March 12, 2007

At the Plate: After 14 games on the road, the Saint Louis baseball team opens its 2007 home slate with a 2 p.m. contest against Bradley at The Billiken Sports Center on Tue., March 13. On Wednesday, the Billikens (1-13) travel to Columbia, Mo., where they will take on the Missouri Tigers at 6:30 p.m. prior to hosting Illinois State in a three-game series this weekend. Game times for the series against the Redbirds are 2 p.m. on Fri., March 16, and 1 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday.

Follow the Action: Fans can follow all Billiken home games on the Internet via GameTracker available at SLU's official athletic web site, www.slubillikens.com.

Last Week: Saint Louis stranded 12 runners in a midweek 5-2 loss at Southeast Missouri State. The Billikens then traveled to Omaha, Neb., for a three-game series against Creighton. In the opener, the Bluejays led by five after three innings and never looked back in a 6-1 victory over SLU. In game two, the Bills took a 4-1 lead into the bottom of the ninth but it wasn't enough as CU rallied to tie the game and force extra innings. The Jays used a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI double to push the winning run across in the 10th. Saint Louis' offense was MIA in the series finale, and Creighton used a seven-run sixth inning to put the game out of reach in its 14-0 victory.

The Bradley Series: Bradley leads the all-time series 38-27-1. Last season the Billikens won both meetings by scores of 8-3 and 11-8, respectively. On Tue., April 3, Saint Louis will travel to Peoria, Ill., to play the Braves at 4 p.m. in the rematch.

Scouting the Braves: Bradley (3-7) will be looking to rebound from last weekend's back-to-back losses to Tennessee Tech when it comes to St. Louis on Tuesday. All of the Braves' games so far this season have been on the road. Senior infielder Ryan Curry paces the offense with a .436 average, nine runs, 17 hits, nine doubles and 10 RBI. Fellow senior infielder Paul Rice also has an average above .400 as he's batting at a .410 clip. On the mound, junior right-hander Chris Wright leads Bradley with a 3.29 ERA and one win in two starts. Rookie right-hander Brad Altbach leads the squad with two victories and is tied for team-high honors with four appearances. As a team, the Braves are hitting .308, an average identical to their opponents, and average 5.6 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 6.13 ERA. Head coach Dewey Kalmer is in his 28th season at Bradley with a 787-730-4 record, giving him a 39-year career mark of 977-872-5.

The Missouri Series: Missouri leads the all-time series 76-20-1. On March 7, 2006, then #18 MU downed the Bills 16-0 in Columbia. In the rematch on April 19, Saint Louis managed just one hit, which resulted in a 4-0 loss at T.R. Hughes Ballpark in O'Fallon, Mo. SLU and Missouri, which has claimed the last five games in the series, will also face each other on Tue., April 10 in St. Louis.

Scouting the Tigers: Missouri, which has won its last seven games, is off to a 13-5 start this season. Wednesday's contest against the Bills will be the Tigers' sixth home game this season. MU has won all of its home games in 2007. Sophomore infielder Kyle Mach and rookie catcher Trevor Coleman lead the club with identical .371 averages. Sophomore outfielder Ryan Lollis paces the team with 22 hits and 24 RBI. Sophomore right-hander Aaron Crow has a team-best 3-0 record with 31.0 innings in five starts. As a team, the Tigers are hitting .268 and score 6.9 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 2.61 ERA and has held opponents to a .237 average. Head coach Tim Jamieson is in his 13th season at Mizzou with a 412-295-2 record in his only head coaching stop.

The Illinois State Series: Illinois State leads the all-time series 30-12. The Redbirds, who have won the last four games in the series, and the Billikens haven't met on the baseball field since the 1991 season.

