April 20, 2006

OKLAHOMA STATE AT MIZZOU
COLUMBIA, MO
APRIL 21-23, 2006
First Pitch: Friday- 6:30 p.m. / Saturday- 2 p.m. / Sunday- 1 p.m.
Stadium: Taylor Stadium (Capacity: 2,200)
Records: Mizzou: 17-18, 6-9 Big 12
Oklahoma State: 22-12, 5-7 Big 12
Series History: Oklahoma State leads 127-71
Last Year: OSU swept the series in Stillwater by scores of 6-2 (15 inn), 6-4, 8-5
Coaches: MU- Tim Jamieson (381-280-2/12th year at MU and overall)
OSU- Frank Anderson (94-61/3rd year at OSU 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: Best of the Midwest Tournament -- Kansas City, Kan.
vs. Creighton - April 25, 7 p.m.
vs. Southeast Missouri State - April 26, Noon

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LEADING OFF...
Mizzou will host Oklahoma State this weekend in the first of three-consecutive weekends of baseball at Taylor Stadium. The series with OSU will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday and continues with games at 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. The games can be heard on KTGR 1580-AM in Columbia and on KTGR.com. Live video will be available through Mizzou All-Access on mutigers.com. The Tigers are 17-18 on the year and 6-9 in the Big 12 Conference. They are in eighth place in the conference, one spot behind Oklahoma State, which is 22-12 overall and 5-7 in the Big 12. Missouri is coming off a 4-0 win over Saint Louis on Wednesday, snapping a nine-game losing streak, while OSU has won four of its last five after a 9-4 win over Wichita State on Wednesday. Following the series with the Cowboys, MU will participate in the Best of the Midwest Tournament next Tuesday and Wednesday in Kansas City. The Tigers will face Creighton and Southeast Missouri State in the two-day event.

QUICK HITS
• Sophomore Jacob Priday has a 12-game hitting streak in tact heading into the weekend. The streak is a career high for Priday and is the longest streak by a Tiger this season.
• Sophomore Evan Frey is sixth in the Big 12 Conference with a .388 batting average. His .438 average in conference games is fourth best in the league. Frey leads the Big 12 with 28 hits in conference games.
• Mizzou's team ERA of 3.76 is fourth-best in the Big 12 Conference.
• Freshman David Cales' ERA of 2.52 ranks fourth in the Big 12.
Opponents are hitting just .186 against Cales, which is second best in the conference.
• Junior Nathan Culp has an ERA of 3.04, which is ninth best in the Big 12 Conference. Culp is also tied for third in the conference in wins (six) and is seventh in innings pitched (68.0).
• Senior Taylor Parker has recorded four saves in Big 12 play, which places him fifth in the conference. His five saves overall this year places him in a tie for 11th in the Mizzou record books for saves in a season.
• Senior Travis Wendte has a 2.93 ERA in conference games only, placing him ninth in the Big 12 in that category. Freshman David Cales is 11th with a 3.38 conference ERA.
• Junior Max Scherzer, who set a school record with 131 strikeouts last season, needs 10 strikeouts to reach the 200 career Ks.
• MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson is 19 wins away from his 400th career-win, with a record of 381-280-2. The 381 wins are the third most in Missouri history.
• With his 20 appearances this season, senior Taylor Parker has pitched in 94 games as a Tiger, which places him second in the Mizzou record books. Scott Black holds the record with 108 appearances on the mound. Parker leads the Big 12 with 11 appearances in Big 12 games this season.
• Missouri improved to 7-0 in "Wood Bat Classic" games against Saint Louis with its 4-0 win over the Billikens on Wednesday.
• Three Tigers have earned Big 12 honors during the 2006 season. Junior Max Scherzer was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week after a win over then-No. 1 Florida on Feb. 24. Sophomore Jacob Priday was selected Big 12 Player of the Week on March 14 after hitting .533 in the previous week's four games and junior Nathan Culp earned Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week on April 4 after a three-hit complete game shutout over Kansas.

MIZZOU'S PROJECTED STARTING PITCHERS
Friday: Nathan Culp (Jr., LHP): 6-4, 3.06 ERA, 68.0 IP, 40 K
Nathan Culp leads the team with six wins on the year, which is tied for third most in the Big 12 Conference. He is coming off a seven-inning outing against Oklahoma last Friday, in which he allowed six runs on nine hits. The seven innings performance marked the fifth time in his 10 starts he has pitched at least seven innings. That includes a three-hit, complete-game shutout over Kansas on March 31. He was named the Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week following that win. Culp opened the season by claiming wins in five of his first six starts. He opened Big 12 Conference play by taking a win over Texas A&M on March 17. In that game, Culp matched a career-high with eight strikeouts, as he allowed just one unearned run on four hits in 7.2 innings pitched. Saturday: TBD
Sunday: TBD
Possible starters for the Tigers on Saturday and Sunday include junior Max Scherzer (RHP), freshman Aaron Crow (RHP) and freshman Rick Zagone (LHP). Scherzer has missed four starts this season due to injury. His last outing was against Nebraska on April 8, when he allowed one run on two hits and struck out three in 4.2 innings. He won his first three starts of the year and has an ERA of 2.67. Crow is coming off one of his best performances of his young career, as he struck out five, allowing just two runs on six hits in six innings on the mound against Oklahoma last Saturday. He was in line for the victory when he left the game, but took a no decision. Zagone has started five games for the Tigers and has three wins on the year. Among the wins is a victory against Texas A&M in the opening weekend of conference play. Zagone allowed just two hits in 5.1 scoreless innings of work, striking out four. He has a 3.91 ERA on the year heading into the weekend.

SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
Oklahoma State has won four of its last five games after a 9-4 win over Wichita State on Wednesday to improve to 22-12 on the year. The Cowboys are 5-7 in the Big 12 Conference and enter the weekend winless on the road in conference play, having being swept at Texas and Baylor. They stand seventh in the Big 12, just one spot ahead of Mizzou. OSU leads the Big 12 with 52 home runs and 151 extra-base hits. The Cowboys' .323 batting average is third best in the league. Deik Scram, a transfer from Cowley County Community College, is hitting a team-best .419, which is second in the Big 12. Scram has a slugging percentage of .817 with has six triples and five home runs. Tyler Mach leads the team with 12 home runs and 45 RBI on the year and is second to Scram with a .377 average. A total of eight Cowboys are hitting .300 or better heading into the weekend. Sophomore RHP Matt Gardner is slated to pitch on Friday night, while senior LHP Brae Wright is scheduled to take the mound on Saturday. Oklahoma State has not determined a starter for Sunday. Gardner is 2-2 on the year with a 4.86 ERA. He has just three starts on the year, including last Friday when he recorded a win over Kansas, striking out four and allowing four runs on eight hits in 6.1 innings. Wright also picked up a win over Kansas, as he pitched 8.1 innings last Saturday, striking out six and walking just one. Frank Anderson is in his third season as the Cowboys head coach, compiling a record of 94-61.

LAST YEAR VS. OSU
Oklahoma State swept the Tigers last season in the three-game series in Stillwater. The series opened with the Cowboys taking a 6-2 win on Adam Carr's walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the 15th inning. The game was the longest of the 2005 season for Missouri. After OSU scored a run in the sixth inning to tie the game at two, neither team would score for the next eight innings. Max Scherzer struck out nine in 7.2 innings of work. The Cowboys followed that with a 6-4 win in Saturday's game. The win clinched the series for OSU and handed Mizzou its first series loss of the season. John McKee homered in the game, sending a solo shot over the fence in the fourth inning. Oklahoma State took an 8-5 win in the series finale to complete the sweep. The Tigers had the early lead as James Boone hit a three-run home run in the first inning and then MU added a pair of runs in the third before OSU scored eight unanswered runs.

ON TAP
Next week, the Tigers will take part in the Best of the Midwest Tournament in Kansas City, Kan., taking on Creighton at 7 p.m. on Tuesday and Southeast Missouri State at Noon on Wednesday. The Best of the Midwest Tournament will be hosted by Kansas City's independent minor league team, the Kansas City T-Bones. The games will be played at Community America Ballpark. Joining the Tigers, Creighton and SEMO in the event will be Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri State. Missouri returns to Columbia the next weekend for a three-game set with Baylor opening at 6:30 p.m. on Friday.

LAST TIME OUT
O'FALLON, Mo. - Missouri defeated Saint Louis, 4-0 in O'Fallon, Mo. last Wednesday in the 7th Annual "Wood Bat Classic" at T.R. Hughes Ballpark, improving to 7-0 in the wood bat games against the Billikens. With the win, the Tigers snapped their nine-game losing streak. Both teams chose to staff the game on the mound as a combined 16 pitchers-- eight for each team-- took the hill. The MU pitching staff held the Billikens hitless through the first 4.2 innings and allowed just one hit in the game. Redshirt freshman Brant Combs was the only Mizzou pitcher to pitch more than one inning, as he retired the side in order in two innings on the mound. Senior Nick Admire struck out the side in the third inning, as all three Billikens went down looking. Freshman Rick Zagone, junior Brett Reynolds, senior Travis Wendte and freshman David Cales also pitched a 1-2-3 inning in their appearances. Senior Trevor Helms put the Tigers on the board with a two-run home run in the top of the second inning. It was the fourth homer of Helms' career and his second at T.R. Hughes Ballpark, as he also hit a home run in the 2004 "Wood Bat Classic" against Saint Louis. The first two Tigers to the plate in the fourth inning, senior Derek Chambers and junior John McKee, each singled. Both would score in the inning to give MU the 4-0 lead. Sophomore Jacob Priday doubled with two outs in the top of the ninth inning to extend his hitting streak to 12 games. The streak is the longest of Priday's career and is the longest streak by a Tiger this season.

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.

TGI-PRIDAY
Sophomore Jacob Priday's double in the ninth inning against Saint Louis on Wednesday extending his hitting streak to a career-best 12 games. The streak is the longest by a Tiger this season. He hit his team-leading fourth home run of the season last Sunday at Oklahoma. 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.

SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .388 batting average, which is sixth best in the Big 12 Conference. He has had a hit in all but four 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 had 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.

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 week. Culp faced the minimum through 7.2 innings against KU, 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 third 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 seven batters in 68.0 innings pitched and has 40 strikeouts. His next win will be the 20th of his career, as he currently stands 19-9 as a Tiger.

TAYLOR MADE HITTING
Senior Zane Taylor has had a hit in all but seven games for the Tigers this season and is hitting .321 on the year. He recorded his 200th hit as a Tiger against Southeast Missouri State on April 12. Taylor had an 11-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 outing in the series finale against Wisconsin-Milwaukee on March 5. His 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. Taylor also has drawn 26 walks this season, which is tied for sixth best in the Big 12.

MAX TRAX
Injuries have forced All-American Max Scherzer to miss four starts this season, including three in Big 12 Conference play. 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 against UW-Milwaukee, 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.

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, was named the starting second baseman for the Rangers at the start of the year. His first career major league hit came off Curt Schilling of the Boston Red Sox on opening day and he homered against Detroit on April 6. He dislocated his left thumb in the Rangers' game on April 11, sliding into second base on an attempted steal and is currently on the 15-day disabled list. Kinsler was a 17th round draft pick by Texas in 2003.

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.

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.