Starting 9
1)Â Missouri State (27-17, 15-9 Conference USA) closes out the home schedule this weekend with a three-game series against New Mexico State (19-28, 8-16). The Bears and Aggies will meet at 11 a.m. Friday and Saturday at Route 66 Stadium, then transition to Meador Park for an 11 a.m. Sunday game due to a conflict with the Springfield Cardinals at Route 66. Mo State returns to the facility that served as its primary home for the first 36 years of the program's history for the first time since May 13, 2001.
2)Â Missouri State is ranked 25th in the NCAA RPI through May 5. The Bears have played the 15th-toughest schedule in Division I, with opponents combining for a .584 winning percentage, and are projected to finish 34th in that metric.
3)Â The Bears have homered in 194 of the last 230 games, including 39 of 44 this season, and rank 10th nationally with 505 long balls since the beginning of the 2022 season, when head coach
Joey Hawkins took over as hitting coach. Mo State ranks 2nd in Conference USA and 16th nationally this year with 83 homers, while leading the league in average (.300), slugging (.533) and OBP (.407) and sitting in the top 40 in the NCAA in all three slash categories. The current roster has combined for 185 round-trippers in their time at Mo State.
4)Â According to TruMedia, Missouri State leads the nation in barrel percentage at 25.5%, defined as batted balls at an exit velocity of 95+ mph and launch angle between 10 and 35 degrees. The also rank 13th with 47.2% of batted balls at 95+ mph, and 13th with an average exit velocity on batted balls of 90.2 mph.Â
5)Â Junior
Caden Bogenpohl ranks 17th nationally with 45 walks this season after drawing 53 and 55 (season record) his first two years. His 153 career free passes are 2nd in school history, 1 behind Bill Mueller's mark of 154. Bogenpohl also ranks tied for 11th at Mo State with 39 career home runs. Bogenpohl ranks 4th among active Division I players in career walks and 17th with 174 runs scored.
6)Â Senior
Taeg Gollert ranks 2nd among active NCAA players (all divisions) with a Missouri State-record 70 career doubles. His 110 career extra-base hits place him 2nd at Mo State behind Jason Hart (116). Gollert also ranks 10th among active Division I players with 422 total bases, 15th with 235 hits and 22nd with 173 RBIs.
7)Â Missouri State is 37-10 at home under
Joey Hawkins and boasts a .332 batting average and .623 slugging percentage with 110 total home runs and a 10.1 scoring average in those 47 games. The Bears are 18-3 at Route 66 Stadium in 2026 after starting the season with a school-record 17-game home winning streak.
8)Â Max Knight and
Curry Sutherland headline Missouri State's two-way threats this season, with both making the 15-player John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year semifinalist list. Knight has made starts at 1B, LF, RF, DH and P this year, and has 21 homers and 76 RBIs as a Bear while going 10-5 with 6 saves and 101 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. Sutherland owns career totals of 26 homers and 86 RBIs while throwing 33 innings with 40 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 7 regular season championship and 5 tournament titles in the MVC from 1991-2025.