Scouting the Redbirds: Illinois State, which plays two midweek games at Memphis, has won its last four games en route to a 6-6 overall record. This season, the Redbirds are 5-5 when playing on their opponent's home field. Junior infielder Ryan Anetsberger paces the offense with a .396 average, 19 hits, eight walks and five stolen bases. On the mound, left-handed rookie Ryan Copeland leads ISU with a 5.60 ERA and two wins in four starts. As a team, the `Birds are hitting .285 and average 6.4 runs per game. The pitching staff has a 5.48 ERA and has allowed opponents to hit .287. Head coach Jim Brownlee is in his fifth season at Illinois State with a 96-129 record, giving him a 28-year career mark of 797-729-5.

What About Bob? Now in his 19th season at Saint Louis, Billiken head coach Bob Hughes has a 349-611-1 record after guiding the 2006 team to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1966. The 2006 squad posted a school-record 32 wins and claimed the Atlantic 10 Tournament title in SLU's first year in the league after entering the event as the fifth seed. During his tenure at SLU, 14 Billikens have gone on to play professionally. While signing quality athletes, Hughes also has brought quality students into the program. Saint Louis won Conference USA's Sport Academic award with the highest GPA of any conference baseball team in the league all 10 years SLU was in the conference. In 2003, Hughes was inducted into the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

Historic 06: Saint Louis wrapped up an historic 2006 campaign in the NCAA Tournament's Fullerton Regional. The Billikens stormed through their first Atlantic 10 Tournament to reach the championship game and brought home the title with a heroic ninth inning that included three-run home runs from Bill Musselman and Jon Guyre. It was SLU's first conference title and NCAA Tournament berth since 1966, and the Billikens posted a school-record 32 wins.

Predicting the Atlantic 10: After being picked to finish 11th in the 2006 preseason poll, Saint Louis will play with more of a target on its back this year as the A-10 coaches predicted the Billikens to finish second in 2007. The new expectations are likely the product of the Billikens returning their entire starting pitching rotation and a bulk of their top hitters. SLU was picked to finish behind Charlotte and just ahead of Rhode Island.

R&B: Junior infielder Ryan Bennett (Kansas City, Mo./Miami [Ohio]) has played in 10 games with five starting assignments ... singled and scored at SEMO.

Bird's Eye View: Senior right-hander Ryan Bird (Potomac, Ill./Armstrong Township) leads the squad with a 2.88 ERA and 25.0 innings pitched ... struck out eight batters and allowed just one run on five hits in a no decision against Creighton in game two ... moved to third on SLU's career strikeout list with 243 K's.

Back in Black: Freshman outfielder David Blackwell (Shaker Heights, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit) has played in five games this season ... started in left field in two games at Creighton.

B.B. King: Junior outfielder Blake Bratcher (Goodlettsville, Tenn./Volunteer State CC) led the squad with a .400 average last week ... was the only SLU player with multiple hits at SEMO ... recorded two hits, a run and an RBI in game two against Creighton.

Something's A Brewin': Junior left-hander Eric Brewer (St. Louis, Mo./Oakville) has made two appearances this season ... pitched five innings at SEMO, scattering four hits and three runs while walking three and striking out three.

Dapper Dan: Senior right-hander Dan Cowsert (St. Louis, Mo./SWIC) has made four appearances out of the bullpen this season ... tossed two innings of two-hit relief at SEMO, allowing one walk and one run while fanning one ... worked 1/3 of an inning in the CU series finale, scattering three hits while allowing two runs.

Extra Crespi: Senior outfielder Ryan Crespi (Sparta, N.J./Sussex County CC) leads the team with five stolen bases ... is riding a four-game hitting streak ... singled against the Redhawks and in the series finale at Creighton ... had two hits, including a double, and a career-high seven putouts in the series opener at Creighton ... tied his career best with two walks and two stolen bases in game two at Creighton ... also had a hit and scored a run.

Well Dunn: Freshman outfielder J.D. Dunn (Franklin, Tenn./Centennial) leads the club with six walks ... drove in a run and singled at SEMO ... had a hit in the Creighton opener and in his only at bat in the finale.

No Hanky Panky: Senior outfielder Mark Hankes (Granite City, Ill./Granite City) has earned four starts this season in six games played ... saw time in right field in the Creighton series finale.

