Mizzou Closes Out Home Schedule Against Sooners
5/10/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 10, 2007
MIZZOU vs. OKLAHOMA
First Pitch:
Friday, May 11, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 12, 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 13, 1 p.m.
Series History: OU leads 139-98-1
Last Year: OU swept MU in Norman
Stadium: Taylor Stadium
Capacity: 2,200
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Video: All-Access at mutigers.com
Live Stats: Gametracker at mutigers.com
MISSOURI TIGERS
Overall Record: 33-13
Big 12 Conference Record: 14-7
Last 10/Last 5: 8-2/4-1
Streak: Won 1
Head Coach: Tim Jamieson
Career Record: 432-303-2 (13th year)
Record at MU: 432-303-2 (13th year)
Website: mutigers.com
OKLAHOMA SOONERS
Overall Record: 28-20
Big 12 Conference Record: 8-13
Last 10/Last 5: 3-7/0-5
Streak: Lost 5
Head Coach: Sunny Galloway
Career Record: 420-204 (10th year)
Record at OU: 85-48 (2nd year)
Website: soonersports.com
COMPLETE GAMENOTES
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FIRST PITCH
Mizzou will host Oklahoma this weekend in the final home series of the 2007 regular season. The Tigers and Sooners will get the three-game set underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. The series continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the final game set for 1 p.m. on Sunday.
QUICK HITS
- The Tigers are ranked in three national polls, with a No. 19 ranking in Collegiate Baseball being the highest.
- Missouri has won eight of its last 10 games, including series wins over Baylor, Texas Tech and Texas.
- Mizzou won a series for the ninth time in 10 tries this year, taking two-of-three from Texas last weekend. The Tigers have won six of their seven Big 12 series.
- MU has won five of its last six contests against Texas and have taken six of the last eight and eight of the last 11 matchups with the Longhorns.
- Junior Jacob Priday had a double and a home run last Friday, then tripled on Sunday against Texas. His last nine hits dating back to the Texas Tech series have gone for extra bases.
- Priday has three triples in Big 12 Conference games this season, which leads the league. His 22 RBI in Big 12 games ranks sixth.
- Sophomore Aaron Crow's 2.56 ERA is fifth best in the Big 12 Conference.
- The Tigers are 16-3 at Taylor Stadium this year heading into the final home series of the season.
- Freshman Trevor Coleman leads the Tigers will eight home runs after hitting three last weekend at Texas.
- Missouri's team ERA of 3.95 ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
- Coleman has walked 17 times in conference games, which is second most in the conference.
- The Tigers' sweep over Texas Tech April 27-29 was MU's fourth this season and first over a Big 12 opponents since the Texas series last May.
- Junior Evan Frey leads the team with a .351 batting average, which ranks 12th in the Big 12. He recorded MU's first five-hit game of the season in the series finale with Baylor. Frey is hitting .352 in Big 12 games, which is eight best in the conference.
- Frey has five triples on the season, which is tied for second in the Big 12. One more would put him in the top 10 in the MU record books for triples in a season.
- Senior John McKee and junior Brock Bond have each by hit by a pitch 19 times this season. The MU single season record is 23, set by McKee in his sophomore season of 2005.
- Freshman Kyle Gibson picked up his seventh save of the season on April 21 against Baylor, fifth most in the Big 12. The seven saves puts him in a tie for seventh for saves in a season at MU.
THE RACE FOR THE TITLE
With two weeks left in the Big 12 regular season, Mizzou finds itself in the middle of the race for the conference championship.
Texas leads the Big 12 with an 18-6 league record, while MU is second with a 14-7 mark. UT has just one conference series left (vs. Texas A&M next weekend), while the Tigers have two.
If Texas and Missouri finish tied, MU would hold the tiebreaker. Oklahoma State is 13-8 in the Big 12 Conference and also remains in the race, but would need lots of help.
Here are the scenarios for Mizzou to overtake Texas for the conference title:
- MU finishes 6-0: Mizzou would get at least a share of the Big 12 title if Texas does not sweep Texas A&M.
- MU finishes 5-1: Mizzou would get at least a share of the Big 12 title if Texas loses at least two games against Texas A&M.
- MU finishes 4-2: Mizzou would get at least a share of the Big 12 title if Texas is swept by Texas A&M.
- MU loses three or more of its remaining games: Mizzou could not catch Texas.
SCOUTING THE SOONERS
Oklahoma carries a five-game losing streak into this weekend's series with Mizzou and has lost eight of its last 11 games. Last weekend, the Sooners were swept by Oklahoma State.
OU is 28-20 on the season and 8-13 in Big 12 Conference play. The 8-13 conference mark is tied with Baylor for seventh in the league.
In the last five games, Oklahoma has connected for 70 hits and scored 47 runs. During that span, OU is averaging 12 hits and 9.4 runs per game.
