Baseball Begins Four-Game Road Trip with Rematch vs. Bears

Wednesday, April 15

Springfield, Mo.

5:30 P.M.

Missouri

Missouri State

Keyler Gonzalez vs. Mo State, April 7, 2026

Baseball Begins Four-Game Road Trip with Rematch vs. Bears

4/14/2026 4:20:00 PM | Baseball

Game Notes (PDF)

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball hits the road for the first matchup of a four-game road trip, making a stop in Springfield for a rematch with in-state rival Missouri State on Wednesday night (5:30 p.m. CT / ESPN+) at Hammons Field before heading the rest of the way to Norman, Oklahoma, for a three-game Southeastern Conference series vs. No. 16 Oklahoma, Friday through Sunday.

After taking down Mo State 5-2 on April 7 at Taylor Stadium, the Tigers (20-17, 3-12 SEC) had a tough weekend, being swept by South Carolina in a three-game SEC series. Mizzou received great starting pitching from Josh McDevitt (7.0 IP, 3 ER, 5 H, 8 K, 1 BB) and Brady Kehlenbrink (7.1 IP, 0 ER, 2 H, 10 K, 0 BB) on Thursday and Friday night but were unable to capitalize, falling in back-to-back pitchers' duels by scores of 5-1 and 1-0, respectively, before falling 6-4 in the finale.

Mizzou pitchers issued just two total walks for the entire series (27.0 IP) against the Gamecocks. The Tigers walked one batter in game one, nobody in game two and one in the series finale, but before the weekend had only walked one or fewer batters in a game once all season (March 8 vs. UIC).

The Tigers will shift their attention back to the Bears (24-10, 12-3 CUSA) for a rematch and a chance to sweep the season series over the in-state foe. Mo State went to Delaware and swept the Blue Hens in a three-game Conference USA series over the weekend, outscoring them 38-17 for the series. The Bears will enter Wednesday's matchup rated No. 15 nationally in RPI and checked in at No. 23 in Perfect Game's April 13 top 25 poll.

All Mizzou baseball games are available via audio stream on The Varsity Network app by Learfield with longtime play-by-play voice Tex Little on the call alongside Matt Michaels providing color.

Expected Pitching Matchup vs. Missouri State

Wednesday, April 15 (5:30 P.M. CT) – ESPN+
- Mizzou – RHP Keyler Gonzalez (2-0, 3.21 ERA, 18 K, 4 BB)
- Mo State – RHP Brock Lucas (3-3, 7.36 ERA, 25 K, 22 BB)

SCHEDULE

Mizzou vs. Missouri State, Wednesday, April 15 @ 5:30 P.M. CT
- Hammons Field | Springfield, Mo. | LIVE STATS | TV

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Through 34 games, Mo State is 24-10 overall and 12-3 in Conference USA play.
The Bears are winners of three-straight games after a CUSA weekend sweep at Delaware, outscoring the Blue Hens 38-17 for the series.
The Bears are currently rated No. 15 nationally in the RPI and check in at No. 23 in this week's Perfect Game Top 25 Poll.
Mo State boasts one of the nation's most lethal offensive attacks this season. The Bears are slashing .308/.421/.558 and rank top 10 nationally in home runs (70) and slugging percentage (.558).
In addition to the gaudy power numbers, the Bears rank 17th nationally in runs (312) and doubles (80), 22nd in on-base percentage (.421), 30th in batting average (.308) and 33rd in hits (363).
Mo State is led offensively by Logan Fyffe (.391 AVG, 12 2B, 5 HR, 31 RBI), Curry Sutherland (.302 AVG, 10 HR, 35 RBI) and Carter Bergman (.287 AVG, 11 HR, 28 RBI).

SERIES HISTORY vs. MISSOURI STATE

Wednesday's game will mark the 69th all-time meeting between the two programs, with Mizzou leading the series, 36-32.
In Springfield, the Tigers trail 13-18 in the series.
The Tigers won the first matchup of the season over the Bears, 5-2, on April 7. RHP Keyler Gonzalez threw six scoreless innings of relief with nine strikeouts to earn the win.

