Baseball Bears Host Nevada This Weekend at Hammons Field

Friday, March 25

Springfield, Mo.

3:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Nevada

Baseball Bears Host Nevada This Weekend at Hammons Field

March 24, 2022 | Baseball

Watch (Fri.)Listen Live Stats Game Notes Program

By: MSU Athletics Communications

Missouri State vs. Nevada
Schedule	Friday, March 25, 3 p.m. Saturday, March 26, 2 p.m. Sunday, March 27, 1 p.m.
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Field
Radio	KBFL-FM 99.9 (Fri.) KBFL-FM 96.9/AM 1060 (Sat. &Sun.)
Listen Live	Varsity Network App
Watch (Fri.)	ESPN3
Live Stats	MissouriStateBears.com
Program	Digital program
Missouri State	MSU Game Notes Baseball Home Page
Nevada	Baseball Home Page
Promotion	$3 tickets March 25

Starting 9
1) The Missouri State Bears (10-8) conclude a nine-game homestand this weekend when they host Nevada (10-8) at Hammons Field. First pitch Friday is set for 3 p.m., followed by 2 p.m Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. Originally scheduled to be an 11-game homestand before weather cancellations and postponements, the nine games will tie the longest mark at Hammons Field (March 28-April 11, 2017). MSU played 12 straight home contests during the 2003 season.

2) So far this season, the Bears have collected 83 extra base hits, with 44 doubles, five triples and 34 home runs. Missouri State is slugging .544, good for 13th nationally, and ranks 13th overall in home runs. MSU's 7 homers March 2 at Kansas was the most since 2002, and the Bears lead the MVC in homers and slugging percentage.

3) Several MSU players rank among the NCAA statistical leaders, Dakota Kotowski (5th with 10 home runs, 41st with .768 slugging percentage, 76th with 53 total bases), Mason Hull (19th with 8 home runs, 88th with 52 total bases) and Spencer Nivens (23rd with 1.0 walks/game). Kotowski leads the MVC in home runs, Hull ranks second in homers and first in RBI, and Nivens has an MVC-best .500 OBP.

4) Kotowski hit his 10th home run on March 20 in MSU's 18th game of the season. Only Jason Hart has reached doubles figures in fewer games, hitting his 10th in game 16 of the 1998 campaign.

5) Missouri State's bullpen recently put together a 26-inning scoreless streak that began March 8 and ended March 20. MSU relievers own 3.53 ERA for the full season, with Trey Ziegenbein's MVC-best 0.95 earned run average leading the way. Riyan Rodriguez ranks third in the Valley with a .200 opponent average in 18 relief innings, while Forrest Barnes owns a .197 opponent average in 19 innings out of the pen and is sixth in the league at .218 overall.

6) Missouri State is 1-2 against Nevada, all at neutral sites in Texas. The Wolf Pack won 16-4 in San Marcos in 2019 in the most recent meeting.

7) The Bears have been victorious the last 17 times they have scored in the first inning. The last loss after plating a run in the opening frame came on March 1, 2020 at Rice.

8) Head coach Keith Guttin picked up his 1,300th career victory on April 13, 2021 at Missouri. Guttin's troops beat the Tigers 7-5 in Columbia, and the 40th-year coach currently ranks third among active coaches and 18th overall with 1,319 career wins.

9) The Bears had six victories last season in their final at bat, and two so far this year (Will Duff RBI triple in 8th vs. Cal Poly; Kotowski two-run HR in 8th vs. Indiana). Mason Hull had three walk-off hits last season and four in his career. MSU has taken the lead in its final at bat in six of the team's last 14 home wins.