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Missouri State

Hammons

Baseball

Bears Host Central Arkansas in Home Opening Series

Missouri State Bears (1-5) vs. Central Arkansas Bears (3-4)
Dates: Tuesday, Feb. 26 - Wednesday, Feb. 27
Site: Hammons Field  |  Springfield, Mo.
Game 1: Tuesday, Feb. 26  |  3 p.m.
Watch  |  Listen  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Game 2:   Wednesday, Feb.  27  |  3 p.m.
Watch  |  Listen  |  Live Stats  |  Tickets
Video:                               ESPN+
Follow: @MSUBearBaseball
Radio: KBFL 1060 AM/96.9 FM  |  RadioSpringfield.com            
Game Notes:  Missouri State  |  Central Arkansas         
Series History: MSU leads 15-6

Prime 9
  • The Missouri State Bears will open the home portion of their 2019 schedule, as well as a six-game home stand, with a two-game non-conference set against the Central Arkansas Bears at Hammons Field
  • Missouri State head coach Keith Guttin ranks fifth among all active NCAA Division I coaches in total wins (1,260) and needs 11 more victories to match the career total of former Miami (Fla.) coach Ron Fraser for the No. 19 position on the NCAA's Division I coaching wins list    
  • The Bears, who return 19 letterwinner's from last year's 40-17 Missouri Valley Conference regular-season and postseason tournament championship squad, were tabbed the league's preseason favorite by the MVC head coaches
  • MSU is 9-6 in home openers since moving into Hammons Field in 2004, including wins in six of its last eight home debuts since 2011; The Bears are 249-125 overall in their 15 seasons at Hammons
  • The Bears hold a commanding 15-6 edge in their series with Central Arkansas, including a 5-1 mark against UCA in Springfield; MSU has won seven of the last eight meetings in the series dating back to Feb. 2016
  • The Bears' roster features three different returners who have earned All-America recognition during their respective MSU careers, led by 2019 preseason Collegiate Baseball All-America picks Drew Millas and Connor Sechler     
  • MSU has 80 combined come-from-behind wins over the last four seasons and went 13-2 in one-run games in 2018
  • The Bears have posted a 86-43 (.667) regular-season non-conference mark over the last four seasons, including a 38-15 mark in non-MVC games at Hammons over the same stretch; MSU has dropped four straight non-conference games at home since last April, but brings a 24-game home MVC win streak (dating back to May 2016) into 2019
  • With a string of 25-consecutive error-less games at first base, Ben Whetstone (.993) overtook Steve Seal (.992) for the top spot on MSU's career fielding percentage list this past weekend  
Leading Off
After a rocky start to the 2019 campaign, the Missouri State Bears return to the friendly confines of Hammons Field Tuesday (Feb. 26) to open the home portion of the schedule, as well as a two-game non-conference set against the Central Arkansas Bears. Both games in the series are slated for 3 p.m. first pitches.

The Bears concluded their first trip to the state of California in 24 years Sunday, dropping their fourth straight contest in a 3-2 decision to Fresno State on the final day of the Tony Gwynn Legacy in San Diego. UCA is coming off a pair of non-league series against Missouri Valley Conference foes, including this past weekend when it split a four-game series with Illinois State in Conway.

MSU will open a three-game non-conference series with nationally-ranked UC Irvine Friday (March 1), before concluding their six-game home stand with another midweek tilt vs. Oral Roberts next Tuesday (March 5).

Series History
Missouri State holds a 15-6 advantage over Central Arkansas in a series that extends back to the 2008 season. MSU has won seven of the last eight games vs. UCA dating back to 2016. The two clubs split an abbreviated two-game series in Conway last February, with Dylan Coleman (8.0 IP, 2 H, 13 K's) and Tyler Gray (7.0 IP, 2 H, 9 K's) locking up in a  scoreless duel through nine innings in the opening game, before UCA claimed a 1-0 win in 10 innings. In the nightcap, MSU rallied from a one-run deficit with a four-run sixth inning that was highlighted by Drew Millas's two-run single.

The Bears swept UCA in a three-game series at Hammons Field in March 2017, posting a pair of shutouts in the series.

Welcome Home
Missouri State will open its 2019 home slate Tuesday vs. Central Arkansas looking to extend a recent home-field advantage of unprecedented proportions in the history of the MSU program. The Bears have logged four of their top single-season home win totals since the 2015 season, going 17-6 at home last spring after a 21-7 home mark in 2017, a Hammons Field-record 22 victories in 2016 and the Bears' best-ever home win percentage at Hammons with a 19-3 (.864) mark in 2015.

Those four seasons give the Bears a combined 79-24 (.767) home record over the four-year stretch. The Bears have won 38 of their last 53 regular-season non-conference home games, outscoring their non-league opponents by a 786-494 margin at Hammons Field since the start of the 2015 season.

What a Relief
While the Bears have held a lead in just one of their six contests this season to date, the Missouri State bullpen can boast of a recent track record of holding leads. Dating back to May 2014, the Bears relief corps has closed out 153 consecutive victories in which MSU has taken a lead into the ninth inning.

The Bears bullpen has posted an uncharacteristic 7.31 staff ERA through the first six games, but two mainstays from last year—sophomore closer Connor Sechler and senior lefty Davis Schwab—have combined to log 7.2 innings of three-hit relief with 12 strikeouts.

