A whole new ballgame: MU vs. A&M @ 4:00

■ Big 12 Tournament details

Wednesday
Game 1: 9:00 AM - KSU vs. KU >> FINAL: KSU 5-4
Game 2: 12:30 PM - UT vs. BU
Game 3: 4:00 PM - MU vs. A&M
Game 4: 7:30 PM - OU vs. TT

■ Online video available for all games at http://www.big12Sports.com. Problems with the online video feed? Click HERE

■ It's 3-seed Mizzou vs. 6-seed Texas A&M Wednesday at 4-ish to get this party started for the Tigers.

What happened last time the Tigers and Aggies met? Mizzou won the series 2-1 at Simmons Field.

March 20: MU 3, A&M 2. Kyle Gibson strikes out a career-high 16.

"It's big time," Gibson said. "When I am able to put up a zero, and our guys put up a couple there is not a better feeling. The other team just took all the energy out of their pitcher and their offense because they put up a zero, and then we put up two. It's just big time. There is no other big thing in baseball other than throwing the first punch and jumping on them early, and that's what we like to do here at Mizzou." (PowerMizzou.com)

March 21: MU 6, A&M 2. Johnny Wholestaff got his first taste of Big 12 action.

Head coach Tim Jamieson had toyed with the idea of using the pitching by committee method in Big 12 play, and he made it a reality on Saturday. Once again, the strategy paid off for Jamieson with his staff giving up a combined two runs. Jamieson even used first baseman Greg Folgia who gave up no runs and had two strikeouts in the inning.

"It has (worked) every game," Jamieson said. "There were a couple of nervous moments, but I think when you score five runs in the bottom of the first it takes a lot of pressure off your pitching staff, whether it be one guy or nine guys." (PowerMizzou.com)

• March 22: MU 5, A&M 6.

The Aggies went ahead in the top of the ninth for good when Brooks Raley stole second base and, while sliding, kicked the ball from MU shortstop Michael Liberto's glove. The ball sailed into left field and before Rex Meyr could throw home, Raley scored the winning run. (Columbia Missourian)

■ Look out for unexpected (Columbia Tribune):

“Some teams are really fired up about winning, and other teams are just using it as a stepping stone. Really, until you see the first couple games, you don’t know who’s doing what,” MU Coach Tim Jamieson said. ... “It’s an interesting format, because you don’t really know what to expect. I kind of like that.”
. . .
Jamieson said Sunday that every pitcher would be available for tomorrow’s opener, though Gibson is expected to start. Nick Tepesch will most likely pitch Saturday against Oklahoma. With Scooter Hicks emerging as a starter and Ian Berger capable of eating up a few innings, Missouri will have plenty of options on the other days. And that includes the possibility of Johnny Wholestaff — the Tigers’ pitcher-by-committee approach — working a potential championship game. That would save Gibson for the regional opener.

■ From redraiders.com: “I think from a hosting standpoint that’s why we have to attack this tournament,” Jamieson said. “We’ll go with Gibson the first game and then do what we can from there to get to Sunday. What happens on the first day will determine if we go after (Tech) on Friday or save someone for OU (Saturday)

■ RockMNation says, So you wanna get excited about MU in the Big XII Baseball Tournament. A few quotes (click the LINK - its worth reading it all)

• Give oodles of credit to head coach Tim Jamieson, who has rallied his troops to be a really solid contender after being on the brink of non-factordom

• Folgia is, for all intents and purposes, The Man for Mizzou. Imagine if Jesus played baseball. That’s Greg Folgia in 2009.* (* - Not true. Jesus is a small-ball player, a hustling leadoff man as opposed to a powerful middle-of-the-order hitter. It’s apples to oranges.)

■ Tigers prepare for Big 12 Tournament (PowerMizzou.com):

"To think that if we go and win the Big 12 tournament we got a chance to host is pretty amazing," Missouri ace Kyle Gibson said. To come from 1-7 and to work our way back to .500 at 18-18, then 20-20, and now 34-23 is pretty amazing. We've had a good little streak here."

■ Coaches differ on Big 12 tourney's importance (Autin Smerican Statesman):

All eight teams, separated into two separate pools of four teams each, will play three games. The winners of both pools play Sunday in a fourth game to determine the Big 12 crown. But not everybody here really wants to play until Sunday.

"The reason is pitching," Missouri coach Tim Jamieson said. "The more you tax your pitchers this week, the more likely it is they won't be ready for next week. When it comes to pitchers, you've always got your eye on next week. That's even more so when next week is the NCAA regional."

■ Folgia mirrors Missouri's rise off the deck (Kansas City Star):

“You could tell last year at times, and certainly his freshman year, he would get a pitch early in his at-bat and if he missed it or it went against him, the game’s over,” Jamieson said. “It would linger for an entire game. Sometimes longer than that. He’s been too hard on himself at times.”
. . .
Jamieson contends some do not realize how hot the Tigers are, ignoring the fact that Missouri is the No. 3 seed in the Big 12 tourney, behind Texas and Oklahoma and ahead of K-State and KU, the Nos. 4-5 seeds. Those two open tournament play at 9 a.m. today after KU took two of three from K-State in the final Big 12 regular-season series.

“People are still talking about Kansas and Kansas State,” Jamieson said. “We won a series with both of those teams and we’re above them in the standings, way above Kansas in RPI and even with Kansas State.

“From that standpoint, maybe being pushed aside is good for us.”

■ Aggies hope to erase recent struggles (AggieSports.com): A&M is expected to pitch junior right-hander Clayton Ehlert (5-0, 5.95 ERA) against Missouri

■ Tigerboarders mull over the possibilities:

bigtimetig: All in all, it is pretty clear that the NCAA likes to give the Big XII 3 host sites. UT and OU are locks and A&M and OU looked good heading into the last few weeks but have basically played their way out of contention. While I realize our overall resume is short of spectacular I do believe we have a chance. Win the tourney this week and our RPI should jump significantly, hopefully close to 20. With a 3rd place finish, good RPI, tourney champs, and series wins over both other BIG XII bubble hosts (A&M and KSU), we most definitely have a shot. Is it a guarantee, no! But if we win the tourney, I'm bookin my hotel room for CoMO...

bolivartiger: I think that one of the Big Ten schools or Louisville will end up hosting as a 2 seed. I don't think it is posible to catch them at this point.

bigtimetig: And if Louisville does host and we don't, PLEASE SEND US THERE! Karma is a b**ch and it would be only fitting if we knocked that classless excuse for a 3rd baseman on his rear end and then top it off by ending his college career on his home field. Not that anyone or team should ever need any extra motivation in the NCAA tourney, but I would have to imagine that our players would be primed and ready to go if we got sent there...

.