SEC Fan's Guide to Mizzou Baseball: Missouri Baseball On the Air

Tex Little, Voice of Tiger Baseball
Columbia Missourian photo 

The Zimmer Radio Group signed a contract to be the official broadcaster of all MU Athletics starting with the 2010-2011 season. The contract is for five years, through the 2014-2015 season.

ZRG had already been the official home of MU Baseball for several years before that agreement.

Mizzou Baseball games are broadcast live over the air on KTGR 1580 AM, an ESPN radio affiliate, and on FM 100.5.

The KTGR radio broadcasts can also be accessed through the internet. To tune in the Tigers online, go to the Streaming Audio link at KTGR.com, or go to the mutigers.com Baseball Schedule page and click on the Audio Broadcast link for each day's game.

Tex in 1988

A pre-game show begins 30 minutes prior to each game, including interviews with MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson, the visiting coach and an interview with a Mizzou player or other member of the MU Baseball family. Following the game are quick post-game interviews, wrap-up and conference scoreboard.

Tex Little began as the play-by-play voice of Mizzou Baseball in 1987.

Tex's style is down home and folksy.  His style will fit in quite well in SEC country.  He's an unabashed fan of the Tigers, but he doesn't hesitate to call it like he sees it.

His knowledge of MU Baseball history is a great asset - and a great source of amusement occasionally.  He's kind of like the dad who can't always summon up the correct name of the kid he's talking to.  Former outfielder Evan Frey, currently in the Diamondbacks' organization, was a great player in his own right.  But during his career at Mizzou, I'm certain Tex referred to him as "Ryan Fry" more often  than not.  Ryan Fry was a star Tiger from the 90's, now in the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame.

Tex discovered Twitter last season (@TexLittleSS) but is still not a prolific tweeter.

Hunter Mense

Hunter Mense, former Tiger outfielder and minor league journeyman, has been in the booth with Tex for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.  It's uncertain whether he will continue in that role.  Hopefully he will continue to do so until he graduates, which should be sometime in the next decade or two. He provides color commentary and keeps Tex from breaking the electronic gadgetry in the booth.

Hunter spent this past summer playing for the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent American Association.

Hunter Mense is prolific with his comments on Twitter, both baseball related and otherwise (@Hunter_Mense).

SEC Baseball Fan's Guide
to Mizzou Baseball

♦ Tex Little gives Missouri baseball voice (Columbia Missourian, May 2009)

“I don’t know another place I want to be other than the ballpark,” Little said.

Later, Little joins Tigers coach Tim Jamieson behind the batting cage and talks baseball. Little says he made the decision to be here when he was 21.

“I had some aspirations to do something different,” Little said. “I was either going to go into coaching or do radio, and I decided to go with radio.”

In 1982, Little got his first job in radio. He spun records, did the news and called games. He even mowed the lawn for KSIW radio in Woodward, Okla. It was the only radio station in town.

Little then moved onto Texas where he covered the Midland Angels in the Texas League in 1986. But when an oil crises ravaged the town's economy, Little lost his job.

“I had been in Texas and Oklahoma for about six years, and I wanted to be closer to home, and I found a job here,” Little said. “Missouri baseball was part of that package and that’s when they did eight or nine games a year.”

In 1988, Little met with then coach Gene McArtor and both agreed that they wanted to put all the games on the air. Since then, Little has seen the highs and the lows for the Missouri baseball team.
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