2018: Lochner fashioned a breakthrough junior campaign in which he went 1-1 with a career-best 2.86 earned run average in 18 appearances ... Recorded a 1.17 ERA with one save in seven Missouri Valley Conference relief outings, holding the opposition to a .192 batting mark ... Held left-handed hitters to a .158 average (3-for-19) in league play and .189 overall (7-for-37) ... After allowing a pair of runs in his debut appearance against Lamar (Feb. 17), logged eight straight outings without permitting an earned run, March 4-April 21; struck out nine batters and allowed just six hits over 10.2 innings during the same stretch that included his lone win of the season against Pepperdine (March 4) ... Turned in a scoreless inning to help preserve a 6-5 victory over Oral Roberts (March 13), before helping secure road wins against Kansas (March 27) and Indiana State (March 31) with 5.0 combined scoreless innings of relief ... Worked back-to-back scoreless outings against the eventual top two finishers at the 2018 College World Series, blanking Oregon State (April 13) over 2.2 frames, before holding Arkansas (April 17) hitless for an inning ... Allowed an earned run for the first time in nearly two months April 24 at Missouri, then worked two more scoreless outings at Bradley (April 27-28), including his first save as a Bear by locking up a 5-4 win in the opening game of the series ... Pitched a scoreless inning at DBU (May 19) in the Bears’ MVC title-clinching victory, then worked 4.0 pivotal innings against the Patriots in the championship game of the Valley Championship, allowing one unearned run, to help MSU to just its second-ever sweep of the league’s regular-season and post-season tourney titles ... Suffered his only loss of the season in MSU’s opening-game setback to Tennessee Tech (June 2) at the NCAA Oxford Regional ... Pitched for the White River Cobras of the Show-Me Collegiate League over the summer, striking out 17 over 11.2 total innings.
2017: Appeared in 13 games for the Bears as a sophomore, going 1-0 with a career-best 4.97 earned run average ... Started off the season with six straight outings without allowing an earned run (Feb. 21-March 18) ... Helped finish off a pair of MSU shutouts to open the month of March, working hitless innings at Arkansas State (March 1) and vs. Central Arkansas (March 5) ... Â Struck out a season-high four hitters March 18 vs. Memphis, retiring all four hitters he faced ... Worked a season-long 2.2 innings March 26 at Central Michigan ... Worked a hitless inning against Bradley (April 2) to help finish off a Valley-opening three-game sweep ... Capped his season with a perfect inning against Illinois State (May 28) in the MVC Championship.
2016: Made 14 appearances, including two starts, in his rookie campaign with the Bears, finishing the year with a 1-0 mound mark to go along with a .229 opponent batting average ... Allowed just 16 hits in his 19.1 innings of work ... Turned in a strong MSU debut, picking up the victory after allowing just one run on four hits over 6.0 innings, while fanning a season-high six hitters in a 13-1 decision over Alcorn State (Feb. 27) ... Followed that effort with a 2.0-inning stint vs. SIU Edwardsville (March 5) in which he allowed one run on one hit in a 12-5 Bears win ... Made scoreless relief appearances in MSU victories vs. Iowa (March 19) and Saint Louis (April 5) ... Logged 2.0 innings with four strikeouts vs. Arkansas State (March 22) ... Made his MVC debut at Wichita State (April 15) with a hitless inning of relief ... Worked an inning of relief in MSU’s 14-6 win over Arkansas (May 3) ... Pitched for the SoCal Catch of the California Collegiate League over the summer, posting a 2.67 ERA and a team-high 33 strikeouts in 27.0 innings of work.
Background: Gives the Bears another solid left-handed option on the mound after completing a standout prep career at Sullivan (Mo.) High School ... The No. 6 Missouri prospect in the class of 2015 according to
Prep Baseball Report, the lefty earned his second consecutive all-state citation in 2015 after going 7-1 with a 2.92 ERA to lead Sullivan to a Class 4 state runner-up finish ... Posted an 8-2 record and an 0.72 ERA in guiding the Eagles to a Four Rivers Conference title as a junior, logging 90 strikeouts in just 46.2 innings of work ... Also hit at a .384 clip as an outfielder to earn conference player of the year honors.
Personal: Jake Edward Lochner is the son of Joe and Lisa Lochner ... Born Dec. 3, 1996, in St. Louis, Mo. ... Both parents attended Missouri State ... Believed to be the first second-generation Bear in program history; Father was a two-year letterwinner as a pitcher for the Bears and a member of MSU’s first NCAA Division I Regional-qualifying club in 1987 ... Majoring in business.
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