March 24, 2005
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Mizzou will open up Big 12 Conference play with a three-game series this weekend in Manhattan, Kan. The Tigers and Wildcats will start the three-game set at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Game two is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the final game of the series starting at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
LIGHTING UP THE SCOREBOARD
Missouri has scored double-digit runs in its last nine ballgames and in 15 of its 21 games this season. It has outscored its opponents 248-60 this season.
The Tigers are averaging near 12 runs a game, while holding its opponents to under three runs per outing. Last weekend, MU outscored North Dakota State 55-4 in a four-game series and the previous week, it swept a three-games series from Youngstown State by a combined score of 42-2.
If MU was to maintain its current scoring pace, it would finish the regular season with 661 runs. The school record for runs in a season is 573, set in 1998.
ZEROS ACROSS THE BOARD
Hidden behind the high scoring offense the Tigers have had this season, is some impressive pitching outings for Mizzou this season. MU has a 2.12 ERA heading into this weekend, which is second best in the Big 12 Conference.
The Tigers have already recorded five shutouts this season. They had five all of last season
MU had stretch of 26 innings of shutout ball from March 14 (vs. Youngstown State) to March 19 (vs. North Dakota State). Earlier this season the Tigers put together 23-innings of not allowing a run.
BEHIND THE STREAK
To say that the Tigers have been dominate during the current nine-game winning streak would be an understatement.
Over the past nine games, MU has outscored its opponents 126-12. It has hit .347, while holding the opponents to a .168 batting average. Mizzou's slugging percentage is .495 and its on-base percentage is .512. Opponents are slugging .198 with a .251 on-base percentage.
The MU pitchers ERA is 1.29 during the streak, as compared to 13.63 for the opposition. While Tiger pitchers have thrown just one wild pitch in the nine games, their opponents have had 20. Seven opposing batters have been hit by a pitch during the streak, while 25 Tigers have reached on an HBP.
BOONE DOCKS
Junior James Boone leads the team with a .413 batting average and is on pace to break the Mizzou school record for RBI in a season. He has 43 RBI in just 21 games this season and is on pace to finish with 115 for the season.
The record at Missouri is 101 set by Aaron Jaworowski in 1996.
Boone was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on March 15 after hitting an astonishing .786 (11-for-14) in Mizzou's four games the previous week.
It was the second Big 12 Player of the Week honor for Boone in his career, as he earned the award almost a year ago to the day, March 16, 2004.
Included in his 11 hits during that week were a home run, a triple and a double. He drove in 13 runs in the four games.
Boone is tied for the team lead with four home runs on the year and has seven doubles and two triples. He is also a perfect 7-for-7 in stolen base attempts. He has had at least one hit in all but two games this season and had a season-best 12-game hitting streak snapped last Sunday.
HITS KEEP ON COMING
Junior James Boone had a 12-game hitting streak snapped in the final game of the series with North Dakota State. Boone walked three times and was hit by a pitch once and finished the day 0-for-2. The 12-game streak was the longest by any Tigers this year. Boone also opened the season with a seven-game hitting streak.
A pair of Tigers (junior Derek Chambers and sophomore John McKee) carry six-game hitting streaks into the Kansas State series.