First Pitch - What You Need to Know
The Mizzou baseball team will close out its nearly month-long homestand this weekend as it begins Big 12 Conference play against south division rival Oklahoma, who enters this weekend's matchup ranked in the top 10 in each of the four major collegiate baseball polls. The two teams will play on Friday (March 25) at 6 p.m. and Saturday (March 26) at 2 p.m. The series finale will be contested at 1 p.m. on Sunday (March 27) and the game will air live on the Mizzou Sports Network. Chris Gervino and Gene McArtor will have the call.

Let the Games Begin • This weekend marks the opening of Big 12 play for the Tigers, who had a bye from league play last week. Mizzou and Nebraska are the only two Big 12 teams to have not started league play yet. Oklahoma sits sixth overall at 1-2 in league play after dropping two of three to Texas A&M last weekend.

Tigers Are Streaking • Mizzou has been accustomed to winning ways as of late, claiming nine of its last 14 games. In fact, in the middle of that streak is a season-long six-game winning streak and the Tigers have won nine games during the homestand as they welcome OU to Taylor Stadium this weekend.

Speed on the Base Paths • Mizzou continues to lead the Big 12 in stolen bases this season as it has swiped 51 bags through the first 22 games of the season. Mizzou is the only team in the league with 50 or more steals this season and the next-best mark in the league is Baylor with 45. In all, three Tigers rank among the league's top 10 individuals in steals this season.

Scoring Early • One thing that has been evident for the Tigers during their current homestand has been their ability to tag the opposition's starters for early runs. In fact, 51 of the Tigers' 128 runs this season have come in the first three innings. Mizzou has scored 41 of those 51 first-three inning runs over the current homestand, as it has jumped all over opponents at home this season.

Television • Sunday's game with OU will mark the first time this season that Mizzou will appear on TV. The game will be aired on the Mizzou Sports Network and be shown on Fox Sports Net. Chris Gervino and Gene McArtor will provide the call.

Tigers Are Streaking
Mizzou has used small ball and plenty of success on the base paths over the last few games to put together its best winning streak of the season as it had won six straight before dropping the series finale to CMU on Sunday. Either way, Mizzou has won nine of its last 14 games and seven of its last nine as it prepares to face Oklahoma this weekend.

Series Information
Mizzou trails the all-time series with Oklahoma, 105-147-1, but won the last meeting between the two teams, a 12-11 decision last season. The last time Mizzou and OU met in Columbia, the Sooners took two of three.

Anderson Starts First Game in 11 Months
Sophomore righty Eric Anderson started his first game on the mound in 11 months on Tuesday after undergoing surgery on his throwing shoulder midway through the 2010 season. Anderson threw just two innings in the game but showed promise with increased velocity. He struck out a batter and walked another while scattering six hits, but there were a lot of encouraging signs. The Tigers hope to get him a few more midweek starts this season as he will look to earn a spot back in the weekend rotation.

Stites Earns First Win at Mizzou
Junior starter Matt Stites earned his first career win at the Division I level last Saturday against Central Michigan. He did so in dominating fashion as well, allowing just two earned runs - one on a solo home run - while scattering just five hits and walking just one batter. He allowed just seven base runners in his 7.0 innings of work and struck out a career-best eight in the start. He threw 105 pitches and commanded the strike zone all day.

Zastryzny Emerges as Top Starter
Freshman southpaw Rob Zastryzny has emerged as the Tigers' top starter so far this season and he earned his second Friday start against Central Michigan last weekend. Zastryzny fired 6.0 innings in the start and struck out seven batters in the game, just one off of his career-best. He earned the win - his second of the season - as Mizzou held onto a 7-6 lead. In all, Zastryzny's 3.38 ERA is tops among Tiger starters this season and third on the team. He leads the team in innings pitched (29.1), strikeouts (25), is third in opponent batting average (.250) and is first on the team in WHIP (1.36). Only Zach Hardoin has given up less earned runs than Zastryzny among starters (Zastryzny - 11, Hardoin -10).

McCormick Continues as Mizzou Iron Man
There have been few relievers in the Big 12 that have been more reliable than the Tigers' Phil McCormick over the past two seasons. In fact, the lefty appeared in a school-record 36 games last season and is on pace to shatter that mark in 2011. In fact, he has pitched in 13 games already this season and his 19.2 innings pitched are second on the team among relievers. He also ranks second on the team in strikeouts with 24 and is holding opponents to a .213 average this season. McCormick is on pace to appear in 38 games for the Tigers this season and his 13 appearances are tops among Big 12 pitchers so far this season.