Aaron Ivey leads the team win a .355 average and has hit safely in 10 of the last 11 games. As a team, OU is hitting .301, which ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma leads the all-time series with Missouri by a 139-98-1 margin. Last year the Sooners swept the three-game series between the two teams in Norman, Okla., before the Tigers took an 11-0 win over OU at the Big 12 Tournament. The Sooners have won eight of the last 13 matchups.
LAST YEAR VS. OKLAHOMA
Missouri had a rough trip to Norman, Okla. last year, as the Sooners took a three-game sweep of MU.
Despite a late rally in the game one of the weekend, the Tigers dropped the series opener 6-4. MU put up three runs in the top of the eighth to cut the lead to two, but could get no closer.
The Tigers fell 8-6 on Saturday when Oklahoma rallied to score six runs in the bottom of the ninth for the come-from-behind victory. A two-out home run by OU's Kevin Smith capped off a ninth inning in which the Sooners had four hits and scored six times to erase a four-run Tiger lead.
Oklahoma completed the sweep with a 7-6 win on Sunday as it again rallied in the ninth inning to take the victory. The Sooners scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to take a come-from-behind victory for the second-straight day. The loss was the ninth-straight for the Tigers.
LAST TIME OUT
Mizzou won its sixth series in seven Big 12 Conference weekends this year by taking two-of-three over Texas last weekend in Austin.
The Tigers opened the weekend with an 11-inning victory on Friday. With the score tied at six in the 11th inning, junior Kurt Calvert scored from third base when UT catcher Preston Clark overthrew the Longhorn pitcher on a throwback to the mound. The final out of the game was recorded when sophomore Ryan Lollis threw out Clay Van Hook at home in the bottom half of the 11th.
The Longhorns evened the series with a 5-1 win on Saturday, holding Missouri to just three hits. Two of the Tigers three hits came from senior John McKee and junior Jacob Priday's sacrifice fly in the ninth inning drove in MU's only run of the game.
Freshman Trevor Coleman, a native of Texas, homered twice in Sunday's series finale to lead the Tigers to a 5-4 win to claim the series. Coleman hit a solo shot in the second inning, then hit a two-run homer in the sixth, which broke a 2-2 tie.
Missouri has won the last two series with Texas, taking five of its last six games and six of the last eight meetings with the Longhorns.
2K WINS
After two more victories last weekend, Mizzou has now won 1,988 games in its history, putting it 12 win away from becoming the 36th program in the NCAA to reach the 2000-win mark.
Mizzou is 1,988-1,277-20 in 113 years of baseball.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Missouri has been involved in 12 one-run ballgames this season and has a record of 11-1 in those games.
Eleven games this season have been decided in the final inning, with MU taking wins in six of those games.
The Tigers were just 5-11 in one-run games last year and were 3-4 in game decided in the final inning.
PRIDAY GOES FOR EXTRAS
Junior Jacob Priday's last nine hits dating back to the series against Texas Tech have all gone for extra bases.
Over the past two weeks, Priday is hitting .391 with four home runs, two triples and three doubles.
Priday was named the Co-Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on April 30 after he hit .545 (6-for-11) in the Tigers' three-game sweep of Texas Tech. Priday drove in nine runs and scored six in the series.
Priday connected for a two-run home run in the series opener, then had two hits in game two with an RBI triple in the first inning and a two-run double in the third.
He finished the weekend with a two-home run game in the series finale. After he drove in a run with a double in the first, he hit a two-run homer in the third inning. Priday then hit his fifth home run of the season to lead off the sixth inning.
Last weekend at Texas, Priday doubled and homered in the series opener, as he went 2-for-4 with two RBI on Friday.
After going hitless on Saturday, Priday tripled in Sunday's series finale.
DEEP FREY'D
Junior Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .351 batting average, which is 12th best in the Big 12 Conference.
He capped off MU's series with Kansas earlier this year with a walk-off home run to give the Tigers a 10-9 win in the series finale.
In MU's four games of that week, Frey went 11-of-20 (.550), with two home runs and nine RBI.
Against Creighton, Frey was 4-for-4, recording the Tigers' second four-hit game of the season.
He opened the series against Kansas with two hits, including a double and two RBI. Frey then drove in five runs in game two against the Jayhawks, going 3-for-6 with a home run.
He finished the week by going 2-for-5, with the second hit of the day being the walk-off homer coming with the Tigers trailing by a run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Frey had a career-high five hits, finishing 5-for-5 in the series finale at Baylor. It was the first time a Tiger has had five hits since Jacob Priday did it against Florida on Feb. 24, 2006.
CLOSING THE DOOR
Freshman Kyle Gibson recorded his seventh save of the season on April 21 against Baylor. The seven saves move him into a tie for seventh place for saves in a season at MU.
