April 12, 2006

SE MISSOURI STATE AT MIZZOU
COLUMBIA, MO
APRIL 12, 2006

First Pitch: 6 p.m.
Stadium: Taylor Stadium (Capacity: 2,200)
Records: Mizzou: 16-14, 6-6 Big 12
Southeast Missouri State: 12-18, 4-5 OVC
Series History: Missouri leads series 20-8
Last Meeting: SEMO def. Missouri, 3-2 on March 29 in Cape Girardeau.
Coaches: MU- Tim Jamieson (380-276-2/12th year at MU and overall)
SEMO- Mark Hogan (344-283/12th year at SEMO and 721-539/25th 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: Gametrackeron mutigers.com
Live Video: Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com
For more information: mutigers.com
On Tap: April 14-16 at Oklahoma
Friday- 6:30 p.m. / Saturday- 2 p.m. / Sunday- 1 p.m.

Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader

LEADING OFF...
Mizzou will conclude its five-game homestand on Wednesday as Southeast Missouri State visits Taylor Stadium at 6 p.m. The Tigers, who enter the game 16-14 on the year, will be looking to snap a five-game losing streak. SEMO is 12-18 on the season after falling to Southern Illinois, 8-5, on Tuesday night. The game can be heard on KTGR 1580-AM in Columbia and KTGR.com. Live video will also be available through Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com. Two weeks ago in Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Redhawks defeated Missouri 3-2 on a walk-off home run by Daniel Schuh. The two teams split the series last season and the Tigers lead the all-time series 20-8 heading into Wednesday's contest. This weekend, Missouri travels to Norman, Okla. to face Oklahoma in a three-game series opening at 7 p.m. on Friday.

QUICK HITS
• Sophomore Evan Frey's .407 batting average is third best in the Big 12 Conference. He has a four-game hitting streak in tact heading into Wednesday.

• Senior Zane Taylor is just one hit away from 200 career hits in his four years at Missouri. He is second on the team with a .348 batting average this season.

• Sophomore Jacob Priday has a seven-game hitting streak in tact heading into Wednesday, while sophomore Evan Frey carries a four-game streak into the game.

• Mizzou's team ERA of 3.40 is third-best in the Big 12 Conference.

• Freshman David Cales' ERA of 1.76 ranks third in the Big 12 Conference. Opponents are hitting just .172 against Cales, which is second best in the Big 12. He is also eighth in the conference with 18 strikeouts in Big 12 play.

• Senior Taylor Parker has recorded four saves in Big 12 play, which is tied for the lead in the conference. His five saves overall this year already places him in a tie for 11th in the Mizzou record books for saves in a season.

• Sophomore Jacob Priday's recorded hits 100th hit with Mizzou last Friday against Nebraska.

• With his 17 appearances this season, senior Taylor Parker has pitched in 91 games as a Tiger, which places him second in the Mizzou record books. Scott Black holds the record with 108 appearances on the mound.

• Junior Max Scherzer, who set a school record with 131 strikeouts last season, needs 10 strikeouts to reach the 200 career Ks.

• Junior Nathan Culp pitched his first shutout of his career in a 3-0 win over Kansas on March 31. It was the first complete game by a Mizzou pitcher since Max Scherzer went the distance against Nebraska last May in Lincoln.

• With its sweep over Texas A&M, Mizzou has swept its Big 12 opening series in each of the past two seasons.

• MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson is 20 wins away from his 400th career-win, with a record of 380-273-2. The 380 wins are the third most in Missouri history.

MIZZOU'S PROJECTED STARTING PITCHER
John Thies (So. LHP): 1-0, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP, 13 K
Sophomore John Thies is slated to make his first career start at Mizzou on Wednesday. Thies has pitched in seven games out of the bullpen for the Tigers this season. He is 1-0 on the year, as he recorded the win against Kennesaw State on Feb. 11 with 2.0 innings pitched in relief. He was on the mound for 3.2 innings in the first meeting with Southeast Missouri State, his longest outing of the season. He struck out a season-high five batters against SEMO, allowing just one run on two hits.

SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Southeast Missouri State fell to Southern Illinois on Tuesday night to drop to 12-18 on the season. The Redhawks are coming off a weekend series with Jacksonville State, in which they dropped two of three games. Two weeks ago, Southeast defeated Missouri 3-2 to start a four-game winning streak, which included a three-game sweep over Murray State. On the season, SEMO has a team batting average of .238 and the Redhawks pitching staff has an ERA of 5.21. Mark Hogan is in his 12th season at Southeast Missouri State, compiling a record of 344-283.

MU-SEMO SERIES HISTORY
Missouri has won 20 of the 28 games played between the Tigers and Redhawks. Two weeks ago, SEMO defeated Mizzou 3-2 on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the ninth. Last season, the two teams split the season series, each winning on its home field. Prior to last year, MU had won the four previous meetings.

