Starting 9
1)Â Missouri State (18-9, 6-3 Conference USA) steps back into league play this weekend with three games against Sam Houston (14-14, 4-5) at Hammons Field. Game times are 5:30 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
2)Â Missouri State is ranked 10th in the NCAA RPI through April 1. The Bears have played the 17th-toughest schedule, with opponents combining for a .612 winning percentage, and are projected to finish 46th in that metric as remaining opponents have a combined .579 winning percentage.
3)Â The Bears have homered in 180 of the last 213 games, including 25 of 27 this season, and rank 7th nationally with 479 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 6th nationally this year with 57 homers. The current roster has combined for 159 round-trippers in their time at Mo State.
4)Â According to TruMedia, Missouri State hitters rank 10th nationally in hard hit % with 47.6 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)Â Junior
Caden Bogenpohl ranks 14th nationally with 31 walks this season after drawing 53 and 55 (season record) his first two years. His 139 career free passes are 2nd in school history, 15 behind Bill Mueller's mark of 154. Bogenpohl also ranks tied for 12th at Mo State with 38 career home runs. Bogenpohl ranks 5th among active Division I players in career walks and 24th in home runs.
6)Â Senior
Taeg Gollert leads active NCAA players (all divisions) with 67 career doubles and has a pair of Missouri State program records in his sights. He tied Brayden Drake's doubles record of 67 on March 31, and his 103 career extra-base hits currently place him 3rd, which is 13 behind Jason Hart's record of 116. Gollert also ranks 13th among active Division I players with 221 hits and 24th with 156 RBIs.
7)Â Missouri State is 31-7 at home under
Joey Hawkins and boasts a .335 batting average and .639 slugging percentage with 92 total home runs and a 10.3 scoring average in those 38 games. The Bears are 12-0 at Hammons Field and own the fourth-longest active home winning streak nationally.
8)Â 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 91 strikeouts in 69.1 innings. Sutherland owns career totals of 21 homers and 66 RBIs while throwing 28 innings with 33 Ks.Â
9)Â 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.
