The Basics
Game 5
Oral Roberts (4-0) vs. Missouri State (1-2)
Dates: February 22
Location: J.L. Johnson Stadium (Tulsa, Okla.)
Watch/Listen: ORU Sports Network | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – Off to their first 4-0 start since 2009, the Oral Roberts baseball team returns to the diamond for a midweek matchup against Missouri State Wednesday afternoon at J.L. Johnson Stadium. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

Wednesday's contest will be streamed on the ORU Sports Network and fans can also follow along with the game on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball. For tickets, fans can visit www.mabeecenter.com.

TICKET PROMO
ORU Athletics is running its "Buy One, Get One Free Ticket" promotion for Wednesday's game.

Important Links
ORU Game Notes
Missouri State Notes
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• Wednesday's matchup marks the 63rd meeting all-time between the Golden Eagles and Bears.

• ORU won both meetings a season ago, including a 6-5 walk-off victory at home courtesy of Mac McCroskey. 

• The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 34-28 and are 21-14 against the Bears at J.L. Johnson Stadium.

• The two sides will meet again later this season at Missouri State on March 28.

Quick Hits     
• The Golden Eagles are off to their first 4-0 start since the 2009 season after a clean sweep of Northern Illinois over the weekend. The Opening Weekend sweep marked the Golden Eagles' first since 2019.

• McCroskey launched a school record-tying three home runs on Opening Day en route to earning Summit League and Collegiate Baseball National Player of the Week honors. The redshirt senior has also now reached base in 26 straight games, dating back to last season. Newcomer Matt Hogan also went deep three times on the weekend and drove in a team-best 10 runs. 

• On the mound, Jakob Hall was tabbed the Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week after tossing a career-high six innings on Opening Day. The sophomore also totaled a career-best-tying six strikeouts and allowed two runs, one earned.

• As a staff, ORU allowed seven runs in the series, marking their fewest through the first four games since 2006 (3).

• After a weekend of play, the Golden Eagles lead the Summit League in 10 offensive, six pitching and two fielding categories. Nationally, ORU ranks first in double plays (8), fifth in ERA (0.97), seventh in sacrifice flies (4), 11th in home runs (8), 13th in stolen bases (9), 15th in hits (42) and 20th in triples (2).

• With three homers through the first four games, Hogan and McCroskey rank atop the League and third nationally. Hogan also tops the conference and sits fourth nationally with 10 RBIs.

• Justin Quinn ranks first in the conference with eight runs scored, while Jonah Cox sits atop the leaderboard in doubles with four. 

• ORU will send newcomer RHP Joshua Caravalho to the mound Wednesday afternoon. The sophomore will face off against RHP Tyler Tscherter.

• The Golden Eagles are coming off their 20th Summit League Tournament Championship and 29th NCAA Regional appearance after finishing with a 38-20 record in 2022. ORU returns 15 players from last year's NCAA Regional squad and welcomed 17 newcomers in the offseason.

• After an electric 2022 season out of the bullpen, right-hander Cade Denton received Preseason First Team All-American honors from the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association (NCBWA) and was tabbed the Preseason Summit League Pitcher of the Year by D1 Baseball and Perfect Game USA. The Rowlett, Texas, native was also named to the Preseason Watch List for the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award, given to the top relief pitcher in NCAA Division I Baseball

• In the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll, ORU was selected as the unanimous favorite to claim the regular season crown. The Golden Eagles received 42 points and earned all six first-place votes they could. Redshirt senior Mac McCroskey and Denton were named the Preseason Player and Pitcher to Watch for ORU as voted on by the league's seven head coaches. Senior Jake McMurray and Denton garnered Preseason All-Summit League honors from Perfect Game USA.

• Entering the 2023 season, ORU ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history with a .652 winning percentage. 

• Head Coach Ryan Folmar enters his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has compiled a 323-210 (.606) overall record.  

Scouting the Opponent
• Missouri State dropped two of three against Cal Poly in their Opening Weekend series.

• Nick Rodriguez led the Bears with a .500 (7-14) average over the weekend, while Mason Greer drove in a team-best six runs and went deep once.

• The Bears are coming off their 12th NCAA Regional appearance a season ago and were picked to finish second in the Missouri Valley Conference.

For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on the team by downloading the ORU Athletics app from the App Store or Google Play Store.