| Game | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Illinois | GCS Ballpark | Tuesday // 6:35 p.m. | Live Stats | Radio |
Leading Off - Notables About the Tigers
• Mizzou, at 20-9 overall, is off to its best 29-game start since 2008 when the team opened the year 22-7 before advancing to the Coral Gables Regional and winning 39 games.
• The Tigers are also 6-3 in conference play in the nation's premier baseball conference, the SEC. The 6-3 start has the Tigers ranked second in the SEC East behind only defending national champion Vanderbilt (7-2) and it is the Tigers' best start in conference play since 2007 when the team also opened 6-3 before finishing second in the BIg 12 at 16-6.
• With its 3-2 win at top-ranked Texas A&M on Saturday, Mizzou improved its record to 8-1 in one-run games this season. The win was also Mizzou's third win over a top-10 opponent this season (3-3 in such games) and its first over a No. 1 team since March 14, 2009, at Texas.
• The Tigers continue to be one of the top turn-around stories in college baseball in 2015. At the midway point of the season, Mizzou has already matched its win total from a season ago and its SEC win total from 2014. Through 29 games a year ago, Mizzou was 13-16 overall, making 2015's 20-9 record a seven-win improvement from a year ago. That is the fourth-best mark nationally.
• As Mizzou prepares to play at GCS Ballpark, it is worth noting that Mizzou has been exceptional away from home, boasting a 14-3 record. That includes a 9-0 mark in neutral site games.
SERIES NOTES
• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Illinois, 13-11, after winning 5-2 at Busch Stadium behind a great outing from then sophomore Peter Fairbanks. Mizzou has won six of the last seven with the Illini's only win in that span coming in 2013. Tim Jamieson is 6-1 vs. Illinois.
• This is the first meeting between the two teams at GCS Ballpark. The two had previously met four times at Busch Stadium in St. Louis, with Mizzou winning three of those four meetings.
RECAPPING THE WEEKEND
Mizzou dropped a competitive three-game series to the nation's top-ranked team last weekend at Texas A&M. Mizzou won the middle game, 3-2, behind a brilliant start from freshman Tanner Houck and some sensational defensive play. It was Mizzou's first win over a top-five team on the road since March 14, 2009, at Texas and it was the first time that Mizzou has defeated a No. 1-ranked team since that same day back in 2009. The win was also the Tigers' third over top-10 teams this season (3-3 in such games) and was the eighth one-run win of the season for the Tigers (8-1). That win was sandwiched between a pair of losses (7-4 on Friday night and 14-6 on Sunday). Freshman Brett Bond led the Tigers, hitting .600 in the series, while sophomore Jake Ring hit .500 with two runs and an RBI. Mizzou hit .288 against an A&M pitching staff that had an SEC-best 1.78 ERA heading into the weekend. However, Texas A&M's offense was the first to really get to the Tigers this season, batting .349 while scoring 23 runs over the three games (7.7 per contest).
BEST START SINCE 2008
Mizzou, at 20-9, is off to its best start to a season through 29 games since 2008 when the team opened the year 22-7 overall. Looking further into the Tigers' record, at 6-3 in SEC play, the Tigers are off to their best start in conference play since they opened Big 12 play with the same mark in 2007. Of course, Mizzou went on to finish that year at 42-18 overall while finishing second in the Big 12 at 16-6.
TIGERS ONE OF NATION'S TOP TURNAROUNDS
Heading into the week at 20-9, Mizzou is one of the top turnaround stories in college baseball this season. With seven more wins at this point of the season than they had a year ago, that is the nation's fourth-largest turnaround among schools from power-five conferences. Only Arizona (+11 wins), Texas A&M (+9 wins) and USC (+8 wins) rank ahead of the Tigers.
ROAD WARRIORS
With a big showdown between ranked teams this Tuesday in Sauget, it is worth noting how good Mizzou has been away from home in 2015. In fact, Mizzou is 14-3 away from Taylor Stadium this season and just 6-6 in home games. The Tigers are a perfect 9-0 in neutral site games this season as well, a mark that bodes well for the Tigers heading into Tuesday's contest.
OFFENSE COMING ALIVE
Mizzou's offense has been coming alive as of late and the numbers prove it. Over five games last week, Mizzou hit .299 with more than 10 hits in three of the last four games. In the Texas A&M series, Mizzou tallied 30 hits over the three games against an Aggie pitching staff which was limiting batters to .217 hitting entering the weekend, along with a staff ERA of 1.76. The Aggies had an ERA of 3.67 against Mizzou last weekend.
