Dates: Friday, Feb. 26, 3 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 28, 1 p.m.
Site: Clay Gould Ballpark
Location: Arlington, Texas
Radio: None
TV: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: www.MissouriStateBears.com
Live Video: None
Live Chat: None
What's On Tap
The Missouri State baseball team (0-3) heads south in search of its first win of the season this weekend with a three-game series at the University of Texas at Arlington (0-3). Friday's series opener is set for 3 p.m., while the Bears and Mavericks play at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at Clay Gould Ballpark on UTA's campus.
The Opponent
UT Arlington is 0-3 on the season after being swept in a three-game home-and-home series with Dallas Baptist in the opening weekend. The Mavericks were outscored 33-12, hit .260 as a team and logged a 9.72 ERA and .391 opponent average.
The Maverick offense is powered by preseason All-American and USA National Team member Michael Choice, who is batting .500 with two homers and five RBIs this season. Senior catcher Steffan Guest is the only other Maverick to record an RBI this year, getting four against DBU to go with a .364 average.
UTA will throw a pitching rotation of right-handers Jason Mitchell (0-1, 4.50 ERA, 4.0 IP, 4 Ks) and Rett Varner (0-1, 12.46 ERA, 4.1 IP, 3 Ks) before closing the series with southpaw Brody Walker (0-0, 5.40 ERA, 3.1 IP, 2 Ks).
The Series
Missouri State is 5-6 all-time against UTA and defeated the Mavericks 9-6 in the second game of the 2008 season. This is the 10th consecutive season MSU has spent a February weekend in Texas, with five of those in Arlington.
Coach Keith Guttin
Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin (Missouri-St. Louis, 1978) is in his 28th season as head coach of the baseball Bears and has a career record of 938-576 (.620). Guttin became the first coach at Missouri State (in any sport) to reach the 900-win mark with the May 11, 2008, win over Middle Tennessee at Hammons Field. In 2003, Guttin led the Bears to the NCAA Division I College World Series for the first time in school history. Guttin has been a conference Coach of the Year 10 times with four of those coming in the Valley and six coming during the Bears’ years in the Mid-Continent Conference. During Guttin’s tenure, the Bears have made seven Division I NCAA Tournament appearances -- six in the last 14 years.
Last Week
Missouri State opened the season with a sweep at the hands of sixth-ranked Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
In Friday's season opener, Aaron Meade and Grant Gordon combined to hold the powerful Yellow Jacket offense to four runs while fanning 10, but the Bears fell 4-0.
GT's offense erupted for 33 runs over the next two games, winning 20-3 on Saturday and 13-0 on Sunday for the sweep.
Quick Hits
• Missouri State pitchers recorded 33 strikeouts in 24 innings at Georgia Tech for an average of 12.38 per nine innings. Nine of the 11 MSU hurlers that pitched in Atlanta had at least as many strikeouts as innings pitched.
• Missouri State's infielders looked in midseason form over the first three games, posting a perfect fielding percentage in 48 chances at first, second, shortstop and third base.
• Seniors Curt Courtwright and Christian Overstreet and junior Aaron Conway are the only MSU hitters with playing experience against UTA, combining to hit .400 with a .500 on-base percentage in 12 plate appearances.
Strength of Schedule
Missouri State opponents went a combined 24-22 through the first weekend of play, and WarrenNolan.com rates MSU's schedule to date as the 14th-toughest nationally.
Bears Live
Bears Live, Missouri State's premium broadband video channel that is your online destination for exclusive live and on-demand Missouri State streaming video and audio brought straight to your computer, will broadcast six home games this season on a subscription basis at www.MissouriStateBears.com
Radio Broadcasts
MSU baseball broadcasts again air on KBFL 1060 AM this season, with a total of 46 regular season games and all postseason action. Art Hains and Rob Evans will describe the action. The first broadcast will originate from Hammons Field on March 7 when the Bears host North Dakota State.
All broadcasts can be heard live over the internet by visiting www.RadioSpringfield.com.
Up-to-date scheduled and station assignments can be found on the baseball schedule page of www.MissouriStateBears.com.
New Tourney Format
The 2010 State Farm MVC Tournament will have a new look, welcoming all eight league members to Wichita the final week of May.
This year's version will divide the eight teams into two pods based on regular season finish. Each four-team bracket will be a double-elimination format, with the winners squaring off in a one-game championship on Saturday evening.
Preseason Awards
Three Bears made the preseason all-MVC team while Aaron Meade was honored as a preseason third-team All-American by Ping!Baseball.
Joining Meade on the all-conference squad are junior outfielder Aaron Conway and 2009 MVC Freshman of the Year Kevin Medrano at second base.
