Feb. 28, 2006

ILLINOIS STATE AT MIZZOU
COLUMBIA, MO.
MARCH 1, 2006

First Pitch: 4 p.m.
Stadium: Taylor Stadium/Simmons Field (2,200)
Records: Mizzou: 5-4; Illinois State: 0-4
Rankings: MU is ranked No. 20 by Baseball America. ISU is not ranked.
Series History: MU leads all-time series with ISU, 5-1
Last Meeting: MU def. ISU, 15-2 on March 9, 2005 at Taylor Stadium
Coaches: MU- Tim Jamieson (369-266-2/12th year at MU and overall)
ISU- Jim Brownlee (70-94/4th year at ISU; 771-203-5/28th year overall)
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM, flagship. Also on 900-AM in Fulton and 950-AM in Jefferson City
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Stats: Gametracker on mutigers.com
Live Video: Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com
On Tap: vs. Wisconsin-Milwaukee - March 4-6 at Taylor Stadium; Friday- 6:30 p.m. / Saturday- 2 p.m. / Sunday- 1 p.m.

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LEADING OFF...
Wednesday is the 2006 home opener for the Missouri Tigers, who are 5-4 after the first three weeks of the season. Mizzou will take on Illinois State at 4 p.m. on Wednesday at Taylor Stadium. Wednesday's game is the first of an eight-game homestand for the Tigers. Missouri is coming off a 1-2 weekend at the Pepsi Baseball Classic in which it defeated the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators in its opening game of the Classic. The Tigers defeated Florida 14-5, getting 22 hits against the Gators, while junior Max Scherzer was dominate, striking out eight and allowing just one run on three hits. He was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week for that performance The Tigers then dropped contests to Wake Forest and Ohio State. They are ranked No. 20 in this weeks' Baseball America Top 25. Illinois State enters Wednesday's game 0-4, dropping four games at the Austin Peay State Tournament. Mizzou has won five of the previous six meetings with Illinois State, including a 15-2 win last year in Columbia.

QUICK HITS
• The Tigers recorded a season-high 22 hits against Florida last Friday, marking the most hits for MU since it had 26 against Navy (2/25/05).

• Sophomore Jacob Priday had his second career five-hit game last Friday against Florida, going 5-for-6 with two doubles.

• Mizzou's win over then-No. 1 Florida last Friday was the Tigers' first win over a No 1 ranked team since an 8-0 defeat of then-No. 1 Texas on 5/1/04.

• Junior Nathan Culp went 14.1 innings this season before allowing an earned run.

• Freshman David Cales has retired 15 of the 16 batters he has faced in his four appearances on the mound. Opposing batters are hitting .067 against Cales.

• With his four appearances this season, senior Taylor Parker has now played in 78 games as a Tiger, which places him in a tie with Justin Stine for third in the Mizzou record books. Bunky Moeller is second with 81 career appearances and Scott Black holds the record with 108.

• Senior Zane Taylor carries an eight-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game.

• Missouri's 2.39 ERA is the second best in the Big 12 Conference.

• The Tigers went 21.1 innings to open the season before allowing their first earned run of the year.

SCOUTING THE REDBIRDS
Illinois State is 0-4 on the season heading into Wednesday's contest with Missouri after dropping four games last weekend at the Austin Peay State Tournament. Of the Redbird's four losses, three were by one run. ISU's opening trip to the Texas-Arlington Invitational was cancelled due to inclement weather, forcing the start of its season to be delayed until last weekend. Sophomore shortstop Ryan Anetsberger was 10-for-18 (.556) last weekend, with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Junior righthander Dan Frega is slated to start Wednesday's game. He is 0-1 after taking the loss in the Redbirds defeat to Iowa last Saturday. Illinois State Head Coach Jim Brownlee is in his 28th year as a head coach, compiling a record of 771-703-5. He is 70-94 in four years at the helm of the ISU program. The Redbirds return eight of the nine position starters from last years' squad and six of the nine pitchers from 2005.

SERIES HISTORY
Missouri has won five of the six all-time meetings with Illinois State. The series began with MU sweeping two games in 1989. The Tigers won the first four meeting before ISU took a 5-2, 11-inning victory in 2004. Last year, Mizzou recorded a 15-2 win over the Redbirds.

ON TAP
The Tigers will host Wisconsin-Milwaukee in a three-game series this weekend. The series will open at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and continue with game two at 2 p.m. on Saturday and game three at 1 p.m. on Sunday.

