April 4, 2002
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COLUMBIA, Mo. - For the second time this season, the University of Missouri baseball team will play the University of Washington. The first meetings of the 2002 season came during the Rawlings/Oakland Athletics Spring Training Tournament held in Phoenix in February.
This time the Tigers and Huskies will face off in Columbia, Mo. Here's a look at the games:
*MU vs. Washington, Friday, 6:30 p.m., Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*MU vs. Washington, Saturday, 2 p.m., Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
*MU vs. Washington, Sunday, Noon, Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field
All three games will be shown live on the Internet. If you wish to watch, please go to www.mutigers.com and follow the links. The games will also be shown on TV on a tape-delayed basis. Dates/times of that schedule are unknown at this time.
Records: Missouri is 11-16 this season while Washington is 12-12-1.
Probable Starters: Here's a best guess of Missouri's starting pitcher rotation: Justin James, Friday, Garrett Broshuis, Saturday, and Abel Newton, Sunday. Washington's rotation looks to be: David Dowling, Friday, Shawn Kohn, Saturday, and Sean White, Sunday.
Last Time Out: The Tigers suffered an 8-5 loss to Southeast Missouri on Tuesday. The Indians opened a 6-1 lead after four innings and held on. Missouri left a season-high 15 runners on base. Lee Laskowski and Jayce Tingler each had three hits in the contest.
MU/Washington Series: The series is tied, 1-1, after the Tigers and Huskies split their two meetings this season.
Earlier This Season: Washington opened a 7-0 lead in the first contest and hung on for a 10-6 victory on Feb. 14. UW's Tyler Davidson hit two home runs in the game. Jody Roughton had three hits, including a pair of doubles. In the second meeting on Feb. 17, Jayce Tingler drove in the game-winning run to cap a four-run, ninth-inning rally as Missouri picked up a 10-9 win. The Tigers loaded the bases with three straight singles before scoring runs on a walk, a single, a hit batter and Tingler's single. Abel Newton picked up the win in relief.
Washington Notes: The Huskies enter the series on a four-game losing streak, having lost their past two conference games to nationally ranked Arizona State and then dropping two games to Gonzaga. Shortstop Tila Reynolds is hitting .394 ans has stolen 11 bases. Jay Garthwaite has twice been named the Pac 10's player of the week and was named the NCBWA's National Player of the Week on April 2 after going 11-for-22 with four home runs and 16 runs batted in five games. Head coach Ken Knutson has a 326-219-1 record in 10 seasons.
Game Rescheduled: The Feb. 26 Missouri/Saint Louis game which was postponed due to weather will now be played on April 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field.
Ouch! For the second time this season, outfielder Ryan Rallo has suffered a concussion. Rallo, a sophomore outfielder, suffered a concussion in Tuesday night's game against Southeast Missouri in a collision at first base. Rallo's first concussion was when he hit the wall while making a catch (and starting a double play) against New Orleans on Feb. 23. Rallo will miss the Washington series and his timeline on returning to the Tiger lineup is unknown at this time. Tiger catcher Brian Desch is also on the "disabled list" after suffering a concussion. There has not been an announcement regarding his return.
The Hit Man: Sophomore outfielder Lee Laskowski continues to rack up the hits. Since becoming an offensive threat for the Tigers during the 2001 season, Laskowski has been one tough out. Despite appearing in only 38 games in 2001, he had 12 multi-hit games. Well, he has already bettered that mark in 27 games this season, having 13 multi-hit efforts in 2002. Laskowski has now hit in 11 straight games this season and opened the campaign with a 10-game streak (actually, 13 dating back to 2001).
The Hit Parade: In 18 of its 27 games this season, Missouri has had 10 or more hits. In 2001, MU had 29 games with 10 or more hits and the Tigers' 18th game with 10 or more hits came in game 37.
