NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Opening Weekend Sweep
DBU started the season with a three-game sweep over the opening weekend and has swept its opening series six of the last seven seasons. The Patriots improved to 100 games over .500 at Horner Ballpark with a record of 157-57 since Horner opened its gates in 2013. Over that eight-year stretch, DBU boasts the 17th best home record in the nation with a .734 win percentage.
As a league, The Valley went 9-15 (.375) overall during the opening weekend, dropping five of the 15 games by just one run.
Lifting the Lid
With its 1-0 win over UCA Friday afternoon, Missouri State improved to 25-13 in season openers under head coach Keith Guttin and 37-20 overall as a program in such contests. MSU posted its seventh opening day victory in the last eight seasons and has now gone a combined 16-6 in its opening weekend series or tournaments since 2014.
Dominant Series
Southern Illinois outscored Jackson State 32-15 in a four-game series win last weekend. SIU shutout JSU in the opener and pounded out 26 runs in the final two games. SIU’s 3-1 record is its best start since the 2017 season.
Big Week Vs. Top 25
This week’s schedule features 10 games against teams ranked in the D1baseball.com Top 25 this week. Valparaiso has a weekend series with #3 Louisville, Illinois State will play four games at #23 Oklahoma and DBU will travel to Chapel Hill for three games with #22 North Carolina.
Last year, The Valley went 5-15 vs. Top 25 teams.
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Player/Pitcher of the Week are Evansville's Tanner Craig and Missouri State's Logan Wiley, respectively.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Tanner Craig, Jr., IF, Evansville
In a season-opening road series at Tennessee Tech, Evansville junior Tanner Craig had an incredible weekend. Craig finished the weekend batting .727 (8-for-11) with four home runs, seven RBI, a double, eight hits, three walks, including an intentional walk to end the weekend. Twice this weekend, Craig hit two home runs in a game, including back-to-back homers in Sunday’s series finale that helped the Aces build a 10-2 lead. All last season, Craig hit just five home runs in 197 at bats and has nearly matched that mark in just 11 at bats.
Other Notable Performances: Connor O’Brien (BRAD); Andres Sosa (DBU); Joe Butler (ILS); Dominic Cusumano (INS); Dakota Kotowski (MSU); Ian Walters (SIU)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Logan Wiley, Sr., RHP, Missouri State
Missouri State senior right-hander Logan Wiley pitched the Bears to a 1-0 opening day victory over Central Arkansas Friday, tossing 7.0 scoreless innings to help pave the way to a series win for MSU in Conway. The Springfield, Mo., native retired the final 12 batters he faced, struck out seven UCA hitters and scattered three hits in a 77-pitch effort that spearheaded MSU’s first opening-day shutout since 1970.
Other Notable Performances: Dominic Hamel (DBU); Jake McMahill (UE); Tristan Weaver (INS); Mason Hiser (SIU)