Now that the Mizzou Baseball season is officially over, The Beef and I felt it was time to once again check in with the resident Mizzou Baseball Internet Expert, trripleplay of SimmonsField.com.

The Boy: First things first: a couple weeks ago, we were debating in a roundtable what would constitute a "successful" season for Mizzou.  The expectations were obviously pretty high at the beginning of the year, but after the struggle that followed, the goal (for me) was to simply get back to the NCAA tournament, keep the tourney streak alive, hopefully make some noise there, and get some optimism going for 2010.  As a whole, how do you feel about how this season unfolded?

trripleplay: First, you have to realize that everyone was focused on Baseball America's ridiculous #10 preseason ranking, choosing to ignore the mid-20s rankings all of the other polls had for MU.  If you toss out BA as the outlier, Mizzou did pretty well in getting close to the preseason predictions.  The Tigers may very well be toward the lower end of some of the final post-season rankings. 
 
The Tigers were picked to finish 5th in the coaches' Big 12 preseason poll, and they finished 3rd, thus exceeding those expectations.
 
There are those Tiger fans who aren't satisfied with anything less than perfection and think that Tim Jamieson deserves to be canned after taking his team to 3rd in the Big 12 and reaching a 7th straight Regional (1 of only 14 teams to make the last 7 straight Regionals).  Obviously, I disagree.
 
But I'm not one of the people who just started following Mizzou Baseball when they started having success.  7 straight Regionals is a HUGE improvement over failing to make the NCAA Tournament or the Big 12 Tournament - or barely making it all.
 
So I'm happy with the season.  Especially after the disaster of the first road trip and stumbling along for a month after that, this team had no business having as successful an outcome as it did.

The Beef: I realize we are a little while away from being able to have a hard answer to this next question, but based on what you know and what you have heard, what is your sense for returners next season?  Obviously, the last lineup we put on the field was VERY heavy in seniors (Austin Holt, Ryan Lollis, Kyle Mach and Steve Gray…Ian Berger and Scooter Hicks too) and juniors (Greg Folgia, Trevor Coleman, Aaron Senne, Michael Liberto).  Not counting Kyle Gibson, who do you see returning? Who do you see stepping up into some of those spots for next season?

trripleplay: Well. I just (5 minutes ago) posted a rather lengthy analysis of that topic at SimmonsField.com, so I don't want to repeat everything in detail.  But in short, I see this lineup:
 
C - Ryan Ampleman or Brett Nicholas (JuCo transfer)
1B -  Wide open:  probably Ben Turner or one of two freshmen (Ryan Crowlet or Scott Sommerfeld)
SS -  Michael Liberto
2B/3B -  Conner Mach and Freshman Eric Garcia
OF -  Returners Rex Meyr, Ryan Gebhart, Garrison McLagan and Russell LaFleur will compete with freshmen Blake Brown, Brannon Champagne, Scottt Sommerfeld and Dane Opel (if he doesn't diappear in the draft).  Opel is the fresman most likely to become a regular starter - if he actually becomes a Tiger.
 
Starting Pitching:  Nick Tepesch, Tyler Clark, Jeff Emens, Kelly Fick, Ryan Clubb and Phil McCormick are the returners who will compete for the job.  Several freshman look good:  Eric Anderson (RHP), Blake Brown, Ryan Crowley (LHP), Jack Dudenhoeffer (RHP), Andy Heifner (RHP) and Cody King (RHP). Plus, a successful JuCo transfer, Zach Hardoin (LHP) from Blinn College.

If he can return to mid-2009 form, Brad Buehler is the obvious front-runner for closer.

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Mizzou Baseball in Oxford, MS

Who: #2 seed Missouri (35-26) vs. #3 seed Western Kentucky (40-19) @ 1:00 p.m.
#1 seed Ole Miss (42-17) vs. the 1pm winner @ 5:00 p.m.
When: May 31
Where: University Stadium/Swayze Field (Capacity: 10,000+)

Radio: ESPN 1580 AM (KTGR.com)
TV (Online):  OleMissSports.com
Weather: Current Hour-by-Hour Forecast
NCAA Bracket: Hit the link
Around SBN:  Red Cup Rebellion (Ole Miss)
Preview Material: Know Your NCAA Regional Opponent - Western Kentucky
Know Your (Potential) NCAA Regional Opponent - Ole Miss
The First Time Around: Six-run first leads Western Kentucky to 11-5 win over Tigers

Only you can save us, Johnny Wholestaff!!  If Mizzou is to extend its baseball season past today, they will need lots of offense and lots of strong pitching from Ian Berger, Scooter Hicks, and the aforementioned Mr. Wholestaff (and possibly his cousin, Johnny Wholecloser).

Make Rock M Nation your base of operations this week and weigh in with your predictions, questions, worries, bold statements and observations by signing up for a free account. M...I...Z!

Mizzou Baseball in Oxford, MS:

Ugh...Western Kentucky may have just scored again
 

Who: #2 seed Missouri (34-26) vs. #4 seed Monmouth (32-24) @ 1:00 p.m.
#1 seed Ole Miss (41-17) vs. #3 Western Kentucky (40-18) @ 5:00 p.m.
When: May 30
Where: University Stadium/Swayze Field (Capacity: 10,000+)

Radio: ESPN 1580 AM (KTGR.com)
TV (Online):  OleMissSports.com
Weather: Current Hour-by-Hour Forecast
NCAA Bracket: Hit the link
Around SBN:  Red Cup Rebellion (Ole Miss)
Preview Material: Know Your NCAA Regional Opponent - Western Kentucky
Know Your (Potential) NCAA Regional Opponent - Ole Miss
Know Your (Potential) NCAA Regional Opponent - Monmouth

It is do or die for both diamond sports today, as Kyle Gibson is expected to take the mound in the hopes of extending Mizzou's season at least one more game.  How will he pitch in what could be the last game in his Mizzou career?

Make Rock M Nation your base of operations this week and weigh in with your predictions, questions, worries, bold statements and observations by signing up for a free account. Mizzou and Ole Miss have been down this path before...twice.  Both Baseball and Softball threads will be active today, but the games are not likely to overlap.  Hang around all day long to catch all the action.

Mizzou Baseball in Oxford, MS:

 
 

Who: #2 seed Missouri (34-25) vs. #3 seed Western Kentucky (39-18) @ 3:00 p.m.
#1 seed Ole Miss (40-17) vs. #4 Monmouth (32-23) @ 7:00 p.m.
When: May 29
Where: Oxford-University Stadium/Swayze Field (Capacity: 10,000+)

Radio: ESPN 1580 AM (KTGR.com)
TV (Online):  OleMissSports.com
Weather: Current Hour-by-Hour Forecast
NCAA Bracket: Hit the link
Around SBN:  Red Cup Rebellion (Ole Miss)
Preview Material: Know Your NCAA Regional Opponent - Western Kentucky
Know Your (Potential) NCAA Regional Opponent - Ole Miss
Know Your (Potential) NCAA Regional Opponent - Monmouth

Mizzou kicks off their seventh straight post-season appearance this afternoon against the Hilltoppers of WKU.  Nick Tepesch is being given the start in what has to be described as a gutsy move by Coach Jamieson.  Will the gamble pay off and set the Tigers up for the rest of the weekend?

You didn't think we'd forget about the Hawks, did you??

Season:  With a 32-23 record and a Northeast Conference tourney championship in its back pocket, Monmouth is going to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time (other trips: 1998, 1999, 2007).  They came back from a 7-0 deficit to eliminate Sacred Heart, 14-8, and make the field of 64.

RPI & Ranking:  #177 RPI, predictably unranked

Common Opponents: The closest we get is that they beat Saint Peter's while Mizzou beat Saint Louis.  Seriously, baseball is so friggin' regional...of our three Oxford opponents, the only common opponent we've had was Ole Miss and Mizzou both playing SLU.

The Hawks in recent NCAA Tourneys:  The Hawks' only NCAA trip since 1999 took place in 2007, where, honestly, they put up a pretty good fight.  They were sent to Tempe as the #4 seed and lost to #1 Arizona State (5-3) and #3 Nebraska (6-5) in competitive games.

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UPDATE, 3:26pm - Per the Clarion-Ledger, Scott Bittle is unavailable for the Rebels this weekend, and Tim Jamieson is showing an EPIC set of juevos by holding Kyle Gibson for Saturday against (in theory) Ole Miss and starting Nick Tepesch tomorrow.  If Mizzou loses to WKU without Gibson, that move will get called into question (clearly), though technically that means that Saturday's is the more important game as well.

Today we move on to the #1 team and host of Mizzou's NCAA Baseball regional, the Rebels of Ole Miss.

Season: Ole Miss was an impressive 40-17 in 2009, going 24-8 at home and 20-10 in the SEC (and improvement from last year's 15-15), tying with LSU for the conference championship.  After winning four in a row to end the regular season, the Rebels quickly limped out of the SEC Tournament after losses to Georgia (6-3) and Florida (12-2).  They drew the nation's #11 overall seed and will host an NCAA Regional for the fifth time in six years.  This is a well-established baseball program.

