Missouri Faces Sooners in Norman
4/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 13, 2006
MIZZOU AT OKLAHOMA
NORMAN, OKLA.
APRIL 14-16, 2006
First Pitch: Friday- 7 p.m. / Saturday- 3 p.m. / Sunday- 1 p.m.
Stadium: L. Dale Mitchell Park (Capacity: 2,700)
Records: Mizzou: 16-15, 6-6 Big 12
Oklahoma: 25-10, 5-4 Big 12
Series History: Oklahoma leads 136-97-1
Last Year: Mizzou took two of three in Columbia (1-2, 10-6, 6-4) then def. OU at Big 12 Tournament, 8-7.
Coaches: MU- Tim Jamieson (380-277-2/12th year at MU and overall)
OU- Sonny Golloway (37-16/2nd year at OU and overall)
TV: FSN (Saturday's game only)
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM, flagship;
Also on 900-AM in Fulton and 950-AM in Jefferson City
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Stats: soonersports.com
For more information: mutigers.com
On Tap: April 19 vs. Saint Louis -- 6 p.m.
"Wood Bat Classic" at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo.
Complete Release in PDF Format
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LEADING OFF...
Mizzou will travel to Norman, Okla. this weekend for a three-game Big 12 Conference series with Oklahoma. The Tigers will be looking to snap a six-game losing streak this weekend. MU is currently 16-15 on the year and 6-6 in the Big 12, while the Sooners enter the weekend 25-10 overall and 5-4 in the conference.
This weekend's games can be heard on KTGR 1580-AM in Columbia and at KTGR.com. Saturday's game will be aired on FSN at 3 p.m.
Missouri is coming off a 9-5 loss to Southeast Missouri State on Wednesday after being swept by Nebraska last weekend. OU, which defeated TCU on Tuesday, took two of three over Texas A&M in College Station, Texas last weekend.
Following the trip to Oklahoma, the Tigers will face Saint Louis on Wednesday, April 19 in O'Fallon, Mo. in the annual "Wood Bat Classic."
QUICK HITS
• Sophomore Evan Frey's .384 batting average is ninth best in the Big 12 Conference.
• Senior Zane Taylor recorded his 200th career hit iwith an RBI single against SEMO last Wednesday. He is second on the team with a .345 batting average.
• Sophomore Jacob Priday has an eight-game hitting streak in tact heading into the weekend.
• Mizzou's team ERA of 3.58 is third-best in the Big 12 Conference.
• Freshman David Cales' ERA of 1.71 ranks third in the Big 12 Conference. Opponents are hitting just .175 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 the 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.
• 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 PITCHERS
Friday- Nathan Culp (Jr., LHP): 6-3, 2.51 ERA, 61.0 IP, 38 K
Junior Nathan Culp will take his 6-3 record into Friday night's mathcup with Oklahoma. He has started each of the Tigers' Big 12 series openers. Two weeks ago, he recorded his first career shutout, allowing just three hits against Kansas. He earned Big 12 Co-Pitcher of the Week following that outing. He matched a career high with eight strikeouts against Texas A&M on March 17, earning the win in the conference opener.
Saturday- TBA
Sunday- TBA
Possible starters for MU on Saturday and Sunday include junior Max Scherzer (RHP) and freshmen Aaron Crow (RHP), David Cales (RHP) and Rick Zagone (LHP).
Scherzer missed the first two weekends of Big 12 play with an injury, before returning to the rotation against Kansas on April 1. He pitched 4.0 innings against the Jayhawks and 4.2 innings last Saturday against Nebraska before being removed due to soreness in his arm.
Aaron Crow has started eight games for MU this season, striking out 34 batters in 40.0 innings pitched. He struck out a season-high seven batters in his first start with Mizzou against Kennesaw State on Feb. 11.
David Cales has not started a game this season, but has made 14 appearances on the year. His 1.71 ERA is third best in the Big 12 Conference and opponents are hitting just .175 off of Cales, which is second best in the Big 12.
Rick Zagone has started three games this season. He recorded his first win, pitching 1.1 innings in relief against Illinois State on March 1, striking out three batters. In his first career start, Zagone allowed just two his in 5.1 scoreless innings against Texas A&M on March 19 to record the victory.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma picked up an 11-10 win on Tuesday night over TCU to improve to 25-10 on the season. The Sooners have won three straight and five of their last six.
The Sooners are ranked in all major polls, with the best being a No. 16 ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll.
OU is coming off a series win over Texas A&M last weekend, in which it won the final two games of the three-game set after dropping game one of the weekend.
Oklahoma is 5-4 in the Big 12 Conference, opening conference play by winning two of three over Baylor, before dropping a series with Texas. The Sooners enter the weekend in fourth place in the Big 12 Conference.
Sonny Golloway is in his first full season as the OU head coach, after taking over midway through the 2005 campaign. The Sooners are 37-16 under Golloway.
MU-OU SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the series with Mizzou, 136-97-1 heading into this weekend's series. MU won three of the four games played between the two teams last season.
The Tigers won the three-game series in Columbia last year, dropping the first game of the series in 10 innings, before taking wins in the final two games of the weekend.
Missouri then defeated the Sooners in the first round of the 2005 Big 12 Tournament. The Tigers scored a run in the ninth to take an 8-7 win in that game.
The last time the Tigers and Sooners met in Norman (April 2004), Oklahoma swept MU by scores of 3-2, 8-5 and 4-3.
LAST YEAR VS. OKLAHOMA
Mizzou won the final two games of the three-game series with OU last year in Columbia after dropping the series opener.
The Sooners scored a run in the top of the 10th inning of game one of the weekend, to take a 2-1 win. The game was suspended in the sixth inning due to rain and had to be completed on Saturday.
Missouri evened the series with a 10-6 win in game two of the series. MU trailed 4-0 in the fifth inning before putting up 10 runs in the next four innings.
The Tigers won the series with a 6-4 win in the final game of the weekend, winning their 30th game of the 2005 season.
Missouri scored a run in the bottom of the ninth against the Sooners in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament last year to take an 8-7 win.
Hunter Mense drove in the game-winning run when a ball off his bat took an awkward hop over the OU second baseman, allowing Derek Chambers to score.
ON TAP
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
Southeast Missouri State defeated Missouri 9-5 on Wednesday night at Taylor Stadium, handing the Tigers their sixth consecutive loss.
Southeast batted around in the third inning, scoring six runs in the frame. Four of the runs scored on a grand slam by Andrew Johnson. The Redhawks pounded out 17 hits against the MU pitchers on Wednesday night.
Mizzou cut the lead in half with a three-run bottom of the third inning, as sophomore Jacob Priday had a RBI double and senior Zane Taylor followed with single to drive in Priday. The single by Taylor, who finished 1-for 4, was his 200th career hit with the Tigers.
Senior J.C. Field was 2-for-3 in the night with a run scored and senior Trevor Helms had a pair of his, finishing 2-for-3.
The Redhawks starting pitcher, Asif Shah, pitched a complete game, throwing 193 pitches on the night. He allowed five runs - three earned - on eight hits, striking out five and walking seven.
With the victory, Southeast completes the sweep of the season series with the Tigers and has won three of the last four meetings between the two teams.
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.
SUPER SOPHOMORE
Sophomore Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .384 batting average, which is ninth 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 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 an eight-game hitting streak into the series with Oklahoma, 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 .345 batting average.
Her recorded his 200th hit as a Tiger in Wednesday's game with Southeast Missouri State.
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.
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.