Emens Continues to Lead Team in ERA
Through the first 20 games this season, junior reliever Jeff Emens continues to lead the team in ERA with his 1.80 clip in seven appearances. He has given up just four earned runs in 20.0 innings of work this season. Emens won his first game of the season on Tuesday as he threw 3.0 innings of scoreless relief work in the win over UCA. The righty came into the season with an ERA north of 4.00, so his work this season has been a pleasant surprise as he has been one of the more consistent arms out of the pen. He has allowed just one earned run in his last four appearances and has eight strikeouts over 8.2 innings in those appearances.

Breakout Season for Hardoin
Senior lefty Zack Hardoin had one of the best weeks of his career in a pair of starts against Gonzaga and Le Moyne two weeks ago as he continues to have a breakout season. He earned a pair of wins that week while throwing in 11.2 innings and allowing just one earned run, good for a 0.77 ERA on the week. He also boasted a WHIP of 1.03 on the week and struck out a career-high eight batters in his start against Le Moyne. Batters hit just .132 off of him that week. He threw just 3.1 innings last week but helped the Tigers win game one of the doubleheader against Central Michigan last Sunday.

Smith Beginning to Impress
Freshman righty Myles Smith has been a great arm out of the bullpen for the Tigers as of late. In fact, he now boasts an ERA of 3.27 this season, which ranks him second on the team behind only Jeff Emens. He pitched a season-high 3.0 innings on Wednesday against UCA and gave up no earned runs while striking out a pair of Bear batters. He has not given up an earned run in six straight appearances, which encompass 10 innings. He owns an 8/4 strikeout/walk ratio over those 10 innings as well. All four of the earned runs that Smith has given up came in his first collegiate appearance at Charlotte on Feb. 27.

Grand Theft Base
Mizzou continues to lead the Big 12 Conference in stolen bases this season with 51 through 22 games. The 51 steals are six more than the next-best team in the Big 12 (Baylor, 42) and the majority have come over the past three weeks. In fact, 35 have come over the last 10 games, including 22 alone in the Le Moyne series two weeks ago.

More on Steals
Several Tigers rank among the league leaders in stolen bases as Blake Brown is fourth with 10 steals while Brannon Champagne is fifth overall with. Conner Mach is sixth with eight. Baylor's Brooks Pinckard leads the league with 22 steals in 21 games this season. Mizzou is the only team to have three different players rank in the league's top 10 in the stolen base department.

Mach Ties School Record
Senior infielder Conner Mach matched the school record with his four steals in the first game of the Le Moyne doubleheader three weeks ago. He was perfect on four attempts and was the first Tiger to steal four bags in a single game since 1956. Seven of Mach's eight steals this season have come during the Tigers' current homestand.

Big Series for Ampleman
Senior catcher/designated hitter Ryan Ampleman had a huge weekend against Central Michigan. He had just one start this season coming into the series, but he batted in the leadoff spot in all four games and hit .375 with an OBP of .444. He led the team in RBI (four), doubles (two), runs (five), slugging (.625) and total bases (10) on the weekend. He had an OPS of 1.069 on the weekend as well, making him one of the top weapons for the Tigers in the four games. He raised his average from .167 to .318 over the weekend. He went 0-3 against UCA on Wednesday but got on base twice via a walk and a hit-by-pitch.

Opel Comes Alive As Well
Outfielder Dane Opel also had a huge series against Central Michigan. He started three of the four games and hit .500 with five hits in 10 at bats while drawing a walk. He drove in three runs and scored three more while slugging .600 on the weekend. He also drew a walk, giving him an OBP of .545 and an OPS of 1.145.

Getting Offensive
The Tiger offense, due in large part to the contributions from Opel and Ampleman, came alive against Central Michigan. In fact, the Tigers scored 29 runs over the first three games of the series, their most over any three-game span this season. Mizzou also posted 10 extra-base hits in the four games - it had just 25 over the previous 16 games leading into the series. Five of those 10 extra-base hits came from Opel and Ampleman.

Out Ahead Early
Staying on the topic of offense, the Tigers have been tagging opposing starters early and often in games as of late. In fact, Mizzou has scored 51 of its 128 runs this season in the first three innings of games, including 20 in the first inning of games alone. Mizzou has scored 41 of those 51 runs in its current homestand, which has been 15 games, and is averaging 2.73 runs per game over the first three innings in that span. Keep in mind, that most of those runs have come off of the opposition's starting pitchers.

Head Turner
Catcher Ben Turner has been playing very well as of late. He has emerged as the Tigers' top offensive weapon behind the plate this season as he leads the team with a .394 average as he has 13 hits in 33 at-bats in 2011. He also boasts an OBP of .535 as he has drawn eight walks and been hit by two pitches this season. He has scored six runs and driven in four more this season.

Breakout Season For Champagne
Sophomore center fielder Brannon Champagne is enjoying a breakout season in his first year as a starter in 2011. He has started 20 of 21 games and leads the team in hits (26), runs (16), OBP (.463) and is second in stolen bases (10) and total bases (30) and third in walks (12). His .338 average is also a team-best. Aside from that, he is fifth in the league with nine stolen bases.

