Game Day: Oklahoma State @ Mizzou

Oklahoma State Starting Infield

♦ Note the somewhat different game times:

• Friday 6:00 PM
• Saturday 6:00 PM
• Sunday 1:00 PM

MU Track & Field's Missouri Relay will be taking place at Walton Stadium next door to Taylor Stadium this weekend as well, which could make parking interesting.

• Friday 11:30 AM - approx 7:00 PM 
• Saturday 10:00 AM to 4:45 PM 

  Predicted spotty rain showers Friday and Saturday could cause delays that will further complicate schedules.

♦ Mizzou Baseball Offers Ticket Specials This Weekend (mutigers.com)

The Mizzou baseball program, which has won 10 of its last 11 games and is fresh off of its longest winning streak since 2008, will offer special ticket promotions to this weekend's Big 12-opening series with Oklahoma State is hopes of packing Taylor Stadium for all three scheduled games.

First, tickets for the entire series will cost just $1 for all three scheduled contests, starting with Friday's 6 p.m. tilt with the Cowboys. The Saturday contest (6 p.m.) and the series finale on Sunday (1 p.m.) will also feature $1 tickets. Also on Sunday, the baseball program will begin its `Tiger Little League Sunday' promotion in which any little leaguer dressed in uniform will get his/her entire family into the game for just $1. Starting with this Sunday, the `Tiger Little League' promotion will run at every Sunday Mizzou baseball game.

♦ MU vs. OSU Stats

	MU	OSU
Batting Average	.273	.278
ERA	4.42	3.07
RPI	.530	.491
RPI rank	95th	164th
Strength of Schedule	165th	176th

Weekend Weather
Weather.com
FRI 64 / 40% Rain
SAT 71 / 30% Rain
SUN 76 / Sunny

♦ Oklahoma State's Heaney named Big 12 Pitcher of the Week (Stillwater News Press)

Oklahoma State’s left-hander Andrew Heaney was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week for games played March 12-18, the league office announced Monday.

Heaney threw a complete game shutout against Houston on Friday. He improved to 4-1. The junior allowed three hits and struck out eight. He did not issue a walk and threw just 91 pitches.

The NCAA leader in strikeouts, Heaney faced just three batters over the minimum in the contest as he retired the Cougars in order in six innings.

♦ OSU baseball riding winning streak entering Houston series (Daily O'Collegian, 3/15)

The team was plagued with inconsistent defensive performances, at times giving up the game in the final innings, but recent play has shown the coaches that sustained improvement might not be far away.

“I like what I’m seeing late in the games,” Anderson said. “This team struggled a lot in California, but they have been playing better ever since.”

In its first five games, the Cowboys gave up 21 earned runs and were outscored 40-21.

“We didn’t have a lot of luck early in the season,” Anderson said. “But we have a good team. I’ve said that from the start and we can compete in this league.”

Through their recent offensive and defensive efforts, the Cowboys have shown the ability to overcome its early season obstacles.

In its past five games, the OSU bullpen has improved, giving up 12 earned runs in 21 innings of work.

Starting pitchers Andrew Heaney and Chase Stevens have been among the team leaders in those winning efforts. Each pitcher has three wins and at least 40 strikeouts through three games.

Heaney’s ERA of 1.20 and Stevens’ ERA of 1.32 has allowed the Cowboys to win games when runs have been hard to come by.

♦ Oklahoma State's Hunter Bailey trying to bounce back (Stillwater News Press)

Hunter Bailey thought he knew almost everything there was to know about playing shortstop. But after an ankle injury and surgery in the offseason, the Oklahoma State senior has taken a new approach to the position.

“It makes me pay attention a lot more,” Bailey said. “I’m still not able to move as well, so I need to know whose pitching and where the pitch is going to be that way I can be in position to make the play.”

It’s been a season of struggles for Bailey — most of which can be attributed to the ankle injury. But while Bailey may be hitting .243 with one home run and seven RBIs, it isn’t keeping him from being the emotional leader for the Cowboys.

“He’s still only about 75 percent after the surgery,” Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson said. “He’s fought through a lot of pain for this team. Everybody knows he’s hurting, but they see him giving 110 percent and I guess it makes them want to contribute more.”

♦ Missouri baseball team buried by Sycamores (Columbia Tribune)

To say that the mistakes snowballed yesterday on Simmons Field would be doing the cliché an injustice. What the Missouri baseball team created was an avalanche of errors.

A poor pitching performance eroded into a shoddy defensive effort which begat a lifeless offense. The Tigers were embarrassed by Indiana State 15-1 in their worst outing of the season.

"This should never happen — never, ever happen — at the Division I level," Missouri Coach Tim Jamieson said. "There's no excuse for it."