LAST TIME OUT
Missouri was 1-2 at the Pepsi Baseball Classic last weekend in Gainesville, Fla. The Tigers opened the weekend with a 14-5 win over the No. 1 ranked Florida Gators. Mizzou pounded out 22 hits and junior Max Scherzer allowed just one run on three hits and struck out eight Florida batters. Sophomore Jacob Priday was 5-for-6 with a pair of doubles and three RBI. Priday was 7-for-12 (.583) for the weekend, with three doubles and four RBI. On Saturday, Missouri fell to Wake Forest, 4-3 and then lost its final game of the weekend 4-2 to Ohio State. Junior Nathan Culp pitched eight innings against Wake Forest, allowing four runs - three earned - on just five hits. He struck out two and walked none. On Sunday, freshman Aaron Crow made his second career start and allowed four runs - three earned - on seven hits, striking out six and walking two.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Tigers are 8-3 in home openers under Head Coach Tim Jamieson and have won four of their last five home debuts. Last year, Mizzou defeated Eastern Michigan 7-1 on opening day at Taylor Stadium.

TAKING DOWN NO. 1
Mizzou defeated No. 1 Florida last Friday in Gainesville, Fla. 14-5, knocking off a No. 1 team for the first time since it defeated then-No. 1 Texas, 8-0 on May 1, 2004. The win over Texas was actually the second-straight victory over UT for the Tigers, who recorded a 4-1 win the night before. In the win last week over the Gators, Missouri pounded out a season-high 22 hits, the most since it recorded 26 hits against Navy (2/25/05). Sophomore Jacob Priday was 5-for-6 against UF, and the top two in the Tiger lineup (Trevor Helms and Zane Taylor ) were a combined 8-for-11. Helms 4-for-6 and Taylor finished 4-for-5. Junior Max Scherzer kept Florida in check all night, striking out eight in seven innings pitched. He allowed one run on just three hits to the top-ranked Gators. Mizzou led 14-1 before UF scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth and added a pair of runs in the ninth inning.

TGI-PRIDAY
Last Friday, sophomore Jacob Priday turned in a 5-for-6 night to help lead Mizzou to a 14-5 win over then-No. 1 Florida. It was Priday's second career five-hit game. Ironically, his second career five-hit game came nearly a year to the day after his first. He was 5-for-6 against Navy on Feb. 25, 2005, driving in four runs and scoring four times. Last Friday, Feb. 24, 2006, Priday was again 5-for-6, driving in three runs and scoring twice. For the weekend at the Pepsi Baseball Classic, Priday was 7-for-12 (.583), with three doubles and four RBI, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

MIZZOU IN THE POLLS
The Tigers are ranked No. 20 in the latest Baseball America top 25. Mizzou received its highest ever preseason ranking, when Baseball America picked the Tigers No. 10 in its poll. It marked only the second time MU had appeared in the preseason poll and the first since it was No. 19 in 1983. Missouri was No. 21 in the final Baseball America poll last year.

TO THE MAX
Junior Max Scherzer was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after leading the Tigers to a victory over No. 1 Florida last Friday. He struck out eight in seven innings, allowing just one run on only three hits to record his second victory in a many starts this season. Scherzer, who was the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year and a second team All-American last year has already begun to receive honors this year. Scherzer was named a first team preseason All-American by all major collegiate baseball publications. He has also been named to the watch lists for the Roger Clemens Award, which is awarded to the nation's top pitcher. Scherzer was one of 10 semifinalist for the Clemens Awards in 2005. Scherzer is also on the Wallace Award watch list, which recognizes the nation's top player and is another award he was a semifinalists for last season. Last season, he led the Big 12 with 131 strikeouts and a 1.82 ERA. The 131 strikeouts is a new school record, passing John Dettmer's 127 K's in 1991. He spent last summer with Team USA, where he had pitches clocked as high as 99 miles per hour.

