Dates: Tues., Mar. 8 at Arkansas State, 6:30 p.m.
Wed., Mar. 9 at Arkansas State, 3 p.m.
Site: Tomlinson Stadium
Location: Jonesboro, Ark.
TV: None
Radio: None
Live Audio: None
Live Stats: www.MissouriStateBears.com
Live Video: None
The Missouri State baseball team (8-3) hits the road for five games this week, putting its seven-game winning streak on the line at Arkansas State at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday before closing the midweek set with the Red Wolves at 3 p.m. Wednesday. From Jonesboro, the Bears travel to Southern Miss for a three-game weekend series Friday-Sunday.
Starting Nine
Nine things to know about the Bears at Arkansas State...
1. Missouri State is 35-20 all-time against Arkansas State and has won eight of the last 10 meetings. The teams split a pair of one-run contests in Springfield last season.
2. The Bears' seven-game win streak ranks as the fifth-longest active streak in the nation, while just seven schools have a better road record than MSU's 3-0 mark.
3. Missouri State pitching has a 2.00 ERA and .189 opponent average over the last five games.
4. MSU's offense has hit at least .300 against seven of the nine teams the Bears have played this season while registering at least 10 hits in all but one contest.
5. The Bears are outscoring opponents 20-2 and hitting .415 in the first inning. Missouri State has scored in the first frame in three consecutive games and scored first overall and six straight outings.
6. Missouri State is hitting .366 against opposing starting pitchers. Starters have a 7.74 ERA against the Bears and average just 4.12 innings per start.
7. Missouri State leads the MVC in batting average through three weeks at .341. Bears occupy the top five spots in the league in hits, with Aaron Conway leading the way with 23 followed by Brent Seifert (20), Brock Chaffin (18), Keenen Maddox (18) and Spiker Helms (17).
8. Missouri State is 4-3 this season in games it has trailed.
9. Keith Guttin is now 33 wins shy of the 1,000 mark in his 29th season at Missouri State.
The Opponent
Arkansas State is 5-8 overall and 3-4 against MVC schools in 2011, including wins over Evansville, Southern Illinois and Creighton.
Entering Monday's game with Creighton, the Red Wolves were hitting .244 as a team with two regulars above the .300 mark.
The Arkansas State pitching staff had a 3.92 ERA and held the opposition to .270 hitting while yielding 5.0 runs per game.
ASU was fielding .948 with 25 errors in 12 games prior to Monday's contest.
Coach Keith Guttin
Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin (Missouri-St. Louis, 1978) is in his 29th season as head coach of the baseball Bears and has a career record of 967-610 (.613). 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 15 years.
Quick Hits
• Fourteen of the 27 players on Missouri State's roster did not see action for the Bears last season, and 12 of those are new to the program altogether.
• The Bears have hit into just three double play in 11 games this season.
• Missouri State closed the month of February with a winning record (4-3) for the fourth time in the 2000s. The Bears have gone on to win at least 40 games the other three times. MSU also had a winning February record in 1999, and though it failed to reach 40 wins, it did go 38-19 and make the NCAA Tournament.
• Missouri State has struck out 60 times in its first 11 games, or 5.64 per nine innings, a 37.4 percent decrease from its 2010 rate.
• MSU's bullpen has a 3.29 ERA and is holding opponents to a .252 batting average this season.
• Bears pitchers went 14 innings over three games from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1 without issuing a walk.
Home Sweet Home
Missouri State is 3-0 at home this season and 114-68 all-time at Hammons Field.
The Bears are hitting .403 as a team in their home park and fielding .965, while the pitching staff has a 2.67 ERA and limits opponents to a .188 batting average.
Strength of Schedule
Missouri State opponents are now 149-117 (.558) for games played through Mar. 6.
Players of the Week
Aaron Conway became Missouri State's first award winner of 2011 with an MVC Player of the Week nod March 7. Conway batted .650 (13-20) in four MSU wins, scoring seven runs with five doubles, three RBIs and three stolen bases.
Preseason Awards
Three Bears made the preseason all-MVC team while Kevin Medrano was honored as a preseason third-team All-American by College Baseball Lineup.
Joining Medrano on the all-conference squad were senior outfielder Aaron Conway and sophomore pitcher Grant Gordon.
Radio Broadcasts
All Missouri State games beginning March 15 and beyond will be broadcast on Meyer Communications stations with the exception of April 1 and 2 at Saint Louis and April 15 at Southern Illinois.
Art Hains will describe the action on KBFL 1060 AM and live over the internet at www.RadioSpringfield.com.
Up-to-date schedule and station assignments can be found on the baseball schedule page at www.MissouriStateBears.com.
Bears on TV
Missouri State will have three games this season televised live on Mediacom Connection Channel 22 in Springfield. Mediacom will broadcast games against Wichita State (April 8, 6:30 p.m.),Arkansas (April 12, 6:30 p.m.) and Missouri (May 3, 6:30 p.m.).
New Rules For 2011
Several rule changes take effect in 2011, the most drastic involving bat specifications.
All bats must now meet a Batted Ball Coefficient of Restitution (BBCOR) standard. The BBCOR is a scientific test measuring how much energy the bat transfers to the ball on contact. It takes into account incoming ball speed, rebounded ball speed, as well as the weight and inertia of the bat during a swing.
Bats complying with the new guidelines also do not increase in performance after being broken in, unlike many of the composite bats used in recent seasons.
Two rules pertaining to pace of play include the stricter enforcement of the current 20-second rule between pitches without runners on base, while a 90-second limit between innings will be enforced for non-televised games.
Finally, a change in the obstruction rules now provides a fielder who has established himself the opportunity to field and throw without penalty.
