SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Drury baseball looks to build on a recent hot streak Tuesday (April 7), when the Panthers travel to Warrensburg, Mo., to take on No. 15 Central Missouri for their final non-conference midweek contest of the season. First pitch from Crane Stadium at Tompkins Field is scheduled for 3 p.m.
Drury (20-13, 11-5 GLVC) is coming off a three-games-to-one series win over a Maryville club that entered the weekend unbeaten in conference play. The Panthers have claimed seven of their last GLVC contests and enter the week in fifth place in the conference standings.
Central Missouri (25-8, 16-6 MIAA) dropped two of three conference games against Rogers State over the weekend, but still brings a 16-6 league mark into the week, which is good for third place.
Fans may follow the action through The MIAA Network (subscription required).
LEADING OFF:
- Drury will be celebrating its 20th season of varsity competition since the program's reinstatement in 2007.
- The Panthers bring an overall program record of 563-423-1 into Tuesday's game.
- DU is led by 14th-year head coach Scott Nasby, who has compiled an overall mark of 387-289-1 as the Panthers' all-time winningest coach.
- Drury will be squaring off against a top 25 foe for the 12th time this season, bringing a 3-8 mark in such contests into Tuesday's game.
- The Panthers knocked off then-No. 2 UCM, 9-7, on Feb. 10 in Springfield; that victory matched the Panthers' highest-ranked win in program history.
- Drury has logged 14 wins over ranked opponents over the last decade.
- The Panthers rank fourth nationally in doubles per game (2.67), eighth in batting (.351), 19th in slugging (.540) and 20th in scoring (9.5)
- 1B Logan Reidelberger shares the GLVC lead with his 14 doubles this season and ranks 27th nationally in hits per game (1.66); he led the Panthers by going 8-for-16 in their series win over Maryville last week.
- OF Connor Bain enters the week ranked among the Panthers' all-time leaders in walks (5th), steals (t-6th), hits (7th), home runs (7th), runs scored (7th) and doubles (7th).
- INF Landon Willbrand has recorded 98 fielding assists to lead all GLVC defenders.
- OF Luke Matschiner enters Tuesday's game with 23 steals on the season, which ranks second among all GLVC base-stealers and 21st nationally and is just 10 shy of Nick Thimesch's DU single-season record of 33.
- Matschiner ranks third all-time in Drury program history with 55 career steals.
SERIES HISTORY
- Drury enters Tuesday's game 6-12 all-time against the Mules, including a 9-7 victory in the two clubs' first meeting of the season in Springfield (Feb. 10).
- Overall, the Mules have won eight of the last 10 meetings, dating back to 2018.
- DU has gone 3-5 vs. UCM in Warrensburg, with the Mules claiming a 12-2 win in the Panthers' last visit to Crane Stadium on April 23, 2024.
LOOKING AHEAD
Drury will open a four-game GLVC road series against Truman State on Friday, with first pitch slated for 3 p.m., in Kirksville, Mo.
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