If you need a larger sample size of offensive numbers to back up the fact that Mizzou's offense is on the upswing, you must look no farther than the last 15 games. After being swept by Milwaukee at home, Mizzou was hitting just .230 as a team with a team OBP of just .322. In the 15 games since, Mizzou is 10-5 overall with a .276 batting average and a .364 OBP. Four everyday starters for the Tigers are hitting above .300 in that span (Josh Lester - .370, Brett Bond - .370, Trey Harris - .346, Jake Ring - .316). Mizzou is averaging 5.5 runs per game in that span, up from 4.0 runs per game over the first 14 contests.
MCCLAIN PITCHER OF THE WEEK, THRICE
After tossing 8.1 innings of five-hit baseball in a 3-2 win over No. 6 South Carolina on March 20, junior righty Reggie McClain was named Co-SEC Pitcher of the Week.. It is the third time this season that McClain has been named SEC Pitcher of the Week. McClain is the only SEC pitcher this season to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week three times. McClain is the first SEC pitcher to earn the honor three times in a single season since both LSU's Aaron Nola and Mississippi State's Ross Mitchell did so in 2014.
McCLAIN, HOUCK A GOOD 1-2 PUNCH
Heading into the week, Mizzou boasts one of the best 1-2 starting pitching combos in the nation with Reggie McClain and Tanner Houck. The two rank 1-2 in the SEC in innings pitched (52.0 and 48.2, respectively) and have eaten a ton of innings. In SEC play, the pair has combined to throw 45.0 innings, allowing just 40 hits and six walks while striking out 34 batters. The two have also walked just 13 in 100.2 combined innings. Below is a look at some notable SEC ranks for the two.
McClain
• 1st - IP (52.0)
• 7th - Ks (45)
• 8th - BB allowed (8)
• 9th - W (4)
• 9th - ERA (2.25)
Houck
• 2nd - IP (48.2)
• 2nd - BB allowed (5)
• 7th - 2B allowed (2)
HOUCK DRAWING COMPARISONS
Freshman righty Tanner Houck - with his 2.93 ERA in SEC play - is beginning to turn heads around the country, being billed as one of the top freshman pitchers in the nation. He is also drawing comparisons to former Tiger greats Max Scherzer, Aaron Crow and Kyle Gibson, all of whom were first round draft picks. But at 4-1 with a 2.96 ERA, Houck may be ahead of where all three of those pitchers were during their freshman seasons at Mizzou. Below is a look.
2015: Tanner Houck: 3-1 | 3.02 ERA | 41.2 IP | 36 H | 14-14 E-ER | 3 BB | 37 Ks
2007: Kyle Gibson: 8-3 | 4.12 ERA | 67.2 IP | 62 H | 34-31 E-ER | 19 BB | 77 Ks
2006: Aaron Crow: 1-4 | 4.06 ERA | 77.2 IP | 94 H | 44-35 E-ER | 20 BB | 60 Ks
2004: Max Scherzer: 0-1 | 5.85 ERA | 20.0 IP | 19 H | 17-13 E-ER | 16 BB | 23 Ks
Looking at the number at this point of Houck's season, he has the best of the bunch. Considering all four of those others guys were first round draft picks and all-time Mizzou greats, Houck's future appears to be very bright.
HARRIS HAS THE CLUTCH GENE
In nine SEC games, there have been few Tigers who have been more impactful at the dish than freshman Trey Harris. He is second on the team in batting in SEC games at .378 and has a team-high 11 RBI in the Tigers' nine league games. He had a huge, three-run, go-ahead homer in the game one win at Georgia and had another huge, go-ahead two-run single in last Friday night's win over No. 6 South Carolina. He then ripped a walk-off, RBI single in game two against the Gamecocks. He has been clutch as seven of his 11 RBI have either tied or given Mizzou the lead in SEC games this season. He is hitting a team-best .360 with runners in scoring position this season, including a .533 clip in SEC play.
BOND RAKING IN SEC PLAY
Trey Harris isn't the only Tiger tearing the cover off the ball in SEC play as classmate Brett Bond actually has better hitting numbers in SEC play than Harris. Bond is hitting .438 (14-for-32) in nine SEC games, scoring six runs and driving in five more. He is coming off of a weekend in which he hit .600 against the nation's top pitching staff in Texas A&M. In Mizzou's six road SEC games. Bond is hitting .571. He is also hitting .364 with runners in scoring position in SEC play.
SPEAKING OF HITTING WITH RISP
Looking at the Mizzou offense, the numbers will not jump out at you as the Tigers rank last in the SEC in batting. But despite that .255 clip, Mizzou has been great in clutch situations this season, hitting .288 as a team with runners in scoring position. That is more than 30 points higher than its season average. Five of the regular Tiger starters (Harris, Howard, Lavy, Lester and Ring) are all hitting .300 or better with runners in scoring position this season.
