The Basics
Game 26
Oral Roberts (16-9) at Missouri State (11-11)
Date: March 28
Location: Hammons Field (Springfield, Mo.)
Watch: None | Behind the Mic: ORU Sports Network | Live Stats: Sidearm Stats

TULSA, Okla. – Winners of six of its last seven contests, the Oral Roberts baseball team travels to Missouri State for a midweek contest Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. from Hammons Field.

Fans can listen to Tuesday's game on the ORU Sports Network and can also follow along on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball.

Important Links
ORU Game Notes
Missouri State Notes
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• Tuesday's midweek marks the 64th meeting all-time and second this season between the Golden Eagles and Bears.

• Missouri State claimed the first meeting this season between the two sides, 8-5, back on February 22 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

• ORU leads the all-time series between the two clubs, 34-29, and is 11-14 on the road against the Bears.

Quick Hits  
• The Golden Eagles are coming off their fourth series win of the season after taking two of three at Memphis over the weekend. 

• Mac McCroskey led the way offensively for ORU in the series as the redshirt senior went 6-for-10 with two homers and four RBI. On the mound, RHP Jakob Hall set the tone Friday as the sophomore threw six shutout innings and struck out six on only 68 pitches.

• In Sunday's finale, Joshua Caravalho picked up the win in relief after tossing three scoreless frames. Closer Cade Denton notched his Summit League-best fifth save of the season in the contest as the junior tossed three scoreless innings and struck out six.

• LHP Jacob Widener will get the nod on the mound for the Golden Eagles Tuesday night.

• Entering the week, the Golden Eagle offense leads the Summit League in batting average (.310), runs (179), hits (275), home runs (33), triples (9), RBIs (165), on-base percentage (.387), slugging percentage (.493), stolen bases (42) and total bases (438). On the mound, ORU tops the conference in ERA (4.19), batting average against (.235), WHIP (1.26), saves (9), innings pitched (221.0), hits allowed per nine innings (7.6), strikeouts-to-walk ratio (2.4) and strikeouts (224). Defensively, the Golden Eagles top the League in putouts (663), assists (242), double plays (25) and fielding percentage (.987).

• Nationally, ORU ranks third in fielding percentage, fifth in double plays, eighth in hits, 18th in triples, 22nd in WHIP and 27th in hits allowed per nine innings (7.6).

• Jonah Cox remains the nation's leader in hits with 45 on the year. The junior also ranks third in triples (5), 11th in hits per game (1.80) and 27th in batting average (.429).

• Matt Hogan continues to lead the League in homers (8), sacrifice flies (4) and RBI (34). Nationally, the redshirt senior sits 11th in sac flies and 24th in RBI

• On the mound, Brooks Fowler continues to top the League in ERA (2.73), while Harley Gollert, Hall and Caravalho leads the conference in wins (3). At the national level, Hall ranks fifth in strikeout-to-walk ratio (14.0) and sixth in walks allowed per nine innings (0.75).

• 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, 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. Through 11 appearances this season, Denton has recorded a 1.17 ERA and five saves, which ranks 15th nationally.

• 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. 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. 

• Since 2001, ORU has made 17 NCAA Regional appearances, which rank as the most among Oklahoma schools.

• Head Coach Ryan Folmar enters his 11th season at the helm of the Golden Eagles and has compiled a 335-219 (.605) overall record.  

Scouting the Opponent
• Missouri State enters the midweek on a six-game losing streak after suffering a sweep at the hands of Evansville over the weekend.

• Zack Stewart and Spencer Nivens lead the charge for the Bears offensively as the two have combined for 13 homers and 41 RBI.

• RHP Forrest Barnes will take the mound for the Bears in the contest.

• Missouri State is coming off its 12th NCAA Regional appearance a season ago and was 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.