hobbs threw a complete game, five-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.
Endicott, a sophomore from Carthage, Mo., struck out a career-best eight batters against Oklahoma State on Feb. 24.
Kiler, a senior from Shawnee, Kan., scattered seven hits over seven innings to defeat Nebraska (3/24). Kiler made his first start of the 2000 season against the Sooners and suffered a loss.
Marcum, a true freshman from Excelsior Springs, Mo., limited Nebraska (3/25) to five hits and two runs while throwing his first-ever collegiate complete game in the 3-2 win. He threw seven scoreless innings against Kansas (3/11), allowing only three hits.
Last Series: Missouri used a nine-run eighth inning to down Texas Tech 14-9 Sunday. The Tigers used 11 hits in the inning with the big blows being a two-run single by Jon Williams and a two-run double by W.T. Hoover. The win gave Missouri its second-straight series win over Texas Tech and its fourth-straight series win overall. Lee Laskowski had his third four-hit game of the year and Williams had his fifth three-hit game.
On Saturday, the Red Raiders scored four runs in the third inning to take a 4-0 lead before Williams hit a two-run home run to right field. The homer was Williams' fifth of the season. Texas Tech scored a run in each of the fifth and eighth innings before putting the game away with a four-run ninth inning. Tyler Carson provided the ninth- inning highlights with a three-run home run.
On Friday, Missouri needed an eighth-inning rally to record the 5-4 victory. Jayce Tingler used a bunt single to score Hoover and give the Tigers the come-from-behind win. Laskowski had three hits for Missouri while Williams, Ryan Stegall and Mick Weiss each had two hits. Texas Tech's Nick Blankenship, Austin Cranford and Bryon Smith each homered in the contest.
Southeast Missouri Notes: The Indians are 19-9 this season and have won eight of their past nine games. Clemente Bonilla leads the offensive attack with a .444 batting average and 15 doubles. Bonilla is one of four players hitting .300 or better. Head coach Mark Hogan is in his fifth season.
Statistical Breakdown: Here is how Missouri and Southeast Missouri State match up:
| - | Missouri | SE Missouri |
| Batting Average | .280 | .292 |
| Doubles | 53 | 70 |
| Home Runs | 15 | 18 |
| Runs Scored | 197 (6.35 per game) | 174 (6.21 per game) |
| ERA | 4.06 | 3.29 |
| Opponents' Batting Average | .257 | .214 |
| Strikeouts | 177 | 223 |
| Strikeout to Walk Ratio | 2.08 | 1.78 |
| Won Loss | 19-11-1 | 19-9 |
Missouri-SE Missouri Series: The series started in 1986 and each team won one game that season. Since then, Missouri has won 12 of the next 15 meetings and holds a 13-4 edge. Southeast Missouri won both meetings in 2000. Tim Jamieson's first game as the Missouri head coach was against Southeast Missouri to open the 1995 season. The Indians won that game 5-4.
Missouri vs. SE Missouri 2000: Southeast Missouri State used four home runs, including a three-run, eighth inning shot by Jeremy Johnson, to defeat Missouri by a score of 9-6 at Taylor Stadium. The loss was Missouri's fifth straight. In game one of the series, Indian catcher Jeff Bourbon hit three home runs to power Southeast Missouri to a 14-8 win. Charlie Marino added two homers and four RBIs.
Oklahoma Notes: The Sooners enter the week with a 10-22 overall mark and a Big 12 record of 5-10. Oklahoma plays Texas Christian Tuesday. Infielder/outfielder Greg Dobbs is hitting .394 and leads the team with nine doubles and 28 runs batted in. Larry Cochell is in his 11th season at OU and 35th overall as a collegiate coach.
Statistical Breakdown: Here is how Missouri and Oklahoma match up:
| - | Missouri | Oklahoma |
| Batting Average | .280 | .290 |
| Doubles | 53 | 50 |
| Home Runs | 15 | 24 |
| Runs Scored | 197 (6.35 per game) | 175 (5.47 per game) |
| ERA | 4.06 | 5.83 |
| Opponents' Batting Average | .257 | .301 |
| Strikeouts | 177 | 169 |
| Strikeout to Walk Ratio | 2.08 | 1.22 |
| Won Loss | 19-11-1 | 10-22 |
Missouri-Oklahoma Series: The series started in 1913 with a pair of Missouri victories -- 5-3 and 2-1. Oklahoma leads the series by a 125-91 margin and has won the past four meetings.
Missouri vs. Oklahoma 2000: The Sooners, who were ranked 25th at the time of the regular-season series, won the Saturday-Sunday-Monday series and recorded a win in the Big 12 Tournament. OU won game one 11-3 by taking a 6-0 lead after three innings. In game two, Missouri rallied but it was not enough in an 11-7 setback. Missouri cut into the Sooners' lead, trailing at one point 8-7, before Oklahoma added three late runs. In the series finale, OU opened a 9-0 lead before recording the 9-4 victory. Missouri took a 5-4 lead after five innings of play in the Big 12 Tournament before Oklahoma rallied to take a 12-6 win.
Players of the Week: For the second-straight week, Missouri has had someone named Big 12 Player of the Week on March 26. 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 (March 19), 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 Missouri regulars are hitting .329 or better in the past 20 games. Lee Laskowski leads the way, hitting .393 in just 15 games. Mick Weiss is hitting at a .368 clip, has scored 23 times and walked 15 times during the span. Jayce Tingler is hitting .359 and has driven in 19 runs while Jon Williams is hitting .329 and has driven in a team-best 23 games with three home runs in the 20-game stretch.
