Battle for Bell Advance Ticket Sales
 
SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State baseball has two exhibition games on the schedule this fall, with the ninth edition of the 'Battle for Bell' (Oct. 9) and a game with Arkansas State (Oct. 18) on the docket.
 
Battle for Bell, Oct. 9, 6:30 p.m., Hammons Field
Missouri State and Drury face off at 6:30 p.m. in the ninth edition of the game. Tickets are $5 each, and proceeds from ticket sales go directly to the local Howard Bell ALS Clinic at CoxHealth, which provides coordinated care and support to ALS patients in the region.
 
In continuing their efforts to raise awareness for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), the Bears and Panthers will honor the late Howard Bell and the ongoing quest to find a cure for ALS – commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease.
 
Bell, who passed away from ALS in 2013, shared close connections with the MSU and DU baseball programs. A three-year letterman for the Bears, Bell capped his collegiate career with a standout 1986 campaign in which he was honored as Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year after hitting .396 and helping MSU to a then-school-record 47 victories and its third straight AMCU Tournament title.
 
The Springfield native also spent more than a decade working on the baseball staff at Glendale High School and was an assistant under Mark Stratton, who would later become the Panthers first head baseball coach in 2005. Bell took over the Falcons program as head coach when Stratton arrived at Drury.
 
This year's Panthers-Bears match-up will be the ninth time the two programs have staged the 'Battle for Bell' game, the first taking place on Sept. 29, 2012, at Hammons Field.
 
Tickets are $5 for adults with children 13 and under admitted free, and may be purchased in advance at https://www.coxhealthfoundation.com/event/battle-for-bell-9/ or on game day at Hammons Field. All seating is general admission.
 
Bears vs. Arkansas State, Oct. 18, 1 p.m., Hammons Field
Missouri State will host Arkansas State in an exhibition contest Oct. 18 at Hammons Field. Admission is free and basic stadium amenities will be available. First pitch is tentatively scheduled for 1 p.m.