Tigers Open Big 12 Schedule Against Defending Champs
3/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
March 14, 2003
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TIGERS OPEN BIG 12 SCHEDULE AGAINST DEFENDING CHAMPS
The University of Missouri baseball team, which has tried to find its identity early this season due to a lack of games, will find out in a hurry what kind of team it has this weekend as the Tigers open Big 12 Conference play at the home of the defending NCAA National Champion Texas Longhorns for a three-game series.
? ? ? Mizzou enters Big 12 Conference play as winners of 10 of its last 11 games, with its last nine games coming in the Show-Me State. The Tigers have allowed just 19 runs in those nine games (1.99 ERA).
? ? ? Meanwhile, The Longhorns, which are ranked 14th in the NCBWA poll, are coming off a 2-1 loss at current No. 1-ranked Rice on Tuesday.
? ? ? The Tigers will look to throw sophomore Justin James (Yukon, Okla.) on Friday. James got the win in his last outing on Friday vs. Creighton, scattering three hits over seven innings to post his second straight win. James has a 2.27 ERA in 31-2/3 innings this year.
? ? ? Junior-college transfer Andy Shipman (Bellevue, Neb.) gets the ball on Saturday and will try to rebound from his first loss of the season. Shipman gave up five runs in his last appearance in Saturday's first game against Creighton.
? ? ? Junior Derek Roper (Elk City, Okla.) will likely pitch the rubber game against the Longhorns and puts his 2-0 record on the line against the defending national champs. Roper threw 5-2/3 shutout innings against the Bluejays in the nightcap on Saturday, allowing just three hits and a pair of walks.
SCOUTING REPORT: TEXAS
The defending NCAA National Champions, Texas has already lost nearly half as many games as it did during all of last season. UT has done so against a traditionally tough schedule, as Texas is 4-5 against teams ranked in the top 25 at the time of the contest. The Horns' last six games have come against ranked opponents, and Texas has split those contests. Its only losses to unranked teams have come at home to Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (5-0 on Feb. 5) and in Fullerton, Calif., vs. UCLA (13-2 on Feb. 28).
? ? ? Junior RF Dustin Majewski is second on the team with a .365 batting average. He leads the team with five homers and 30 RBI. The staff ace to date appears to be J.P. Howell, who will bring an unblemished 3-0 mark and a 1.15 ERA into Disch-Falk this weekend against the Tigers.
? ? ? Texas is batting .307 as a team with 18 homers and 145, while the pitching staff currently owns a 3.51 ERA with 152 strikeouts against just 56 walks.
STREAKING TIGERS, HIDDEN SLUMPS
Senior All-Big 12 OF candidate Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) and junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) - who have played together since they were 10 - are riding hitting streaks of 14 and 13 games, respectively. Flanders is batting a team-leading .463, which is the second-best average in the Big 12. Tingler is following closely behind at .441.
? ? ? Freshman INF/DH James Boone (Clinton, Okla.) has posted a 10-game hitting streak of his own; he's now batting .271.
MIZZOU PLAYS - WEATHER OR NOT
The challenges of playing baseball in the Midwest have revealed themselves again this spring, as the Missouri baseball team has had nine games cancelled or postponed due to inclement weather to date this year, and a 10th because of scheduling difficulties.
? ? ? The Tigers lost three games in Phoenix (of all places) due to torrential rainfall; the first two games of the Tigers' home-opening series against Central Methodist and Lindenwood; a doubleheader against Youngstown State; and both dates of a two-game set against Western Illinois.
? ? ? Mizzou is actually only three games under the 56-contest NCAA limit, however, because of some creative scheduling. To start, the Tigers had 57 games on their schedule in anticipation of such inclement weather, and the Tigers have been able to make up four games: an extra game against Youngstown State, a split doubleheader against Truman State and Lincoln (Mo.), and the addition of Wednesday's Maryville contest, which the Tigers won, 19-1.
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE
As part of the rescheduling, the Tigers have already played full or split doubleheaders - games against two different teams on the same day - five times to date this year.
