NOTEBOOK (PDF)
Beginning Friday, the first three series of the MVC conference season will take place with Valparaiso hosting Bradley, Southern Illinois heading to Illinois State and Indiana State welcoming Missouri State.
Quick Starts Crucial
If your team has plans on sitting atop the MVC standings heading into the league’s postseason tournament, you might want to get off to a good start as all but one team that has won the MVC regular season has won at least 15 games since 2010, the first year of a 21-game conference schedule.
In the last eight seasons, Indiana State is the only league team to win the MVC regular season title with fewer than 15 league victories, as the Sycamores won the Valley with a 14-7 record in 2012.
Milestone for Heefner
DBU Head Coach Dan Heefner won his 400th career game with a 9-7 win over No. 22 Sam Houston State on Friday. At just the young age of 40, Heefner is now 401-217 and his .649 win percentage ranks 19th best among active NCAA Division I coaches.
1-2 Punch
Jameson Hannah and Devlin Granberg have been a dynamic 1-2 punch at the top of DBU’s batting order. Both are hitting over .400, as Granberg leads the Patriots with a .407 batting average, while Hannah boasts the team’s second highest average at .402. Over the last 12 games, Hannah and Granberg have accounted for 52 hits, eight home runs, 11 doubles, 31 RBI, and are hitting a combined .473.
New Saves Record
SIU closer Ryan Netemeyer tied SIU’s career saves record with his 30th career save in SIU’s 10-8 win over UC Irvine on Sunday. Netemeyer, a two-time All-MVC closer, pitched a scoreless ninth in a game that featured 32 hits. He tied Bryant George (2007-10) for the school record, which is also tied for fourth in MVC history.
Red Hot Sycamores
Indiana State is in the midst of a nine-game winning streak – the third longest in the nation -- that includes victories over Austin Peay, Western Illinois, a three-game sweep of The Citadel and a doubleheader sweep of Xavier. Over that period the Sycamores have outscored opponents 60-32 and are hitting .296. The squad has also recorded 32 extra-base hits, including 25 doubles. Leadoff man Jarrod Watkins has seven doubles during the streak.
Streaking at Hammons
With five home victories last week, the Bears ran their 2018 home mark to 8-2 and extended their current Hammons Field win streak to six straight games. That streak represents the sixth different home win streak of at least six games since the start of the 2015 season. The Bears have logged their top two single-season home win totals over the last two years, going 21-7 at home last spring, following a Hammons Field record 22 victories in 2016. In 2015, MSU posted its best-ever showing at Hammons with a 19-3 (.864) mark, giving the Bears a combined 70-21 (.769) home record since the start of the 2015 season.
Five in RPI’s Top-80
Five league teams continue to rank in the top-80 of the RPI, led by Indiana State (No. 24), Illinois State (No. 51), Bradley (No. 53), DBU (No. 72) and Missouri State (No. 76).
Valley RPI Ranks No. 9
According to the latest RPI update from WarrenNolan.com (March 26), the Missouri Valley Conference ranks No. 9 amongst 31 leagues, keeping the same position from last week. Four of the Power-Five conferences (SEC, Big 12, ACC and Pac-12) hold four of the top five positions, while the American sits fifth.
Wins Over Power Five
Entering this week’s action, The MVC has earned nine wins over members of Power Five conferences. The Valley sits 3-2 vs. the Pac-12, 3-5 vs. the Big 12, 2-5 vs. the Big Ten, 1-3 against the ACC and 0-5 vs. the SEC.
Six of the eight MVC teams have earned wins against the Power Five. Bradley, Missouri State, Southern Illinois and Valparaiso each have one Power Five win, while DBU has two and Illinois State three.
Strength of Schedule
Illinois State ranks second among Missouri Valley Conference teams at 51 in the RPI, as produced by WarrenNolan.com. The Redbirds have easily posted The Valley’s best strength of schedule to date, checking in at 30 (DBU is second in SOS at 63). Illinois State’s opponents to date have combined for a 207-141 (.595) Division I record entering this week.
Against the Field
The MVC holds a winning record against 14 leagues in non-conference play (Big East, Conference USA, Ivy, Metro, MAC, Mountain West, Ohio Valley, Patriot, Pac-12, Southern, Southland, SWAC, Summit and WAC), and at least a .500 record against another league (American).
This week's Missouri Valley Conference Baseball Player/Pitcher of the Week are DBU's Devlin Granberg and Missouri State's Dylan Coleman, respectively.
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK:
Devlin Granberg, Sr., OF, DBU
DBU senior outfielder Devlin Granberg hit .563 (9-for-16) last week with two home runs, six RBI, and and extended his career-high hit streak to 12 games. The Patriots’ senior outfielder helped lift the Patriots to a key road series win over No. 22 Sam Houston State by going 5-for-13 with six RBI in the three games against the Bearkats. For the week, Granberg led DBU in eight categories including hits (9), home runs (2), total bases (16), slugging percentage (1.000), walks (6), on-base percentage (.696), and stolen bases (2). Over his 12-game hit streak, is hitting .538.
Other Notable Performances: Brendan Dougherty (BRAD); Noah Sadler (ILS); Dane Giesler (INS); Jeremy Eierman (MSU); Logan Blackfan (SIU)
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE PITCHER OF THE WEEK:
Dylan Coleman, Jr., RHP, Missouri State
Missouri State junior right-hander Dylan Coleman dominated CSUN for seven of his career-best eight innings Friday, striking out 11 and allowing just two runs (one earned) on four singles to earn his fourth win of the season. The Pototsi, Mo., native allowed just one baserunner through the first five innings, fanning eight Matadors in the process, then retired the final seven hitters he faced. His 11 strikeouts represented the fifth double-digit strikeout performance of his career and moved him into sole possession of ninth place on the Bears’ career list.
Other Notable Performances: Mitch Janssen (BRAD); MacGregor Hines (DBU); Brady Huffman (ILS); Ethan Larrison (INS); Jamison Steege (SIU); Jon Tieman (VALPO)