12th seeded Mizzou dropped its SEC Tournament opener to fifth-seeded South Carolina, 4-2, late Tuesday night into Wednesday morning at Hoover Met Stadium in Alabama. Mizzou took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh inning, but Carolina sent nine men to the plate and scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning to take a lead for good.

Mizzou falls to 34-22 on the year while South Carolina improves to 33-22 and moves on to the double-elimination portion of the bracket. Senior RHP Andy Toelken was charged with the loss after allowing three runs on four hits over 2.2 innings.  Sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema pitched 4.0+ innings and allowed just one run on six hits in start on short rest.

Tigers coach Steve Bieser said Mizzou was right there all game.

The Tigers are 34-22 overall, but just 12-19 in SEC, including 4-9 since the end of April.  Bieser is banking on a strong RPI and hopes for an NCAA Regional berth when the field of 64 is unveiled Monday.

Story courtesy:  Mizzou Athletics

Mizzou Baseball scored 11 runs from the eighth through 11th innings to complete a 17-16 comeback win over Iowa Tuesday afternoon at Duane Banks Field.

Mizzou trailed 8-0 after three, 13-6 after six and 14-13 after eight innings and completed the comeback by scoring two runs in the top of the 11th inning.

Sophomore SS Chris Cornelius drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the 11th inning as part of a career-best six RBI in the game. Junior OF Zach Hanna drove home the game-winning run with a single in the next at-bat.

Mizzou finished with a season-high 24 hits, its most since posting 26 against Texas on April 11, 2008.

RS junior Bryce Montes De Oca earned his fifth win of the year after throwing a shutout 10th inning and Luke Anderson earned his first career save.

After Mizzou Baseball rallied from down 6-1 to take a 10-6 lead, Kentucky’s Cole Kottam hit a go-ahead eighth-inning grand slam as the Wildcats claimed the series finale, 11-10, Sunday afternoon at Cliff Hagan Field. The loss drops Mizzou to 29-15 and 9-12 in SEC play while Kentucky improves to 29-15 and 10-11 in league games.

Junior RHP Bryce Montes De Oca took the loss, allowing the Cottam slam after reliever Nile Ball loaded the bases after what was a gutty outing for Ball as Mizzou rallied to take the lead. Montes De Oca falls to 5-3 on the year. Mizzou got two men on in the ninth, but Zach Hanna struck out to strand the tying run in scoring position.

Mizzou got homers from Trey Harris and Brian Sharp, the latter of which was a go-ahead grand slam in the seventh inning.

“Just a real tough loss. We battled,” said Head Coach Steve Bieser. “One thing we have to be proud of is that we competed. We spotted them way too many early in that game and it was going to be tough to come back. Then we kind of get everything to swing our way and then I thought we did some things late in the game that was not great game-winning baseball.”

Mizzou Baseball opened their three-game series against No. 10 Vanderbilt with a 2-1 victory on Thursday night at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou LHP T.J. Sikkema and reliever RHP Andy Toelken combined for the victory, that has Mizzou improve to 7-9 in SEC play.

Sikkema’s fifth SEC start featured a career-high 10 strikeouts over 6.0 innings of one-run ball. During a stretch from the second inning until the fifth, the sophomore retired 11- straight Commodores. Following Sikkema’s exit after six frames, Toelken dominated the game down the stretch. Toelken hurled 3.0 perfect innings and struck out four, sealing the Mizzou victory while earning a save, his third of the season and second this week.

The win was career No. 200 for second-year Mizzou head coach Steve Bieser.

Mizzou Baseball handled Chicago State in a 5-3 victory. The Mizzou victory was the 15th straight win against non-conference opponents at Taylor Stadium. Senior RF Trey Harris cranked his sixth home run of the season, a two-run blast over the left field fence in the bottom of the third that sparked Mizzou’s offense. The Tigers plated a pair in the fourth and a lone run in the fifth, building a 5-2 advantage after five innings.

The Mizzou bullpen backed up junior RHP Brian Sharp who worked 4.0 innings of two-run ball. Seven Tiger hurlers combined to toss 5.0 innings while allowing only three hits and one run. Mizzou’s collective effort out of the pen held off Chicago State.

“It is simple, we just have to be better. We were not very good offensively today,” said head coach Steve Bieser. “We were fortunate that we were able to draw some walks and we took advantage of an error – we scored a couple runs there with one hit. There are two innings where we scored two runs with just one hit. We just have to be better offensively.”

The Mizzou Baseball team will look to bounce back after a tough weekend against Florida.  After a big win over 18th ranked Missouri State, the Tigers faced the number one and defending national champion Gators.  Mizzou lost three straight games 3-1, 10-2, 7-2.  The Tigers are 0-9 in Gainesville since joining the SEC.

Junior OF Zach Hanna had a huge week offensively for Mizzou. He hit .417 with (5-for-12) with four runs, two doubles, two homers and seven RBI.  Tuesday vs. Missouri State, he had a big go-ahead two-run single with two outs in the first inning and added a solo homer, driving in three.  He was 3-for-9 vs. Florida with a run, a homer and a team-high four RBI.

