First Pitch - What You Need to Know
Winner of three of its last five, the Mizzou baseball team will play a pair of midweek games this week against Eastern Illinois and Missouri State, beginning with a clash against the Panthers at TR Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo., on Tuesday (April 26). The Tigers will then host Missouri State at Taylor Stadium on Wednesday (April 27), beginning at 6 p.m.

Series History • Mizzou leads the overall series with Eastern Illinois, 6-0, after topping the Panthers, 10-2, last season at TR Hughes Ballpark. In fact, the Tigers have won the last three games played at TR Hughes, dating back to 2009. Mizzou leads the all-time series with Missouri State, 21-20, after splitting the season series in 2010. MSU's last win over the Tigers at Taylor Stadium was a 10-5 win on May 5, 2009.

Tigers Take Series at Baylor • Mizzou is coming off of a series win at Baylor after taking the first and third games of the series in Waco last weekend. The series win was the Tigers' first during Big 12 play this season and it was their first series win at Baylor since 2007 when they also took two of three. Mizzou won game one, 4-2, and game three, 10-1.

I Got Five On It • Senior designated hitter Jonah Schmidt tallied his first career five-hit performance in Sunday's win at Baylor. He is the first Tiger to tally five hits in a game since Aaron Senne did so on March 30, 2010. The Tiger senior hit .538 last weekend and now ranks 14th overall in hitting (.324) in the Big 12 and is fourth in league games only at .375.

Mach Thrives in Leadoff Spot • Junior Conner Mach benefited from a lineup change last week as head coach Tim Jamieson hit him in the leadoff spot and played him in left field for the first time in his career at Baylor. Mach responded by hitting a team-best .545 with a slugging percentage of .909 and an OBP of .600 while leading the team in runs (two), RBI (five), home runs (one) and total bases (10). He was named Big 12 Player of the Week for his efforts.

Last Time Out
The Tigers took two of three games from at Baylor for their first Big 12 series win this season. The Tigers claimed a 4-2 win on Thursday and fell on Friday 6-3, setting up a rubber match on Saturday. Junior righty Matt Stites fired 7.2 innings and the Mizzou offense exploded for a season-best 16 hits and scored 10 runs in the game to win, 10-1, and take the series.

Offense Comes Alive
The Mizzou offense had arguably its best game of the season - and definitely its best during Big 12 play - in Saturday's series finale at Baylor. The Tigers pounded out a season-best 16 hits and plated 10 runs, their most in a Big 12 contest this season; their previous best was just four runs. In all, seven players tallied hits in the contest, highlighted by a five-hit outing from senior Jonah Schmidt.

Multi-Hit Performances
Staying on the topic of multi-hit games over the weekend, the Tiger had plenty to brag about at Baylor. Despite not having a single four-hit game performance this season heading into the series, three Tigers tallied four-hit outings in the series. The first to do so was Conner Mach, who went 4-4 and reached base in all five plate appearances in game two of the series. Then on Sunday, Schmidt tallied five hits, becoming the first Tiger to do so since March 30, 2010, when Aaron Senne blasted five hits. Freshman CJ Jarvis also added a four-hit performance in the series finale.

Mixing it Up a Bit
Tiger head coach Tim Jamieson mixed up his lineup a lot during the Tigers' last series at Baylor, and it seemed to pay dividends at the Tigers took two of three from the Bears. The most notable change was Conner Mach, who despite being an infielder, was moved to left field for all three games and he hit leadoff in all three games despite hitting in the middle of the order all season. It seemed to pay off as he had a huge weekend (note on Mach's weekend is below). Freshman CJ Jarvis, who had just one career start coming into the series, started all three games and had a big weekend. The other notable change was sophomore middle infielder Eric Garcia, who played at first base all weekend, allowing Jarvis to get in the lineup. Andrew Thigpen also earned his second start of the weekend as well.