TIGERS SELECTED THIRD IN THE BIG 12 PRESEASON POLL
The Big 12 Conference Baseball Coaches selected Missouri to finish third in the conference this season, according to the preseason poll. The Tigers received 66 points, including one first-place vote. Texas (56-16 in 2005), the defending National Champion, has been selected to win the conference crown, garnering 79 total points in voting with nine points for first place, eight for second, seven for third, etc. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own teams. Nebraska (57-15) was No. 2 in the balloting with 70 points and one first place vote. Missouri (40-23), ranked in the top 15 in the pre-2006 national polls, was selected as the third team with 66 points and one first-place vote. Baylor (46-24) nailed down the fourth spot while Oklahoma (35-26) was fifth. Oklahoma State (34-25) nabbed sixth position, and Texas A&M (30-25-1) pulled up in seventh. Kansas (36-28) and Texas Tech (34-25) tied for eighth while Kansas State (30-25) was 10th.

MIZZOU WELL REPRESENTED ON TEAM USA
Mizzou Head Coach Tim Jamieson was selected to serve as an assistant coach on the USA Baseball National Team last summer and was joined by two of his Tiger players. Juniors Max Scherzer and Hunter Mense were also selected to the squad, marking the first Team USA selections for MU since 1991. The National Team went 16-4 over the summer, playing games in Japan and Taiwan, along with hosting teams from around the world stateside. Scherzer made four appearances, including two starts, and was 2-1 for Team USA with a 2.70 ERA and 24 strikeouts in 20 innings of work. Mense made the team after a very impressive showing at the trials. He played in 17 games for Team USA, hitting .259 with a home run, two triples and two doubles.

OPPONENTS FIND IT DIFFICULT EARNING RUNS
Missouri went the first 21.1 innings of the season without allowing an earned run. All three runs allowed to East Tennessee in the season opener and the four runs given up the next day to Charleston Southern were all unearned runs. The first earned run of the season allowed by the Mizzou pitching staff was the first run scored by Kennesaw State in the fourth inning.

MENSE NAMED TO PRESEASON ALL-AMERICAN TEAMS
Junior Hunter Mense was named to preseason All-American teams by Baseball America and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers' Association. He has also was named to the watch list for the Wallace Award, which is given to the nation's top college baseball player. Last year, he was a second team All-Big 12 Conference selection after hitting .327 on the year, which was second best on the team. Mense was also second on the squad in runs scored (62) and stolen bases (10) and was third in hits (67) and slugging percentage (.473).

FOR OPENERS
Mizzou loss to East Tennessee State on Feb. 9 snapping a three-game winning streak for the Tigers in season openers. Missouri is 7-3-1 under Head Coach Tim Jamieson in season openers. Included in that stretch was a 0-0 tie against San Jose State in 2001. That game was called after six innings due to poor weather conditions with no score.

NEWCOMERS IMPRESSIVE IN DEBUTS
Several Tigers made their collegiate debuts at the season opening Buccaneer Classic. One of the more impressive first weekends was that of freshman David Cales, who made two appearances on the mound, retiring all nine batters he faced and striking out three in 3.1 innings of work. Another freshman making his debut on the mound was Aaron Crow, who started against Kennesaw State, pitching six innings and striking out seven batters. Sophomore transfer John Thies pitched two innings and redshirt freshman Brant Combs pitched one inning. Each did not allow an earned run. Another freshman, Rick Zagone, pitched in two of the four games of the weekend, allowing just one run in 4.1 innings on the mound and striking out three. Also making his first collegiate appearance was sophomore transfer Brock Bond, who played in all four games, starting twice, and recording three hits.

A LOOK AT THE 2006 SCHEDULE
The 2006 Mizzou Baseball schedule features matchups with four of the eight teams that advanced to Omaha for the 2005 College World Series and both of the teams from the 2005 National Championship series. Wednesday's game is the first game in an eight-game homestand which includes a three-game series with Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a three-game set with Purdue, along with a matchup with Saint Louis. As usual, the Big 12 Conference will be one of the top conferences nationwide. Mizzou will open up the conference portion of the schedule with a trip to College Station, Texas for a series with Texas A&M. The following weekend, Kansas State will visit Taylor Stadium for MU's Big 12 home opening series. The Tigers will host Nebraska on April 7-9. The last time the Cornhuskers visited Columbia, Mizzou took two of three in the series. Oklahoma State, who Missouri swept the last time it visited Taylor Stadium, will be in town on April 21-23 and Baylor will be in Columbia on April 28-30. The Tigers close out the regular season with a three-game series at home against defending national champion Texas. The Midwest Ford Dealers Border Showdown will continue when the Tigers head to Lawrence, Kan. on March 31-April 2 to take on Kansas. Missouri also has Big 12 Conference road trips to Oklahoma (April 14-16) and Texas Tech (May 12-14). The Tigers will play two wood bat games, taking on Saint Louis (April 19) and Illinois (May 17) in O'Fallon, Mo. Mizzou will also participate the Best of the Midwest Tournament in Kansas City on April 25-26. The Big 12 Conference Tournament is back at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City for the second-consecutive year. This year, the Big 12 Tournament will adopt a new format, which will involve pool play for the first four days of the tournament with the winners of the two pools playing for the Conference Championship on Sunday, May 28. The NCAA Tournament begins on June 2 and concludes with the College World Series June 16-24 in Omaha, Neb.

