Starting 9
1) Missouri State (16-7, 5-1 Conference USA) renews its rivalry with Dallas Baptist (14-11, 4-2) this weekend in Big D, with games scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday. The Bears and Patriots are back in the same conference for 2026 after spending 2014-22 together in the Missouri Valley, combining to win 14 of a possible 16 MVC regular season and tournament championships over that span.
2) Missouri State is ranked 5th in the NCAA RPI through March 24. The Bears have played the 14th-toughest schedule, with opponents combining for a .629 winning percentage, and are projected to finish 32nd in that metric as remaining opponents have a combined .582 winning percentage.
3) The Bears have homered in 177 of the last 209 games, including 22 of 23 this season, and rank 7th nationally with 472 long balls since the beginning of the 2022 season, when head coach
Joey Hawkins took over as hitting coach. Mo State leads Conference USA and ranks 4th nationally this year with 50 homers. The current roster has combined for 152 round-trippers in their time at Mo State.
4) According to TruMedia, Missouri State hitters rank 9th nationally in hard hit % with 48.3 percent of batted balls at 95 mph or better, and 11th with an average exit velocity on batted balls of 90.6 mph. The Bears are one of the two highest-rated non-Power Four school in both categories.
5) Junior
Caden Bogenpohl ranks 9th nationally with 29 walks this season after drawing 53 and 55 (season record) his first two years. His 137 career free passes are 2nd in school history, 17 behind Bill Mueller's mark of 154. Bogenpohl also ranks tied for 13th at Mo State with 37 career home runs. Bogenpohl ranks 5th among active Division I players in career walks and 25th in home runs.
6) Senior
Taeg Gollert is 2nd among active NCAA players (all divisions) with 65 doubles and has a pair of Missouri State program records in his sights. His doubles total ranks 2nd in program history, just 2 behind Brayden Drake's record of 67, and his 101 career extra-base hits currently place him 5th, which is 15 behind Jason Hart's record of 116. Gollert also ranks 11th among active Division I players with 219 hits and 24th with 154 RBIs.
7) Missouri State is 30-7 at home under
Joey Hawkins and boasts a .334 batting average and .636 slugging percentage with 88 total home runs and a 10.2 scoring average in those 37 games. The Bears are 11-0 at Hammons Field and are tied for the fourth-longest home winning streak nationally.
8) Max Knight and
Curry Sutherland headline Missouri State's two-way threats this season. Knight has made starts at 1B, LF, DH and P this year, and has 17 homers and 59 RBIs as a Bear while going 8-2 with 5 saves and 86 strikeouts in 65.2 innings. Sutherland owns career totals of 20 homers and 64 RBIs while throwing 25 innings with 28 Ks.
9) Missouri State is in its first season in Conference USA in 2026 after a 35-year run in the Missouri Valley Conference. The Bears went 488-347 (.584) with seven regular season championship and five tournament titles in The Valley from 1991-2025.