B.K. HAS IT HIS WAY

Sophomore lefty Brady Kehlenbrink had a career outing on the mound vs. South Carolina on April 10.
He tossed a career-long 7.1 innings and threw over 100 pitches (102) for the second time in his career while allowing no earned runs on just a pair of hits.
He allowed just one unearned run while racking up 10 strikeouts and not issuing a single walk.
It marked the second start this season for Kehlenbrink striking out 10-plus without issuing a walk or an earned run (March 8 vs. UIC).

BLAIZE-ING FRESHMAN

Freshman infielder Blaize Ward has been on a tear as of late, earning SEC Co-Freshman of the Week honors on April 6 after hitting .615 for the week and helping the Tigers win the series at No. 24 Kentucky.
Ward hit .667 in the series at Kentucky with a pair of multi-hit games, including a 3-for-3 effort in Sunday's series-clinching win in which he got on base all five times he came to the plate.
He's batting .329 (28-for-85) for the season, seeing an up-tick in playing time as of late.
In SEC play, Ward has led the Tigers with a .400 batting average (16-for-40) to go along with seven RBI and four runs scored, collecting five multi-hit games in a dozen league contests.
Ward was a key part in the Friday night win at No. 22 Tennessee, going 3-for-4 with a double and two RBI.
The Maumelle, Arkansas, native has knocked multiple hits in five of his last 10 games overall.
He is currently riding an 18-game on-base streak and has hit safely in 14 of his last 17 games.

RANKED ROAD SERIES WIN

After taking down No. 24 Kentucky in Lexington, the Tigers earned their first road series win over a ranked opponent since 2021 at No. 3 Mississippi State.
The series win also marked the first SEC series win of the season for the Tigers as they matched their conference win total from last season through the first dozen games of this year's conference slate.
The Tigers handed the Wildcats just their second and third home losses of the season, respectively, as Kentucky slipped to an impressive 15-3 at Kentucky Proud Park after Sunday's defeat.

MAKING STRIDES ON THE MOUND

Under first-year pitching coach Drew Dickinson, the Tigers have made impressive strides on the mound through the first 37 games of the campaign.
As of April 13, the Tigers rank 19th nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (7.64) and 39th in strikeouts per nine innings (10.0).
Over 167.0 innings of work, the starting rotation has combined for a 4.80 ERA, 180 strikeouts to 80 walks and opponents are batting just .222 against the rotation.
The bullpen has worked 147.1 innings and compiled an 11-6 record while pitching to a 5.44 ERA with 169 strikeouts while opponents are hitting .240 off the unit.
The Mizzou bullpen was dominant in the series win at No. 24 Kentucky, tossing 13.2 innings and allowing just one earned run (two total), for an ERA of 0.66 for the weekend.
RHP Keyler Gonzalez was dominant in last Tuesday's 5-2 win over Mo State, throwing 6.0 scoreless innings of two-hit relief out of the pen while striking out nine Bears and walking just two. He set DI career highs in innings pitched and strikeouts to earn his second win of the campaign.
Lefty Brady Kehlenbrink was dominant in Friday night's 1-0 loss to South Carolina. He hurled a career-high 7.1 innings and allowed just one unearned run on two hits while racking up 10 strikeouts and not issuing a single walk.

CONSECUTIVE SHUTOUTS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2017

The Tigers recorded consecutive shutouts for the first time since May 18-19, 2017, after defeating UIC 7-0 and 10-0, respectively, March 7 and 8.
Those shutouts accounted for 16 innings within a 22-inning stretch of consecutive scoreless frames by Tiger pitchers.

GOING STREAKING!

Mizzou had a 13-game winning streak snapped by No. 6 Auburn on March 13 – its longest since rattling off 20-straight victories in 2017.
Freshman Blaize Ward has been on base in 18-straight games and has recorded a hit in 14 of his last 17 games.
Outfielder Pierre Seals has reached base safely in seven-straight games.
Shortstop Kam Durnin has reached safely in five-straight games after seeing his 18-game streak come to an end. Overall, he's been on base in 23 of 25 games this season.
South Carolina grad transfer Jase Woita put together a 29-game on-base streak from Feb. 15 to April 9 – the longest by a Tiger this season.
Center fielder Kaden Peer reached base safely in his first 22 games of the season after returning from injury. The streak came to an end vs. South Carolina on April 9, but he has been on base in 23 of 25 games overall.

WAITER, BRING ME WOITA

South Carolina transfer Jase Woita has made an immediate impact in the Mizzou lineup this season after hitting .300 with six home runs in 45 games for the Gamecocks in 2025.
The physical left-handed slugger is batting .306 and has driven in 38 runs to rank 11th in the SEC in that department.
He drove in a career-high eight runs in the record-breaking 34-3 win over Mount Saint Mary's on Feb. 15 - one shy of the program record for RBI (9) in a game.
Woita put together a 29-game on-base streak from Feb. 15 to April 9 - the longest streak by any Tiger this season.

TOUCHDOWN PER GAME AVERAGE

The Tigers have scored 260 runs through 37 games (7.0 per game) to rank 74th nationally and eighth within the SEC.

PASS THE TORCH

The Tigers have hit consecutive home runs on three occasions this season:
- Sam Parker / Chris Patterson (Feb. 15 vs. Mount St. Mary's, 8^th inning)
- Eric Maisonet / Isaiah Frost (March 5 vs. UIC, 7^th inning)
- Kaden Peer / Cameron Benson / Pierre Seals (March 8 vs. UIC, 3^rdinning)
In the series finale vs. UIC on March 8, the entire starting outfield (Peer, Benson, Seals) went back-to-back-to-back in a matter of five pitches – all solo shots.
It marked the second time of Benson's career being a part of back-to-back-to-back home runs, the first coming April 11, 2023, as a member of the Kerrick Jackson-coached Memphis Tigers in an 11-9 win at Ole Miss.

WEAR IT!

The Tigers are averaging 1.92 HBP per game to rank 27th nationally and third in the SEC, being plunked 71 times so far this season.
Winthrop leads the nation with 93 HBP while Kentucky leads the SEC with 89.
Mizzou has been hit four-plus times on six occasions and has been hit at least twice 17 times.
The Tigers were plunked a season-high seven times on Feb. 15 vs. Mount St. Mary's.

OFFENSE CONTINUES TO ROAR

The Tigers are No. 23 nationally and tied with Kentucky for the SEC lead in triples (11).
In addition, MU is No. 27 nationally in HBP (71) and No. 74 in runs (260).
With the Tigers' 15-1 victory over UAPB on Feb. 24, they became the fastest team in program history to reach 100 runs (8 Games).
Mizzou reached the 150-run milestone in game 14, also becoming the fastest team in program history to that mark.
The Tigers' run-rule victory over UAPB on Feb. 24 marked the first time Mizzou has recorded four-straight run-rule wins in the 56-game regular season era (1997).
MU earned its fifth run-rule victory of the season on March 8 in a 10-0 win over UIC.

KEEP STACKING BRICKS

The Tigers and head coach Kerrick Jackson have developed a new winning ritual: stacking bricks.
After each win, the Tigers add a brick to the wall, each of them resting on three black cinder blocks at the base of the wall that each display one of the team's three core values: accountability, respect and connection.
The bricks themselves have a color-code black are non-conference victories, gold are SEC victories and tiger-striped brick signifies a series-clinching victory.

DEFEND THE TURF

Mizzou is in its first season of a brand-new turf surface at Taylor Stadium, and the Tigers are off to an 11-10 start on the new digs.
With their 10-0 shutout of UIC on March 8, the Tigers clinched having more home wins this season than they had all of last season, going 8-20 at Taylor Stadium in 2025.

NON-CON DOMINANCE

After concluding the 2025 season with a 13-11 record against non-conference opponents, the Tigers are off to a 17-5 start in 2026.
Last year's Tigers clinched a winning non-con season slate for the 11th time in the last 12 seasons; only MU's 2021 squad (7-14) failed to reach the .500 mark vs. non-SEC foes over that span.
Over the last 13 seasons, the Tigers' dominance has been equally impressive, with MU winning 116 more non-conference games than it has lost (209-93).

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