Saturday, April 22
Springfield, Mo.
2:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
Wichita State
Bears Look to Extend Strong MVC Start Against Shockers
April 21, 2017 | Baseball
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PRIME 9
LEADING OFF
After a two-week hiatus from league play, the Missouri State Bears return to Hammons Field for a critical Missouri Valley Conference series with the Wichita State Shockers this weekend. The Bears and Shockers are slated to open their three-game series with a 2 p.m. game Saturday (April 22), before engaging in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.
The Bears (24-13, 6-0 MVC) return to MVC play after winning the final three contests of their six-game non-conference swing, including a 5-3 victory at Missouri Tuesday evening. Jake Burger's two-run homer staked MSU to an early lead, before four pitchers combined to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard over the final six frames to secure head coach Keith Guttin's 1,200th career win.
Wichita State (18-18, 3-3 MVC) will ride a two-game win streak of its own into the weekend, after blanking Kansas, 8-0, Â at Eck Stadium on Wednesday. The Shockers claimed their opening Valley series against Southern Illinois by taking two of three games from the Salukis in Wichita, but dropped two of three to Bradley in Peoria last weekend.
SERIES HISTORY
Entering the two clubs' final regular-season series as MVC foes, the Shockers hold a commanding 66-42 edge over the Bears in a series that dates back to 1987. MSU has claimed seven of its last 10 meetings with WSU, including all three of the two clubs' 2015 contests at Hammons Field. The Bears are 25-23 vs. WSU on their home field, but just 10-11 against the Shockers in 21 previous meetings at Hammons.
Last year, the Shockers won two of three from the Bears in Wichita, claiming a 9-2 win in the opening game of the series, before MSU bounced back for a 6-1 win in the second behind Hunter Steinmetz's three hits and three RBIs and the pitching of Dylan Coleman and Jake Fromson. The MSU duo combined to hold WSU to one run on three hits, while fanning 11 hitters. The Shockers rebounded in a big way, posting an 11-1, run-rule victory over the Bears to claim the rubber match.Â
STREAKING IN VALLEY PLAY
Missouri State is off to a 6-0 start in MVC play for just the third time in 27 seasons as a member of the Valley. The Bears have gone on to finish first or second in the league race in each of the previous two seasons (1994 and 2001) in which they started 6-0 in MVC play. Additionally, the Bears ran their overall MVC win streak to 10 games with their three-game sweep of Dallas Baptist (April 7-9).Â
The Bears' current win streak is their second of at least 10 games in Valley play in the last three seasons. Missouri State won its final 10 MVC games in 2015, then captured its 2016 conference opener to run its Valley win streak to 11 games. Â MSU's longest MVC win streak occurred from May 9, 1993 through April 17, 1994, when the Bears won their final four conference games of the 1993 season before getting off to their best-ever start in Valley play the next spring by winning eight in a row to open the MVC slate.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Several MSU veterans continue to make their moves up the Bears' career leaderboard in a number of statistical categories. Most notably, Jake Burger homered in back-to-back games at SLU and Missouri earlier this week and sits in the No. 7 spot on MSU's all-time home run chart with 41 round-trippers of his career, just one behind Brian Mahaffey in the sixth position. Burger also climbed into the Bears' top 20 for career hits, entering Saturday's game with 212. He trails former teammate Tate Matheny in the No. 19 spot by two hits.Â
Additionally, Justin Paulsen drew a pair of walks in St. Louis and sits in sixth (109) on MSU's career chart, and Jordan Knutson made his 40th mound start as a Bear last Friday to crack the program's top five in that category. Knutson also moved into the top 10 MSU hurlers for career innings (246.1), passing former teammate Matt Hall for the No. 8 position.
IN RARE COMPANY
Bears head coach Keith Guttin picked up his 1,200th career victory Tuesday against Missouri. The Bears' 35th-year bench boss ranks 25th all-time in NCAA Division I history for coaching victories. With a career record of 1,200-752 (.615), Guttin is the second-winningest coach in MVC history, while his win total ranks seventh among all active Division I head coaches.
