March 18, 2008
MIZZOU VS. SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
MARCH 18-19 • COLUMBIA, MO
First Pitch:
Tuesday, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, 4 p.m.
Series History: MU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: MU def. SDSU 15-3 in 1982
Stadium: Taylor Stadium
Capacity: 2,200
Radio: KTGR 1580-AM
Live Audio: KTGR.com
Live Video: mutigers.com
Live Gametracker: mutigers.com
MISSOURI TIGERS
Overall Record: 13-2
Last 5/Last 10: 5-0/9-1
Streak: Won 8
Rankings: BA: 4/CB: 8/ NCBWA: 11/ ESPN: 9
Website: mutigers.com
Head Coach: Tim Jamieson
Career Record: 454-310-2 (14th season)
Record at MU: 454-310-2 (14th season)
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE
Overall Record: 5-9
Last 5/Last 10: 2-3/4-6
Streak: Lost 2
Rankings: N/A
Website: gojacks.com
Head Coach: Reggie Christiansen
Career Record: 100-124 (5th year)
Record at SDSU: 79-105 (4th year)
COMPLETE GAMENOTES
FIRST PITCH
Missouri will carry its eight-game winning streak into a two-game midweek series with South Dakota State. The two-game series will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with game two set for 4 p.m. on Wednesday.
The Tigers are 13-2 on the year after sweeping a four-game series with Toledo last weekend. South Dakota State 5-9 on the year and will face MU for just the second time ever.
MIZZOU REMAINS FOURTH IN BASEBALL AMERICA POLL
The new Baseball America poll released on Monday has Missouri holding onto the No. 4 spot, its highest ever ranking.
The Tigers are the highest ranked Big 12 Conference team in the poll. Baylor is ranked 14th, ahead of 18th-ranked Texas and 22nd-ranked Nebraska.
Mizzou opened the 2008 season ranked No. 6 in the Baseball America Preseason Poll.
Missouri finds itself ranked eighth in Collegiate Baseball's Top 30, No. 9 in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches' Poll and 11th the NCBWA poll.
MU-SDSU SERIES HISTORY
Mizzou and South Dakota State have met once before, with the Tigers taking a 15-3 victory when the two teams met at the Turquoise Tournament in Albuquerque, N.M. in March of 1982.
MU OFF TO BEST START SINCE '85
Mizzou is 13-2 to start the season, which is the best start at MU since the 1985 team opened 14-0. That year's team finished 36-27 on the year.
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri remained undefeated at home as it swept a four-game series with Toledo last weekend.
The series began with back-to-back shutouts, as junior Aaron Crow struck out a career-best 15 and recorded his first career shutout with MU taking a 6-0 win in the opener. Along with fanning 15, Crow did not walk a batter.
Junior Ian Berger followed with a nine-strikeout, eight-inning performance in the second game as the Tigers took a 10-0 win. Berger allowed just four hits and lowered his ERA to .039.
MU took two wins in Sunday's doubleheader, as sophomore Kyle Gibson struck out 11, becoming the third-straight Mizzou pitcher to record a career high in Ks.
In game two of the doubleheader, 24 Tigers played, with 17 position players getting time in the game and seven pitchers taking the mound.
Offensively, sophomore Greg Folgia hit .500 (6-for-12) on the weekend and has a career-best nine-game hitting streak in tact.
UP NEXT
Mizzou will open Big 12 Conference play this weekend with a three-game series against Baylor, which will get underway at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. Game two will be played at 2 p.m. on Saturday with the finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday.
