Tuesday, April 4
Lawrence, Kan.
3 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
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Kansas
Bears Visit Jayhawks Tuesday in Lawrence
April 03, 2023 | Baseball
| Missouri State at Kansas | |
| Date & Time | Tuesday, April 4, 3 p.m. |
| Location | Lawrence, Kan. |
| Site | Hoglund Ballpark |
| Listen Live | Varsity Network App |
| Watch | ESPN+ |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| Missouri State | MSU Game Notes Baseball Home Page |
| Kansas | Baseball Home Page |
Starting 9
1) Missouri State (13-13, 2-4 Missouri Valley Conference) concludes a four-game road swing Tuesday afternoon with a visit to Kansas (12-14, 3-3 Big 12) for a 3 p.m. first pitch at Hoglund Ballpark.
2) The Bears are 33-31 all-time against Kansas after winning both games in the series last season by a combined score of 28-4.
3) The Bears have continued their slugging ways this year after ranking in the top 17 nationally in 2022 in home runs and slugging percentage with 4.03 extra base hits per game. This season, the Bears rank 39th in homers and 26th in doubles with 4.15 extra base hits per contest.
4) Missouri State freshman outfielders Zack Stewart and Taeg Gollert have made an immediate impact this season and rank 1-3 in the MVC in doubles with 12 and 10, respectively. Stewart is hitting .324 with six homers and 24 RBI, while Gollert sits at .263 with four long balls and 17 driven in.
5) Missouri State homered in the first 11 games this season to extend its streak to 29 consecutive games with a long ball. The Bears have now blasted a round-tripper in 20 of 26 games this year and 38 of the last 44, with 86 total in that span. MSU has also tallied three or more extra-base hits in 19 of 26 games, with eight or more on four different occasions. The Bears lead the Valley in doubles, homers and slugging.
6) The Missouri State leads the MVC in total strikeouts (253) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.70), the best rate in school history (9.10 in 2016 is 2nd), ranking 62nd nationally in the latter category. The Bears have a 4.34 ERA and .259 opponent average in the last 18 games. Brandt Thompson leads the league with 18 strikeouts looking and ranks second with 46 total. Thompson (45th - 5.75) and Trey Ziegenbein (87th - 4.62) and both rank in the top 100 nationally in strikeout-to-walk ratio.
7) 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 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, and Hull is on a 14-game hitting streak that began Feb. 24.
8) MSU is 444-318 in its 33rd MVC season with six regular season titles. Since 2015, the Bears have won more combined regular season titles (3-2) and tournament championships (3-1) than the rest of the league's current membership combined.
9) Head coach Keith Guttin ranks third among active coaches and 14th overall with 1,353 career wins. Among active skippers, Guttin trails only Danny Hall of Georgia Tech (1,365) and Minnesota's John Anderson (1,354).
Series History
The Bears are 33-31 all-time against Kansas after winning both games in the series last season by a combined score of 28-4.
    Missouri State is 14-18 against the Jayhawks in Lawrence and belted seven home runs in last year's 12-3 win on March 2 at Hoglund Ballpark.
Last Time Out
Missouri State took a weekend series at Illinois State, winning 8-6 and 12-6 before a 2-1 setback in 10 innings in Sunday's finale.
    Friday, Mason Hull, Dylan Robertson and Cody Kelly all homered and the Bears scored four runs in the seventh inning to put the game away. Saturday, MSU homered four more times and cranked eight extra-base hits with Kelly, Spencer Nivens and Jake McCutcheon all notching three-hit games. Sunday, Cam Cratic's pinch-hit home run in the top of the ninth was the first run of the game, but ISU plated single runs in the ninth and 10th frames for the win.
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Players Mentioned
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