Baseball Visits SEMO Before Home MVC Series with Bradley

By: Ben Adamson

missouri state baseball – games 16-20

Schedule	Tuesday, March 30 at SEMO, 1 p.m. Thursday, April 1 vs. Bradley, 6:30 p.m. Friday, April 2 vs. Bradley, 2 p.m. Friday, April 2 vs. Bradley, 5 p.m. Saturday, April 3 vs. Bradley, 1 p.m.
Locations	Cape Girardeau, Mo. (Tues.) Springfield, Mo. (Thu.-Sat.)
Sites	Capaha Field (Tues.) Hammons Field (Thu.-Sat.)
Radio	KBFL-FM 96.9 (BU games 1, 3, 4) KBFL-FM 99.9 (SEMO, BU game 2)
Listen Live	TuneIn
Live Video	Bradley Game 1 (ESPN+) Bradley Game 2 (ESPN3) Bradley Game 3 (ESPN3) Bradley Game 4 (ESPN3)
Live Stats	SEMO | Bradley
Missouri State	MSU Game Notes | Baseball Home Page
SEMO	Baseball Home Page
Bradley	Baseball Home Page

Prime 9
1) Missouri State concludes the month of March with a trip to SEMO before opening Missouri Valley Conference play April 1-3 at home against Bradley.

2) The MVC has a new format for league series this season, with teams meeting four times per weekend with a doubleheader on day two. The first game of the doubleheader will be scheduled for seven innings.

3) The Bears are 423-288 in 30 MVC seasons with six regular season titles.

4) Missouri State leads SEMO 66-40 and Bradley 68-40 in the all-time series.

5) The MSU offense has scored at least 11 runs four times in 15 games this season after doing so just three times in the previous 34 games dating to April 2019.

6) Missouri State has four college graduates on the roster, with Jack Duffy, Logan Geha, Ben Whetstone and Logan Wiley each electing to use the additional season eligibility granted to 2020 spring athletes.

7) The Bears’ roster features five players who have earned all-Missouri Valley Conference honors during their respective careers, led by former Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America picks Ty Buckner and Dakota Kotowski; Buckner was a second-team choice in 2018, Kotowski earned first team and Freshman of the Year honors in 2019, while Jack Duffy (second team), Logan Wiley (second team) and Ben Whetstone (honorable mention) were also honored that season. Additionally, Grant Wood was the Ohio Valley Freshman of the Year in 2018 at Murray State.

8) After scoring 69 runs in 17 games last season, the Bears already have 85 runs in 15 outings this year.

9) Keith Guttin currently ranks third on the NCAA’s Division I wins list for active coaches and 19th all-time with 1,295 for his 39-year career; he is 5 wins away from Fresno State’s Bob Bennett in the 18th spot on the chart.

Leading Off
The Missouri State Bears (7-8) are back in action after a week off, visiting Southeast Missouri State for a 2 p.m. game on March 30 before opening Missouri Valley Conference play with a four-game set against Bradley April 1-3 at Hammons Field.
    The MVC schedule takes on a new format this season, with teams meeting four times per weekend with a doubleheader on day two. The first game of the doubleheader will be scheduled for seven innings.

Series Histories
The Bears lead SEMO 66-40 in the all-time series with a 28-24 advantage in Cape Girardeau. The teams did not play between 1981 and 1992, and Keith Guttin is 32-13 against the Redhawks since the series resumed 29 years ago. Missouri State won the last meeting 8-2 on April 2, 2019 at Capaha Field.
    Missouri State holds a 68-40 lead against Bradley with a 36-15 mark at home, though the Braves swept the series at Hammons Field in 2019