Bears Host SIU to Close Regular Season

Thursday, May 16

Springfield, Mo.

12 p.m.

Missouri State University

Southern Illinois

Bears Host SIU to Close Regular Season

May 15, 2024 | Baseball

ESPN+ (Game 1)ESPN+ (Game 2)ESPN+ (Game 3)Live Stats Listen Game Notes Roster Card

By: MSU Athletics Communications

**NOTE: ESPN+ and MC22 broadcasts may change based on changes to the game schedule. Please visit the baseball schedule page at MissouriStateBears.com or the MSU Baseball X account for up-to-date broadcast information.**

Missouri State vs. SIU
Location	Springfield, Mo.
Site	Hammons Field
Game 1	Thursday, May 16, 12 p.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Listen TV - MC22
Game 2	Friday, May 17, 11 a.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Listen TV - MC22
Game 3	Saturday, May 18, 11 a.m. ESPN+ \| Live Stats \| Listen TV - MC22 Keith Guttin Day Coach Guttin mini helmet giveaway Coach G bobblehead giveaway $2 tickets Senior Day
Program	Roster Card
Missouri State	Game Notes Baseball Home Page
Southern Illinois	Baseball Home Page

Starting 9
1) The Missouri State Bears (21-31, 9-15 Missouri Valley Conference) close out the regular season May 16-18 with at Hammons Field against Southern Illinois (30-23, 11-13) in head coach Keith Guttin's final home games. The teams will play at 12 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. the next two days.
Coach Guttin will be honored prior to the game Saturday, as will MSU's senior class. The festivies begin at 10:25 a.m.

2) The Bears have homered in 43 of 52 games this season and 105 of the last 126, including streaks of 29 and 21 games, and rank 11th nationally with 301 long balls since the beginning of the 2022 season. The Bears lead the MVC and rank 12th nationally with 102 homers this year, which is the No. 4 season total in school history. Zack Stewart (20 - 1st), Caden Bogenpohl (18 - 6th) and Dylan Leach (15 - 10th) all rank in the top 10 in the MVC. Cody Kelly (11), Nick Rodriguez (11) and Taeg Gollert (9) give MSU a chance at six in double figures for the second time in school history, joining the 1999 club that led the nation with 144 dingers.

3) Sophomore outfielder Zack Stewart is a two-time MVC Player of the Week award winner this season and is hitting .308 while leading the MVC in home runs (20) and ranking 4th in total bases (136) and 8th in slugging (.654). Stewart ranks 17th at MSU in career homers (32), and his 2024 total is tied for 12th on the season list.

4) Jason Schaaf (3.59) and Brandt Thompson (3.72) rank 2-6 in the MVC in ERA. Thompson leads the league in WHIP (1.17) and is 2nd in K/BB ratio (4.12). He sits 6th in MSU history (100 inning minimum) with a career 3.50 K/BB ratio, while this year's figure is on pace to finish 10th on the single-season chart. Schaaf threw a complete-game shutout on May 12 at Belmont without allowing a runner beyond first base.

5) Senior catcher Dylan Leach is hitting .339 and slugging .690 with 14 home runs and 40 RBI since March 1. For the year, Leach ranks 10th in the MVC with 15 homers and 11th with a .626 slugging percentage.

6) Caden Bogenpohl ranks 3rd nationally among freshmen with 18 home runs and 2nd with 46 walks. Georgia Tech's Drew Burress leads in both categories with 21 and 47, respectively. Among MSU rookies all time, his 46 walks are the most while his home run total trails only Ryan Howard (19 in 1999).

7) Nick Rodriguez (.514) and Cody Kelly (.477) rank 2-4 in the MVC in OBP in conference games. Rodriguez has reached safely in 33 consecutive games and 50 of 52 overall this year, and also boasts a .425 average in 24 MVC contests. Meanwhile, Kelly has a .344/.844/.533 slash line with nine homers and 24 RBI since April 11.

8) The Bears are hitting .298 and slugging .567 with 59 home runs in 24 MVC games. MoState has out-scored the opposition in six consecutive league series, scoring 25+ runs in each with at least one double-digit win.

9) Head coach Keith Guttin announced in November his plans to retire after the 2024 season, his 42nd in charge of the Bears. He ranks second among active coaches and 12th overall with 1,394 career wins. Among active skippers, Guttin trails only Danny Hall of Georgia Tech (1,408). Guttin also played for the Bears in 1976 and 1977 and served as an assistant coach from 1979-81, making this his 47th season with the program.

Series History
MoState is 79-49 all-time against Southern Illinois, including a 33-25 record in Springfield. The Salukis won nine in a row in the series from 2019-22, while the Bears have won four of the last six, including 2-1 showing versus SIU in the 2022 MVC Tournament in Springfield and winning the series in Carbondale last year.