Baseball Hosts Norse for Three-Game Weekend Series

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri baseball continues its nine-game home stand this weekend with a three-game series against Northern Kentucky at Taylor Stadium.

The Tigers (4-4) and Norse (2-6) will open their series with a 6 p.m. (CST) contest Friday (March 1), followed by single games Saturday (2 p.m.) and Sunday (1 p.m.).

Each of this weekend’s games will be streamed live on SEC Network+. All Mizzou baseball games in 2024 will be produced by the Tiger Radio Network and streamed live through the Varsity Network App (by searching ‘Missouri’), with Tex Little and Matt Michaels once again handling broadcast duties.

PROMOTIONS

Schedule Magnet Giveaway (Friday)
Strike Out Hunger and Family Day (Sunday) – Donate canned items; postgame autographs and kids run the bases

PITCHING PROBABLES

Game 1 (Friday, March 1 – 6 p.m.) – RHP Bryce Mayer (Mizzou) vs. TBD (Northern Kentucky)
Game 2 (Saturday, March 2 – 2 p.m.) – RHP Carter Rustad (Mizzou) vs. TBD (Northern Kentucky)
Game 3 (Sunday, March 3 – 1 p.m.) – RHP Logan Lunceford (Mizzou) vs. TBD (Northern Kentucky)

SERIES HISTORY

Friday’s matchup will mark the first meeting of the Tigers and Norse.
This weekend’s series marks the first of two straight against Horizon League members for the Tigers, who will host Purdue Fort Wayne for a four-game set next weekend.
Mizzou brings a 13-5 all-time mark against the current membership of the Horizon League into this weekend’s series.

SCOUTING MISSOURI

Missouri posted a 30-24 finish last spring, including a 10-20 SEC mark.
Kerrick Jackson was named the 15th head coach in Mizzou history in June, returning to Columbia to lead a program for which he served as an assistant coach from 2011-15 under Mizzou Hall of Fame head coach (and current pitching coach) Tim Jamieson.
The Tigers return three regular starters from last season, led by senior INF/OF Trevor Austin, who batted .311 with eight homers and 10 steals to help bolster the MU offense.
Senior INF Matt Garcia turned in a solid debut season with the Tigers, providing clutch hitting and lock-down defense on the MU infield.
Additionally, junior INF Justin Colon returns for Mizzou and earning significant playing time at shortstop over each of his first two seasons in Columbia.
MU should also receive a lift from sophomore INF Jackson Lovich and junior OF Juju Stevens, who each made key contributions in limited duty in 2023.
Several newcomers could also make early contributions, including junior INF Danny Corona, who helped Wake Forest to a 2023 College World Series berth, C Jedier Hernandez, a standout behind the plate for Seton Hall the last two seasons, and sophomore OF Jeric Curtis, a Texas Tech transfer who brings significant speed to the Tiger outfield and batting order.
On the mound, sophomore RHP Logan Lunceford is back to help anchor Mizzou’s weekend rotation after posting 68 strikeouts to lead all SEC freshman hurlers last spring.
Junior LHP Javyn Pimental also contributed mightily to the Tigers’ mound efforts in 2023, making eight starts for the Tigers.
Mizzou should also benefit from the potential return of a trio veterans who missed significant time last spring; left-handers Ian Lohse and Tony Neubeck and RHP Carter Rustad missed significant portions of 2023 due to injury following promising starts to the campaign.
New arms like RHP Xavier Lovett and RHP Bryce Mayer could compete for starting rotation spots, while RHP Jacob Peaden may give the back end of the Tigers’ bullpen a strong presence.

MIZZOU BY THE NUMBERS

Missouri is coming off a 30-win campaign last spring, which marked the 20th time the Tigers reached the 30-win plateau in the last 30 seasons, as well as the 35th time overall in program history.
Mizzou finished its 2023 home slate with a 19-7 mark at Taylor Stadium — its top home win total since 2019.
The Tigers also shattered the program’s single-season attendance record, drawing at total of 37,133 fans over 23 home dates to eclipse the previous mark of 31,450 spectators (2008).
Mizzou homered 79 times as a team in 2023, which represented the fifth-best season total in program history
The Tigers’ 2023 pitching staff ranked 37th nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (9.7).
OF Thomas Curry enjoyed a debut to remember at Cal Poly, as the freshman paced all Mizzou hitters with his .444 average, while homering and driving in four runs.
RHP Carter Rustad notched career victory No. 13 Feb. 16 at Cal Poly, combining with LHP Ryan Magdic and RHP Jacob Peaden on a one-hitter.
Freshman SS Drew Culbertson powered the Tiger offense at last week’s Tony Gwynn Legacy series in San Diego, hitting .471 with three multi-hit performances in MU’s four outings.
Mizzou homered four times against CSU Bakersfield (Feb. 22) and has out-homered the opposition by a 10-4 count through its first eight games.
The Tigers have been deadly on the basepaths, swiping 13 steals in 16 attempts thus far; Jeric Curtis has accounted for four of those steals.

SCOUTING NORTHERN KENTUCKY

NKU head coach Dizzy Peyton enters his third season at the helm after spending 17 years on the Norse staff prior to taking over in 2022.
Four Norse were named Preseason All-Horizon League selections: INF Liam McFadden-Ackman, INF John Odom, OF Treyvin Moss and RHP Clay Brock were all selected for the honor by Perfect Game.
McFadden-Ackman hit .322 with 16 homers and 69 RBIs a year ago, while Odom hit .280 with six round-trippers and 32 RBIs.
Moss scored 43 runs and swiped 23 bases, and Brock was a first-team all-conference pick in 2023.