Garcia's Bat Comes to Life
After struggling through the Tigers' first seven road games, sophomore infielder Eric Garcia has been on a tear since returning to Columbia for the current homestand. In fact, over the 15 games of the homestand Garcia is hitting is hitting .333 with 14 hits in 42 at bats and has scored nine runs while driving in five more. He is also a perfect 6-6 in the stolen base department during the homestand and has walked 10 times. The numbers are a vast increase from his first seven games when he tallied just two hits in 23 at bats. He has struck out a team-low five times this season as he continues to put the ball in play.

Santo Gets on Base
Jesse Santo did something that not a lot of batters have done last weekend as he reached base in seven-straight plate appearances in the middle two games of the CMU series. He reached base five times in game two of the CMU series with a single, three walks and a HBP. He then reached safely in his first two appearances in game three of the series.

Sommer(Feld) Time
Sophomore first baseman Scott Sommerfeld has been swinging a hot bat as of late. In fact, he entered the Central Michigan series hitting .268, but is now hitting .317 as he has hit .421 over his last five games. He has tallied eight hits in 19 at bats and has driven in five runs and scored five more in that span while slugging .474. In all, his .317 average on the season is second on the team behind only Brannon Champagne.

Tigers to Play in Two Major League Stadiums
The Tigers have two games scheduled in two Major League stadiums during the 2011 season. Once again, Mizzou will play in both of the MLB stadiums in Missouri, starting with a March 29 contest against Illinois at Busch Stadium, home of the St. Louis Cardinals. One week later, Mizzou will face Kansas in a non-conference game at Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals on April 6. This will mark the third-straight year that Missouri has played at Busch Stadium and the fourth year that Mizzou and Kansas will meet at Kauffman Stadium.

Milestone for Jamieson
Head coach Tim Jamieson earned his 550th career win last Saturday when the Tigers topped the Le Moyne Dolphins, 4-2, in the second game of a doubleheader at Taylor Stadium. He is second on the all-time coaching list at Mizzou behind only Tiger legend Gene McArtor (733 wins). Jamieson has not had a losing season at Mizzou since 2002, one of only two during his 16 years at Mizzou.

Jamieson to Lead Team USA
Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson will lead the 2011 Collegiate National Team, as announced by USA Baseball back in November. He will be joined by pitching coach Rob Walton (Oral Roberts) and assistant coaches Dave Van Horn (Arkansas) and Scott Stricklin (Kent State).

Jamieson and Walton made their Team USA debuts together on the 2005 Collegiate National Team coaching staff, serving as an assistant coach and the pitching coach, respectively, for manager Steve Smith of Baylor. Van Horn and Stricklin will both be wearing the red, white and blue for the first time.

"We are thrilled to announce Tim Jamieson as our 2011 manager," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball General Manager of National Teams. "His experience from 2005 -- coaching players like David Price, Matt Wieters and Matt LaPorta -- will serve him well, and teaming him with Dave Van Horn, Scott Stricklin and Rob Walton will provide our athletes with a unique opportunity to learn from some of the best college coaches in the game. Once again, the college coaching community has rallied around the Collegiate National Team program."

Tigers Have Strong Presence in Pros
Mizzou baseball has seen plenty of success over the last decade and proof of that is the number of players that the Tigers have sent to the major league. Since 2000, the Tigers have seen 48 players sign professional contracts and 57 Tigers have done so under the direction of Tim Jamieson. Some notable Tigers in the professional ranks include All-Star second baseman Ian Kinsler of the Texas Rangers and Max Scherzer of the Detroit Tigers. Kinsler has been one of the most underrated players in the MLB over the past several seasons and maybe had his best year in 2009, slugging 31 home runs while driving in 86 runs and swiping 31 bags, doing so in just 144 games. Scherzer went 12-11 last year with a 3.50 ERA and 184 strikeouts in 195.2 innings pitched. Those two along with the likes of Kyle Gibson and Aaron Crow - who are both seeing success in the minor leagues - should likely give Mizzou a presence in the major leagues for years to come.

On the Air
Once again this year, KTGR ESPN Radio is the radio home of the Tigers, with all of the game being broadcast on 100.5-FM and 1580-AM. The games can also be heard online at KTGR.com. Tex Little is in his 21st season of calling Tiger Baseball and is joined in the booth by Hunter Mense, who is in his first year as part of the MU broadcast team.

All-Access
Video webcast for all Missouri Baseball home games in 2011 is available at mutigers.com as part of Mizzou All-Access. 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.

Up Next
After 18 home games in 23 days, Mizzou will finally return to the road for the next portion of the season. The road trip will begin with a Tuesday (March 29) tilt against Illinois at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, Mo. Mizzou will then hit the road for a game at Texas State on March 30 before playing at Texas from April 1-3. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MUTigerBaseball.