G45-46: SBU BEARCATS (11-33, 9-25 MIAA)
at #2 CENTRAL MISSOURI MULES (34-5, 26-4)
TUESDAY, APRIL 20 • 2:00 PM
CRANE STADIUM • WARRENSBURG, MO

G47-48: SBU vs OTTAWA BRAVES (24-13, 14-6 KCAC)
SATURDAY, APRIL 24 • 1:00 PM
DODSON FIELD • BOLIVAR, MO • SENIOR DAY

SBU NOTES | UCM NOTES

Live Stats from UCM

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats are carrying momentum, as they won their first series of the season, before heading to Warrensburg to take on Central Missouri. The Bearcats took three of four against Truman State last week, and will look for conference wins number 10 and 11 against a Mules team that will be looking for a little bit of revenge. SBU split a doubleheader with UCM earlier this season, as the 'Cats took a 12-11 come-from-behind victory. The loss was only Central's third of the season. After the rematch on Tuesday, the Bearcats host Ottawa University for a twinbill on Saturday. This year's seniors will be honored during the two seven-inning contests.

SBU pitcher Greg Seay continued his hot streak last week, throwing his second straight nine-inning complete game. Seay has won his last three outings and has lowered his ERA by more than a run and a half during that stretch.

Paden Grubbs continues to lead to Bearcats offensively; the junior left fielder has a team-high 53 hits, 15 doubles, 32 runs scored, 37 RBI, and 11 home runs. With 10 games left on the schedule, Grubbs is just two home runs away from tying the school single-season record.

Infielder Nigel Morton has been a key threat to opposing pitchers, hitting a team-high .358. Morton went 4-for-7 during the Truman series last week, scoring twice and driving in four RBI.

THE COACHES AND SERIES HISTORY
Bearcat head coach Sam Berg is in his 11th season with SBU. Berg earned his 150th victory at SBU earlier this year. During his time in Bolivar, Berg has seen his program produce 24 All-MIAA awards, and two NCAA All-Region winners.

Mules head coach Tommy Myers is in his third season in Warrensburg, where he has yet to finish worse than runner-up in the NCAA South Central Regional tournament. Before being named head coach, Myers was an assistant at Kansas State, and even further back, was an assistant with Central Missouri during their national championship season in 2003. Ottawa head coach Joe Reed has seen vast improvements in just his second year. After a 12-38 mark in 2009, the Braves have doubled their win total with ten games still to play.

With another win against the Mules, this year's SBU team will have won more games against Central Missouri than any previous Bearcat squads have in the last decade combined. UCM holds a 35-3 advantage against SBU since 2000 and is 80-8-1 over SBU overall. The matchup against Ottawa will be the first between the two schools in program history.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Leading the Mules is senior outfielder Chance Tuttle, who currently is the league leader in runs scored, with 52. Three different players, Tuttle, Nick DeBiasse, and Tyler Ruch, have hit at least eight home runs this season for UCM. Central Missouri have three starting pitchers that have not yet recorded a loss with an ERA under 3.00. Brooks Martin (8-0, 1.39 ERA) has rung up 71 batters this season. Mitch Stubenhofer (2-0, 2.62 ERA) has allowed just 10 earned runs in 34 1/3 innings pitched.

Ottawa's Dustin Balmer is hitting at a .411 clip, with three home runs and seven RBI. Spenser Augustine is the power hitter in the Braves' lineup, blasting a team high seven home runs and 48 RBI. Jake Kissner, Gustavo Sanchez, and Steve Marks are the heart of the Ottawa rotation. Each pitcher posts a 5-2 record, and Sanchez has a team-low 3.43 ERA.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARCATS
The 2010 regular season comes to a close next week, as the Bearcats host the Maryville Saints in a mid-week doubleheader before closing out the year at Missouri Southern. Maryville is looking to snap a seven-game slide heading into this week. The Saints have four players hitting above .300, including Eric Gruenewald, who has team-best seven home runs. With a 14-16 record in MIAA play, the Missouri Southern Lions will be fighting for one of the last spots in the MIAA Tournament.