Brock Steady: Senior right-hander Brock Hewitt (Boerne, Texas/Trinity) has two starts in five appearances this season ... tied his career high with five innings of work in the series finale against the Bluejays, allowed eight runs on six hits while walking three and fanning five.

Ryno: Sophomore infielder Ryan Johnson (Creve Couer, Mo./Rockhurst) saw the first action of his collegiate career in the Creighton series finale and series opener.

M-M Good: Sophomore infielder Matt Mach (St. Louis, Mo./MICDS) has played in nine games with six starts ... appeared in all three games against CU with two starts.

The G.M.: Senior infielder Gilbert Marlowe (Glendale, Mo./SWIC) has scored a team-high 10 runs this season ... doubled and scored at SEMO.

Moore Power: Senior catcher/infielder Casey Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) has compiled a team-best 18 hits and a .519 slugging pct. ... had a team-high six hits, including two doubles, last week ... is riding a four-game hitting streak ... singled against the Redhawks ... doubled and scored SLU's only run in the series opener against the Bluejays ... tied for game-high honors with three hits in game two against CU, also drove in a run and smacked a double ... had a hit in the Creighton series finale.

A Little Moore Power: Sophomore infielder Ziggy Moore (Lake St. Louis, Mo./Wentzville Holt) has started in nine of the 11 games in which he's played ... scattered four hits and three runs in 1-1/3 innings of relief in SLU's second game against Creighton.

Deuces Wild: Senior right-hander Eric Mueller (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) has made six appearances out of the bullpen in 2007 ... worked the final inning of the Creighton series finale, allowing a hit, a run and a pair of walks.

Mussel Beach: Senior catcher Bill Musselman (Homer Glen, Ill./Providence Catholic) is one of two regular starters without an error this season ... has thrown out six would-be base stealers ... collected two hits, a stolen base and a run in game two against Creighton ... only Billiken with multiple hits in CU series finale.

Stow-Away: Freshman infielder Brandon Parsons (Stow, Ohio/Stow Munroe Falls) has played in six games with one starting assignment ... pinch hit in two games at Creighton.

Soaring to New Heights: Sophomore pitcher/infielder Chris Paulson (Falcon Heights, Minn./Cretin-Derham Hall) has made four appearances out of the bullpen ... tossed an inning of one-hit relief, allowing a run in the series opener at Creighton ... walked one and allowed three hits and three runs in an inning of relief in the series finale against the Jays.

Pinpoint: Sophomore infielder Tom Pinnell (Edwardsville, Ill./Edwardsville) leads the Billikens with a .394 average, .429 on-base pct. and 26 assists ... singled against the Redhawks and in the series finale at Creighton ... singled, doubled, scored and drove in a run in game two against the Bluejays.

Mr. Rodgers' Neighborhood: Junior designated hitter/infielder Greg Rodgers (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles CC) has a team-high eight RBI ... drove in a team-best three runs last week ... is riding a six-game hitting streak ... singled and drove in a run at SEMO ... drove in SLU's only run in the series opener at Creighton, also had two hits ... tied his career high with five at bats in the second game against the Jays, also collected a hit and an RBI ... had a hit in the series finale at CU.

On the Bayou: Junior pitcher/third baseman B.J. Rodrigue (Destrehan, La./Brother Martin) is the only Billiken pitcher with a win this season ... had a hit in game two against Creighton, also tossed a 1/3 inning of relief surrendering two hits and a run.

Pennant Sever: Sophomore right-hander Dave Sever (Burr Ridge, Ill./Benet Academy) has a team-best 19 strikeouts this season ... struck out six and walked three in the Creighton opener while scattering six hits in seven innings.

High Wattage: Freshman utility player L.J. Watson (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) started two of the five games in which he's played ... came off the bench at SEMO and in the Creighton series finale.

Catching Some Zs: Sophomore left-hander Mark Zielinski (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet) leads the staff with eight appearances on the hill this season ... walked two batters and struck out one in 2/3 of an inning in game two against CU.

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