Watch the Leather,  Man
In addition to serving as a key cog in the Bears' lineup over the past two years, junior first baseman Ben Whetstone has proven to be one of the top defensive performers in The Valley as well. The Overland Park, Kan., native moved into the top spot on the Bears' career fielding percentage chart after registering his 25th straight game without a defensive miscue Sunday vs. Fresno State. His 0.993 fielding mark as a Bear narrowly leads Steve Seal (1969-70) in the No. 2 position with a 0.992 percentage among all MSU defenders with at least 150 career fielding chances.

Sechler was a freshman All-America choice of both Collegiate Baseball and the NCBWA after anchoring the Bears' bullpen with eight saves and a 2.98 earned run average in 2018. The right-hander limited the opposition to a combined .208 batting average, while striking out 59 hitters in 54.1 innings over an MSU freshman-record 32 appearances.

Non-Con Domination
MSU has been nearly unstoppable against non-conference competition over the last four seasons, compiling an 86-43 (.667) record in regular-season games versus non-league foes since the start of the 2015 season. The Bears, who have won 38 of their last 53 regular-season non-conference home games, outscoring their non-league opponents by a 786-494 margin at Hammons Field over the same stretch.

Valley Forecast
Highlighted by three selections to the 2019 Preseason All-Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Team, Missouri State was the choice of the league's head coaches to claim its third-consecutive conference crown. Leading the Bears' contingent of three preseason All-MVC choices were returning first-team all-conference picks catcher/DH Drew Millas and reliever Connor Sechler, while reigning MVC Championship Most Outstanding Player Ben Whetstone also picked up a nod at first base.

The Bears, ranked as high as No. 24 in Collegiate Baseball's Preseason Poll, captured their third NCAA Regional berth in four seasons last spring after becoming just the second Valley school to win back-to-back regular-season titles (joining Wichita State). MSU (59 points) garnered five of the eight first-place votes to edge DBU for the top spot by just one point. The Patriots, who received two first-place votes, out-gained No. 3 Indiana State (49), which picked up the other first-place vote, while Bradley (39) rounded out the top half of the preseason poll.

Cardiac Cubs
The Bears were in control from the first inning of their initial victory of 2019 against Utah (Feb.16), but MSU has made the comeback rally an artform in accumulating the most overall victories over a four-year period (170) in program history. Since the start of the 2015 season, the Bears have rallied for a victory on 80 separate occasions, including 21 times last spring, which represented 52.5 percent of their overall season win total (40).

Title Town
Missouri State wrapped up one of the more dominant performances in Missouri Valley Conference history with its fourth league tournament title last spring. The Bears swept the Valley Championship field for the second time in four years, logging a 10-0 shutout of Evansville, two comeback wins over Indiana State and a 10-inning, walk-off win over host DBU.

MSU, which also captured its sixth regular-season Valley title and 10th conference championship overall under the direction of Dan Callahan MVC Coach of the Year Keith Guttin, capped off an unprecedented run of success against MVC foes. The Bears went 18-3 during league play, running their two-year MVC mark to 36 wins in 40 total conference games. Coupled with their 4-0 week at the Valley Tournament, the Bears have won 43 of their 49 total contests against MVC foes over the last two seasons.

Bears on the Radio
Once again in 2019, Meyer Communications is slated to provide live radio coverage of all 56 Missouri State regular-season games, plus all Bears' games in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament and any 2019 postseason play. The broadcasts can be heard primarily on KBFL 1060 AM and 96.9 FM in Springfield with Art Hains, Ben Goss and Corey Riggs describing the action. An online audio stream is available through KBFL's website via RadioSpringfield.com.

Bears on ESPN
Missouri State University, in conjunction with SIDEARM Sports, launched a new partnership in August 2016, unveiling a reconstructed MissouriStateBears.com, the official MSU Athletics web site. The revamped MissouriStateBears.com will provide MSU fans with improved features and overall customer service. The new-and-improved site uses the latest technology to provide fans with a seamless, robust experience unique to Missouri State University.
    
In 2015, ESPN and the Missouri Valley Conference announced a 10-year extension to their current media rights agreement that will provide increased coverage of conference events across ESPN platforms through the 2023-24 academic year. Fans can keep tabs on the Bears through The Valley on ESPN. As part of the deal, ESPN, the MVC and its 10 member institutions will work jointly to develop in-house production capabilities at each campus that will provide significant coverage for multiple sports on ESPN+/ESPN3.
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Players Mentioned

Dylan Coleman

#10 Dylan Coleman

RHP
6' 6"
Junior
R/R
Drew Millas

#24 Drew Millas

C
6' 2"
Junior
B/R
Davis Schwab

#13 Davis Schwab

LHP
6' 4"
Senior
L/L
Connor Sechler

#14 Connor Sechler

RHP
6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
Ben Whetstone

#45 Ben Whetstone

IF
6' 6"
Junior
L/R

Players Mentioned

Dylan Coleman

#10 Dylan Coleman

6' 6"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Drew Millas

#24 Drew Millas

6' 2"
Junior
B/R
C
Davis Schwab

#13 Davis Schwab

6' 4"
Senior
L/L
LHP
Connor Sechler

#14 Connor Sechler

6' 3"
Sophomore
R/R
RHP
Ben Whetstone

#45 Ben Whetstone

6' 6"
Junior
L/R
IF

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