Missouri Baseball Set to Open Season Against Cal Poly
The Tigers will have two chances on Friday to get an opening day win.
Missouri baseball will start their season with a week-and-a-half long road trip to the West Coast. The Tigers are facing off against the Cal Poly Mustangs on Friday night at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT to begin their 2024 campaign.
The season already isn't starting as easy as Mizzou hoped, however. What was supposed to be a series with only one game played each day turned into a doubleheader on Friday with a lot of uncertainty for the other games. The matchups for Saturday and Sunday are currently still at the times they were originally expected to be played, but it is still possible they are moved due to expected inclement weather in the San Luis Obispo area.
The two teams have faced each other only one other time in semi-recent history, where the Tigers came away with the win in a 10-9 battle. This game was ironically also the season opener in new Missouri head coach Kerrick Jackson's first year as assistant coach way back in 2011. This is the fourth time the Tigers and Mustangs have faced off overall, with Missouri having the edge winning their last two meetings.
Despite fielding solid teams in the past in the Big West Conference, Cal Poly had a rough season last year, finishing with a win percentage of just .375 on the season.
The season-opening game should be an interesting one with both starting pitchers coming back from injuries. Taking the mound for the Mustangs will be left-hander Jakob Wright. After a season-ending surgery in 2022, Wright came back to play the second half of last season, putting up solid numbers in his return. In just 18.2 innings, he punched out 30 batters.
Facing off against Wright will be Missouri right-hander Bryce Mayer, who missed all of last season due to a medical redshirt. This will be his first game as a Tiger and his first start since playing for St. Charles Community College. He posted a 2.87 ERA and a 6-1 record in 31.1 innings for the SCC Cougars.
Friday's second game will feature junior Steven Brooks, one of the Mustangs' more experienced arms. Second only to recent Yankees draft pick Bryce Warrecker in most innings pitched at Cal Poly last season, Brooks pitched 71 innings with 61 strikeouts and a 5.58 ERA in 2023. Starting for the Tigers will be right-hander Carter Rustad, a pivotal member of the Tigers' rotation before last season. He made just one mound appearance before an injury cut his 2023 season short. In 2022, he pitched 51.1 innings with a 4.73 ERA.
Cal Poly will send out their other most experienced arm still on the team from last season. Right handed senior Ryan Baum is expected to pitch on Saturday. Baum pitched 62.2 innings with 59 strikeouts last year. Against Baum will be Logan Lunceford for the Tigers. After an impressive freshman campaign, Lunceford and his strikeout power are back on the mound for his sophomore season. In his rookie year, he threw for 54 innings and punched out 68, leading all SEC freshman in innings and strikeouts last spring.
Set for Sunday is Cal Poly's left-hander Christopher Downs. This will be the 6-foot-7 pitcher's first collegiate outing. Missouri has not yet named a pitcher to face off against Downs.
There may not be as many familiar faces on the field for either team in this series. Both teams had a lot of roster turnover in the offseason with Cal Poly having 19 incoming players and Missouri with 22, 10 being freshmen and 12 being transfers.
The Tigers' season opener is part of a four-game series against Cal Poly. Here is all the information about the series this weekend.
Who: Missouri vs. Cal Poly
When: Friday, Feb. 16 at 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. CT | Saturday, Feb. 17 at 5 p.m. CT | Sunday, Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. CT |
Where: Baggett Stadium, San Luis Obispo, Calif.
TV: Cal Poly All-Access, ESPN+
Series: Missouri leads 2-1 with the first recorded meeting occurring on Feb. 15, 2003.
Last meeting: The Missouri Tigers defeated the Cal Poly Mustangs at USC in 2011 10-9.
Next up: Missouri heads to San Diego, Calif. to play in the Tony Gwynn Legacy Tournament from Feb. 22-24, facing CSU Bakersfield, San Diego State and UC San Diego.
