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SERIES PREVIEW:
The Truman baseball team hits the road for its first MIAA weekend series in nearly a month this Friday and Saturday, as the Bulldogs head to Warrensburg for a four-game set with the University of Central Missouri Mules.
Mother nature has already affected the series schedule, as the two squads will now play a doubleheader on Friday afternoon starting at 2:00 pm before looking to finish the series with a Saturday twinbill. Game times for Saturday’s contests have not yet been set.
MEET THE SKIPPERS:
Dan Davis is in his third season as the leader of the Bulldog program after having previously served as the pitching coach of the Division I University of Northern Iowa Panthers. He has a 26-113 (.187) career head coaching record in three seasons - all at Truman. Smith is assisted by Sean Zaborowski, Patrick Delaney and Mike O’Haver.
Tom Myers is the head coach of the Mules, and he is 72-27 (.727) in his second season at Central Missouri.
Davis is 0-8 against UCM, while Myers is 4-0 against Truman.
SCOUTING THE MULES:
One of the MIAA’s perennial powers, Central Missouri (25-10, 16-8 MIAA) finds themselves sixth in the first NCAA official regional rankings while also sitting a half-game behind Missouri Southern for third in the MIAA. Offensively, the Mules are hitting .314 as a team and are led by Chance Tuttle’s blistering .450 average. The junior outfielder has seen 20 of his team-high 54 hits go for extra bases, leading to a .783 slugging percentage.
Sophomore Jon Wegener, freshman Bret Schwartz and senior Will Feil are also hitting above .330 for a Mules squad that has also been extremely active on the basepaths, ranking first in the MIAA with 106 on the season.
An array of Mules have seen action on the mound, as 15 pitchers have recorded at least five innings of work. Junior right-hander Brooks Martin has a team-high five wins a 2.37 ERA as the team’s ace, while the ’Dogs can likely expect to see Mitch Stubenhofer (3-0, 3.10), Danny Potje (3-2, 1.80) and Ryan Dawson (4-0, 6.29) as the other probables.
Out of the bullpen, a pair of tough right-handers, Nick Phillips (16 app, 0.64 ERA) and Chris Matlock (16 app, 1.54 ERA), have combined for a 7-1 record and 70 strikeouts in just more than 50 innings of work.
LIVE STATS TO BE AVAILABLE:
The UCM Sports Information Department will have live stats available for the weekend series through their Web site. UCM’s Athletics Web site is: http://www.ucmo.edu/athletics.
THIS WEEK’S ACTION:
Northwest Missouri @ Truman; Kirksville, Mo.
-Wednesday, Game 1: Northwest 5, Truman 2
-Wednesday, Game 2: Truman 10, Northwest 4
Top Offense:
-Devon Myers (.750 (6-for-8), 4 runs, 1 double, 1 RBI)
-Kenny Swanson (.750 (6-for-8), 2 doubles, 1 run, 1 RBI)
-Steven Rose (.625 (5-for-8), 1 triple, 1 run)
Top Pitching:
-Logan Frame (1-0, 4.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 6 H, 3 R/ER, 3 SO)
-Christian Witt (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 SO)
BULLDOG OFFENSE BREAKS OUT:
The Bulldogs did something that has only happened three times in the last 12 years in Wednesday’s 10-4 win against Northwest Missouri - record 20 hits in a single game.
The last time a Bulldog bunch tallied 20 or more hits came in 2005, when the team went for 22 against Hannibal-LaGrange in a 19-10 win. Truman also had a trio of players rap out four base hits in the contest, marking the first time in more than a dozen years that has occurred.
THE YOUTH OF THE NATION:
For much of the season, the Bulldog starting lineup has featured six sophomores (Kenny Swanson, Drew Garwood, Logan Frame, Luke Crader, Kevin Zukaitis and Jeff Davison) and a pair of freshman (Steven Rose and Devon Myers) to give the Bulldogs the youngest MIAA lineup. The newcomers have accounted for more than 100 of the team’s 186 total runs as well as nearly 200 of the squad’s 327 total hits.
On the hill, Truman’s top-four in the rotation, headlined by sophomores Michael Staihr and Kyle Veazey, also are gaining experience by the outing, as the two second-years are joined by a pair of true freshmen - Seth Huninghake and Ryan Trimble.
UP NEXT:
Truman will host future MIAA-foe Lincoln University in a single game on Tuesday afternoon before heading west to Topeka, Kan., for a four-game weekend set atWashburn University.