SIUE Cougars (10-11, 0-3 OVC) at 
Missouri Tigers (13-7, 1-5 SEC)

Wed., March 30
Taylor Stadium at Simmons Field
Columbia, Missouri

TV TIME: Wednesday's game will be broadcast nationally on the SEC Network. Kevin Fitzgerald will handle the play-by-play while former Major Leaguer Xavier Scruggs serves as the analyst.

LAST WEEKEND: The Cougars were swept in by Southeast Missouri in the first Ohio Valley Conference series of the year. Entering the game ninth in the NCAA in home runs and 18th in slugging, SIUE hit just .194, slugged .255 and hit just a single home run in the three-game set.  

HOMER HAPPY: With 39 home runs, SIUE is second in the in the Ohio Valley Conference and No. 14 in the NCAA in total homers. The Cougars are second in home runs per game at 1.86, which is No. 8 nationally. Individually, Brett Johnson's nine home runs rank second in the league and 21st in the NCAA. 

HITTERS: As a team, SIUE is eighth in the league with a .261 batting average. Ohl is just out of the top 10 in the OVC in hitting at .357. SIUE is second the league in slugging percentage at .491, which is No. 34 nationally. Johnson (.750) and Ohl (.679) are among the league leaders at second and seventh, respectively. 

HURLERS: SIUE pitchers are eighth in the OVC in earned run average at 6.76. Kaid Karnes is fourth individually at 2.66. The Cougars are fifth in opponents' batting average at .273. Brandt Glidewell is fourth at .219. Karnes is ninth at .239. 

STRIKE FORCE: SIUE pitchers are averaging 8.32 strikeouts per nine innings, which is fourth best in the OVC. Karnes is seventh in the OVC at 9.13.

CENTURY MARK: Head Coach Sean Lyons is two wins away from No. 100 for his career. 

EXPERIENCE MATTERS: The Cougars return five position players: Brady Bunten, Johnson, Ole Arntson, Owusu- Asiedu and Connor Kiffer that made at least 40 starts last year. Well made 38 starts and Ohl made 25. The Cougars boast three pitchers who made at least nine starts last year in Brant Glidewell (9), Noah Matheny (11) and Jake Bockenstedt (9). Collin Baumgartner returns after missing 2021 due to injury. Baumgartner made four Friday starts in the pandemic-shortened 2020 and led the OVC with 15 starts in 2019, his last full season.

LAST SEASON: The Cougars finished last season at 23-27 overall, which matched the most wins under Sean Lyons (2017). SIUE was 13-17 in Ohio Valley Conference play, marking the most OVC wins since 2015. 

PRESEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS: The OVC's head coaches and sports information personnel chose SIUE for a sixth-place finish. D1Baseball.com picked SIUE for a third-place finish. 

ALL-OVC: Bunten and Johnson were each named to the Preseason All-OVC team.

SERIES STUFF: Mizzou holds a 17-4 advantage in the all-time series. SIUE's most recent win came in 2011 in Columbia. The Tigers have won four straight since then. Missouri won last year's meeting 10-3 in Edwardsville.