April 5, 2006

MISSOURI STATE AT MIZZOU
COLUMBIA, MO.
APRIL 5, 2006

First Pitch: 6:30 p.m.
Stadium: Taylor Stadium (Capacity: 2,200)
Records: Mizzou: 16-11, 6-3 Big 12
Missouri State: 16-9, 3-0 MVC
Series History: Missouri State leads the all-time series, 18-16.
Last Year: MSU swept the season series in 2005 with scores of 2-1 in Springfield and 10-6 in Columbia.
Coaches: MU- Tim Jamieson (380-273-2/12th year at MU and overall)
MSU- Keith Guttin (824-489/24th year at MSU and overall)
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM, flagship; Also on 900-AM in Fulton and 950-AM in Jefferson City
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Stats: Gametrackeron mutigers.com
Live Video: Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com
For more information: mutigers.com
On Tap: April 7-9 vs. Nebraska, at Taylor Stadium
Friday- 6:30 p.m. / Saturday- 2 p.m. / Sunday- 1 p.m.

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LEADING OFF...
Mizzou opens a five-game homestand on Wednesday with a matchup against Missouri State. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Taylor Stadium. The Tigers enter the game with a 16-11 record, while Missouri State is 16-9 on the season after a win over Arkansas on Tuesday. The all-time series between the two teams was tied prior to last year's sweep by Missouri State. With the two wins in 2005, the Bears now hold an 18-16 lead all-time. On Tuesday, Mizzou junior Nathan Culp was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week after recording his first career complete-game shutout last Friday over Kansas. The Tigers defeated KU, 3-0 in that game, as Culp picked up his sixth win of the season. Culp's ERA (1.98) is third best in the Big 12 Conference and the Tigers' ERA as a team of 2.98 is the third best in the Big 12. This weekend, Missouri will host Nebraska in a Big 12 Conference series which will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The series continues with games at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday at Taylor Stadium.

QUICK HITS
• Junior Nathan Culp was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after pitching a complete game, three-hit shutout against Kansas last Friday.

• Culp's shutout over KU was the first shutout by a Mizzou pitcher since Max Scherzer did it against Nebraska last May in Lincoln. It was the first nine-inning shutout of Culp's career.

• Senior Taylor Parker has recorded four saves in Big 12 play to lead the conference.

• Missouri's 3.07 ERA in conference games is the best in the Big 12.

• Senior Travis Wendte is second in the Big 12 Conference with an ERA of 0.90 in conference games.

• Sophomore Evan Frey (.391) and senior Zane Taylor (.380) are eighth and ninth respectively in the Big 12 Conference in batting average on the year.

• With his 15 appearances this season, senior Taylor Parker has pitched in 89 games as a Tiger, which places him second in the Mizzou record books. Scott Black holds the record with 108 appearances on the mound.

• Sophomore Brock Bond carries a seven-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game against Missouri State.

• This is the second-consecutive season Missouri has opened the Big 12 schedule 3-0. Last year it swept Kansas State in the conference opening series.

• Mizzou swept Texas A&M for the second-straight season, wining the last six games against the Aggies. The sweep over Texas A&M was the first three-game sweep for the Tigers since sweeping the Aggies last year in Columbia.

MIZZOU'S PROBABLE STARTING PITCHER
Aaron Crow (Fr., RHP): 0-2, 4.76 ERA, 34.1 IP, 32 K
Aaron Crow is slated to make his eighth start of the season on Wednesday. Crow has struck out 32 batters in 34.1 innings pitched this season. He struck out a career-high seven in his first start as a Tiger, against Kennesaw State on Feb. 11. In that game, he allowed just two runs in 6.0 innings. He has pitched at least 6.0 innings in three of his seven starts, including a career-long 8.0 inning outing against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on March 5.

SCOUTING THE BEARS
Missouri State extended its winning streak to six games with a 10-5 win over No. 12 Arkansas on Tuesday night in Fayetteville, Ark. The Bears moved to 16-9 win the win. MSU scored six runs in the top of the first innings against Arkansas, including a two-run home run by Brayden Drake. Matt Weglarz and Shane Elenz each drove in three runs in the win. The Bears are 3-0 in the Missouri Valley Conference after sweeping Evansville last weekend in Springfield. Missouri State Head Coach, Keith Guttin, is in his 24th year leading the Bears and has compiled a record of 824-489.

SERIES HISTORY
Missouri State took two wins in the series last year to take an 18-16 lead in the all-time series between the two teams. Missouri State has won the last three matchups with Mizzou dating back to the 2004 season. The Tigers' last win in the series was a 5-4 win in 10 innings on April 14, 2004.

LAST SEASON VS. THE BEARS
The Tigers dropped both contests in last year's season series with Missouri State. Mizzou managed just three hits in the first game, falling 2-1 at Hammons Field in Springfield. MSU took a 10-6 win in the second matchup last May in Columbia as Zane Taylor had three of Mizzou's eight hits on the night. The Bears built their lead with a five-run sixth inning.

