March 10, 2010
MIZZOU vs WESTERN ILLINOIS
Date: March 10, 2010
First Pitch: 6:30 p.m.
Series History: MU leads 21-5
Last Meeting: MU def. WIU, 18-4 (2009)
Stadium: Taylor Stadium
Capacity: 2,200
Radio: KTGR 100.5-FM / 1580-AM
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Gametracker: mutigers.com
Live Video: mutigers.tv
More Information: mutigers.com
FIRST PITCH
Wednesday is the 2010 home opener for the Missouri baseball team, as it will take the field at Taylor Stadium at 6:30 p.m. against Western Illinois. The Tigers are 4-5 on the season after dropping their last four games. Western Illinois is also 4-5 on the year after losing to SLU on Tuesday night.Missouri is 21-5 all-time against Western Illinois, including two victories against WIU last year by scores of 8-0 and 18-4.Wednesday's game will be the first at the newly renovated Taylor Stadium. During the offseason a new indoor facility was constructed in the left field corner which house batting cages and pitching mounds. Other renovations include a new scoreboard/videoboard, a brick wall that outlines foul territory and improvements to the bullpens, dugouts and the outfield wall.The game against WIU is the first of a 10-game homestand for Mizzou. This weekend, Xavier will be in Columbia for a three-game series, starting at 6 p.m. on Friday. The following Thursday, the Tigers will host North Dakota in a four-game series at Taylor Stadium.After dropping the season opener, the Tigers won their next four games, before losing four-straight. Last weekend, Mizzou was 0-3 at the Houston College Classic at Minute Maid Park. The Tigers were shutout by Houston on Friday despite putting runners on base in every inning. On Saturday, Mizzou took the No. 7 ranked TCU Horned Frogs to extra innings, before a run in the 10th inning gave TCU a 4-3 victory. Then on Sunday, the Tigers jumped out to an early 3-0 lead against No. 3 Texas, but a six-run fifth inning helped the Longhorns claim an 8-5 win.
SERIES HISTORY
Missouri is 21-5 all-time against Western Illinois. That includes an 8-0 win and an 18-4 victory over WIU last year in Columbia. Mizzou used nine pitchers in the first contest last year, utilizing the "Johnny Wholestaff" approach, with all nine pitchers turning in one inning of work. Ryan Lollis led MU at the plate with a 3-for-4 performance with three RBI and three runs scored. In the second meeting of 2009, Mizzou used a four-run bottom of the first to jump out to a lead, then scored 10 runs in the fourth inning on its way to an 18-4 win.
SENNE CLIMBING SEVERAL LISTS IN MIZZOU RECORD BOOK
Aaron Senne returned to Mizzou this year for his senior year, passing up a chance to join his hometown Minnesota Twins organization. Senne, a native of Rochester, Minn., was drafted by Minnesota in last June's Major League Baseball Draft, but chose to return to Missouri. At the Auburn Classic, Senne hit three home runs in a span of two games. He is tied for the Big 12 with four homers on the year. He has 30 home runs for his career, which puts him ninth all-time at Missouri. He is two behind eighth place Chris Wyrick (1990-93) and five away from moving into a tie with Ryan Stegall (1999-2001) and Dave Silvestri (1986-88) for sixth place. Senne ranks ninth in school history with 164 RBI. He has 220 career hits, which is seven out of the top-10 all-time at Mizzou and 54 behind the career record holder (Jayce Tingler, 2000-03). He is tied for sixth in the MU record books with 49 doubles, seven away from the record (Ryan Fry, 1995-98).
LIBERTO ON FIRE TO OPEN SEASON
Michael Liberto, one of just two seniors on the 2010 squad, leads the Tigers with a .471 average after the first three weeks of the season. Liberto opened up the year by hitting .692 at the Collegiate Cactus Classic in Tucson. He was 9-for-13 in the three games with a double, a triple and three RBI. Liberto matched his career best with four hits in a 4-for-5 performance against Gonzaga in the season opener, with a triple and two RBI. He has had at least one hit in all but two games this season and has had multiple hits in six of the nine games on the year. He is the fourth leading hitter in the Big 12 heading.
SENNE NAMED BIG 12 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior Aaron Senne was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week on March 1. Senne hit .462 (6-for-13) in the Tigers' three games at the Auburn Classic, including three home runs and two doubles. He drove in six runs on the week and had a slugging percentage of 1.308. Senne had a double in the opener of the Auburn Classic against Florida Atlantic, driving in one run. Against Auburn, Senne hit two home runs and had four RBI. His first homer was a two-run shot in the third inning and his second was the second of back-to-back home runs for Mizzou in the fifth. Senne closed the weekend with a 2-for-4 performance against Boston College, with a home run and a double. Senne is hitting .333 on the season with four home runs and 11 RBI. The four homers are tied for the lead in the Big 12.
UP NEXT
Wednesday's game against Western Illinois is the first game in a 10-game homestand for Missouri and 15 of the next 18 games on the Tigers' schedule are at Taylor Stadium. This weekend, Mizzou will host Xavier for a three-game series. Games are set for 6 p.m. on Friday, 2 p.m. on Saturday and 1 p.m. on Sunday. The following weekend, North Dakota is in town for a four-game series Thursday, March 18-Saturday, March 20. Note that following tonight's game against WIU, the remainder of the Tigers' weekday games will start at 6 p.m.