As a team during that 20-game stretch (from March 4 to today), Missouri is hitting .299. But the Tigers have done more than just hit the ball. The Tigers have also stolen 41 bases on 52 attempts, led by Tingler's 10 swipes. MU's pitching staff has a 3.68 earned-run average during those 20 games and allowing opponents to hit only .243. Logan Dale leads the way with a 2-0 record and a 0.83 earned-run average. Jon Harris, Matt Hobbs and Pete Sansone each have won three games during the span. The Tigers are also fielding at a .963 clip.
The Running Tigers: Missouri has stolen 49 bases in 31 games this season. At the current pace, the Tigers will 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 11 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 143 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 116 games. Stegall was the lone Tiger to start all 57 games in 2000 and he is one of four players to start all 31 games in 2001. All-American Ryan Fry started 172 consecutive games to set the school record.
The Week In Review: The Tigers downed Arkansas State 10-0 and 9-4 in 10 innings last 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.
And then came the Texas Tech series which saw the Tigers post two eighth-inning rallies to record two wins and record their second-straight series win over the Red Raiders. Missouri won the opener 5-4 when Tingler drove in W.T. Hoover with a bunt single. Lee Laskowski had three hits in the game Jon Williams, Stegall and Mick Weiss each had two hits.
Texas Tech took advantage of five Missouri errors and rolled to a 10-2 triumph. Williams provided the lone offensive bright spot with a two-run home run in the third inning.
In the series finale, Missouri sent 14 men to the plate, recording 11 hits and a season-best nine runs to rally from a 9-5 deficit and win 14-9. Laskowski had his third four-hit game of the season while Williams had three hits. Hoover had two hits in the eighth inning while Weiss had a pair of doubles in the frame. Weiss also had three hits while Luke Cassis and Kurt Propst added two hits each.
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 10-way tie for the lead in most shutouts (1) and is in a four-way tie for second in complete games (3).
*Matt Hobbs is also in the 10-way tie for most shutouts (1) and is in a three-way tie for eighth in wins (5).
*Ryan Stegall is in a two-way tie for fourth place in saves (3).
*Jayce Tingler ranks fourth in walks per game as he has walked 22 times in 31 games (0.71 bb/game). He is seventh in stolen bases (11).
*Mick Weiss ranks sixth in walks per game (0.65 bb/game).
*Shaun Marcum ranks 15th with a 3.82 earned-run average.
In all games, the Tigers rank fifth with a 3.99 earned-run average. Missouri has allowed 86 walks -- second-fewest in the Big 12.
The Bat Man: Once he got into the lineup, freshman Lee Laskowski has been impossible to remove. Laskowski, from St. Louis, suffered a sprained ankle prior to the Tigers' first road trip of the 2001 season and struggled making his way back to the field. However, once there, Laskowski has been on a tear to put it mildly. Laskowski is hitting .520 (13x25) in conference games but does not have enough at bats to qualify among the league leaders. Laskowski has six multi-hit games this season. He has played in only 15. Overall, Laskowski is hitting .393.
Hit Streaks: Jayce Tingler has a 10-game hit streak going. He had a six-game streak earlier this season. Tingler also had a nine-game hit streak this season as he entered the season with a seven-game streak and recorded hits in the first two contests. 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 7-4-1 so far this season against those foes. The Tigers also have wins over Loyola Marymount, Wichita State, Baylor and two over Nebraska and Texas Tech. MU tied San Jose State. Upcoming opponents Oklahoma, Texas and Creighton also advanced to the 2000 NCAAs.
Missouri vs. Ranked Teams: Missouri has posted a 5-8 record against teams ranked in the nation's top 25. However, MU has won four of the last six games against opponents ranked in the nation's top 10.
Home Sweet Home: The Tigers have posted an impressive 11-2 record this season at Taylor Stadium. MU was 18-12 in 2000 -- Taylor Stadium's first year.
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 16 career saves after recording his fourth of the season Friday. 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.
Coaching Staff: Head coach Tim Jamieson is in his seventh season and has an overall mark of 214-152-1 and a record of 93-89 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 8-3 against Southeast Missouri State and 7-15 against Oklahoma.
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
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.
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 15 home runs.
Tigers By Inning: Missouri has scored 41 runs in the eighth inning, fueled by 31 runs in the past 10 games. The Tigers have scored 20-or-more runs in five innings. Missouri scored a season-high nine runs in the eighth inning against Texas Tech (4/1). MU's previous best in 2001 was eight runs in the eighth inning against Pepperdine (3/17). The second inning has been the Tigers' downfall, allowing 25 runs.
| - | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | EI | Total |
| Missouri | 17 | 24 | 15 | 20 | 26 | 22 | 20 | 41 | 6 | 6 | 197 |
| Opponents | 14 | 25 | 20 | 20 | 10 | 13 | 15 | 11 | 14 | 1 | 143 |
Academic Success: Seven Tigers 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, celebrated 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 (3.1 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 3 K)
April 1 - Kurt Propst (2 hits, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI)
April 16 - Cody Ehlers
May 18 - Jon Williams
Next: Missouri will play Saint Louis at T.R. Hughes Park in O'Fallon, Mo., on April 10. The Tigers return to Big 12 action with three games at Texas April 13-15.