Mizzou Closes Out Regular Season Against Cowboys
5/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
May 17, 2007
MIZZOU at OKLAHOMA STATE
First Pitch:
Friday, May 18, 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, May 19, 2 p.m.
Sunday, May 20, 1 p.m.
Series History: OSU leads 129-73
Last Year: OSU took 2-of-3 in Columbia
Stadium: Allie P. Reynolds Stadium
Capacity: 4,000
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Stats: okstate.com
MISSOURI TIGERS
Overall Record: 36-14
Big 12 Conference Record: 16-8
Last 10/Last 5: 8-2/4-1
Streak: Won 2
Head Coach: Tim Jamieson
Career Record: 435-304-2 (13th year)
Record at MU: 435-304-2 (13th year)
Website: mutigers.com
OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
Overall Record: 38-13
Big 12 Conference Record: 16-8
Last 10/Last 5: 7-3/5-0
Streak: Won 7
Head Coach: Frank Anderson
Career Record: 151-82 (4th year)
Record at OSU: 151-82 (4th year)
Website: okstate.com
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FIRST PITCH
Missouri enters the final weekend of the regular season in a tie for second place in the Big 12 Conference with Oklahoma State, who the Tigers face this weekend in Stillwater. MU enters the series with a 36-14 overall record and a 16-8 Big 12 mark. The Tigers are guaranteed at least a fourth-place finish in the Big 12 and can still claim the conference title.
QUICK HITS
- The Tigers are ranked in the four major national polls, with a No. 17 ranking in Collegiate Baseball's Top 30 being the highest. They are No. 19 in the Baseball America and USA Today/ESPN Coaches' polls and are No. 20 in the NCBWA Top 30.
- With Mizzou's victory over Illinois on Tuesday, MU recorded win 36 on the year, surpassing the 35 wins of last season. The season win total is tied for 12th most in MU history.
- Missouri has won eight of its last 10 and 11 of its last 14 games, including series wins over Baylor, Texas Tech, Texas and Oklahoma.
- The Tigers won a series for the 10 time in 11 tries this year, taking two-of-three from Oklahoma last weekend. Missouri has won seven of its eight Big 12 series and is a perfect 5-0 in road series this year.
- Junior Jacob Priday is hitting .436 over the last 14 games. During that span, he has six home runs, three triples and six doubles and has driven in 24 runs.
- Priday had a string of 10-consecutive hits from April 27-May 11 that went for extra bases.
- Priday has three triples in Big 12 Conference games this season, which leads the league. His 28 RBI in Big 12 games ranks fourth.
- Sophomore Aaron Crow's 2.53 ERA is fourth best in the Big 12 Conference.
- The Tigers finished with an 18-4 regular season home record.
- Mizzou had two players (Jacob Priday and Aaron Senne) record a six-RBI game in last week's series against Oklahoma. Priday did it in Friday's series opener, while Senne did it in the finale on Sunday.
- Missouri's team ERA of 3.96 ranks fourth in the Big 12 Conference.
- Freshman Trevor Coleman has walked 21 times in conference games, which is second in the Big 12.
- Junior Evan Frey leads the team with a .339 batting average, which ranks 17th in the Big 12. He recorded MU's first five-hit game of the season in the series finale with Baylor. Frey is hitting .343 in Big 12 games, which is 12th 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 has been hit by 21 pitches this year and is two shy of tying the MU record for HBPs in a year, which he set in 2005. Junior Brock Bond has been hit by a pitch 20 times this season.
- 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
Heading into the final weekend of 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 tied with Oklahoma State for second with 16-8 marks. Texas will face Texas A&M this weekend, while Missouri and Oklahoma State face off in Stillwater.
If Texas and Missouri finish tied, MU would hold the tiebreaker.
Here are the scenarios for Mizzou to overtake Texas for the conference title:
- MU goes 3-0 vs. OSU: Mizzou would get a share of the Big 12 title if Texas loses at least two games against Texas A&M. If Texas is swept, MU wins Big 12 title outright.
- MU goes 2-1 vs. OSU: Mizzou would get a share of the Big 12 title if Texas is swept by Texas A&M.
- MU losses two or more to OSU: Mizzou could not catch Texas.
SCOUTING THE COWBOYS
Oklahoma State enters this weekend's series with on a seven-game winning streak, matching a season long. The Cowboys are 38-13 overall on the year and 16-8 in the Big 12 Conference. They are ranked as high as No. 10 in the four major polls.
OSU leads the Big 12 with a .331 team average. Ty Wright leads Oklahoma State and the Big 12 Conference with a .433 batting average and holds a 28-game hitting streak.
Wright is one of two Cowboys with averages over .400 as Tyler Mach has a .408 mark heading into the weekend.
Oklahoma State's pitching staff has a 3.68 ERA, which ranks second in the conference.
SERIES HISTORY
Oklahoma State holds a 129-73 lead in the all-time series with Mizzou.
The Cowboys took 2-of-3 from Missouri in Columbia before the Tigers defeated OSU at the Big 12 Tournament.
Two years ago, the last times the two teams met in Stillwater, OSU swept the Tigers. That came a year after Missouri swept the three-game set in Columbia.
