The Basics
Game 4
Oral Roberts (2-1, 0-0) vs. Missouri State (2-1, 0-0)
Dates: Feb. 17 | 3:00 PM
Location: Chapman Park (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
Watch: Summit League Network | Live Stats: ORU Athletics
 
TULSA, Oklahoma – The Oral Roberts baseball team continues play at Chapman Park with a midweek matchup against Missouri State on Tuesday, February 17 at 3 p.m.
 
Fans can watch the action live on the Summit League Network or follow updates on X at @ORUBASE.
 
Last Time Out:
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 2-1 series win over Southern Illinois. ORU fell 4-2 in the season opener before shutting out the Salukis, 1-0, on Saturday and taking the rubber match, 6-2, on Sunday.
 
Cooper Combs led the Golden Eagles, batting .600 over the series with six hits, including two doubles and two RBIs. The senior struck out just once while drawing three walks.
 
On the mound, ORU was led by Nathan Love's four strikeouts over five shutout innings. Jack Hill and Braydon Sanford earned wins in games two and three, while Maddox Thornton picked up the save on Saturday.
 
Inside the Series: 35-32
The series between Missouri State and the Golden Eagles dates back to 1979, with ORU holding a 35-32 all-time advantage.
 
The Golden Eagles went 2-0 against Missouri State last season, defeating the Bears 8-7 in 10 innings at home and 9-7 in Springfield.
 
Scouting the Opponent:
Missouri State is coming off a 2-1 series win over Louisiana last weekend, taking games one and two, 8-2 and 13-12 (11 innings), before falling in the finale, 9-7. The Bears finished the 2025 season 30-25 overall and 17-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.
 
Caden Bogenpohl and Max Knight were named to the 2026 Preseason All-Conference USA Team, while the Bears were picked to finish sixth in their first year in the 12-team league.
 
Bogenpohl also received Preseason All-America honors from Perfect Game after finishing the 2025 campaign batting .296 with 13 home runs and 44 RBIs.
 
Knight, a utility player, earned NCBWA Third-Team All-America honors last season after batting .275 with 13 home runs, 46 RBIs, and a .551 slugging percentage. On the mound, Knight threw 45 innings with 55 strikeouts. He hit and pitched in the same game 15 times last season, homering in seven of those contests.
 
Head coach Joey Hawkins is entering his second season at the helm of the Bears and holds a 32-26 career record.
 
1st Place = 1st Teamers:
ORU returns three Summit League First Team selections from 2025. Catcher Wailele Kane-Yates, right fielder Will Edmunson, and right-handed starter Easton Teel were each selected to the First Team for the first time in their careers.
 
League Award Winners:
RHP Easton Teel earned the 2025 Summit League Newcomer of the Year Award for his performance on the mound. His 2.95 ERA led the conference and ranked No. 36 nationally.
 
The freshman also led the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.60), wins (7), WHIP (1.09), and walks allowed per nine innings (1.64).
 
Tulsa Tanks:
ORU relied on the long ball last season, leading the league with 70 home runs. Wailele Kane-Yates led the team and ranked second in the Summit League with 12 home runs, closely followed by Martell Davis with 10. Cooper Combs and Will Edmunson added nine each, while Owen Coil and Ethan Fielder finished with seven apiece.
 
Crown the King:
Head Coach Ryan Folmar surpassed legendary coach Larry Cochell for first on the ORU Baseball program's all-time wins list with the Golden Eagles' walk-off victory against Northern Colorado on Sunday, May 11. The win marked No. 429 for Folmar as head coach at ORU. He also led the program to a College World Series appearance in 2023, one of two appearances in program history.
 
In addition, Folmar was named the 2025 Summit League Coach of the Year.


For the latest information on ORU Baseball, follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or go to www.ORUAthletics.com.