The memory of Tuesday's loss to Memphis is distant now, as the Little Rock Trojans hit the road for what should be an exciting matchup between two strong mid-major programs at Hammons Field in Springfield, Mo.
The Trojans (6-2) start a three-game weekend series at Missouri State (4-4) on Friday, with the first contest slated to begin at 3:00 pm. The series continues Saturday at 2:00 pm, and the finale begins Sunday at 1:00 pm.
Saturday and Sunday's games are available on ESPN+, while all three games can be heard on the Missouri State Varsity Network internet radio stream (
CLICK HERE).
Game Info
Who: Little Rock at Missouri State
When: Feb. 27-March 1
Where: Hammons Field, Springfield, Mo.
Video: ESPN+ (Games 2-3 only)
Live State: LRTrojans.com
Coach Speak
"We're still working, still evaluating, and still trying to find out more about the team and what we have," head coach
Chris Curry said. "We're going on the road to face one of the better offensive teams, and we'll be thrown in the fire again. In baseball, you have to have a short memory … a BAD memory … remember the good things, but flush the bad things. You need to learn from those bad things, but then get rid of them. Since I've been here, we've always been good at that."
Series History
• This is the first meeting between the programs since 2015.
• Little Rock is 2-9 all-time against Missouri State.
• The Trojans have lost the last two in the series, and are 0-4 in Springfield.
Scouting the Bears
• The Bears have opened their season against some stiff competition, with series at Louisiana (2-1) and Ole Miss (0-3).
• They recently completed a two-game midweek matchup with Oral Roberts, winning 13-1 in seven innings Tuesday.
• Missouri State was 30-25 last season, with a 19-7 record at home.
• They advanced to the Missouri Valley Conference championship game, where they fell to Murray State and just missed the NCAA Regionals.
• The Bears have totaled 45 runs during their four victories this season (11.2 per) and 18 runs (4.5 per) in their four losses.
• Missouri State has been balanced, offensively, led by four players with nine hits each. A total of 10 different players have homered for the Bears this season.
Trojan Report
• Little Rock is 5-0 this season when leading after seven innings.
•
Ty Rhoades leads the team with 13 RBIs and is hitting .615 (8-of-13) with runners in scoring position.
• The Little Rock weekend rotation of
Brannon Westmoreland,
Brigden Parker, and
Zach Busick has a combined 1.15 ERA with 30 strikeouts and just four earned runs in 31.1 innings.
• Opposing teams are hitting just .077 vs Westmoreland, and .125 vs Busick.
• The Trojans have excelled when pinch-hitting, with an average of .700 (7-of-10).
Ryan Geck and
Easton Roe are each 2-for-2 while pinch-hitting.
• Little Rock has totaled 28 extra base hits in eight games (13 home runs, 12 doubles, three triples).
•
Kade Smith,
Cade Martin, and
Nico Baumbach have each reached base safely in seven consecutive games.
