The Basics
Game 33
Oral Roberts (12-19-1, 4-7-1 SL) vs. Missouri State (13-17, 3-6 MVC)
Dates: April 9, 2024
Time: 6:00 PM
Location: Tulsa, Okla. (J.L. Johnson Stadium)
Watch: Summit League Network | Behind the Mic: Adam Hildebrandt | Live Stats: Sidearm

Tulsa, Okla. – The Oral Roberts baseball team returns home for a brief four-game homestand starting with a midweek rematch against Missouri State.
Tomorrow's game will be streamed on the Summit League Network, with live stats hosted on Sidearm with Adam Hildebrandt behind the mic. Fans can also follow along with the games on ORU's Twitter, @ORUBaseball.

Important Links
Summit League Notes

Inside the Series
• The Golden Eagles lead the all-time series 35-30 and are 21-16 in games played at J.L Johnson Stadium.

•  ORU fell to Missouri State in their last showdown earlier this season. ORU would get MSU's Garrett Ferguson in a jam with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth but the Bears managed to force a pop-fly and escape with the 10-6 win.

• This will be the second of their three matchups of the 2024 season with their final game being played in Springfield on May 14th.

Quick Hits
• Holden Breeze enters the contest as the reigning Summit League Peak Performer of the Week. Breeze hit safely in all four of ORU's games last week, going 9-for-18 at the plate with a pair of home runs and seven RBI. He finished the series win at Northern Colorado with an 8-for-15 effort that included a four-hit, four-run outing in the series-opening win and added a three-hit effort in the game-two victory.

• Elijah Rodriguez is currently leading the Summit League in hits (45) and steals (9) in his debut season for ORU.

• The Golden Eagles' offense are coming off their best three-game stretch of the season. Since Friday, ORU as a team has batted .382, collected 42 hits, scored 36 runs, and blasted seven home runs.

Scouting the Opponent
  • The Bears have homered in 23 of 30 games this season and 85 of the last 104, including streaks of 29 and 21 games, and rank 22nd nationally with 242 long balls since the beginning of the 2022 season. The Bears rank 2nd in the MVC with 43 home runs so far in 2024..
     
• Sophomore outfielder Zack Stewart is a two-time MVC Player of the Week award winner this season and leads the Bears with a .339 average. Stewart ranks fourth in the MVC in home runs (10) and slugging percentage (.679).
    
 • Senior Brandt Thompson leads the MVC with 2.03 ERA, 5.0 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.00 WHIP while posting a 4-0 record so far this season. Thompson also ranks among the league's top 10 in walk rate (2nd - 1.8/9 innings) and strikeouts (9th - 40). He ranks 6th in MSU history (100 inning minimum) with a career 3.54 K/BB ratio. In MVC games, Thompson is 2-0 with a 0.95 ERA and .167 opponent average in 19 innings.

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.