May 24, 2016 - Missouri State enters Thursday's contest 45-43 all-time at the tourney, with titles in 1996, 1997 and 2015; coupled with its 23-5 mark at the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, MSU is 68-48 all-time at league meets
- MSU is currently riding the longest win streak for any participating club with victories in each of its last six games; the win streak is the fourth of at least five games for the Bears this season
- MSU has won at least one game in each Championship appearance since 1994, totaling 45 wins in its last 21 trips; the Bears are 4-2 at Bob Warn Field in the MVC Tournament and 29-21 all-time in Terre Haute
- Missouri State has hit a Missouri Valley Conference-best 70 home runs this season, good for the eighth-highest total in all of Division I baseball; the Bears' total represents the No. 9 season mark in program history and their best single-season output since leading the nation with 144 long balls in 1999
- The Bears have also posted MVC-best team totals in nearly every major offensive category, including triples and slugging, ranking seventh and eighth nationally in those categories as well
- Spencer Johnson recorded his 200th career hit May 7 vs. Southern Illinois and currently sits in the No. 19 spot on MSU's all-time hits list, just four behind former teammate Tate Matheny (2013-15) in the 18th position; Johnson also ranks second in career walks (129) and 10th in career doubles (49) for the Bears
- Sophomore All-American Jake Burger not only ranks second (along with Johnson) in the nation with 20 home runs, but leads the Valley in all batting, runs scored, homers, RBIs, total bases and slugging; Burger was also named MVC Defensive Player of the Year after committing just two errors in 125 total chances, good for a .984 fielding percentage
- Sam Perez made his school-record 34th mound appearance of the season Wednesday vs. Indiana State; with 78 career appearances for the Bears, Perez ranks fourth on MSU's all-time list behind Scott Geitz (87), Merciez (84) and Grant Gordon (82)
- The Bears have logged 56 innings in which they have scored at least three runs this season, going 28-5 in games in which they have accomplished the feat-
For the second time in three years, the Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Championship returns to Bob Warn Field in Terre Haute, Ind., where the Missouri State Bears (35-19) will take on the Bradley Braves (28-19) on day two of the tournament at 6:34 p.m. (CDT) Thursday (May 26).
This year's tournament format is in its seventh season of splitting the league's eight schools into a pair of four-team, double-elimination brackets with a one game championship set for 7 p.m. Saturday (May 28). Joining the Bears and Sycamores in their half of the bracket will be the third-seeded Bradley Braves and the No. 6 Wichita State Shockers.
Missouri State enters day two of the 2016 MVC Championship 45-43 all-time at the tourney, including titles in 1996, 1997 and 2015. The Bears have won at least one game in each Championship appearance since 1994, totaling all 45 of their tourney wins in their last 21 trips to the meet. Coupled with its 23-5 mark at the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament, MSU is 68-48 all-time at league meets as a Division I program. The Bears, who also have five runner-up finishes (1995, 2002, 2006 and 2008), swept the field at last year's championship in Wichita, capping their 4-0 run at the championship with a 5-2 victory over Bradley in the title game.
MSU holds a big lead in its series with Bradley, entering play this week with a 61-35 all-time mark against the Braves, including a 7-4 record vs. BU at the MVC Championship. The two clubs split their weather-shortened series in early April to open the Valley season.
Thursday's contest represents a rematch of last year's title game in Wichita, where the Bears prevailed over the Braves with a 5-2 decision to claim the crown.
Missouri State returns to the MVC Tournament as the defending champion for the first time since 1998. The Bears repreated as tourney titlist in 1997 in their first run as a reigning champ, going 4-1 to claim the crown in Wichita for the second conscutive year. MSU went just 2-2 the following year in Evansville, despite totaling 47 runs in their four contests.
Best Burger in The Valley
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In addition to leading the Valley in each Triple Crown offensive statistical value entering postseason play, sophomore third baseman Jake Burger displayed his talents in the field as well to earn the MVC Defensive Player of the Year honor. Burger commited just two errors in 125 total chances this spring, good for a .984 fielding percentage and brings a string of 28 consecutive error-free games - including all 18 MVC games in which he played - into the postseason. Additionally, he assisted on 11 double plays and has handled his last 65 defensive chances without a miscue. Burger is the second Bear in as many seasons to win the Valley's top defensive honor, after shortstop Joey Hawkins took home the same award last sring.
Burger was the lone MSU representative on the Valley's all-conference first team, which was also released Tuesday. Spencer Johnson and Bryan Young earned second-team spots, while Jake Fromson, Justin Paulsen, Hunter Steinmetz and Sam Perez each received honorable mention recognition from the league's head coaches.
Eierman and the Iron Man Claim Weekly Honors
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After helping the Bears to a perfect 4-0 stretch run, Jeremy Eierman and Sam Perez earned a clean sweep of the Missouri Valley Conference weekly honors, the league office announced Monday. Additionally, Perez became the third different Bear to pick up Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week recognition from Collegiate Baseball after playing a prominent role in three of MSU's four wins to close the regular season.
Perez piled up 17 strikeouts while scattering just seven hits over 10.0 combined scoreless innings of relief in his three outings last week, surpassing Missouri State's single-season record for mound appearances in the process. In last Tuesday's road win at Arkansas, Perez tossed 3.0 innings of hitless relief, as part of a combined one-hitter in an 8-2 decision that completed MSU's first season sweep of the SEC power since 2006. The right-hander, who joins fellow Bears Jake Burger (March 21) and Spencer Johnson (April 11) as 2016 Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honorees, also fanned a season-high nine hitters over 4.2 innings Thursday vs. Illinois State to earn his 18th career victory as a Bear.
Eierman also enjoyed a banner week that included a stretch of three-straight games in which he registered either four hits or four RBIs. Overall, the freshman batted .556 (10-for-18) with a pair of home runs, 12 RBIs and seven runs scored. The Warsaw, Mo., product started his week with a bang, becoming the first Bear to log five hits in a game since 2012 in the Bears' win at Arkansas.
Eierman homered twice, scored three runs and drove home four more against the Razorbacks, then delivered another the key hit in the Bears' series-opening win against Illinois State on Thursday. His three-run double keyed Missouri State's six-run seventh inning and finished his night with four RBIs in the 9-2 victory. The following night, he came back with a 4-for-5 day, driving in three runs and scoring three more in a 17-5 win for MSU.
Missouri State posted a Hammons Field record 22 victories at home this spring. The Bears, who are now 211-112 (.653) all-time in 13 seasons at Hammons, have been hard to stop at home over the last two years. Last year, MSU posted its best-ever showing at Hammons with a 19-3 (.864) mark, giving the Bears a combined 41-11 (.788) home record over the last two years.
This season, the Bears hit .320 as a team, averaged 8.8 runs per game and out-homered the opposition by a 39-11 margin at Hammons. Over the last two years combined, MSU has nearly doubled the run production of its 49 opponents at home with a 404-226 scoring advantage.