ON TAP
Wednesday's game is the first of five-straight home games for the Tigers. This weekend, Nebraska visits Taylor Stadium for a three-game set beginning at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. MU concludes the homestand against Southeast Missouri State at 6 p.m. on April 12.

LAST TIME OUT
Missouri opened last weekend's three-game series at Kansas with a 3-0 win on Friday behind the pitching of junior Nathan Culp. Culp moved to 6-2 on the season, as he pitched a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out five. He faced the minimum through the first 7.2 innings. Senior Trevor Helms led the offensive charge for the Tigers with a two-run home run in the second inning, his first of the season. Junior Max Scherzer made his return to the rotation on Saturday, pitching 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on five hits. The Tigers, however, fell to KU on Saturday, as the Jayhawks Erik Morrison hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Kansas to a 3-2 win. Mizzou dropped the series finale on Sunday by a 9-6 score, as the Jayhawks claimed the series win. Senior Derek Chambers had two hits and junior Gary Arndt drove in a pair of runs on Sunday, but it was not enough to overcome KU.

PRATTE FACES ALMA MATER
Missouri assistant coach Evan Pratte will face his alma mater on Wednesday. Pratte was a standout infielder for Missouri State (then Southwest Missouri state) from 1988-91, leading the Bears to three conference titles. He was a first-team all-conference selection in 1990 and 1991. Pratte finished his career with 18 home runs, 152 RBI, and a .335 batting average. He remains in the top 10 in several categories in the SMS career record book including assists (2nd), triples (3rd), sacrifice hits (3rd), sacrifice flies (3rd), total bases (4th), game-winning RBI (4th), double plays turned (4th) walks (6th), hits (8th) and runs scored (8th). Pratte began his coaching experience as a volunteer assistant coach with SMS in 1996-97, before coming to Mizzou.

CULP SHUTS DOWN JAYHAWKS
Missouri junior lefty Nathan Culp was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday after he pitched a complete-game three-hit shutout against Kansas last Friday. Culp faced the minimum through 7.2 innings, as the only two baserunners to reach up to that point were erased on double plays. He struck out five and walked just, picking up his team-leading sixth win of the season, which is second most in the Big 12. Culp did record a seven-inning shutout over North Dakota State in 2005 in a game that was called after seven innings due to a rule rule in effect. This year, Culp has walked just four batters in 54.1 innings pitched and has 37 strikeouts. He has 19 wins in his three seasons as a Tiger.

MIZZOU IN THE POLLS
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.

TAYLOR MADE HITTING
Senior Zane Taylor stands ninth in the Big 12 Conference with a .380 batting average heading into the week. Taylor has had a hit in all but four games for the Tigers this season. He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 outing in the series finale against Wisconsin-Milwaukee. After opening the year with a 0-3 outing in the season opener against East Tennessee State, Taylor had a hit in each of the next 11 games, including eight games in which he has had multiple hits. Taylor's career long hitting streak was a 13-game streak coming in 2004.

PLAYING THE HITS
Sophomore Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .391 batting average, which is eighth best in the Big 12 Conference. He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped, as he went 0-for-2 against SEMO last week. During the streak, Frey hit .463, drove in nine runs, had two triples and a double. He had five multi-hit games during the streak, including four games in which he has three hits. Frey has had at least one hit in all but two games he has had an at-bat in this season. The 11-game hitting streak is a career best for Frey and ties the longest streak by a Tigers this season. Currently the longest active streak for the Tigers is a seven-game hitting streak by sophomore Brock Bond.

TGI-PRIDAY
Sophomore Jacob Priday leads the Tigers with three home runs this year after a team-best nine homers last season. On Friday, Feb. 24, sophomore Jacob Priday turned in a 5-for-6 performance 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. On 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. On March 14, Priday was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week, after he hit .533 with two home runs and 11 RBI in the four games the previous week. Priday was 3-for-4 and drove in a career-high six runs in the Tigers 22-2 win over Purdue in the second game of the three-game series.

MAX TRAX
Injuries has forced All-American Max Scherzer to miss three starts this season, including starts in each of the first two weekend's of Big 12 action. Scherzer made his first appearance of the year under the Taylor Stadium lights on Feb. 3. He struck out nine batters in five innings pitched and recorded the win, his third in as many starts. Scherzer was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week on Feb. 28 after leading the Tigers to a victory over No. 1 Florida on Feb. 24. In the win against Florida, he struck out eight in seven innings, allowing just one run on only three hits to record his second victory in a many starts. 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 semifinalists 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.

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 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).

TAKING DOWN NO. 1
Mizzou defeated No. 1 Florida on Feb. 24 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 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.

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.

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.

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 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.