Dates: Fri., Apr. 29 at Evansville, 6 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 30 at Evansville, 2 p.m.
Sun., May 1 at Evansville, 1 p.m.
Site: Braun Stadium
Location: Evansville, Ind.
TV: None
Radio: KBFL 1060 AM
Live Audio: www.RadioSpringfield.com
Live Stats: www.MissouriStateBears.com
Live Video: Friday and Sunday - www.GoPurpleAces.com
The Missouri State baseball team (24-15, 6-3 Missouri Valley Conference) makes its second MVC road trip of the season this weekend when it heads to Evansville (22-15, 3-6) for a three-game set beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The Bears and Purple Aces rank 1-2 in the league in batting average and are the only MVC teams batting above .300. The series continues at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
Starting Nine
Nine things to know about the Bears against Evansville...
1. Missouri State is 41-31 all-time against Evansville. The Bears took two of three in their last visit to Braun Stadium, and the Purple Aces returned the favor last season with a series win in Springfield before bouncing the Bears from the MVC Tournament.
2. MSU's offense has hit at least .300 against 12 of the 21 teams the Bears have played this season. MSU has logged at least seven hits in 37 of 39 games.
3. Missouri State went 19-11 through 30 games, the eighth time since 1995 the Bears have won at least 19 times in their first 30 tries. MSU has had great success the previous seven times, averaging 38 wins per season, posting an average MVC finish of 2.0 while making four NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bears also won two of their first three league games for the 14th time in 21 MVC seasons. The previous 13 times have resulted in an average league finish of 2.46.
4. Missouri State has won its first three MVC series for the first time since 2002 and third time since joining the league in 1991. The Bears also won their first three series in 1994, but have never claimed four consecutive MVC series wins to open the conference schedule, though the 2003 team did make it through the MVC slate with three wins and five splits for a regular season crown.
5. Missouri State is hitting .316 against opposing starting pitchers and outscoring opponents 30-15 in the first inning. Starters have a 5.77 ERA against the Bears and average just 4.72 innings per start.
6. Missouri State has recorded 13 come-from-behind wins this season, has a 9-10 record when the opposition scores first, and is 13-15 in games it has trailed at any point.
7. Missouri State's offense is hitting .307 this season, moving from last to first in the MVC and jumping 250 spots to 30th in the national rankings as of April 24, the largest improvement of any team in the country.
8. MSU has collected 13 pinch hits in 37 tries this season for a .331 average, while the opposition has a mere two pinch hits in 39 games and is batting .091 in those situations.
9. Keith Guttin is now 17 wins shy of the 1,000 mark in his 29th season at Missouri State.
The Opponent
Evansville is 22-15 overall and 3-6 in the league. The Aces started 1-6 in conference play before shutting out Bradley twice to close last weekend and take the series.
UE hits .301 as a team with five starters above .300. Third baseman Cody Fick, who also serves as the Sunday starter, leads the way with a .397 average, eight homers and 56 RBIs.
The UE pitching staff has a 4.49 ERA and .273 opponent average. The weekend rotation consists of Kyle Lloyd (3-4, 5.18), Cole Isom (4-4, 4.37) and Fick (6-2, 2.62).
Evansville fields .976 as a team with 35 errors in 37 games.
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 983-622 (.612). 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.
Last Time Out
Missouri State scored the final five runs of the game and held Missouri scoreless after the third Wednesday in a 5-2 win in Columbia. Derek Mattea hit a tying two-run single in the fourth, Luke Voit hit a two-run homer in the sixth, and Jake Powers pitched 3.2 innings of shutout relief. Dan Kickham recorded the final four outs for the save.
Quick Hits
• 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.
• Juniors Travis McComack and Kevin Medrano have started 114 games together on the middle infield in their careers and rank 10th (86) and 11th (81), respectively, in career double plays turned. The duo has worked together for 53 of those double plays.
• Missouri State has struck out 239 times in its first 39 games, or 6.23 per nine innings, a 29.8 percent decrease from its 2010 rate.
• 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.
• Missouri State is holding opponents to a .249 batting average with runners in scoring position.
Streaky Pitchers
Missouri State pitchers have put together several notable streaks this season. The Bears went 29.2 innings from March 15-19 without allowing an earned run; 14 innings from Feb. 26 to Mar. 1 without issuing a walk; 50.2 innings from April 16-27 without allowing a home run; and take a 66 inning streak without hitting a batter into the Evansville series.
Home Sweet Home
Missouri State is 13-5 at home this season and 124-73 all-time at Hammons Field.
The Bears are hitting .324 as a team in their home park and fielding .965, while the pitching staff has a 3.33 ERA and limits opponents to a .254 batting average.
Strength of Schedule
Missouri State opponents are now 560-456 (.551) for games played through Apr. 27.
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 March 25 at Oral Roberts and April 1 and 2 at Saint Louis.
Art Hains and Rob Evans 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.