? ? ? That's the most twinbills in a season for Mizzou since the 1998 squad finished with seven.
TIGERS A HIT ON CAROLINA COAST
Mizzou got off to a swinging start at UNC Wilmington, bashing five home runs in its 12-1 season-opening win. That's the most round-trippers by a Tiger outfit in over two seasons, spanning back to the first round of the 2000 Big 12 Conference Tournament when MU hit a Big 12 Tournament record five against the Huskers.
? ? ? Junior transfer Jeremy Hernandez (Aptos, Calif.) hit two two-run homers in the game, and freshman James Boone (Clinton, Okla.) hit his first as a Tiger.
? ? ? Juniors Cody Ehlers (Stillwater, Okla.) and Ryan Rallo (Chesterfield, Mo.) hit their first of the season, and Rallo followed with a second round-tripper the next day against the Seahawks.
PITCH THIS
Although the Tigers' bats were alive at UNC Wilmington as evidenced by their 20 runs and 31 hits in the three games, Mizzou's pitching staff registered several excellent performances.
As a squad, the staff sported a 2.77 ERA in its 26 innings of work, allowing the Seahawks to bat just .219 against the Mizzou defense.
? ? ? In addition, four Tigers - Wendte, junior Andy Shipman (Bellevue, Neb.), and freshmen Taylor Parker (Bellaire, Texas) and Matthew Stallings (Dallas, Texas) made shutout appearances on the Atlantic coast. Shipman pitched four solid innings on Friday in completion of Thursday's suspended game to earn his first save as a Tiger. Wendte pitched 3-1/3 innings on Sunday to earn his first save of the season. Parker and Stallings combined for two innings of effective relief in Friday's game-two loss.
FLANDERS IS MOST VALUABLE
Junior C Brad Flanders (Smithville, Mo.) was named the Most Valuable Player of the ULM Holiday Inn/Citgo Classic the weekend of Feb. 22-23. Flanders batted .615 (8-for-13) in Mizzou's three games with a pair of homers, four doubles, five RBI and five runs scored.
? ? ? Senior OF Jayce Tingler (Smithville, Mo.) and freshman 3B Zane Taylor (Kirksville, Mo.) also represented Missouri on the all-tournament team.
MU/BAYLOR PICKED FOR FOX SPORTS NET
Officials from the Big 12 Conference office released the league's FOX Sports Net television slate at the end of February, and the Saturday game of the Missouri series at Baylor on April 19 has been selected for telecast.
MIZZOU BREAKS SEASON-OPENING BAD LUCK
Mizzou's 12-1 win in its first game at UNC Wilmington gave the Tigers their first win in a season-opener in four years, dating back to their 14-7 win against Lincoln to open the 1999 season. Since then, Mizzou had lost to Pepperdine (2000), tied San Jose State (2001), and lost against Portland (2002). The Tigers are 6-3-1 in their last 10 season openers.
UNCW MARKS EARLIEST START IN SCHOOL HISTORY
In addition to the first season-opening win in a while, the Feb. 6 contest against the Seahawks marked the earliest start in Mizzou's 109 seasons of baseball. The previous earliest start came two years ago, when the Tigers opened the 2000 season against San Jose State on Feb. 9. As recently as 1996, Mizzou didn't start its baseball season until Feb. 20 - two weeks after this year's start.
? ? ? Although the Tigers play their first game in the friendly confines of Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field on on Feb. 25, that isn't the earliest home start in Mizzou history. That honor goes to the 1999 squad, which hosted Lincoln University on a sunny, 38-degree day on Feb. 13.
HOME SWEET HOME - TENFOLD
The Tigers open their home schedule on Tuesday, Feb. 25, with a 4 p.m. game against Central Methodist. That begins a massive 10-game homestand - the longest of the season for Mizzou - that stretches over 16 days into the second week of March. The homestand is anchored by weekend three-game series against Youngstown State (Feb. 28-Mar. 2) and Creighton (Mar. 7-9). In addition, Mizzou will host Lindenwood and Western Illinois for mid-week games.