The Mach Attack
Junior Conner Mach had a huge weekend at Baylor, possibly his best as a Tiger. After hitting leadoff for the first time this season, Mach hit .545 with six hits in 11 at-bats and drove in five runs and tallied his first home run of the season. He also slugged .909 on the weekend and boasted an OBP of .600. He went 4-4 and fell a triple shy of the cycle on Friday as he reached base in all five of his plate appearances. He led the team in batting (.545), runs (two), RBI (five), slugging (.909), OBP (.600) and total bases (10), all from the leadoff spot.

Schmidt Continues to Hit in League Play
Conner Mach wasn't the only Tiger to have a huge weekend at Baylor as senior designated hitter Jonah Schmidt also had an impressive weekend. The senior hit .538, second to only Mach, and slugged .615 with and OBP of .538. He had seven hits in 13 at-bats with eight total bases and a pair of runs scored. With his .538 performance last weekend, Schmidt now ranks fourth in the Big 12 in batting during league play (.375) and is 14th among Big 12 batters in all games played this season (.324). He is also eighth in the Big 12 in slugging (.554) in league games this season.

More on Schmidt
Jonah Schmidt continues to anchor the Tiger lineup this season as he leads the team in hits (47), hitting (.324), total bases (70), slugging (.483), home runs (four) and doubles (nine) while ranking second in RBI (20). Only Conner Mach has more RBI than Schmidt with 21 this season. He also was the first player to homer off of Texas ace Taylor Jungmann this season.

Say Hello to CJ
Freshman infielder CJ Jarvis had just one career start before the Baylor series, but he started all three games for the Tigers and had a huge weekend. In fact, he hit .500 on the weekend with five hits and tallied his first career hit, RBI and run in the series. He also boasted an OBP of .545 and put together a 4-4 outing on Saturday, including an RBI single in the game. Jarvis is the first Tiger freshman to post four hits in a game since Dane Opel did so in the Tigers' second game of the 2009 season against Washington as he went 4-5 in that contest.

Turner Drives In Runs
Sophomore catcher Ben Turner had a big weekend at the plate as well, coming up with big hits for the Tigers. He hit .250 on the weekend, but drove in four runs to finish second on the team to only Conner Mach on the weekend. He drove in three runs in the Tigers' Saturday win, going 2-5 with three RBI and a pair of runs scored. With a chance to drive in a run, Turner has been lights out this season. He is 2-2 with the bases loaded and is hitting .296 with runners in scoring position, ranking second on the team (more than 20 chances). He is also hitting .571 with a runner on third and less than two outs this season, making him one of the Tigers' most clutch hitters this season.

Brown Powers Up in Big 12 Play
Sophomore outfielder Blake Brown has enjoyed a power surge during Big 12 play as he leads the team in home runs (three), RBI (eight), slugging (.593) and runs scored (eight). His three homers have him tied for fourth in the Big 12 during league play while his .575 slugging percentage has him ranked fifth during league games this season. He homered in three straight games at Oklahoma State, becoming the first Tiger to do so since Greg Folgia did back in 2009 in games against Missouri State and Kansas.

The Tiger sophomore also ranks fifth in the league with 26 walks this season and is fifth with 16 steals, making him one of the most valuable players on the team. He also cracked the league's top 15 in batting during league play with his .315 clip in Big 12 games.

Walk This Way
A pair of Tigers rank in the Big 12's top 10 in walks this season. Sophomore infielder Eric Garcia is ranked third with 27 and sophomore outfielder Blake Brown is fifth in the Big 12 with 26. Mizzou joins Texas Tech as the only teams with two athletes ranked in the league's top five in bases on balls this season. In all, Mizzou has 162 walks as a team this season, which ranks fourth in the Big 12. Texas Tech leads the league with 189.

Grand Theft Base
With six steals over the weekend, the Tigers regained the league lead in stolen bases with 77 this season. In all, a pair of Tigers rank in the Big 12's top 10 in stolen bases. Blake Brown leads the team with 16, ranking him fifth in the league while Eric Garcia has 13 steals on the season, ranking him seventh in the league.

