May 16, 2016
- Missouri State is 6-3 vs. Southeastern Conference schools over the last two seasons, including a 3-2 mark against Arkansas
- The Razorbacks bring a commanding 53-25 edge vs. Missouri State into their second meeting of the season with the Bears; MSU claimed a 14-6 victory in the first contest vs. UA at Hammons Field on May 3, after the two clubs split their four meetings in Fayetteville last spring
- The Bears will be gunning for their fourth season series sweep of Arkansas and their first in 10 years; MSU previously swept two-game season series from the Razorbacks in 1975, 1999 and 2006
- MSU has owned the fourth and fifth innings this season, hitting a combined .344 with 16 home runs, while out-scoring the opposition by a 108-52 margin in the two innings
- Missouri State has hit a Missouri Valley Conference-best 64 home runs this season, good for the eighth-highest total in all of Division I baseball; the Bears' total represents the No. 10 season mark in program history and their best single-season output since hitting 66 long balls in 2000
- Spencer Johnson recorded his 200th career hit May 7 vs. Southern Illinois in his 200th career game as a Bear; with 204 hits, the senior needs two more safeties to match Dan Kneeshaw (1992-95) in the No. 19 spot on the list, and 10 more hits to catch former teammate Tate Matheny (2013-15) in the 18th position
- Johnson also clubbed his 17th long ball of the season in Sunday's game at Dallas Baptist, putting the Springfield native at No. 6 nationally; sophomore Jake Burger shares the Division I lead with 19 home runs, despite being sidelined due to injury for the final two games of MSU's weekend series at DBU
- Bears projected starting pitcher Austin Knight has wins over a pair of SEC schools this spring, including the victory over the Razorbacks on May 3; the sophomore limited Arkansas to a pair of doubles over the first four frames, striking out a career-best five hitters overall in his 5.2 innings
- The Bears have logged 47 innings in which they have scored at least three runs this season, going 23-5 in games in which they have accomplished the feat
The Missouri State Bears embark on their final regular-season road trip of the 2016 season Tuesday (May 17) when they make the short trek to Fayetteville to complete their home-and-home series with the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Bears and Razorbacks will meet for the 79th time in a 6:35 p.m. contest at Baum Stadium.
Missouri State (30-19) stopped a five-game losing streak -- and a nine-game Missouri Valley Conference slide -- with a 5-3 win at Dallas Baptist Sunday (May 15). The Bears, who are 26-6 against non-conference foes this season, will be looking for their fourth win over the Razorbacks in the last two seasons and their third in Fayetteville over the same stretch.
Arkansas (26-25) enters the contest on a nine-game skid of its own after dropping all three of its SEC home games with Alabama over the weekend.
Arkansas holds a commanding 53-25 all-time edge over Missouri State in a series that dates back to 1966. The Bears are 11-33 vs. the Razorbacks in Fayetteville, but claimed a pair of wins last season to stop a recent dry spell in the series.
The Bears and Razorbacks are engaging in a home-and-home season series for the first time since 2009. Last year, the two teams split their four contests, with Arkansas taking two of three from MSU in a Super Regional showdown at Baum Stadium to advance to their eighth CWS appearance.
The Bears did emerge victorious in the two clubs' regular-season meeting last year in Fayetteville, as three MSU pitchers combined to blank the Razorbacks, 2-0. That win halted a 10-game win streak in the series for UA that dated back to 2007, and represented MSU's first shutout victory over the Razorbacks in 46 years.
The Bears' 14-6 victory two weeks ago halted an Arkansas win streak in Springfield. Prior to that, the Razorbacks had won each of the previous five meetings in Springfield and six of seven all-time meetings with the Bears at Hammons Field.
With three two-hit games vs. Southern Illinois the weekend of May 6-8, senior outfielder Spencer Johnson made his move onto an elite list of former Bears collecting at least 200 career hits. The Springfield, Mo., native reached the milestone on May 7 in his 200th game as a Bear. He totaled two more hits vs. Dallas Baptist this past weekend, including his 17th home run of the season in Sunday's 5-3 victory, to move up to No. 20 on MSU's career hits chart with 204.
Johnson also ranks among MSU's all-time leaders in walks, matching former teammate Dylan Becker (124) for the third position on MSU's career list and needs five additional walks to catch Eric Cheray (129) in the second spot on the list. Johnson's 204 career games played is the 18th-best total in school history, on the chart, just three behind Cory Krueger and Chad Lakin in the 14th position.
The Bears put an end to their longest Valley losing streak with Sunday's 5-3 victory over DBU. MSU had dropped its last nine MVC contests dating back to April 24 vs. Evansville, matching a nine-game skid from April 8-May 5, 2007 as the longest conference losing streak in program history.
Junior closer Bryan Young picked up his first save of the 2016 MVC season Sunday, giving the All-American his ninth of the year and his school-record 25th save as a Bear. Young has now saved seven games and allowed just two earned runs over his 16 MVC appearances the last two years.
Young registered a league-best six saves and five victories while allowing just one unearned run on eight hits over 19.1 innings during Valley play last year. The Kansas City native had seen action in only three 2016 MVC games before closing out Sunday's series finale in Dallas.
