Memphis Tigers (10-6) at Missouri State Bears (12-4)
Site:	Hammons Field (8,000)  |  Springfield, Mo.
Game 1:	Friday, March 17  |  3:05 p.m.
Game 2:	Saturday, March 18  |  2:05 p.m.
Game 3:	Sunday, March 19  |  1:05 p.m.
Follow:	Live Stats  |  @MSUBearBaseball
Radio:	KBFL 1060 AM/96.9 FM (Art Hains)  |  RadioSpringfield.com
Game Notes:	Missouri State  |  Memphis  |  MVC Notebook
Series History:	MSU leads 6-3
Tickets:	MissouriStateBears.com

PRIME 9

• Missouri State had the 23rd-best RPI and ranked 12th among all Division I programs in NPI through March 15, according to WarrenNolan.com; the Bears also received votes in both the NCBWA Top 30 and USA Today Coaches polls for the second-straight week Monday
• The Bears hold a 6-3 advantage in their series with Memphis, including a three-game sweep last March in the two clubs' last match-up; this weekend's series will be the first meeting of the programs in Springfield
• The Bears have outscored the opposition by a 23-0 margin in the sixth inning this season, with Jake Burger going 5-for-6 with four homers and nine RBIs in the sixth this spring 
• MSU's bullpen has allowed just six earned runs on 27 hits and 19 walks, while striking out 68 batters in 55.0 combined innings this season; senior closer Bryan Young shares the top spot on the career saves leaderboard for active NCAA Division I pitchers with a Missouri State record 30 saves, while Jake Fromson and Trey Turner have fanned 40 hitters over 30.0 combined innings, allowing just eight hits between them
• Fromson ranks fifth nationally in both hits allowed per 9.0 IP (3.10) and WHIP (0.54), while Burger also rates among the D-I leaders in home runs (6th) and total bases (34th)
• As a team, the Bears rank second in all of Division I baseball with five shutouts on the season; MSU also ranks sixth in team WHIP (1.02), seventh in hits allowed per 9.0 IP (6.26), 10th in team ERA (2.34) and 12th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.50)
• With 1,188 wins as MSU's bench boss, Keith Guttin ranks 25th among all NCAA Division I coaches for career victories; he trails Al Ogletree in the No. 24 position by 20 wins
• MSU has produced a total of 45 come-from-behind wins since the beginning of the 2015 season, including four this season
• The Bears have amassed a 62-17 regular-season record against non-conference foes since the beginning of the 2015 season, including a 27-4 record at Hammons Field vs. non-MVC competition over the same stretch

LEADING OFF
The Missouri State Bears will look to renew their early-season momentum when they return to Hammons Field to open a four-game home stand this weekend, beginning with a three-game series against the Memphis Tigers. The Bears (12-4) and Tigers (10-6) will kick off their series Friday (March 17) with a 3:05 p.m. contest, before finishing the weekend with single games on Saturday (2:05 p.m.) and Sunday (1:05 p.m.). 

Despite a series win over defending Big Ten champ Minnesota this past weekend, the Bears are coming off a 2-3 road trip that was capped by Wednesday's 5-4 setback to Southeast Missouri State. MSU rallied from a 4-0 deficit to even the score in the top of the eighth inning, but the Redhawks walked off with the win thanks to a ninth-inning rally.

Memphis enters the weekend having won three of its last four contests, including a series victory over Missouri Valley Conference foe Southern Illinois last week. The Tigers also swept Illinois State earlier in the season, to go along with a win over nationally-ranked Ole Miss in their only previous road game.

SERIES HISTORY
Missouri State holds a 6-3 all-time edge over the Tigers after claiming six of the last seven meetings in the series, including last year's three-game sweep in Memphis. Since dropping their first two match-ups with the Tigers, the Bears have averaged 8.5 runs per outing in their six wins over Memphis. 

Last year, MSU pounded out 37 hits in sweeping the Tigers, paced by three-straight multi-hit games from Hunter Steinmetz.  All-American closer Bryan Young wrapped up each of the Bears' three victories at FedEx Field to eclipse Shaun Marcum's school record for career saves.

HOLDING SERVE AT HAMMONS
Missouri State opened its 2017 home slate with a three-game sweep of Central Arkansas (March 3-5) to extend a recent home-field advantage of unprecedented proportions in the history of the MSU program. The Bears logged a Hammons Field record 22 victories at home last spring after piling up 19 home wins in 2015. MSU posted its best-ever showing at Hammons with a 19-3 (.864) mark in 2015, giving the Bears a combined 44-11 (.800) home record since the start of the 2015 season. 

Last 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 52 opponents at home with a 404-226 scoring advantage.

SIXTH SENSE
The Bears continued a recent trend of sixth-inning dominance Wednesday at SEMO, scoring two times to help spur Missouri State's rally from a 4-0 deficit. Last weekend, MSU outscored Minnesota by a 6-0 count in the sixth as part of the Bears' series win in Minneapolis, striking for two runs to even the score in Friday's opener, then logging a four-run sixth the next day to help secure its 7-2 win. 

For the season, the Bears have outscored their opponents by a combined 23-0 margin in the sixth. MSU has tallied at least one sixth-inning run in nine of its 16 games to date, going 7-2 in those contesets. Jake Burger has been particulary lethal in the sixth this season, going 5-for-6 with four of his seven homers and nine total RBIs.

WHAT A RELIEF
The Bears' bullpen has been nearly untouchable through the first 16 games of the season, combining to allow just sixearned runs (0.98 ERA) while striking out 68 batters and holding the opposition to a .146 batting mark in 55.0 innings. In all, nine different relievers have teamed up to lock down the late innings, as MSU has outscored the opposition by a whopping 47-10 margin from the sixth inning on this season. 

Jake Fromson led the charge with 16.0 scoreless innings to start the season. The junior has fanned 24 while allowing just seven hits in his eight outings to date, holding the opposition to a .109 batting mark. Additionally, senior All-America closer Bryan Young  shares the top spot on the career saves leaderboard for active NCAA Division I pitchers with a Missouri State record 30 saves, and junior Trey Turner has yielded just one hit and struck out 17 over his 9.2 innings of relief.

NON-CON DOMINATION
Another key factor in Missouri State's success over the past few seasons has been its dominance against non-conference competition. Since the beginning of the 2015 season, the Bears have compiled a 62-17 record in regular-season games versus non-league foes. They have won 27 of their last 31 regular-season non-conference home games, but have been nearly as potent on the road, going 35-13 in true road and neutral-field contests over the same stretch.