Friday, March 24
Columbia, Mo.
12:00 PM
University of Missouri
vs
Arkansas
No. 18 @MizzouBaseball Hosts Arkansas in SEC Weekend Series
3/22/2017 5:27:00 PM | Baseball
Series features two of the nation's hottest teams
| Mizzou, Arkansas Battle for Battle Line Supremacy | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OPPONENT | LOCATION | DAY | TIME | Listen | Stats | Watch |
| Arkansas | Taylor Stadium | Friday, March 24 | 6:30 p.m. | KTGR | Stats | SEC Network+ |
| Arkansas | Taylor Stadium | Saturday, March 25 | 2:00 p.m. | KTGR | Stats | SEC Network |
| Arkansas | Taylor Stadium | Sunday, March 26 | 1:00 p.m. | KTGR | Stats | SEC Network+ |
Game Notes | Season Tickets | Single Game Tickets | Break Time Lounge
- Mizzou Baseball, ranked as high as No. 5 nationally, resumes SEC play this weekend as battle line rival Arkansas comes to Taylor Stadium for a three-game series that pits two of the nation's hottest teams against one another. Of course, Mizzou is riding the longest win streak in the nation at 20 games, just one off of the school record which was set by the 1964 team. Both Mizzou and Arkansas are coming off of series sweeps to open SEC play. Mizzou went on the road to sweep Alabama in just its third SEC series sweep since joining the SEC. Arkansas welcomed defending SEC Champion Mississippi State to Baum Stadium last weekend and swept the Bulldogs.
- Game one of the series between Mizzou and Arkansas is set for a 6:30 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network+ with Ben Arnet and Tim Jamieson on the call. Saturday's game is set for a 2 p.m. first pitch on SEC Network with Alex Perlman and Todd Walker on the call. Sunday's finale will once again be on SEC Network+ with Ben Arnet and Tim Jamieson on the call.
- Mizzou won its 20th consecutive game Tuesday night in an 11-8 decision over Little Rock. Coupled with Louisville losing at Cincinnati, Mizzou is now in sole possession of the nation's longest winning streak and Mizzou is also one of just seven SEC teams to ever win 20 consecutive games. The SEC record for consecutive wins was 24 by Texas A&M in 2015 and Mizzou's current 20-game win streak is the longest by an SEC team since that mark. Every SEC team that has posted a 20-game win streak has reached at least the NCAA Regional round.
- At 20-1 on the year, Mizzou is off to its best start in program history.
- After running out to a 20-1 start with 20 consecutive wins, Mizzou found itself ranked as high as No. 5 nationally in the major college baseball polls this week. Below is a breakdown:
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Poll Rank College Baseball Newspaper 5 Baseball America 18 NCBWA 18 USA Today Coaches Poll 20 RPI 21 Perfect Game 22 D1Baseball 24 Average 18.3 - Mizzou is ranked in all the major polls for the first time since May 4, 2015.
- Mizzou is coming off of an 11-8 Tuesday night win over Little Rock. Mizzou exploded for six runs in the first, two in the second and three more in the fifth with its six-spot in the first being the most by Mizzou in the opening frame all season. Mizzou's offense was the beneficiary of 11 walks in the game. Little Rock used nine pitchers and the first seven issued at least one walk. Starter Carter Brown walked the first three batters of the game to set up Mizzou's six-run first. He took the loss, falling to 1-1. Mizzou's Bryce Montes De Oca earned his second win of the season. Brian Sharp earned his first save of the year.
- Mizzou has made a habit out of scoring early this season. In fact, over the last four games, Mizzou has scored in the opening frame. Mizzou has scored in the first inning of 12 of its 21 games, going 11-1 when scoring in the first.
Pitching Matchups
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Friday
RHP Tanner Houck (3-1, 2.27 ERA) vs.
RHP Blaine Knight (2-1, 2.39 ERA) -
Saturday
LHP Michael Plassmeyer (4-0, 2.89 ERA) vs. RHP Trevor Stephan (4-1, 1.19 ERA) -
Sunday
RHP Andy Toelken (1-0, 3.57 ERA) vs. TBA
Series History
- Mizzou and Arkansas have met plenty of times over the years with Mizzou holding a 30-24-1 advantage in the series, which dates back to the earliest meeting in 1904. The two have played just two series since Mizzou joined the SEC with Arkansas sweeping Mizzou to close 2014 at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou then took two of three from Arkansas last year at Baum Stadium.
With Mizzou and Arkansas playing a three-game set just last year, several Mizzou players have noteworthy stat lines against the Hogs. Below is a look:
- Trey Harris: .364/.500/.545 | 4-for-11 | 3 Runs | 3 RBI | 2 2B | 2 BB | SB
- Brett Bond: .364/.462/.818 | 4-for-11 | 3 Runs | 3 RBI | 3B | HR
- Michael Plassmeyer: 1-0 | 0.00 ERA | 3.2 IP | 4H | 0R | 1 BB | Ks | .286 avg.
- Cole Bartlett: 2.45 ERA | 3.2 IP | 5H | 2 R | 1 ER | 1 BB | 2 Ks | .333 avg.
- Tanner Houck: 1-0 | 7.50 ERA | 6.0 IP | 5H | 5 R | 5 ER | 2 BB | 4 Ks | .217 avg.
- Brian Sharp: 1 SV | 0.00 ERA | 2.2 IP | 0H | 0R | 2BB | 3 Ks | .000 avg.