Mizzou will host Chicago State Tuesday before hosting nationally-ranked Vanderbilt for a three-game, Thursday-Saturday set at Taylor Stadium this weekend. It is Mizzou’s first Thursday-Saturday series and the first of three straight Thursday-Saturday series at home.

The Tigers schedule for this week:

This Week (Times Central)
Tuesday, April 17 vs. Chicago State – 4 p.m.
Thursday, April 19 – vs. Vanderbilt  – 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Friday, April 20 – at Florida – 6:30 p.m. (CT)
Saturday, April 21 – at Florida – 2 p.m.

24th ranked Mizzou Baseball dropped game one of its three-game set at No. 1 Florida, 3-1, Friday evening at McKethan Stadium. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Gator RF Wil Dalton’s two-run, two-out double gave the Gators their first lead and only run they needed. Mizzou sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema took the loss as the winning run was charged to him after allowing leadoff single in the eighth. He worked a season-high 7.1 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts.

Florida freshman LHP Jordan Butler earned the win, improving to 4-1 on the year, while Michael Byrne earned his ninth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

“It was quite a pitcher’s duel. We expected that going out,” said Head Coach Steve Bieser. “Their guy has done that to many teams this year. We competed hard and we just didn’t get the clutch hit. There in the eighth inning, we just left a pitch up – it just wasn’t a very well-executed pitch – and those things happen in a game. You have to give them credit. They went out and put a good swing on the pitch and that’s why they won the game.”

Mizzou freshman DH Chad McDaniel hit a go-ahead double in the top of the seventh inning as No. 24 Mizzou Baseball downed in-state foe No. 19 Missouri State, 8-6, Tuesday evening at Hammons Field. Mizzou ran out to a 5-1 lead before Missouri State rallied to go on top, 6-5, after six innings.
The Tigers scored three times in the seventh after MSU reliever Jake Fromsonretired the first two hitters of the inning. McDaniel’s liner to left brought in both the tying and go-ahead runs, before a pinch double from Cade Bormet scored the third run in the inning.

The Bears erased an early four-run deficit behind scoring rallies in four consecutive innings. Jeremy Eierman’s two-out double put the Bears on the board in the third, before another two-out hit—this one from Jack Duffy—added another run in the fourth.  Duffy singled again to lead off the sixth, moved into scoring position on a wild pitch, then raced home when Hunter Steinmetz beat a two-out routine ground ball to the right side. Eierman followed with his second hit of the night to put runners on the corners, and Drew Millas, current MVC Player of the Week, laced the first pitch he saw into right for the go-ahead RBI single.

“Well it was a hard fought game. I like the way the team responded,” said Mizzou coach Steve Bieser. “We had some issues there in the middle innings, but we got off to a good start and we were able to finish the game. I’ve never questioned our club. They never quit – I’ve never seen that out of them ever. It was frustrating there in the middle parts when we weren’t scoring and the other team was scoring. They came back and we gave up the lead, but that is what good clubs do. They just keep going and they know if they keep doing the right things, good things will happen.”

Mizzou will be back in action Friday, opening a three-game series at No. 1 Florida. First pitch is slated for 5:30 p.m. (CT).

Missouri State will wrap up their seven-game home stand with a three-game series against another ranked foe, the Oregon State Beavers. MSU and OSU will open the weekend with an 11 a.m., doubleheader on Friday (April 13).

Mizzou Baseball junior lefty Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) is the SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week.

Plassmeyer allowed just four baserunners in his first career complete game shutout in a 1-0 win over Alabama Saturday, striking out seven and walking none while scattering only four hits. He dominated Alabama batters all afternoon as he retired 16 straight in a stretch spanning from the first inning until the sixth. It was the longest streak of consecutive retired batters for a Mizzou pitcher this season and the longest of Plassmeyer’s career. It was also the first complete game shutout for a Mizzou pitcher since Cole Bartlett shut out Tennessee last season (5/19/17). The 9.0 innings are a new career-high in IP for Plassmeyer.

Plassmeyer has now made four starts in SEC play and the junior has worked 29.1 innings while allowing only 20 hits and four runs. Meanwhile, he’s totaled 30 strikeouts and has only issued five walks in those outings. Plassmeyer has now made four straight starts with seven or more strikeouts. Overall, the St. Louis, Mo., native has struck out at least seven in six of his seven starts. Plassmeyer delivered first-pitch strikes to 30 of the 33 batters he faced and he faced just four over the minimum in the start.

Plassmeyer is now fifth in the SEC with a 1.99 ERA and second in strikeouts, with 20 of his 65 being of the looking variety. He trails only Auburn’s Casey Mize in strikeouts – Mize is projected to be a top-five pick in this summer’s MLB Draft. Plassmeyer is also second in the SEC in innings pitched at 54.1 this season. His 1.23 ERA in SEC games is second in the league while his 29.1 innings are the most for any SEC pitcher in league action this season.