LAST MEETING VS. SEMO
For the second-consecutive season, Missouri dropped a game at Southeast Missouri State on a walk off home run. Last year it was Ernie Bracamonte's homer in the 10th inning that gave SEMO the win. On March 29, Daniel Schuh connected for a one-out home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Redhawks the 3-2 victory. The loss was the first road loss of the season for the Tigers, who entered the game 7-0 on the road. Mizzou was kept scoreless for the first six innings, before scoring a pair of runs in the top of the seventh. SEMO led 1-0 after six when senior Derek Chambers led off the seventh with a double and freshman David Cales followed with a walk. Two batters later, junior Gary Arndt drove in the Tigers' their first run, as Chambers scored on a single by Arndt. Later in the seventh, with the bases loaded and two outs, senior Zane Taylor drew a walk, allowing Cales to score the go-ahead run. Southeast Missouri State tied the game with a run in the eighth inning, as Phillip Riley singled to drive in Omar Padilla, who had walked to open the inning. Schuh then gave the Redhawks the win with his first home run of the season in the ninth. The first hit for SEMO did not come until the bottom of the fifth inning, as Riley led off with a double. With two outs in the inning, the Redhawks' Robby Moore singled to drive in Riley with the game's first run. Prior to the fifth inning, Mizzou pitchers had faced just one over the minimum, as a walk in the second inning was the Redhawks' only baserunner through the first four innings. Sophomore John Thies struck out five batters, the most for him as a Tiger, in 3.2 innings on the mound. He allowed just one run on two hits.

ON TAP
This weekend, MU will travel to Norman, Okla. for a Big 12 series against Oklahoma. The three-game set will get underway at 7 p.m. on Friday and continue with games at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. Saturday's game will be broadcast on FSN. Following the trip to Norman, the Tigers will take on Saint Louis next Wednesday in the annual "Wood Bat Classic" in O'Fallon, Mo. at 6:30. Mizzou will return to Taylor Stadium on April 21-22 for a three-game series with Oklahoma State.

LAST TIME OUT
Missouri was swept at home for the first time since the 2002 season as Nebraska took three wins over the Tigers last weekend. In Friday's series opener, Mizzou jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first three innings, but the Cornhuskers scored the next six runs to defeat the Tigers, 6-3. Junior Hunter Mense had a double and a triple for MU as he drove in two of the Tigers' three runs and scored the other. The Husker took game two of the series by scoring three runs in the top of the 13th inning to take a 5-2 win. MU had scored a run in the bottom of the eighth to tie the game at two. Neither team would score again until the 13th inning. It was the longest game of the season for MU and the Tigers are now 1-1 in extra inning games this year. Missouri had a 5-1 lead in Sunday's series finale, before the Huskers scored the next 11 runs, including an eight-run sixth inning in which all eight runs came with two outs, on their way to the 13-7 win.

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.

CULP SHUTS DOWN JAYHAWKS
Missouri junior lefty Nathan Culp was named the Big 12 Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 4 after he pitched a complete-game three-hit shutout against Kansas the previous 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 one, 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 run rule in effect. This year, Culp has walked just five batters in 61.0 innings pitched and has 38 strikeouts. His next win will be the 20th of his career, as he currently stands 19-9 as a Tiger.

CHASING .400
Sophomore Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .407 batting average, which is third best in the Big 12 Conference. He has had a hit in all but three games in which he has played this season. He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped, as he went 0-for-2 against SEMO on March 29. 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. The 11-game hitting streak is a career best for Frey and ties the longest streak by a Tigers this season. He currently has a four-game streak in tact.

TGI-PRIDAY
Sophomore Jacob Priday leads the Tigers with three home runs this year after a team-best nine homers last season. He carries a seven-game hitting streak into Wednesday's game, the longest active streak for MU. 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.

TAYLOR MADE HITTING
Senior Zane Taylor has had a hit in all but five games for the Tigers this season and is second on the squad with .348 batting average. He had an 11-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 outing in the series finale against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on March 5. Taylor's career-long hitting streak was a 13-game streak coming in 2004. 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.

MAX TRAX
Injuries have 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. In his first appearance of the year under the Taylor Stadium lights, 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.

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 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.

KINSLER DEBUTS RANGERS
Former Missouri Tiger Ian Kinsler made his first major league appearance on opening day this season with the Texas Rangers. Kinsler, who played at Missouri in 2003 and hit .325 for the Tigers, has been named the starting second baseman for the Rangers. His first career major league hit came off Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox on opening day. He homered last Thursday against Detroit and as of Tuesday, was hitting .450. Kinsler was a 17th round draft pick by Texas in 2003.

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.