March 23, 2010
MIZZOU vs ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF
Date: March 23-24, 2010
First Pitch: Tuesday, 6 p.m. / Wednesday: 3 p.m.
Series History: 0-0
Last Meeting: First Meeting
Stadium: Taylor Stadium
Capacity: 2,200
Radio: KTGR 100.5-FM / 1580-AM
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Video: mutigers.tv
Live Gametracker: mutigers.com
More Information: mutigers.com
FIRST PITCH
This week, Missouri begins a busy stretch as it will play 15 games over 20 days, starting with a two-game series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Tigers and Golden Lions will square off at 6 p.m. on Tuesday and 3 p.m. on Wednesday at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou is 10-6 on the year after sweeping a three-game series with North Dakota last weekend. UAPB enters the week with a 4-10 record. The two meetings this week will be the first ever for Missouri and Arkansas-Pine Bluff. Following the series, the Tigers will open up Big 12 Conference play with a three-game set against Texas A&M in College Station, Texas. Game one between the Tigers and Aggies is Friday at 6:35 p.m., with games to follow at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.
LAST TIME OUT
Mizzou swept its three games against North Dakota last weekend. The series began with a 17-5 MU win on Thursday. The Tigers hit four home runs in the game and scored 11 runs in the third inning. Missouri sent 16 batters to the plate in the third, getting eight hits, five of which went for extra bases. Junior Brett Nicholas, senior Aaron Senne, freshman Kale Gaden and sophomore Conner Mach all homered in Thursday's win. Mizzou then swept a Friday doubleheader by scores of 7-3 and 6-0. Nicholas hit two home runs in the first game of the day, driving in four runs. In the nightcap, junior Nick Tepesch picked up the victory, allowing just three hits in six scoreless innings, striking out eight. Saturday's scheduled series finale was cancelled due to snow in Columbia.
MIZZOU VS. ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and Arkansas-Pine Bluff have never met. The Golden Lions are one of five teams on the 2010 schedule that the Tigers have never faced.
NICHOLAS ADAPTS QUICKLY TO MIZZOU
Junior Brett Nicholas carries an eight game hitting streak into this week's series with Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He has recorded a hit in 12 of the 15 games in which he's had an at-bat this year and he has six multi-hit games. Nicholas is hitting .385 with four home runs and a team-leading 20 RBI. Last week, Nicholas hit .444 with a slugging percentage of 1.444 in the three games against North Dakota. He had a home run in Thursday's series opener, then hit two homers in the first game of last Friday's doubleheader. Nicholas hit .625 (5-for-8) in the Xavier series (March 12-14). He opened the series by going 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI in Friday's extra-inning victory, then drove in two runs on Saturday, finishing 1-for-2 with a single and a walk. On Sunday he was 1-for-2 and drew two walks.
LIBERTO LEADS MIZZOU AT THE PLATE
Michael Liberto, one of just two seniors on the 2010 squad, leads the Tigers with a .453 average after the first 16 games 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 three games in which he has had an at-bat this season and has had multiple hits in nine of the 16 games on the year. He is the third leading hitter in the Big 12 heading into the series with UAPB.
BULLPEN STRONG IN EARLY SEASON ACTION
The Mizzou bullpen has produced several strong outings in the first month of the season. Through 16 games, the bullpen has an ERA of 3.72, picking up seven wins and two saves. The Tigers' relievers have struck out 43 batters in 74 innings pitched and opponents are hitting .265. Junior Kelly Fick leads the team with an ERA of 0.71, as he gave up his first (and only) run of season last Thursday against North Dakota. He has appeared in seven games, pitching 12.2 innings. He turned in 5.2 innings of work in relief on March 13 against Xavier, not allowing a run on three hits. Junior Tyler Clark has made 10 appearances and has 13 strikeouts in 10 innings pitched. Junior Phil McCormick has pitched in 11 of Mizzou's 16 games this season and has recorded two victories. Sophomore Jeff Emens has one save on the year and picked up the win in the Tigers' 13-inning victory over Xavier on March 12, when he pitched a career-long 4.1 innings out of the bullpen. Sophomore Ryan Clubb picked up wins in back-to-back games, pitching a scoreless inning in each of the first two games of the series with North Dakota.
SENNE CLIMBING SEVERAL LISTS IN MU 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 has 31 home runs for his career, which puts him ninth all-time at Missouri. He is one behind eighth place Chris Wyrick (1990-93) and four away from moving into a tie with Ryan Stegall (1999-2001) and Dave Silvestri (1986-88) for sixth place. Senne ranks eighth in school history with 168 RBI. He moved into the top-10 in career hits last week, currently standing 10th with 229 career hits, which is 44 behind the career record holder (Jayce Tingler, 2000-03). He is fourth in the MU record books with 52 doubles, six away from breaking the record (Ryan Fry, 1995-98).
NEWCOMERS MAKE A QUICK IMPACT
The roster for Missouri is loaded with new names in 2010. Through the first 16 games of the season, a total of 18 players have seen their first playing time for Missouri. Freshman Brannon Champagne, Dane Opel, Blake Brown, Kale Gaden and Eric Garcia have combined to make 44 starts and junior college transfer Brett Nicholas has started 15 of MU's 16 games on the year. Garcia is the team's second leading hitter with a .394 average, while Nicholas is third on the squad with a .385 average with a team-leading 20 RBI and has an eight-game hitting streak. On the mound, freshman Eric Anderson has started four games for the Tigers and is 1-1 on the season with 16 strikeouts. He picked up a win in his first collegiate start against Florida Atlantic on Feb. 28 when he struck out five and did not allow a run in five innings pitched. Junior Zack Hardoin, a transfer from Blinn College, has made 10 appearances, which is second on the team. He picked up the win on Feb. 20 against Washington with a scoreless inning of work in relief and started the first game of the March 19 doubleheader with North Dakota.
TEPESCH LOOKS TO LEAD TIGER PITCHING STAFF
Nick Tepesch won six games last year, striking out 84 batters in 114.1 innings pitched. He picked up a win against Auburn on Feb. 27, his eighth career victory. He struck out five in 6.1 innings pitched against TCU on March 6, but took a no decision in a 10-inning win by TCU. Tepesch allowed three runs, two of which were earned, on six hits in the game. After allowing a single to open the game, Tepesch retired six of the next seven batters he faced, with the only base runner reaching on an error. In the fifth inning, TCU put one run on the board and had runners on second and third before Tepesch struck out the next two batters to end the inning. In his start against Xavier, he left following just one inning of work after he was hit by a batted ball in the top of the first inning. Tepesch returned last Friday against North Dakota and struck out eight in six innings pitched. He did not allow a run and gave up just three hits to earn the win and move to 2-0 on the year.
UP NEXT
Missouri will open its Big 12 Conference season this weekend in College Station, Texas with a three-game set with Texas A&M. Game one of the weekend will get underway at 6:35 p.m. on Friday, with games to follow at 2:05 p.m. on Saturday and 1:05 p.m. on Sunday.