April 10, 2003
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TIGERS TAKE DOZEN STRAIGHT INTO LINCOLN FOR HUSKER SHOWDOWN
The University of Missouri baseball team (24-8), which broke into three of the four major national polls this week, travels to Lincoln, Neb., for a crucial three-game Big 12 Conference series at Nebraska.
? ? ? The Tigers are owners of a 12-game winning streak, which is believed to be the second only to No. 1 Rice among the nation's longest streaks at the moment. Mizzou also stands in fourth place as it faces the second-place Huskers (23-8 / 9-3).
? ? ? Mizzou is a half-game behind Nebraska and Texas thanks to Mother Nature's cancellation of last weekend's finale between the Tigers and Texas Tech. It is the 10th such cancellation on the year for Mizzou.
SOMETHING'S GOTTA GIVE
This weekend's series will pit, on paper, the most potent offense in the Big 12 against the league's best pitching staff. Mizzou leads the league by hitting .323 and scoring an average of over 9.2 runs per game. The Huskers, meanwhile, are allowing a team ERA of just 3.24. The other sides of the matchup are just as impressive, as Nebraska is batting .311 as a squad while Mizzou owns a respectable 3.76 ERA.
RANK-AND-FILE
For the first time since the 1997 preseason, the Tigers have cracked the nation's top 25. Mizzou is ranked No. 20 in Collegiate Baseball for the first time since the final 1996 poll; No. 24 by the National College Baseball Writers Association; and No. 25 by the editors at Baseball America, who last ranked the Tigers in their 1997 preseason poll.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
As previously mentioned, the Tigers are in the midst of a 12-game winning streak, which is the team's longest since the 1988 Mizzou squad won 13 in a row. Included in this year's string are sweeps of Big 12 rivals Kansas, Kansas State and Texas Tech (two games). Some notes:
BASHING THE BIG 12
Please be aware that this note deals solely with the offensive prowess of the Tiger baseball team, and in no way is meant to jeopardize the outstanding relationship Mizzou enjoys as a proud member of the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? Mizzou's bats are hot - so hot that they're leading the Big 12 with a .323 team batting average. In addition, the Tigers' output of 9.2 runs per game leads the league. With its 177 walks also tops on the list, it creates an impressive .429 team on-base percentage, which ... leads the Big 12.
? ? ? Individually, senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) leads the Big 12 in walks (28 in 32 games) and is among the league's top 10 in runs (35), triples (3) and on-base percentage (.513).
NEBRASKA SERIES INFORMATION
The Tigers have fared relatively well against the Huskers as of late, going 9-8 against Nebraska since the formation of the Big 12 Conference.
? ? ? Each team has a sweep (Nebraska in 2000 and Mizzou in two games in 1998, both in Columbia), and Mizzou has won three of the four other series (2002, 2001, 1999).
? ? ? Missouri has also done well in Lincoln, posting a 5-4 record there. This will be the Tigers' first foray into Haymarket Park, however, where the Huskers are 10-0 this season and 39-5 overall in the second season of the facility.
NO BULL: GOOD BULLPEN
It is without question that, in addition to strong starting pitching, a solid bullpen is essential to the success of a team. Mizzou's bullpen has come through in a big way this year, and the numbers back it up.
? ? ? The Tiger bullpen staff has compiled a quite-respectful 2.82 ERA to date this season, and has yet to lose a game in relief (9-0).
TIGERS 36TH TO 1,800 WINS
With its 11-4 win against Northern Iowa on Feb. 23, Missouri became the 36th program in NCAA history to amass 1,800 wins. Mizzou's record through 106-plus seasons of baseball is 1,830-1,176-19 (.608).
MIZZOU LOOKING FOR NINTH LEAGUE WIN
The Tigers aren't even to the halfway point of the Big 12 schedule, yet need just one win to equal their league victory total of nine from a year ago.
? ? ? At 8-3, Mizzou is off to its best-ever start in the seven years of the Big 12. The Tigers' best Big 12 season came in the second year of the league, when the 1998 squad compiled a 17-12 record for fifth place.
TAYLOR NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.) was named the Phillips 66 Big 12 Conference Baseball Player of the Week in voting by a select panel of media covering Big 12 baseball for games played from Mar. 25-31.
? ? ? Taylor is the first Tiger to be so honored since Mick Weiss and Lee Laskowski were tabbed in back-to-back weeks in mid-April of last season.
? ? ? Taylor paced the Tigers to a 4-0 week and second consecutive sweep of a Big 12 opponent (Kansas State) with a .556 average (10-for-18), four runs, a home run, six RBI, 13 total bases, a .722 slugging percentage, and one stolen base in his lone attempt. For the season, Taylor is batting .370 - second on the team among regulars - with a homer and 24 RBI.
GARRETT FILLS IN NICELY FOR KINSLER
When junior SS Ian Kinsler (Tucson, Ariz.) injured his foot in the final inning of the Texas series on March 16, freshman SS Adam Garrett (Sikeston, Mo.) was pressed into duty, and filled Kinsler's shoes quite well.
? ? ? In the nine games he was in the starting lineup - Kinsler returned to active duty at short on April 4 against Texas Tech - Garrett batted a team-leading .621 (18-for-29) with a double and nine RBI. He also boasted a Tiger-best .714 on-base percentage over that stretch. For the season, Garrett is batting .488 with a double and 10 RBI, and currently owns a 10-game hitting streak.
TINGLER DRIVES THE TRAIN
Senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) continues to prove himself as one of the Big 12's best leadoff hitters, yet he is also helping the Tigers in a way that would be expected of someone hitting lower in the order. In addition to leading the Tigers with 33 runs scored - which is not surprising from the leadoff spot - he also leads the team with 31 RBI. Tingler also hit his first career homer, at Southeast Missouri on March 11; he is second on the squad with a .377 batting average, and boasts an impressive .513 on-base percentage.