HOME SWEET HAMMONS
After going 3-3 on their six-game non-conference road swing, the Bears return to Hammons Field to open a four-game home stand this weekend. MSU has been successful, both at home and on the road so far in 2017, claiming wins in 11 of its first 16 home dates to go along with 13 road/neutral-field victories.Â
The Bears will be looking to extend a recent home-field advantage of unprecedented proportions in the history of the MSU program. Since the start of the 2015 season, the Bears have posted a 52-16 (.765) record at Hammons Field, including 29 wins in their last 38 home games versus non-conference foes. The Bears logged a Hammons Field record 22 victories at home last spring after piling up 19 home wins in 2015.
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. This spring, MSU has clubbed 25 long balls in just 16 home dates, while the Bears' pitching staff has limited their 16 opponents to a combined .239 batting mark.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL
After the MSU duo of Spencer Johnson and Jake Burger teamed up to post the top combined home run total in Division I baseball last spring, the Bears can boast the top 1-2 power punch in the nation again this season. Burger is once again a key component in the middle of the MSU order with a Valley-best 16 long balls to date, while sophomore shortstop Jeremy Eierman is right on his heels with 14 after hitting a ninth-inning, three-run shot in the Bears' win at SLU on Monday.
Burger's first-inning home run in Friday's setback to New Mexico handed the junior third baseman sole possession of the No. 7 spot on the Bears' career homer chart. Burger and Eierman own the national lead for combined homers, leading the Mercer's Charlie Madden (14) and Hunter Bening/J.T. Thomas (12) by four home runs.
THRICE AS NICE
Not only have Jake Burger and Jeremy Eierman inflicted a healthy portion of damage on opposing pitching staffs this spring, but senior first baseman Justin Paulsen has made things triple tough on MSU foes. Together, the trio has combined to hit .356 (154-for-433) with 113 runs scored and 116 more driven in this season.Â
Individually, they each rank among the top five Valley players in batting, on-base percentage and hits, while two of the three combine to rank first and second in seven different offensive categories (slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, home runs, RBIs and total bases).
BEARS ON THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
Each of the first two games of this weekend's series will be broadcast as part of The Valley on ESPN3. Fans can keep tabs on the Bears online with live game coverage thanks to the MVC's media rights agreement that will provide increased visibility of conference events across ESPN platforms through the 2023-24 academic year. This spring, five more MSU home baseball games will be broadcast on ESPN3:
April 7 vs. Dallas Baptist (6:30 p.m.)
April 8 vs. Dallas Baptist (2 p.m.)
April 11 vs. Arkansas (6:30 p.m.)
April 22 vs. Wichita State (2Â p.m.)
April 23 vs. Wichita State (1 p.m.)
April 25 vs. Missouri (6:30 p.m.)
May 12 vs. Indiana State (6:30 p.m.)
May 13 vs. Indiana State (2 p.m.)
| Wichita State Shockers (18-18, 3-3 MVC) at Missouri State Bears (24-13, 6-0 MVC) | |
| Site | Hammons Field (8,000) Â | Â Springfield, Mo. |
| Game 1: | Saturday, April 22  |  2:02 p.m. |
| Games 2 & 3 (DH): | Sunday, April 23 Â | Â 1:02 p.m. |
| Radio: | KBFL 1060 AM/96.9 FM |
| Watch (Games 1 & 2): | The Valley on ESPN3 |
| Follow: | Live Stats |  @MSUBearBaseball |
| Game Notes:                    | Missouri State |  Wichita State |  MVC Notebook |
| Series History: | WSU leads 66-42 Â (MSU 25-23 at home) |
| Promotions: | MSU Spring Family Day (Saturday) |
| Tickets: | MissouriStateBears.com |
PRIME 9
- Missouri State enters the weekend with the No. 18 RPI in all of Division I baseball; the Bears also received votes in Monday's NCBWA Top 30 poll for the third-consecutive week and the fifth time overall this season
- WSU holds a 66-42 series advantage over the Bears, but MSU has won seven of the last 10 in the series and is 25-23 vs. the Shockers in Springfield
- The Bears have recorded at least one home run in nine straight games and hit 19 long balls as a team; Led by Jake Burger's five round-trippers, five different Bears have gone deep at least three times over the same stretch