PEEL STEALS
Senior Brett Peel is second in the SEC lead with his 15 stolen bases this season, just shy of Georgia's Stephen Wrenn (16). Peel is also seventh in the SEC in walks drawn (21) and has reached base safely in 26 consecutive games. He is just six games shy of matching the school record in that category (32 by Aaron Senne and Brannon Champagne).
WINS IN PERSPECTIVE
While Mizzou's 20 overall wins and six SEC wins are nothing too impressive at this point of the season, one must remember the perspective needed to make those numbers impressive. Mizzou has averaged just 19 wins per season since joining the SEC and the Tigers have now matched their win total from a season ago (20-33) and in SEC play (6-24 in 2014). At the midway point, there may not be a bigger turn around in the country this season. Through 29 games last season, Mizzou was just 13-16 as they are a full seven wins better at this point of the season in 2015. Despite the tough transition to the nation's premier baseball conference, Tim Jamieson's Tigers appear to be trending in the right way.
WINNING CLOSE GAMES
Mizzou has also won its fair share of close games, winning eight one-run games already this season. Mizzou won five of those variety all year in 2014. Mizzou is also 5-0 when tied after eight innings this season after going 1-7 in such games a season ago. Most recently, Mizzou was pushed to a 2-2 tie after eight in game two vs. South Carolina and Mizzou rallied for two runs in the bottom of the 10th to overcome a 3-2 deficit for its fourth walk-off win of the season.
BECAUSE THREE IS BETTER THAN ONE
Mizzou did something that may have never been done in school history last Sunday against Purdue. With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the sixth and with the Tigers trying to preserve a 1-0 lead, Andrew Schwaab got a ground ball to third to start a 5-2-3-2 triple play. While it may have been done before at Mizzou, it is the first documented triple play in the record books. It turned out to be the play of the game as Mizzou held on to win, 1-0, behind a one- hitter from the pitching staff.
RECRUITNG CLASS IS GOOD
The 2014 Mizzou baseball freshman class earned a pair of top-25 national rankings as Baseball America tabbed the class 12th nationally while Perfect Game slotted the Tigers at No. 22. Mizzou now ranks in the top 31 in all of the major recruiting rankings after being ranked No. 31 by Collegiate Baseball with an average rank of No. 22 nationally. The No. 12 ranking in Baseball America is the best for the Tigers since 2007, when the team checked in at No. 11.
In the Baseball America rankings, the Tigers check in at 12th nationally and fifth in the Southeastern Conference. The 14-player class has two players - Bryce Montes De Oca (72) and Shane Benes (400) - that ranked among the top 400 recruits according to the publication. Montes De Oca was the third-highest ranked prospect to enter Division I this season. Baseball America described the class as `a frontline SEC-caliber class' and the publication goes on to tout the the pitchers in the 2014 class as all very projectable at the next level. In the Perfect Game rankings, Mizzou checks in at No. 22 nationally and ninth in the SEC.
NEW COACHES
Mizzou head baseball coach Tim Jamieson announced that Mizzou graduate and former Tiger All-American Hunter Mense has been promoted and will serve as the program's full time hitting coach. Mense, one of the brightest young minds in college baseball, had a very successful playing career both collegiately and at the next level. He has served as an undergraduate and graduate assistant over the last four seasons while completing his undergraduate degree and working towards his Master's degree in Counseling Psychology with an emphasis in sport psychology at Mizzou.
During his last four years with Mizzou baseball, Mense established a great rapport with the Tiger hitters and also used his schooling in the field of sport psychology to work as a positive coach, assisting in the mental side of the Tigers' approach. With a pair of degrees and an All-America honor, Mense is a truly Mizzou Made addition to the Tiger coaching staff.
Coach Jamieson will now handle the pitchers, a role that has been a specialty for the Tiger skipper, who has mentored the likes of American League Cy Young winner Max Scherzer and other current Major Leaguers Aaron Crow (Royals), Kyle Gibson (Twins), Nick Tepesch (Rangers) and Matt Stites (Diamondbacks). Scherzer, Crow and Gibson were all first-round draft picks under Jamieson's tutelage. Crow was an All-Star pick for the Royals and Gibson was been one of the best pitchers for the Twins last season.
Additionally, former Tiger catcher Trevor Coleman has returned to Mizzou to serve as a graduate assistant manager. He was a freshman All-American and Big 12 Freshman of the Year during his playing days with the Tigers and will work with the Tiger hitters and catchers.
A LOOK AT THIS YEAR'S COMPETITION
Mizzou has put together a very competitive schedule in 2014. Most of that is due to the Tigers' SEC slate, which should bring plenty of excitement to Taylor Stadium. In fact, Mizzou plays 19 games, including six weekend series against teams that qualified for NCAA Regional action a season ago. Mizzou will also play weekend series against College World Series qualifiers Vanderbilt and Ole Miss. Of course, Vanderbilt won the NCAA Championship a season ago.
