Bears Host Sycamores with MVC Title on the Line

Thursday, May 18

Springfield, Mo.

6:30 p.m.

Missouri State University

Indiana State

Bears Host Sycamores with MVC Title on the Line

May 17, 2023 | Baseball

ESPN+ (Thu.)Listen Live Live Stats Roster Card Game Notes

By: MSU Athletics Communications

Missouri State vs. #9 Indiana State
Schedule	Game 1 - Thursday, May 18, 6:30 p.m. Game 2 - Saturday, May 20, 12 p.m. Game 3 - Saturday, May 20, 3:30 p.m.
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Field
Listen Live	Varsity Network App
TV	MC-22 (Thu.)
ESPN+	Thursday
Live Stats	Sidearm Stats
Program	Roster Card
Missouri State	MSU Game Notes Baseball Home Page
Indiana State	Baseball Home Page
Promotions	Saturday - Senior Day

Starting 9
1) Missouri State (31-18, 18-6 Missouri Valley Conference) closes out the regular season with a home series against first-place Indiana State (35-14, 21-3), which is ranked as high as ninth in the Collegiate Baseball poll. The Sycamores have won all eight of their MVC series this year while the Bears have won seven in a row, their longest streak since nine straight from 2018-19. The Bears' 18 MVC victories tie their recent high-water mark for league wins. MoState also won 18 Valley games in 2018 (18-3), 2017 (18-1), 2015 (18-3) and 2008 (18-6), and have not exceeded that total since going 19-12 in 2004.

2) MoState is 78-50 all-time against Indiana State, including a 40-22 record in Springfield.

3) The Bears have homered in 41 of 49 games this year and 59 of the last 67, with 119 total in that span which included streaks of 29 and 20 games (active). MSU has also tallied three or more extra-base hits in 36 of 49 games, with eight or more on five different occasions. The Bears lead the MVC in doubles, homers and slugging, ranking in the top 49 nationally in all three categories, and average 4.14 extra-base hits per contest.

4) The Missouri State pitching staff leads the MVC in total strikeouts (457) and strikeouts per nine innings (9.38), the best rate in school history (9.10 in 2016 is 2nd). Hayden Minton (84) and Brandt Thompson (80) rank 1-3 in the MVC in strikeouts. Thompson leads in the MVC in ERA at 2.90, and the Bears' 4.60 staff ERA sits 41st nationally.

5) Third-year sophomore outfielder Spencer Nivens earned preseason all-MVC honors this season after a Freshman All-America season in 2022, and has continued his high level of play to rank among the MVC's top five in average, slugging, runs, hits, triples, homers and total bases. Nivens hit for MSU's first cycle since 1998 on Feb. 24 against Central Arkansas.

6) Missouri State freshman outfielders Zack Stewart and Taeg Gollert have made an immediate impact this season. Stewart is hitting .323 with 11 home runs and owns the MVC lead in doubles (18) and RBI (58). Only Ryan Howard (66 in 1999) sits ahead of Stewart on MSU's freshman RBI list, and he ranks seventh nationally among freshmen in RBI and fourth in doubles. Gollert hit two grand slams vs. Bradley on April 9 and has 26 extra-base hits and 39 RBI and sits 13th among freshmen nationally with 16 doubles.

7) The Bears are one of 17 teams nationally to rank in the top 50 in both slugging percentage and ERA.

8) The Bears won 13 consecutive games from April 7-May 5, and nine games overall from April 20-May 5, both the progam's longest streaks since 2017. In MoState's 18 games since April 14, the team is hitting .307 with a .563 slugging percentage while holding opponents to a .224 batting average.

9) Head coach Keith Guttin ranks second among active coaches and 13th overall with 1,371 career wins. Among active skippers, Guttin trails only Danny Hall of Georgia Tech (1,378).

Series History
MoState is 78-50 all-time against Indiana State, including a 40-22 record in Springfield. The Sycamores have beaten the Bears four of the last five at Hammons Field, ending a streak of six consecutive home series won by the Bears from 2009-19.

Last Time Out
The Bears claimed their seventh straight series victory by winning two of three games at Southern Illinois. On Friday, Taeg Gollert went 3-for-4 with three RBI and Cody Kelly's two-run double broke a 4-4 tie in the eighth on the way to an 8-5 win. Saturday, the Bears scored four in the ninth on a Kelly two-run single and RBI hits by Will Duff and Carter Bergman, and Mason Hull's homer in the 12th gave MoState the 6-5 win. Garrett Ferguson allowed just two runners to first base in the final four innings on the mound. Sunday, each team mustered only three hits and one earned run, as SIU made a 3-0 lead hold up with a 3-2 win.