- MSU head coach Keith Guttin became the 25th NCAA Division I coach to reach the 1,200 career win plateau with Tuesday's win at Missouri; he currently ranks seventh on the Division I win list for active coaches
- Burger and Jeremy Eierman have combined to post the top home run total for Division I teammates this spring with 30 round-trippers in just 37 games to date; the duo ranks No. 1 and No. 2 in the Valley in home runs, runs scored, hits, RBIs, total bases and slugging percentage
- Tied for third nationally with 16 home runs, Burger ranks seventh on MSU's career homer list with 41, just two behind Brian Mahaffey in the No. 6 spot; Burger trails Samford's Austin Edens by one home run for the top career total among active Division I hitters
- Eierman leads all Valley hitters with a 1.286 slugging percentage, five home runs and 27 total bases in MVC play; the sophomore owns a slash line of .351/.398/.732 with 10 homers in his 26 career MVC games
- The MSU pitching staff can boast three Valley statistical leaders as well, with Doug Still pacing the circuit with a 2.29 ERA, Jordan Knutson leading the league in strikeouts (58) and Jake Fromson on top of the MVC leaderboard for opposing batting (.173), fewest hits (26) and fewest earned runs (12) allowed  Â
- The Bears are averaging 5.27 walks per game, which ranks second in program history; MSU averaged 6.6 bases on balls per outing in 1973 and set a school single-season record with 317 total free passes in 2015Â
LEADING OFF
After a two-week hiatus from league play, the Missouri State Bears return to Hammons Field for a critical Missouri Valley Conference series with the Wichita State Shockers this weekend. The Bears and Shockers are slated to open their three-game series with a 2 p.m. game Saturday (April 22), before engaging in a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.
The Bears (24-13, 6-0 MVC) return to MVC play after winning the final three contests of their six-game non-conference swing, including a 5-3 victory at Missouri Tuesday evening. Jake Burger's two-run homer staked MSU to an early lead, before four pitchers combined to keep the Tigers off the scoreboard over the final six frames to secure head coach Keith Guttin's 1,200th career win.
Wichita State (18-18, 3-3 MVC) will ride a two-game win streak of its own into the weekend, after blanking Kansas, 8-0, Â at Eck Stadium on Wednesday. The Shockers claimed their opening Valley series against Southern Illinois by taking two of three games from the Salukis in Wichita, but dropped two of three to Bradley in Peoria last weekend.
SERIES HISTORY
Entering the two clubs' final regular-season series as MVC foes, the Shockers hold a commanding 66-42 edge over the Bears in a series that dates back to 1987. MSU has claimed seven of its last 10 meetings with WSU, including all three of the two clubs' 2015 contests at Hammons Field. The Bears are 25-23 vs. WSU on their home field, but just 10-11 against the Shockers in 21 previous meetings at Hammons.
Last year, the Shockers won two of three from the Bears in Wichita, claiming a 9-2 win in the opening game of the series, before MSU bounced back for a 6-1 win in the second behind Hunter Steinmetz's three hits and three RBIs and the pitching of Dylan Coleman and Jake Fromson. The MSU duo combined to hold WSU to one run on three hits, while fanning 11 hitters. The Shockers rebounded in a big way, posting an 11-1, run-rule victory over the Bears to claim the rubber match.Â
STREAKING IN VALLEY PLAY
Missouri State is off to a 6-0 start in MVC play for just the third time in 27 seasons as a member of the Valley. The Bears have gone on to finish first or second in the league race in each of the previous two seasons (1994 and 2001) in which they started 6-0 in MVC play. Additionally, the Bears ran their overall MVC win streak to 10 games with their three-game sweep of Dallas Baptist (April 7-9).Â
The Bears' current win streak is their second of at least 10 games in Valley play in the last three seasons. Missouri State won its final 10 MVC games in 2015, then captured its 2016 conference opener to run its Valley win streak to 11 games. Â MSU's longest MVC win streak occurred from May 9, 1993 through April 17, 1994, when the Bears won their final four conference games of the 1993 season before getting off to their best-ever start in Valley play the next spring by winning eight in a row to open the MVC slate.
CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Several MSU veterans continue to make their moves up the Bears' career leaderboard in a number of statistical categories. Most notably, Jake Burger homered in back-to-back games at SLU and Missouri earlier this week and sits in the No. 7 spot on MSU's all-time home run chart with 41 round-trippers of his career, just one behind Brian Mahaffey in the sixth position. Burger also climbed into the Bears' top 20 for career hits, entering Saturday's game with 212. He trails former teammate Tate Matheny in the No. 19 spot by two hits.Â
Additionally, Justin Paulsen drew a pair of walks in St. Louis and sits in sixth (109) on MSU's career chart, and Jordan Knutson made his 40th mound start as a Bear last Friday to crack the program's top five in that category. Knutson also moved into the top 10 MSU hurlers for career innings (246.1), passing former teammate Matt Hall for the No. 8 position.
IN RARE COMPANY
Bears head coach Keith Guttin picked up his 1,200th career victory Tuesday against Missouri. The Bears' 35th-year bench boss ranks 25th all-time in NCAA Division I history for coaching victories. With a career record of 1,200-752 (.615), Guttin is the second-winningest coach in MVC history, while his win total ranks seventh among all active Division I head coaches.
HOME SWEET HAMMONS
After going 3-3 on their six-game non-conference road swing, the Bears return to Hammons Field to open a four-game home stand this weekend. MSU has been successful, both at home and on the road so far in 2017, claiming wins in 11 of its first 16 home dates to go along with 13 road/neutral-field victories.Â
The Bears will be looking to extend a recent home-field advantage of unprecedented proportions in the history of the MSU program. Since the start of the 2015 season, the Bears have posted a 52-16 (.765) record at Hammons Field, including 29 wins in their last 38 home games versus non-conference foes. The Bears logged a Hammons Field record 22 victories at home last spring after piling up 19 home wins in 2015.
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. This spring, MSU has clubbed 25 long balls in just 16 home dates, while the Bears' pitching staff has limited their 16 opponents to a combined .239 batting mark.
DIGGING THE LONG BALL
After the MSU duo of Spencer Johnson and Jake Burger teamed up to post the top combined home run total in Division I baseball last spring, the Bears can boast the top 1-2 power punch in the nation again this season. Burger is once again a key component in the middle of the MSU order with a Valley-best 16 long balls to date, while sophomore shortstop Jeremy Eierman is right on his heels with 14 after hitting a ninth-inning, three-run shot in the Bears' win at SLU on Monday.
Burger's first-inning home run in Friday's setback to New Mexico handed the junior third baseman sole possession of the No. 7 spot on the Bears' career homer chart. Burger and Eierman own the national lead for combined homers, leading the Mercer's Charlie Madden (14) and Hunter Bening/J.T. Thomas (12) by four home runs.
THRICE AS NICE
Not only have Jake Burger and Jeremy Eierman inflicted a healthy portion of damage on opposing pitching staffs this spring, but senior first baseman Justin Paulsen has made things triple tough on MSU foes. Together, the trio has combined to hit .356 (154-for-433) with 113 runs scored and 116 more driven in this season.Â
Individually, they each rank among the top five Valley players in batting, on-base percentage and hits, while two of the three combine to rank first and second in seven different offensive categories (slugging percentage, on-base percentage, runs scored, hits, home runs, RBIs and total bases).
BEARS ON THE VALLEY ON ESPN3
Each of the first two games of this weekend's series will be broadcast as part of The Valley on ESPN3. Fans can keep tabs on the Bears online with live game coverage thanks to the MVC's media rights agreement that will provide increased visibility of conference events across ESPN platforms through the 2023-24 academic year. This spring, five more MSU home baseball games will be broadcast on ESPN3:
April 7 vs. Dallas Baptist (6:30 p.m.)
April 8 vs. Dallas Baptist (2 p.m.)
April 11 vs. Arkansas (6:30 p.m.)
April 22 vs. Wichita State (2Â p.m.)
April 23 vs. Wichita State (1 p.m.)
April 25 vs. Missouri (6:30 p.m.)
May 12 vs. Indiana State (6:30 p.m.)
May 13 vs. Indiana State (2 p.m.)
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