Starting 9
1) Missouri State (17-9, 6-3 Conference USA) returns to Hammons Field at 6 p.m. Tuesday for a matchup against 17th-ranked Arkansas (19-10, 4-5 SEC). Mo State will celebrate one of its biggest fans Tuesday, honoring the late Marty "Sign Man" Prather with fans encouraged to bring a sign from home or make one at the stadium.
2) Missouri State is ranked 11th in the NCAA RPI through March 29. 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 179 of the last 212 games, including 24 of 26 this season, and rank 7th nationally with 475 long balls since the beginning of the 2022 season, when head coach
Joey Hawkins took over as hitting coach. Mo State ranks second in Conference USA and 8th nationally this year with 53 homers. The current roster has combined for 155 round-trippers in their time at Mo State.
4) According to TruMedia, Missouri State hitters rank 11th nationally in hard hit % with 47.3 percent of batted balls at 95 mph or better, and 12th with an average exit velocity on batted balls of 90.4 mph. The Bears are one of the two highest-rated non-Power Four school in both categories.
5) Junior
Caden Bogenpohl ranks 15th nationally with 30 walks this season after drawing 53 and 55 (season record) his first two years. His 138 career free passes are 2nd in school history, 16 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 29th in home runs.
6) Senior
Taeg Gollert is 2nd among active NCAA players (all divisions) with 66 doubles and has a pair of Missouri State program records in his sights. His doubles total ranks 2nd in program history, just 1 behind Brayden Drake's record of 67, and his 102 career extra-base hits currently place him 4th, which is 14 behind Jason Hart's record of 116. Gollert also ranks 13th among active Division I players with 220 hits and 24th with 156 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 own the fifth-longest active 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, RF, DH and P this year, and has 18 homers and 64 RBIs as a Bear while going 9-2 with 5 saves and 88 strikeouts in 67 innings. Sutherland owns career totals of 21 homers and 66 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.