LAST YEAR VS. OKLAHOMA STATE
Mizzou dropped its three-game series with OSU last season in Columbia. After taking the victory in game one, the Tigers fell in the next two contests.
Nathan Culp picked up his seventh win of the season in last year's season opener, giving up just two runs on six its and striking out seven in eight innings.
The Tigers got home runs from Jacob Priday and Brock Bond as they recorded its 18th win of the year.
MU scored just two runs in the final two games of the weekend, including a 4-0 shutout loss on Saturday.
The Tigers had just five hits in game two, as OSU's Brae Wright pitched a complete game shutout. Brock Bond had two of Mizzou's five hits and Priday had a hit to extend his hitting streak to 14 games.
Mizzou dropped the series finale by a 3-2 score. Rick Zagone struck out a career-high seven batters in six innings, allowing just two runs on six hits, but took the loss. He retired nine-straight batters at one point.
However, the Tigers had trouble plating runs. They loaded the bases with no outs in the eighth, but scored just one run.
Missouri would later defeat OSU on the first day of the Big 12 Tournament. The Tigers took a 9-5 win, scoring five runs in the top of the ninth inning to take the victory.
LAST TIME OUT
Mizzou defeated Illinois last Tuesday in a wood bat game in Sauget, Ill. The Tigers hit three home runs as they picked up their 36th win of the season.
Missouri was leading 1-0 after scoring a run in the top of the first inning, when junior Brock Bond singled and scored on a base hit by junior Jacob Priday.
The game was delayed two batters into the bottom of the first inning due to heavy rain and play was suspended for just over an hour.
On the first pitch following the rain delay, Illinois' Lars Davis doubled to center and Mike Rhode followed with an RBI single to tie the game.
The Tigers then scored four runs in the second inning on just one hit. MU loaded the bases on a walk, a hit batter and a single. Junior Evan Frey then drove in a run on a sacrifice fly to give the lead back to Mizzou. After Bond was hit by a pitch to again load the bases, the next three batters drew three-consecutive walks to force in three runs.
Freshman Aaron Senne and senior John McKee extended the Mizzou lead with back-to-back home runs in the top of the fourth inning. Senne's homer was a three-run shot and was his second home run in as many games and his fourth of the year. McKee's was his sixth of the season.
Bond hit the third home run of the night for the Tigers and his first of the season with a three-run round-tripper in the seventh inning to extend the lead to 12-5.
Senior Stephan Holst started on the mound for Missouri and allowed three runs (just one of which was earned) in four innings. He struck out three and walked two.
COMPILING THE WINS
Mizzou's 36 wins on the year is tied for the 12th most in school history. The school record is 46 set by the 1976 squad.
MU AIMS FOR BEST BIG 12 FINISH
Missouri enters the weekend series with Oklahoma State in a tie for second place in the Big 12 with the Cowboys. The Tigers are guaranteed a top four finish in the conference and with one victory this weekend will finish no worse than third. Two wins this weekend would guarantee at least a second place finish.
A top three finish would be the best for Mizzou in the 11 years of the Big 12 Conference and would be its best league finish since winning the Big Eight regular season title in 1996.
WINNING THE CLOSE ONES
Missouri has been involved in 12 one-run ball games 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.
2K WINS
After its victory over Illinois on Tuesday, Mizzou has now won 1,991 games in its history, putting it nine wins away from becoming the 36th program in the NCAA to reach the 2000-win mark.
Mizzou is 1,991-1,278-20 in 113 years of baseball.
PRIDAY GOES FOR EXTRAS
Junior Jacob Priday's had 10-straight hits from April 27-May 11 that went for extra-bases. During that stretch, Priday had five home runs, two triples and three doubles.
He 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.
In the series 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.
He opened the three-game set with Oklahoma last weekend by hitting a home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Priday singled in the third inning, snapping his string of 10-straight extra base hits, but hit a home run in his next at bat.
DEEP FREY'D
Junior Evan Frey leads the Tigers with a .339 batting average, which is 17th 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.
TAKING A HIT
Senior John McKee has been hit by 21 pitches this season and is two away from tying the school record which, McKee set with 23 HBPs as a sophomore in 2005.
Junior Brock Bond is just one behind, as he has been hit by 20 pitches this year.
DRIVING `EM IN
MU sophomore Ryan Lollis leads the team with 46 RBI, which includes a six-RBI game against Florida International on Feb. 10. Lollis also has six 3-RBI games and 10 total multi-RBI performances.
Two Tigers put up a 6-RBI game last weekend. Junior Jacob Priday drove in six in a 4-for-4 performance with two home runs in the series opener against Oklahoma.
Freshman Aaron Senne was 3-for-4 with six RBI as he fell just a single shy of hitting for the cycle in Sunday's finale against OU.
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.
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 .311 and has raised his season average to .298, 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.
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 24 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 tied for second on the squad with 20 appearances on the mound. Among the 20 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 .288 is sixth best on the squad and his eight home runs is tied for the team lead.
Aaron Senne is hitting .282 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 435-304-2 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.
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
The Big 12 Conference Tournament begins next Wednesday at Bricktown Ballpark in Oklahoma City. The tournament will consist of pool play from Wednesday thru Saturday, with the Championship game to take place on Sunday.