Four other Tigers have been impressive on the base paths as well this season. Brannon Champagne has 11 steals while Conner Mach and Jonah Schmidt each have nine. Jesse Santo also has eight stolen bases, showing that the steals for Mizzou have been a true team approach this season.

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 on March 12. He was perfect on four attempts and was the first Tiger to steal four bags in a single game since 1956.

Lights Out Stites Over Last Three Starts
Junior righty Matt Stites had one of his best starts of the season last Saturday at Baylor, throwing 7.2 innings and scattering just four hits while striking out a career-best nine in the start. He also threw a career-best 123 pitches and earned his first win during Big 12 play. The junior college transfer from Jefferson College has been great as of late, compiling an ERA of 2.14 over his last three starts. He has thrown 21.0 innings (7.0 IP per game) and has fanned 22 batters while walking just six. He has also given up just five earned runs in those three starts.

Stites now ranks second on the team in ERA at 3.64 and leads the team in innings pitched (64.1) and strikeouts. His 64.1 innings pitched rank him seventh in the Big 12 as well this season while he now ranks 12th in the league in ERA during Big 12 games at 2.78.

McCormick Continues to Shine
Senior lefty Phil McCormick has been the Tigers' most consistent arm this season and he has emerged as one of the top relievers in the entire Big 12 Conference this season. Not only is he reliable (he leads the league with 24 appearances this season), but he has shut down nearly every team that he has faced this season. In league play, McCormick ranks second among all pitchers in ERA at 0.95 as he is one of just two pitchers in the league to have a sub-1.00 ERA. He also ranks second in opponent batting average during league play, holding hitters to a .158 clip. Overall, he is 14th in the league with his team-leading 2.83 ERA and fifth with his .196 opponent batting average.

McCormick has allowed no earned runs in 17 of his 24 appearances and less than two earned runs in 22 of his 24 outings. He has really only had two bad outings all year and both came on short rest against North Carolina and SIU-Edwardsville.

Anderson Returning to Form
Sophomore Eric Anderson earned his first weekend start this season in the series-opener at Baylor. It was his third start since coming off of shoulder surgery last season. The righty has been pitching very well as of late and his last start was a reflection of that. He threw 3.0 innings in the game and allowed just two hits and one earned run, helping the Tigers win the series opener, 4-2. Anderson was a weekend starter for the Tigers last season, and his return to form is helping the Tigers shape their weekend rotation.

Over his last three starts, Anderson has thrown 9.0 innings of work and allowed just three earned runs while striking out six. He threw a season-high 4.0 innings against SIU-Edwardsville and amassed his season-high pitch total in the outing, tossing 54. Seven of the 10 earned runs he has surrendered this season came in his first two outings while he was still recovering from the surgery.

Tigers' Big Z
Freshman southpaw Rob Zastryzny has emerged as the Tigers' Friday starter as he boasts a 3.60 ERA this season. His best start of the season came against Oklahoma when he threw 8.0 innings without allowing a single earned run against one of the league's top offenses. He is second on the team in strikeouts (46) and ranks second in innings pitched (59.1). His two wins on the year also rank him second on the team. He threw 7.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs on five hits at OSU in another quality start against a good offense in league play.

Forever Young
Over the past several weeks, the Tiger starting lineup has appeared to become more concrete and one thing is apparent when looking at that lineup - the Tigers are young. Mizzou has started as many as seven sophomores as position players this season and the Tigers' Friday starter is a true freshman. Seven sophomores have seen regular playing time this season and six are considered starters. Six of the Tigers' top eight hitters this season are sophomores and Mizzou starts just two senior position players this season - Jesse Santo and Jonah Schmidt. Mizzou also started freshmen CJ Jarvis and Dillon Everett last weekend.

Milestone for Jamieson
Head coach Tim Jamieson earned his 550th career win 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
The Tigers will continue Big 12 play this weekend as they welcome top-10 foe and Big 12 frontrunner Texas A&M to Taylor Stadium for a three-game series. The Tigers and Aggies will open with a 6 p.m. game on Friday before playing a pair of day games at 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, respectively. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on twitter @MUTigerBaseball.