SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury baseball will be seeking its first-ever win over a top-ranked NCAA Division II foe Tuesday when the Panthers meet No. 1 Pittsburg State for a 3 p.m. non-conference contest at Al Ortolani Field in Pittsburg, Kan.
The Gorillas have won five-straight meetings with the Panthers and bring a narrow 7-6 series edge into the game. The Panthers are 2-0 vs. top 10 teams this season after their 14-13 victory over No. 8 Grand Valley State last Tuesday. DU also knocked off No. 2 Central Missouri on Feb. 10.
Drury (12-8, 3-1 GLVC) is coming off a 3-1 conference series win over Lewis to open GLVC play at Mark Worley Field. Pitt State (22-2, 12-2 MIAA) secured a 2-1 MIAA series victory over No. 6 Central Missouri over the weekend as well.
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LEADING OFF:
- Drury will celebrate its 20th season of varsity competition since the program's reinstatement in 2007.
- The Panthers bring an overall program record of 555-418-1 into Tuesday's game.
- DU is led by 14th-year head coach Scott Nasby, who has compiled an overall mark of 379-284-1 as the Panthers' all-time winningest coach.
- Individually, OF Greydon Miller leads all GLVC hitters with his four triples and ranks fourth in hitting (.449), as well as sixth in slugging (.768) and RBIs (27).
- Miller led the Panthers offense in a 4-1 week, hitting .525 (11-for-21) while slugging .857 and driving in 12 runs against GVSU and Lewis, logging at least one RBI in all five contests and at least one an extra-base hit in four of those outings.
- Freshman LHP Anthony Vita became the fourth Panther to earn a weekly honor from the GLVC on Monday, picking up league Pitcher of the Week recognition after tossing 6 2/3 innings of shutout relief in Friday's win over Lewis.
- The DU offense ranks second in the GLVC in hitting (.340) and hits (238), as well as third in slugging (.522) and on-base percentage (.443).
- INF Landon Willbrand has recorded 64 fielding assists to lead all GLVC defenders.
- OF Luke Matschiner enters the week with 13 steals on the season, which ranks fifth in the conference; he has swiped 45 bases in his career to rank eighth on the Panthers' all-time list, while fellow senior OF Connor Bain ranks sixth with his 48 steals.
SERIES HISTORY
- Pitt State brings a 7-6 series advantage over Drury into Tuesday's game.
- The Gorillas have won the last five meetings dating back to 2013, including a 5-0 victory over the Panthers in Springfield last spring (April 1, 2025).
- PSU has taken the last three meetings in Pittsburg, with DU's last road win over the Gorillas coming on March 12, 2013 (8-0).
LAST TIME OUT
- Drury saw its four-game win streak come to an end Sunday afternoon, as Lewis tallied 19 hits in a 14-10 victory over the Panthers to salvage the final game of the two clubs' GLVC series at Mark Worley Field.
- The Panthers rallied from a 6-2 deficit with a four-run fifth inning, before the Flyers seized the lead with a three-run rally of their own in the sixth.
- Jackson Crider, Luke Matschiner and Landon Willbrand turned in two-hit games to lead the Panthers, while Greydon Miller and Carter Wambach drove in two runs apiece.
- DU claimed the series with win in each of the first three games, including a Saturday doubleheader sweep.
UPSET CITY
- The Panthers will be hunting their first-ever victory over a No. 1 ranked foe Tuesday in Pittsburg.
- Drury notched its second top-10 victory of the season with last Tuesday's 14-13 win over No. 8 Grand Valley State.
- Previously DU's win over No. 2 UCM (Feb. 10) matched a program standard in terms of highest-ranked victories; the Panthers previously took down No. 2 Augustana in 2019.
- DU's victory last Tuesday also gave it 13 wins over ranked opponents in the last decade (since 2016), with nine of those coming against top 10 clubs -- all since 2019.
PANTHERS GET OFFENSIVE
- Freshman LHP Anthony Vita became the fourth Panther to earn a GLVC Player or Pitcher of the Week honor this season with his selection for Pitcher of the Week on Monday (March 16).
- Vita turned in 6 2/3 innings of scoreless relief in the Panthers' 8-7 win over Lewis on Friday.
- The Joliet, Ill., product entered the game with one out in the first inning after DU starter Kaleb Thomas left the game due to an apparent injury.
- After surrendering a base hit to the first Lewis hitter he faced, Vita dispatched the next six Flyers in succession and nine of the next 10 opposing batters overall.
- In all, he scattered six hits and fanned four hitters to earn his first career victory as a Panther.
- The honor is the first GLVC Pitcher of the Week award for Vita, who joins Connor Bain, Coleman Morrison and Jackson Crider on the list of DU standouts who have been honored by the GLVC this season.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury continues a nine-game road swing Friday (March 20) when its opens a four-game GLVC set against Illinois Springfield with a 2 p.m. contest at UIS Baseball Field in Springfield, Ill.
For all the latest information on Drury baseball, visit DruryPanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on X and Instagram.
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