Tuesday, March 8
Columbia, Mo.
6 p.m.
University of Missouri
vs
Alabama A&M
@MizzouBaseball Continues Homestand With Alabama A&M Midweek
3/7/2016 6:39:00 PM | Baseball
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY // TIME | LIVE STATS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Taylor Stadium | Tuesday, March 8 // 6 p.m. | Stats |
| Alabama | Taylor Stadium | Wednesday, March 9 // 4 p.m. | Stats |
Setting the Stage
- Mizzou Baseball continues its 12-game homestand this week as it welcomes Alabama A&M for a two-game, midweek series beginning Tuesday at 6 p.m. The finale will be Wednesday at 4 p.m. Each game will be broadcast by Mizzou Network on SEC Network+ and Tex Little and Trevor Coleman will have the call on KTGR 103.1 FM/1580 AM.
- Mizzou has opened the season 11-3 through the first 14-games this season, marking Mizzou's best 14-game start since 2008 when the team went 12-2 to open the season. Last year, Mizzou was 10-4 through 14 games and that team wound up finishing third in a loaded SEC East.
- Looking at the stats when comparing the 2015 and 2016 teams through 14 games, there is one glaring difference: Mizzou's offense has been a lot better this year. In fact, through 14 games a season ago, Mizzou was hitting just .230 as a team with only 56 runs (4.0 per game). This year, Mizzou is hitting .286 as a team with 91 runs (6.5 per game) while slugging 37 extra-base hits while last year's team had just 29 extra-base hits. Mizzou's ERA was 1.98 through 14 games a season ago and checks in at 3.05 this year, but the improvement in the offense is clear to see. Not one hitter in Mizzou's lineup at this point last year was hitting above .300 while Mizzou has four such hitters doing so this season. Zach Lavy led Mizzou with a .282 average through 14 games last season - that mark would rank sixth-best on the team this season at this point.
- This week's games with Alabama A&M mark the first two games ever played between the two schools.
- UTIL Brian Sharp was named SEC Freshman of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. This is the second consecutive week that a Mizzou player has earned this distinction after OF Connor Brumfield was named SEC Freshman of the Week last Monday. Sharp was sensational last week, guiding Mizzou to a 4-1 record over five games. He picked up his second career win and second career save on the mound while hitting .333 with three runs and two RBI in the Mizzou lineup last week. Sharp earned the save Tuesday against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, helping preserve Mizzou's third shutout of the season with a 2-0 victory. He then picked up the win on Friday night after pitching the ninth inning before SS Ryan Howard's walk-off homer lifted Mizzou to the 7-4 win. It is the second consecutive week that Sharp has tallied a win and a save as Mizzou's closer. At the plate, Sharp had a pair of multi-hit games on the week, driving in runs in two games, including a big, two-out, RBI single over UAPB to give Mizzou a 2-0 lead.
- RHP Tanner Houck has accepted an invitational to play with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team for the second consecutive summer, as announced Monday by Mizzou head coach Tim Jamieson and USA Baseball. Houck, a Preseason All-American and Preseason All-SEC pick, spent last summer with the Collegiate National Team and he is the first Mizzou player to earn a spot on the team twice.
- Since opening the season 2-2, Mizzou has been red hot over its last 10 games, winning nine of those 10 games. Mizzou is hitting .314 as a team with 29 extra-base hits per contest while outscoring opponents, 75-32. One of the keys to the success in that span is that Mizzou has walked 55 times as a team while limiting its opponents to just 15 free passes. Mizzou's staff ERA during the 10-game span is 2.57 and the pitchers have struck out 83 batters over 91.0 innings against only 15 walks.
- Mizzou has been red hot since returning to Taylor Stadium after an 11-day trip to Fort Myers to open the season. Mizzou is hitting .298 with 34 runs (6.8 per game) and 14 extra-base hits and five homers since returning home. Mizzou has also drawn 2 walks in five home games while issuing just seven.
Pitching Matchups
- LHP Brandon Marsonek (0-2, 4.40 ERA) vs. RHP Ryan Lee (1-1, 3.12 ERA)
- LHP Parker Hill (0-1, 3.12 ERA) vs. TBA
Up Next
Mizzou will continue its homestand with a three-game series against Youngstown State beginning Friday at 6 p.m. The two teams will play at 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m Sunday. Tex Little and Trevor Coleman will have the call on KTGR and the games will stream live on the Watch ESPN App courtesy of SEC Network+. For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter @MizzouBaseball.
Players Mentioned
OF
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RHP
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INF/C
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