WHAT'S RETURNING
Mizzou is loaded with experience in 2006, as all but one position starter, its top two pitchers and three of its most experienced relief pitchers return for the Tigers. Only All-Big 12 selection James Boone is gone from Missouri's starting lineup of 2005. The infield of senior Derek Chambers (1B), senior Trevor Helms (2B), junior Gary Arndt (SS) and junior John McKee (3B) remains in tact from a year ago. Those four started a combined 209 games at their respective positions in 2005. Junior Hunter Mense will anchor the outfield, returning for his third season with Mizzou after hitting .327 last year. Senior Zane Taylor has been a valuable asset to Missouri because of his ability to play numerous positions. He has played third base, shortstop and second base during his first three seasons and will move to the outfield in 2006. Jacob Priday, who was a Freshman All-American last season, returns for his sophomore campaign where he will likely split time between the outfield and catcher. J.C. Field had the most starts of any Tiger behind the plate last year and is back for his senior season. Senior Bryson LeBlanc and sophomores Evan Frey and Dan Pietroburgo saw their first playing time as a Tiger last year and add more experience to this Mizzou squad. On the mound, MU has one of the top 1-2 combinations as the front of its rotation with juniors Max Scherzer and Nathan Culp. Scherzer was the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year in 2005 and is a preseason first team All-America selection. He led the conference in strikeouts with a school record 131 K's in 2005. Culp tied Scherzer with a team-best nine wins a year ago and was a second team All-Big 12 Conference selection. He tied for the team lead with 16 starts last year, compiling a record of 9-2 for a .818 winning percentage. Three seniors add a wealth of experience to the Tigers pitching staff. Taylor Parker, Nick Admire and Travis Wendte have made a combined 179 appearances for Missouri. Parker was second on the team last year with 28 appearances and earned All-Big 12 second team honors. Admire has started in 13 of his 47 career appearances, recording six wins for the Tigers over the past three years. Wendte, who missed the 2004 season due to injury, is in his fifth year at Missouri. His 14 career saves, eight of which came in his freshman campaign, is tied for third most in Mizzou history.

TIGERS ARE THREE FOR THREE
Mizzou is one of just two teams in the Big 12 Conference that has advanced to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last three seasons. Texas, the defending National Champions, is the only other team out of the powerful Big 12 Conference to reach the postseason in the last three years.

KTGR, MIZZOU BASEBALL RENEW RADIO AGREEMENT
The University of Missouri and the Zimmer Radio Group have extended their partnership that will keep Mizzou Baseball on Zimmer through 2009. Mizzou Sports Properties, the multi-media rights holder of the University of Missouri Department of Athletics, announced a four-year renewal of the radio rights agreement for Tiger Baseball. All of Mizzou's regular season and postseason games will air on KTGR 1580 in Columbia. In addition, a majority of the games will be simulcast on KWOS-AM 950 in Jefferson City and KFAL-AM 900 in Fulton. Tex Little will return for his 16th season of calling Tiger Baseball

HE STOOD TALL
He Stood Tall is the story of former Mizzou coach John "Hi" Simmons as told by the men who knew him best. Dozens of players from dozens of players from the 1930s to the 1960s share their stories about their former coach in the recently released book. There are also chapters dedicated to Simmons' theories about the game, his colorful vocabulary and his enduring legacy at the University. To order the book, visit mutigers.com or call 913-219-0338. The book can also be purchased at the Tiger Team Store. All proceeds from the book sales will go the Tiger Bullpen, benefiting Mizzou Baseball.

ALL-ACCESS
Video webcast for all Mizzou Baseball home games in 2006 will be available at mutigers.com as part of the new All-Access. New to mutigers.com this year, All-Access is the Tiger fans home to live and archived games for Mizzou Athletics, along with coaches' shows, press conferences and much more. For more information, visit mutigers.com and click on the All-Access icon.