HUNTSVILLE, Texas – Missouri State swatted 10 extra-base hits and used a five-run sixth inning to blow the game open Friday evening at Don Sanders Stadium on the way to an 11-6 victory at Sam Houston in the 2025 season opener and head coaching debut of Joey Hawkins.
 
MoState's eight doubles and 10 total extra-base hits were both the team's most since February 2023, and all nine starters collected at least one base hit with seven getting one for extra bases against the Bears' future Conference USA rival.
 
Carter Bergman's three-run double in the first gave MSU the lead for good as part of a 3-for-5 night at the plate, and Nick Rodriguez doubled twice and reached safely four times, extending his streak of reaching safely to 39 games.
 
Michael Yusypchuk became the second freshman in school history to earn the pitching start on opening day (Gary Wilson, 1964) and struck out six without walking a batter in 4.2 innings before handing the ball to Jake Syverson (1-0) in the fifth with a 3-2 lead and runners on the corners. Syverson fanned the SHSU batter to preserve the lead, then fired a 1-2-3 sixth with two more strikeouts to get the mound victory.
 
Bergman's double in the first and a two-run Sam Houston homer in the fourth preceded Sam Houston's threat in the fifth, while MSU left fielder Taeg Gollert also threw out the potential tying run at the plate to end the fourth.
 
The big sixth inning began with a Caden Bogenpohl walk and Curry Sutherland double putting two in scoring position for the Bears. Max Knight got the scoring started with an RBI single, Gollert walked with the bases loaded, another run scored on a wild pitch and Rodriguez capped it with a two-run double to make it 8-2.
 
Bogenpohl blasted an opposite field two-run homer in the seventh following Zack Stewart's leadoff double for a 10-2 lead. In the ninth, Bergman doubled and scored on a Knight triple for the Bears' final run.
 
SHSU turned a leadoff double into a run in the seventh and hit a three-run homer in the ninth for the 11-6 final.
 
Five MoState pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts and two walks.
 
The series continues at 6 p.m. Saturday.