TIGERS AT THE TURNSTILES

Mizzou shattered its program record for total home attendance last spring, drawing 37,133 fans over 23 dates to eclipse the previous program mark of 31,450 (2008).
MU finished its 2023 home campaign with its 20th crowd of 1,000 or more fans — and its 17th in a row.
In its 23 home dates at Taylor Stadium, the Tigers drew five crowds of at least 2,000 fans, as well as an average of 1,614 spectators per date, both of which represent high-water marks for the program.

FAST STARTS

Mizzou is off to a 4-4 start under first-year head coach Kerrick Jackson.
MU has claimed three road wins after winning just seven true road games in 2023.
The Tigers have won at least four of their first seven contests in eight of the last 10 seasons dating back to 2015.
The 4-3 start to Jackson’s tenure represents the seventh-best among the 15 head coaches in the history of the Mizzou baseball program.

OFF AND RUNNING

Speaking of fast starts, the Tigers’ running game has played a prominent role in Mizzou’s strong opening stretch.
MU has stolen 13 bases (in 16 attempts) in eight games, with its average of 1.63 steals per game ranking fifth in the SEC entering the week.
OF Jeric Curtis has led the charge, swiping four bags in five attempts, which ranks sixth individually in the SEC.
The Tigers’ 13 steals represents exactly 20-percent of its 2023 season total (65), just eight games into the new campaign.

FRESH LOOK

Mizzou has received contributions from up and down its roster, but the Tigers’ talented crop of freshmen have been perhaps the most consistent performers.
MU’s four primary freshman position players —SS Drew Culbertson, OF Thomas Curry, OF Tucker Moore and OF Kaden Peer — rank among the Tigers’ top six overall batters to date.
The quartet has combined to hit .286 (26-for-91) with three homers and three stolen bases through eight games.
Culbertson has logged three multi-hit outings to date, hitting .290 overall while starting every game at shortstop.
Moore has assumed the leadoff spot in the MU batting order and has compiled a .406 on-base percentage, which ranks second on the club.
The Tigers have gotten a lift from a pair of freshman hurlers as well, with RHP Josh McDevitt and RHP Charlie Miller combining for seven strikeouts while allowing just three hits over their 4 2/3 innings.

WELCOME WAGON

Sixteen different players have made their Mizzou debuts over the first two weeks of the season.
In the Tigers season opener at Cal Poly, seven newcomers found their names in the lineup: RHP Bryce Mayer, 3B Danny Corona, C Jedier Hernandez, DH Thomas Curry, CF Jeric Curtis, SS Drew Culbertson and LF Tucker Moore.
On the mound, several new faces contributed to the Tigers’ series win, with LHP Ryan Magdic and RHP Jacob Peaden combining for 4.0 hitless innings of relief in a 3-1 victory, while RHP Charlie Miller and C Mateo Serna also saw action in game three.
Last week, OF Kaden Peer made a pair of starts in the outfield, while RHP Kaden Jacobi, RHP Victor Quinn and RHP Josh McDevitt all made their first appearances for the Tigers in San Diego.
On Tuesday, RHP Miles Garrett made his debut as a Tiger in the loss the SEMO.
Garrett is one of two MU hurlers returning from lengthy absences due to injuries. RHP Ben Pedersen reintroduced himself to the Tiger faithful last weekend at UCSD with his first appearance since May 15, 2021.
Both Garrett and Pedersen missed all of the 2022 and 2023 seasons due to their injuries.

GOING DEEP

Mizzou powered up to hit six home runs in its four games in San Diego last weekend and have now out-homered the opposition by a 10-4 margin this season.
The Tigers are 4-2 when hitting at least one home run and 0-2 when they fail to go deep.
Seven different Tigers have homered in the first eight games, continuing a recent trend that was evident in 2023, when 14 different Tigers hit at least one home run.
2B Trevor Austin has powered the early attack for MU, as the senior from Jefferson City clubbed three homers in four games last week in San Diego.
Austin turned in his first multi-homer performance as a Tiger in a 6-3 win over CSUB, a game in which MU hit four solo bombs.
Two Tigers — SS Drew Culbertson and OF Isaiah Frost — hit their first collegiate home runs as part of a three-homer barrage by the Tigers in the second inning.
The long ball for Frost not only represented his first HR as a Tiger, but also his first hit.
In their last 21 games, extending back to April 29, 2023, 15 different Tigers have combined to hit 43 round-trippers.
MU clubbed 79 homers in 2023, which represented the program’s top total since the 1998 squad blasted a school-record 110 bombs.
Mizzou reached the 75-home run plateau on just four previous occasions — 1998, 1988, 1986 and 1985.

NONCONFERENCE DOMINATION

Mizzou claimed its first two nonconference victories of the season over the weekend at Cal Poly, continuing a string of recent dominance in nonconference play.The Tigers logged a 20-3 mark against non-SEC foes last spring, after going 18-3 in nonconference play in 2022.
MU has overall mark of 42-10 in non-SEC competition since the start of the 2022 season.
Mizzou hit .300 against non-league foes and averaged nearly 10 hits per outing, while also posting a 3.95 team ERA
Over the last decade, the Tigers’ dominance has been equally as pronounced, with MU winning nearly 100 more nonconference games than it has lost (169-70), good for a .707 winning percentage.

TIGERS ON THE TUBE

Missouri is slated to appear in eight linear broadcasts on the ESPN family of networks over the course of the 2024 season.
Mizzou’s SEC matchups and select non-conference games will stream on SEC Network+.
Each of this weekend’s games with NKU will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

TICKETS
Mizzou baseball 2024 season and single-game tickets are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the ticket office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or by visiting MUTigers.com/Tickets.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS
For all the latest information on Mizzou baseball, please visit MUTigers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Tigers on X, Instagram and Facebook.

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics