Missouri State University announced on April 16 that its baseball team will host Western Kentucky for a three-game series at Hammons Field in Springfield, with the first game scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m.
The series marks a return to league play for Missouri State (24-10, 12-3 Conference USA), which is currently ranked 15th in the NCAA RPI and appeared at No. 23 in the Perfect Game Top 25 this week. The Bears have played one of the toughest schedules in Division I and remain unbeaten at home this season.
Game times are set for Friday at 3 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. All games will be held at Hammons Field and broadcast on ESPN+. Radio coverage will be available on KBFL 96.9FM/1060 AM. Each game features special promotions, including giveaways and themed events such as “417 Day,” Spring Family Day, and Future Bears Day with a postgame egg hunt.
Statistically, Missouri State leads Conference USA in batting average (.308), slugging percentage (.558), and on-base percentage (.421). The team also ranks among the top programs nationally with power hitting numbers: eighth nationally since the start of the 2022 season with nearly five hundred home runs under head coach Joey Hawkins’s guidance as hitting coach. Notable players include junior Caden Bogenpohl—who is second all-time in school history for career walks—and senior Taeg Gollert, who recently tied Missouri State’s doubles record.
The Bears have been dominant at home under Hawkins’s leadership, boasting a .338 batting average and .646 slugging percentage over their last forty-one games while maintaining an active home winning streak—the longest in the nation this year—with an undefeated record so far this season.
This weekend’s matchup also highlights Missouri State’s first year competing in Conference USA after more than three decades as part of the Missouri Valley Conference.