We're Going Up Through The Quad To The Gymnasium
- After winning 20 consecutive games, Mizzou streaked through its nonconference schedule. With its win streak currently at 20 games, Mizzou is chasing the longest win streak in program history. The current 20-game mark trails only the 1964 team, which won 21 straight as part of a 19-0 Big 8 conference season before advancing all the way to the College World Series finals. There was some controversy with the win streak record, however. The official Mizzou Baseball media guide listed the 1964 team's streak at 19. But, the guide had inexplicably not documented a pair of 11-0 wins over Oklahoma State in a doubleheader that year and it was confirmed this week that Mizzou did in fact win two more games that year. Thus, the streak stands at 21 rather than the previously reported 19. This year's Mizzou team needs one more win to match that streak.
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Consecutive Wins Years Accomplished 21 1964 20 2017
- What makes Mizzou's 20-game winning streak even more impressive is that it has been winning games in a variety of different ways, including finding a way to win close games. Of the 19 wins, nine of the games have been decided by two or fewer runs, including seven one-run wins and four walk-off wins, including last Wednesday's 7-6 win over Chicago State in which Mizzou walked it off on an error in the bottom of the 13th inning.
You Think KFC Is Still Open?
- Staying on the streaking topic, Mizzou's 20-game win streak is now tops in the nation, just ahead of South Florida. Below is a look at the longest active streaks in all of college baseball this season:
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Team Consecutive Wins Mizzou 20 South Florida 19 Oregon State 12 Navy 9 Six schools 8
More on the Streak (Without Old School References)
- In the history of the SEC, there have been just seven winning streaks of 20 or more games by SEC teams. The 20 straight wins are currently tied for the fifth-most ever by an SEC team. Mizzou would need to win four more games to match the SEC record of 24, set by Texas A&M in 2015. Mizzou's current 20-win streak is the best by an SEC team since that 2015 Texas A&M team won 24. Below is a breakdown of the SEC winning streaks:
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School Year Consecutive Wins Postseason Texas A&M 2015 24 NCAA Super Regional LSU 2008 23 College World Series South Carolina 2000 22 NCAA Super Regional Kentucky 2012 22 NCAA Regional South Carolina 2000 20 NCAA Super Regional Vanderbilt 2007 20 NCAA Regional Mizzou 2017 20 TBD
SIKKEMA EARNS SEC CO-FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK
- Mizzou Baseball freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema was named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Sikkema earned a pair of saves in Mizzou's series sweep at Alabama last weekend.
- Sikkema made two appearances for Mizzou on the weekend at Alabama, earning saves in the Friday and Sunday contests, pitching 5.1 innings while striking out an incredible 10 batters without allowing a run. On Friday, he pitched the final 2.0 innings and helped Mizzou earn its first SEC shutout since March 15, 2015, while teaming with Tanner Houck to allow the fewest hits ever for a Mizzou opponent in an SEC game (two). Four of his five strikeouts Friday were of the looking variety as he now has an SEC-best 22 on the season. Sikkema followed that by pitching the final 3.1 innings in Sunday's contest, settling down what had been a wild game before he came in. He again struck out five in that contest.
- Sikkema has arguably been the top reliever in the SEC this season, as he now owns a personal 27.0 shutout inning streak with 46 strikeouts and just 13 hits allowed in that span. He is tied for the SEC lead in strikeouts (46) while ranking third in ERA (0.33) and third in opponent batting (.143). He has earned a decision, four wins and three saves in each of his last seven appearances and is averaging 15.15 strikeouts/nine innings this season, the top mark in the nation among freshmen.
GETTING IT DONE ON BOTH SIDES
- Heading into this weekend's games, Mizzou is getting it done both offensively and on the mound as one of just five teams nationally ranked in the top 25 in both batting average and ERA. Mizzou is second in the SEC in ERA (2.78) and third in batting (.313), ranking 15th and 22nd
The Tigers join nationally-ranked Louisville, St. John's and Kentucky as the only four teams in the nation that rank in the top 20 nationally in both categories. . -
Team Batting Average (rank) ERA (rank) Rank Average Louisville .318 (18th) 1.92 (2nd) 10th Kentucky .328 (5th) 2.79 (16th) 11th St. John's .323 (14th) 2.62 (10th) 12th South Florida .313 (23rd) 2.08 (4th) 14th Mizzou .313 (22nd) 2.78 (15th) 19th -
Mizzou's average rank in both categories is 19th nationally. While there is still plenty of baseball to be played, that is a stark contrast from last year's team that finished 262nd nationally in batting and 117th in ERA at the end of the year. That was good for a 220 average rank, 201 spots below where Mizzou ranks this season.
#BIESERBALL EFFECT IS APPARENT
- We have noted the effect that first year head coach Steve Bieser has had on this year's team throughout the notes, but there may not be a more telling stat than looking at Mizzou's turnaround offensively. Mizzou ranked 262nd nationally in batting a year ago and after five weeks of play this year, Mizzou ranks 22nd nationally, good for a 240-place turnaround, which is the second-largest increase in the nation. The next-closest Power 5 team is Alabama at a 182-place turnaround, the eighth-best in the nation. Below is a breakdown. Keep in mind, this increase comes after Mizzou lost its top three hitters from a season ago.
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Team 2016 Avg. (Rank) 2017 Avg. (Rank) Turnaround South Florida .248 (265) .313 (23) +242 Mizzou .249 (262) .313 (22nd) +241 Dartmouth .253 (247) .327 (7) +240 Cornell .240 (280) .294 (64) +212 Savannah St. .237 (281) .281 (89) +192 - In addition, Mizzou's ERA turnaround from 117th nationally a year ago to 12th this year is a 105-spot increase. That ranks among the nation's top 40 turnarounds as well under first-year pitching coach Pat Hallmark.
For all the latest on Mizzou Baseball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team on Twitter (@MizzouBaseball) and like the team on Facebook and Instagram (Mizzou Baseball and missouri_baseball, respectively).
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