The Whiff: Freshman relief pitcher Travis Wendte has starred since becoming the Tigers' closer. Wendte has a team-high three saves and has struck out 25 batters in 19.1 innings of work. In his last six outings (10 innings), Wendte has struck out 14 batters.
Big 12 Records: Matt Hobbs set a Big 12 Conference record when he struck out seven straight batters over a two-game stretch. Hobbs struck out the final four batters he faced against Harris-Stowe (3/26) before whiffing the side in the seventh inning against Texas Tech (3/29). Hobbs and Derek Roper teamed to strike out nine consecutive batters against Harris-Stowe (3/26).
Off And Running: Jayce Tingler has stolen 41 bases in his career to rank fifth all-time in that career chart. Dave Silvestri (1986-88) ranks fourth with 47. Tingler could crack the program's all-time Top 10 charts this season in walks, hits and runs scored.
Here's a look at where Tingler stands and who holds the mark is for 10th:
Walks - Tingler, 101 10th, Jon Williams, 116
Hits - Tingler, 156 10th, Curt Brown, 210
Runs - Tingler, 126 10th, Greg Cypret, 156
Setting The Table: As a team, the Tigers are doing quite well reaching base leading off an inning. MU's success rate this is season is .469. Lee Laskowski leads the squad at .619 (13-of-21) while Jody Roughton is at .591 (13-of-22).
Tough With Two: Ryan Rallo remains the Tigers' top producer when batting with two outs. Rallo is hitting .500 (13-of-26). Cody Ehlers and Jody Roughton have driven in 13 and 12 runs, respectively, when batting in that situation.
Five Hits: Chris Julo had five hits in Missouri's 20-4 win over William Woods (Mo.) on March 6. Julo's performance were the most hits any MU player has had in a game since J.R. Warner had five hits against Centenary on Feb. 2, 2000.
It's My Birthday: The Tigers celebrate several birthdays on game days this season. Here's a list of who's already had birthdays and who's next:
Feb. 15 - Tyrone Roberson (DNP in MU's 6-4 win over Portland)
Feb. 16 - Mick Weiss (0x4, 2 runs scored in MU's 11-7 win over Portland)
March 2 - Matt Hobbs (game with Youngstown State canceled due to weather)
March 10 - W.T. Hoover (DNP vs. Oklahoma) and Ryan Rothford (DNP vs. OU)
March 30 - Drew Endicott (game with Texas Tech rained out)
April 16 - Cody Ehlers (vs. Southwest Missouri)
Preseason Talk: Jayce Tingler was named the Big 12 Conference's best baserunner by Baseball America while Abel Newton was named one of the league's top newcomers.
Top Class: Missouri had one of the nation's top recruiting classes this past year, according to Collegiate Baseball in its annual compilation of top recruiting classes. Missouri was listed in the "other top classes" category.
Coaching Staff: The next win in Big 12 Conference play will be the 100th career league win for head coach Tim Jamieson, who is in his eighth season. Jamieson's overall record is 237-181-1 and the Tigers are 100-109 in Big 12/Big 8 play during his reign. He recorded his 200th career victory with a 9-8 win over Wichita State on March 7, 2001. He picked up his 100th career conference win with the 7-1 victory against Texas Tech (3/31 - game two).
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, sixth season), Evan Pratte (hitting coach/infield, fifth season) and Chris Smith (outfield, second season). The Tigers have had 19 players enter professional baseball during Jamieson's tenure. 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
30 Wins Again: In 2001, Missouri recorded its sixth-straight season with 30 or more victories and its 15th such season in the past 17 years.
Success: The Tigers opened the 2002 season ranked 36th among all NCAA Division I teams with 1,774 wins. In its 106 seasons of baseball, MU has won 60.5 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 is in his fourth season as the play-by-play announcer.
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. The Tigers have hit 23 home runs in 2002.
Next Up: Missouri is scheduled to play Southwest Missouri State on April 9 at Price Cutter Park in Springfield. The Tigers return to Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series against nationally ranked Nebraska April 12-14.