May 23, 2015 Missouri State Game Notes 
- With wins in its first three contests at this year's MVC Championship, MSU is 43-43 all-time at the tourney, with titles in 1996 and 1997; coupled with its 23-5 mark at the Mid-Continent tourney, MSU is 66-48 all-time at league meets
- Sunday's championship game appearance will be the seventh for Missouri State at the MVC Tournament, with the Bears going 2-4 in their previous six title games, including losses in their last three (2002, 2006 and 2008); MSU has never completed an unblemished run through the Valley Tournament, with its best performances coming in 1996 and 1997 when it captured back-to-back titles with matching 4-1 showings
- MSU has won at least one game in each Championship appearance since 1994, totaling 43 wins in its last 20 trips, including six wins in its last seven games at the Valley Tournament over the last two seasons; the Bears are 28-19 at Eck Stadium in the MVC Tournament since 1996, when they won their first MVC tourney title
- The Bears have outscored the opposition 21-5 in their three MVC Championship games, logging a 1.67 team ERA; Eric Cheray has gone 7-for-11 (.683) with six RBIs in his three tourney games, reaching base safely in nine of his last 11 plate appearances
- The Bears have won 15 straight games for the first time since May 1989, and claimed 35 of 39 overall contests since March 15; the Bears' 20-4 road mark this spring is the second-best in the nation, trailing only Illinois' 17-2 road record
- With their 44-10 record, the Bears are 34 games over the .500 mark for the first time in the 52-year history of the program; only the Bears' 1986 squad logged more wins (47) in a full season than this year's club
- MSU's 15-game win streak is the longest active streak in Division I baseball, and tied for the third-longest overall in 2015; the Bears have hit .298 while holding the opposition to a .201 team batting mark and outscoring the competition by a 100-34 margin during the streak
- With his 13th save of the season last night vs. WSU, Bryan Young matched the Bears' single-season saves record shared by Shaun Marcum (2003) and Dan Kickham (2011)
- The Bears rank eighth nationally in team ERA (2.81), while their .977 fielding percentage is the best in program history and 17th overall among all Division I teams
With their win over host Wichita State Friday evening, the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion Missouri State Bears (44-10, 18-3 MVC) earned a spot in the title game of the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship against the third-seeded Bradley Braves (35-18, 10-11 MVC). The Bears and Braves will square off for the Valley's tournament title and automatic NCAA Regional berth at 9:04 a.m. Sunday (May 24) at Eck Stadium in Wichita.
Missouri State enters Saturday's game 43-43 all-time at the MVC Championship, including titles in 1996 and 1997--both of which were won at Eck Stadium. The Bears are 2-4 in their previous six appearances in the MVC title game, including setbacks in their last three (2002, 2006 and 2008).
The Bears have won at least one game in each Championship appearance since 1994, totaling all 43 of their tourney wins in their last 20 trips to the meet. Coupled with its 23-5 mark at the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, MSU is 66-48 all-time at league meets as a Division I program and 8-5 all-time in four appearances as the top seed at the Valley Championship.
Missouri State brings a 59-34 overall advantage against the Braves into Saturday's game following the Bears' three-game sweep of BU in Springfield, May 14-16, to close the regular season. The Bears, who hold a 6-4 edge in MVC Tournament games vs. the Braves, are 6-2 all-time vs. BU in neutral-field contests, including four straight victories in such games at the Valley Tournament. MSU defeated Bradley, 13-6 on May 18, 1996 to win their first MVC Championship, which was also staged at Eck Stadium.
| Bears Bring Home the Hardware |
Headlined by an unprecedented four league specialty award winners and five first-team selections, a total of eight Bears were selected for All-Missouri Valley Conference honors Tuesday by the league's head coaches. Junior pitcher Jon Harris was voted MVC Pitcher of the Year, while senior co-captain Joey Hawkins was tabbed the Valley's Defensive Player of the Year and third baseman Jake Burger was named the league's top rookie as Freshman of the Year. Additionally, Keith Guttin was selected as the league's coach of the year for the fifth time after guiding MSU to its fourth regular-season Valley title with an 18-3 league record--the best recorded by any MVC champion in 11 years.
Missouri State's five selections for the Valley's top postseason squad, including Burger and Harris, as well as junior pitcher Matt Hall, junior outfielder Tate Matheny and sophomore closer Bryan Young, brings the Bears' total number of First-Team All-MVC honorees to 81 since MSU joined the league in 19s91. Hawkins joined sophomore first baseman Justin Paulsen as Second-Team All-MVC picks, while Dylan Becker was voted an Honorable Mention choice at second base. Finally, Matheny joined Hawkins on the MVC's All-Defensive squad after anchoring a Bears' defense that has posted a Valley-best .976 fielding percentage to date.
Missouri State locked up its fourth regular-season Valley title with its sweep of Bradley and its eighth conference championship overall under the direction of 2015 Dan Callahan MVC Coach of the Year Keith Guttin. Additionally, the Bears 18-3 (.857) league mark represents its best in 25 MVC seasons, as well as the top finish for any Valley champ since Wichita State went 28-4 in 2004 (.875).
The Bears' total of 44 wins is the second-best in school history, trailing just MSU's 47 wins in 1986. This year marks the 10th time in program history MSU has reached the 40-win plateau--all of which have come under the direction of head coach Keith Guttin. The Bears last recorded 40 victories in 2012--their last squad to qualify for NCAA Regional play.
Senior infielder Eric Cheray has been tough to handle for Valley foes throughout the season, but the Topeka, Kan., product has been particularly hot in his final run through the MVC Championship. Cheray is hitting .683 (7-for-11) with six runs batted-in over the Bears' three games in Wichita, including a stretch that has seen him reach base safely via a hit or walk in nine of his last 11 plate appearances. He went 3-for-5 with three RBIs in Thursday's win over Wichita State, before reaching in all five of his trips to the plate in Friday's victory, going 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI singles and two walks.
Cheray, a career .327 (18-for-55) hitter at the Valley Tournament, has powered the MSU attack over the course of its current 15-game win streak, batting a team-best .426 (23-for-54) with 12 RBIs. Additionally, since his return from a broken ankle in late April, he has hit .436 and logged a club-high .557 on-base percentage.
