Starting 9
1) Missouri State (5-2) concludes its four-game homestand Tuesday when No. 12 Oklahoma State (4-3) pays a visit to Hammons Field for a 3 p.m. first pitch. The Cowboys are the first ranked opponent to come to Hammons since they came in ranked 14th on March 2, 2021, and the highest-rated team to visit since No. 8 Arkansas on March 26, 2019.
2) The Bears are 9-20 all-time against Oklahoma State after losing all three meetings last season, including two in the NCAA Regional in Stillwater. MSU's last win in the series was an 11-8 final on March 23, 2021 in Stillwater, and the last win in Springfield was in 2012, with five consecutive losses to the at Hammons Field Cowboys since.
3) Missouri State has continued its slugging ways this year and sits at or near the top of the Missouri Valley Conference in nearly every major offensive category. MSU ranks 12th nationally in doubles and 24th in home runs. Freshman
Taeg Gollert's six doubles rank third nationally.
4) The Bears are coming off their fourth NCAA Regional appearance in the last seven tournaments, catching fire late in the season to capture the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament title and advance to the Stillwater Regional. MSU finished 31-29 overall in 2022 and belted 31 home runs in nine conference and NCAA Tournament contests.
5) Senior second baseman
Mason Hull and sophomore outfielder
Spencer Nivens earned preseason all-MVC honors this season. Hull is also a preseason third-team All-American according to Collegiate Baseball, while Nivens was a named a Freshman All-American by the publication last season. Nivens hit for MSU's first cycle since 1998 on Feb. 24 against Central Arkansas.
6) Missouri State smashed 110 home runs last season, second-most in school history and the fifth-best total in conference history. Though the Bears' top two long ball hitters are now playing professionally, Missouri State still returns three players who hit double-digit homers last season in
Mason Hull (15),
Spencer Nivens (11) and
Mason Greer (10). MSU ranked in the top 17 nationally in homers and slugging percentage (.512) last season, the program's best figures since leading the country in both categories in 1999. Missouri State smacked 242 total extra-base hits in 2022.
7) Missouri State has 23 new players on its roster this season with three ranked among D1Baseball's top 50 impact transfers. Pitchers
Jake Eddington (8th) and
Hayden Minton (38th) and catcher
Cody Kelly (49th) appear on the list.
8) Six players on the Missouri State roster began their college careers in the SEC, including
Gage Bradley (Vanderbilt),
Will Duff (Vanderbilt),
Jake Eddington (Alabama),
Mason Greer (Auburn),
Izzy Lopez (Texas A&M) and
Reed Metz (Tennessee).
9) Head coach
Keith Guttin ranks third among active coaches and 15th overall with 1,345 career wins. Among active skippers, Guttin trails only Danny Hall of Georgia Tech (1,355) and Minnesota's John Anderson (1,347).
Series History
The Bears are 9-20 all-time against Oklahoma State after losing all three meetings last season, including two in the NCAA Regional in Stillwater. MSU's last win in the series was an 11-8 final on March 23, 2021 in Stillwater, and the last win in Springfield was in 2012, with five consecutive losses to the Cowboys at Hammons Field since.
Last Week
Missouri State went 4-0 with an 8-5 win at Oral Roberts on Feb. 22 and three-game home sweep of Central Arkansas, all by one run.
   The Bears jumped on ORU early Wednesday with seven runs in the first three innings, with
Nick Rodriguez hitting two homers and driving in four.
   On Friday,
Spencer Nivens hit for the cycle as Missouri State won 11-10 in 14 innings, rallying from deficits of 9-6 in the eighth and 10-9 in the 13th.
   Saturday and Sunday saw starters
Brandt Thompson and
Hayden Minton each strike out nine without a walk in six innings in 4-3 and 2-1 victories, respectively.
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