Looking deeper into the schedule, Mizzou is 150-136 all-time against this year's scheduled opponents.
LESTER, BONE WIN SUMMER LEAGUES
Two Mizzou baseball players - Josh Lester and Logan Bone - won championships with their respective Summer League teams last summer. Lester and the Y-D Red Sox won the Cape Cod League, which is often recognized as the top summer ball league on Aug. 15. Bone and the Quincy Gems also won the 2014 Prospect League Championship on Aug. 13.
Starting in the Cape, Lester hit .280 over eight games in the playoffs, notching a double, five runs and an RBI. He helped the Red Sox to a 10-4 win over Falmouth in game two of the championship series, completing the sweep. Lester hit .279 in 40 regular season games as well, notching four doubles while driving in 14 and scoring 16 runs. He also was second on the team with 15 walks.
Moving to the Prospects League, Bone played in 33 games from the Gems and hit .239 with a pair of doubles and a homer while scoring 13 runs and driving in 13 more. He had three runs and an RBI in the playoffs while playing in all six games.
Ks FOR K9s
The Mizzou baseball team has partnered with the Puppies With Purpose program for the 2015 season in an effort to help raise money for Columbia service dogs. The initiative, dubbed "K's for K9's," will allow fans to pledge a donation amount to be paid per strikeout during the 2015 season.
"I'm a dog lover," head coach Tim Jamieson said. "I've read more and more about dogs and actually researched whether or not there were places in Missouri that train dogs for this purpose and ironically find out that there's one in Columbia and one on Mizzou's campus. So it seemed like it was a really good fit and I introduced it to our players and they are really excited about it."
DETTMER INDUCTED INTO MIZZOU HOF
Former Mizzou standout John Dettmer will be inducted into the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame this year. Mizzou's all-time career strikeout leader who was durable in addition to his flame-throwing achievements for hall of fame Coach Gene McArtor...Won honorable mention All-American honors in 1991 when he turned in one of the top individual pitching seasons in MU history... Won nine games that year, and struck out 127 batters in 120.0 innings while leading the team with a 2.63 earned run average in a time where bats were very lively... Finished his Tiger career with 374 strikeouts, which stands still as the most in program history, while his 332.0 career innings pitched ranks second to this day, and his 23 career wins are also eighth-most... Won All-Big Eight first-team honors in 1990, 1991 and 1992, as he led the Tigers in strikeouts each year, with 99, 127 and 123, respectively... Turned in 15 complete games during his career as he was a durable and dependable presence on the mound... Went on to become an 11th-round draft pick in the 1992 Major League Baseball Draft by the Texas Rangers, and eventually pitched in 12 games in the Majors.
LLWS CONNECTION
For most little league players, the Little League World Series is the pinnacle. No Mizzou player knows that better than junior Josh Lester. Lester's team won the Little League World Series in 2006. He was even interviewed by Erin Andrews after winning the whole thing. His team kept that core group of players intact and went on to win three Georgia State Championships in high school.
TV SLATE
Mizzou baseball will be televised nine times through the Southeastern Conference and ESPN's television package this season, including three contests at Taylor Stadium. The television slate was announced Tuesday (Jan. 20) by the SEC league office. The nine games are more than double the amount of Mizzou games that were slated for national television last season. In all, the Tigers' nine TV games will all air on SEC Network with 38 additional SEC Network+ games on the schedule. All nine Mizzou games featured on the SEC Network will be against preseason top-25 competition.
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 103.1-FM, 100.5-FM and 1580-AM. The games can also be heard online at KTGR.com. Tex Little is in his 25th season of calling Tiger Baseball and is joined in the booth by SID Shawn Davis for road games and Sean Hamel for home games.
FRANCIS HOWELL CONNECTION
This year, the Mizzou baseball roster features three players that have played together for quite sometime. Case Munson, Jake Ivory and Brett Peel all played high school ball for Francis Howell in St. Charles, Mo., winning a state championship together during their senior season.
NEW FACILITY FOR TIGERS
As the Mizzou baseball program continues its transition into the SEC, the Mizzou Department of Athletics made a major commitment to the program by spending $4 million on a new facility, including a new locker room, coaches offices and improved seating at Taylor Stadium. The new facility is one of the best baseball facilities in the nation and will give players all they need to succeed on site. A state-of-the-art lockerroom, modeled after many big league lockerrooms, along with a team room, an auditorium and training room have been added on site at Taylor Stadium. Also, increased bleachers have been added down the LF line and the old bucket seats have been replaced with new seat-back stadium seats in order to help with the comfort of fans. It officially opened to the public last May in a grand opening ceremony.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will return home for a weekend series with No. 4 Florida, beginning Friday at 6 p.m. For all the latest on Mizzou baseball, stay tuned to MUTiger.com and follow the team on twitter @MizzouBaseball.