RPI & Ranking:  #17 RPI, #12 in Baseball America's Top 25

Common Opponents:

• SLU: Mizzou won 19-6, Ole Miss lost 15-11.  That's it.  It's like they play in the Southern circuit and we play in the Midwest circuit, and the two never interact...
  

The Rebels in recent NCAA Tourneys:  UM has PLENTY of NCAA experience.  Let's take a look at just the last five years.

• 2004: Oxford Regional.  #1 Ole Miss (the nation's overall #10 seed) lost to #4 Western Kentucky (1-0), then bowed out to #2 Washington (7-2), their last winless trip to an NCAA Regional.
  
• 2005: Oxford Regional.  #1 Ole Miss (the nation's overall #5 seed) beat #4 Maine (5-0), #3 Oklahoma (7-3), and then Oklahoma again (20-5!), to advance to the Super Regional.  They hosted overall #12 Texas and lost in three games, winning Game 1 (6-4) before losing Games 2 (3-1) and 3 (6-4).
  
• 2006: Oxford Regional. #1 Ole Miss (the nation's overall #11 seed) beat #4 Bethune-Cookman (3-2), #3 South Alabama (9-7), and #2 Tulane (12-4) to advance to the Super Regional.  They hosted Miami-FL, an upset winner in #6 Nebraska's regional, and once again they lost in three games, winning Game 1 (11-9) before losing Games 2 (7-0) and 3 (14-9).
  
• 2007: Oxford Regional.  #1 Ole Miss (the nation's overall #12 seed) beat #4 Sam Houston (14-5), beat #2 Southern Miss (4-0), then beat Sam Houston (21-13) again to advance to the Super Regional in Tempe.  There, they lost to overall #5 Arizona State by scores of 4-3 and 7-1.
  
• 2008: Coral Gables Regional.  #3 Ole Miss lost to #2 Missouri (7-0--Aaron Crow's shining moment), eliminated #4 Bethune-Cookman (14-1), eliminated Missouri (9-6), and then got thumped by #1 Miami-FL (11-2).

In all, this is the Rebels' 13th trip to the NCAA Tournament.  They haven't missed a tourney since 2002.  They've been to Omaha four times, the last time being, surprisingly, 1972.

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We're using the same format here as The Beef has been using for the Softball previews.  First up: Mizzou's only guaranteed regional opponent, Western Kentucky.

Season: The Hilltoppers went 39-18 in the 2009 season, and despite losing the Sun Belt Tournament to UL-Monroe, they earned the school's first ever at-large NCAA bid.

RPI & Ranking: #44 RPI, unranked

Common Opponents: none.

The Hilltoppers in recent NCAA Tourneys: After earning their first bid in 1980, WKU suffered a 24-year tourney hiatus before reappearing in 2004.  That year, as a #4 seed, they upset #1 Ole Miss (1-0), ironically enough, before losing to #3 Tulane (7-0) and being eliminated by #2 Washington (4-1).  They returned again last year as the 4-seed, and they were quickly eliminated by #1 Oklahoma State (5-3) and #3 TCU (10-5).

Continue reading this post »

Mizzou drew a 2-seed in the Oxford Regional and will play 3-seed Western Kentucky at 3pm on Friday.  The other matchup is #1 Ole Miss vs #4 Monmouth at 7pm.

Other Big 12 Teams

Texas drew the nation's overall #1 seed and will host #2 Texas State, #3 Boston College and #4 Army.

Oklahoma is the nation's overall 7-seed and will host #2 Arkansas, #3 Washington State, and #4 Wichita State.

Texas A&M drew a 2-seed with #1 TCU, #3 Oregon State, and #4 Wright State.  Winner of their regional will play the winner of the Longhorns' regional.

Kansas State drew a 2-seed as well.  They're up against #1 Rice, #3 Xavier, and #4 Sam Houston State.

Winner of K-State's regional will play the winner of Baylor's regional.  They're the 3-seed and will travel to Baton Rouge to play #1 LSU, #2 Minnesota and #4 Southern U.

Kansas, who probably dropped from consideration for a 2-seed after a winless Big 12 Tournament, drew #1 North Carolina (the nation's overall 4-seed), #2 Coastal Carolina and #4 Dartmouth.

UPDATE, 3:13pm - I hadn't even noticed Oklahoma State in the field.  Didn't know they still had a chance, being that, you know, they didn't even make the conference tournament.  They drew a 3-seed with #1 Clemson, #2 Alabama, and #4 Tennessee Tech.  Baseball America is unimpressed with the selection.  It's still pretty cool that the Big 12 got eight teams in the tourney, I guess.

View the whole bracket here (pdf).