The record is 12, set by Ryan Stegall in 2000.
In addition to the seven saves that Gibson has recorded this season, he also has wins, against Youngstown State, Cleveland State, Nebraska, Kansas, Texas A&M and Texas.
TAKING A HIT
Through 46 games this season, senior John McKee and junior Brock Bond have both been hit by a pitch 19 times.
McKee holds the school record for hit by a pitches in a season, as he took 23 HBPs as a sophomore in 2005.
TURNING THE CORNER
In the first 13 games of the season, sophomore Kyle Mach had just two hits and was hitting .154.
On March 4, in game number 14, Mach was 3-for-4 against Youngstown State, starting what would be a seven-game hitting streak. Since that game, Mach is hitting .333 and has raised his season average to .317, which ranks second on the team.
He had his second four-hit game of the season when he was 4-for-5 with three RBI against Baylor on April 20. Mach's first four-hit game of the year came against Texas State on March 10.
DRIVING `EM IN
MU sophomore Ryan Lollis leads the team with 43 RBI, which includes a six-RBI game against Florida International on Feb. 10. Lollis also has six 3-RBI games and nine total multi-RBI performances.
ZAGONE EARNS NATIONAL AND CONFERENCE HONORS
Sophomore Rick Zagone was named the NCBWA Co-National Pitcher of the Week on April 10, one day after he earned Co-Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week.
On April 7, Zagone recorded his second complete game in three Big 12 starts this season, as he picked up the win in the Tigers' 3-0 win over Kansas State.
Zagone carried a no-hitter into the ninth inning, as a base hit with one out in the bottom of the ninth inning was all that stood between Zagone and a no-hitter.
He struck out a career-high 11 batters and remained unbeaten as he improved to 6-0 on the season. The complete game shutout was the first by a Big 12 pitcher in a conference game this season.
There have been just five complete games in Big 12 games this season, with Zagone claiming two of the five.
The complete game was the second in the last three starts for Zagone who recorded the complete game win against Nebraska on March 24. Zagone now has three career complete games, all three coming away from home.
FRESHMEN MAKE IMPACT
The 2007 freshman class has quickly made an impact on the Tigers.
On the mound, freshman Kyle Gibson's lead the team with 23 appearances and has seven saves on the season. In addition to the seven saves, he has six wins, compiling a 6-3 record.
Another freshman, Greg Folgia, is second on the squad with 18 appearances on the mound. Among the 18 appearances are five starts including one against Louisiana-Monroe in which he was perfect through the first four innings of play.
Trevor Coleman's average of .295 is fourth best on the squad and his eight home runs lead the Tigers.
Aaron Senne is hitting .278 and matched a team best with an eight-game hitting streak from April 7-21.
JAMIESON JOINS THE 400-WIN CLUB
Missouri's win in the season opener marked the 400th career victory for MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson. He enters the weekend with a 432-303-2 record in his 13th season at the helm.
Jamieson joins legendary Mizzou coaches Gene McArtor (733 wins) and John "Hi" Simmons (481 wins) as the only coaches in MU history to reach the 400-win mark.
McArtor and Simmons both have their numbers retired at MU and are members of the Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame.
Jamieson took over as head coach of the Tigers in 1995. During his tenure, Missouri has recorded at least 30 wins 10 times and has made five trips to the NCAA Tournament, including the last four.
EX-TIGERS EARN ACCOLADES IN THE MINOR LEAGUES
Former Mizzou standouts Mark Alexander and Cody Ehlers each earned postseason honors for their performances last year in Minor League Baseball.
Alexander was named the Los Angeles Dodgers' Branch Rickey Minor League Pitcher of the Year, after compiling 27 saves to lead all Dodger Minor Leaguers for a second-straight season.
Alexander was an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention selection in 2004, as he recorded 10 saves, which is second most in a season in Mizzou history.
Ehlers, a member of the Tampa Yankees, was voted the Florida State League's Most Valuable Player. He led the FSL in RBI (103) and doubles (35) and was fourth in hits (142). He hit .298 with 18 home runs.
As a senior at MU in 2004, Ehlers led the Tigers in nearly every offensive category and was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big 12 Tournament.
For updated stats on former Tigers in professional baseball, visit mutigers.com.
ON THE AIR
Once again, KTGR 1580-AM will be the radio home of the Tigers. All of Mizzou's regular season and postseason games will air on KTGR 1580-AM in Columbia. The games can also be heard online at KTGR.com.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will conclude the regular season with four games away from Taylor Stadium. On Tuesday, the Tigers will take on Illinois at GCS Stadium in Sauget, Ill.
Next weekend, MU will be in Stillwater, Okla. for a three-game series against Oklahoma State to wrap up the regular season.
The Big 12 Conference Tournament will be played May 23-27 in Oklahoma City, Okla.
