When they played together in high school, Mizzou baseball freshmen Brett Bond and Shane Benes were part of a Westminster Christian Academy program that won four straight Missouri state championships.
Tuesday at Taylor Stadium, they'll reunite with a catalyst of two of those teams who happens to be one of the most feared hitters in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Mizzou hosts Missouri State, winners of a Division I best nine straight road games, for the first of a home-and-home series. As has been the case for each of Missouri State's opponents, the Tigers will have to pay special attention to center fielder Tate Matheny.
The junior was named to just about every preseason watch list imaginable for his 2014 batting statistics and was invited to compete for a spot in the USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer.
Matheny is the son of former St. Louis Cardinals catcher and current manager Mike Matheny. Mike Matheny caught Benes' father, former pitcher Andy Benes, for three seasons in St. Louis. That connection isn't lost on Mizzou's Benes, but the designated hitter says he's just trying to contribute to a Tiger win.
"I'm going to take it like I take any other game, but seeing a couple of teammates I've known for a long time and getting to see how they're doing is something I'm looking forward to," Benes said.
Here are three other storylines to follow before tonight's 6 p.m. start.
State isn't your average non-conference opponent
The Tigers and Bears aren't just the top-ranked teams in the state of Missouri. They're among the best teams in the country according to multiple college baseball polls.
Mizzou is ranked No. 14 in the Baseball America Top 25, No. 23 in the coaches poll, No. 15 in Collegiate Baseball's poll and No. 30 in the NCBWA Top 30.
Missouri State is one slot behind the Tigers in the Baseball America poll and three lower than Mizzou in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Bears bested Mizzou in this week's coaches and NCBWA polls, coming in at No. 19 and No. 23, respectively.
"That game, in the three years I've been here, has always felt like a conference game," Mizozu third baseman Josh Lester said of playing Missouri State. "We always bring the energy for them.
Lots of history in and between both dugouts
Mizzou and Missouri State have played 49 times on the diamond, with the short drive between Columbia and Springfield becoming a common occurrence as of late. The Tigers hold a narrow 25-24 series advantage. Missouri State won the last meeting 9-0 in Springfield last season behind nine scoreless innings from tonight's starter, Andy Cheray.
Another constant has been the teams' head coaches. Mizzou's Tim Jamieson is in his 21st year with the Tigers, having won 668 games in the process. Missouri State's Keith Guttin, who has coached the Bears since 1983, is ranked 13th among active Division I coaches with 1,116 wins.
According to Mizzou Athletics, tonight's game will be the first meeting in which both teams are ranked.
Tigers hope to break mid-week malaise
Missouri is one of the better weekend teams in the country, having won five of six Southeastern Conference series behind starting pitchers Reggie McClain, Tanner Houck and Peter Fairbanks.
The same can't be said of the Tigers' mid-week performances. Mizzou is 4-4 in mid-week games this season, with only of those opponents (Illinois) ranked in the aforementioned polls.
"I think it's just a lack of focus," Lester said of the team's mid-week woes. "We come off the adrenaline and all that from those (SEC) weekends and, I mean, we've been playing really well in those games so you'd think you just come out to the ballpark and it carries over."
Last Tuesday, Missouri dropped a home game to then 13-19 Arkansas - Little Rock. Tonight's starter for Missouri, John Miles, struggled with his command that game but didn't allow an earned run. The Tigers are hoping for more scoreless innings from Miles without the errors and miscues that cost them last week.
Tuesday at Taylor Stadium, they'll reunite with a catalyst of two of those teams who happens to be one of the most feared hitters in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Mizzou hosts Missouri State, winners of a Division I best nine straight road games, for the first of a home-and-home series. As has been the case for each of Missouri State's opponents, the Tigers will have to pay special attention to center fielder Tate Matheny.
The junior was named to just about every preseason watch list imaginable for his 2014 batting statistics and was invited to compete for a spot in the USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team last summer.
Matheny is the son of former St. Louis Cardinals catcher and current manager Mike Matheny. Mike Matheny caught Benes' father, former pitcher Andy Benes, for three seasons in St. Louis. That connection isn't lost on Mizzou's Benes, but the designated hitter says he's just trying to contribute to a Tiger win.
"I'm going to take it like I take any other game, but seeing a couple of teammates I've known for a long time and getting to see how they're doing is something I'm looking forward to," Benes said.
Here are three other storylines to follow before tonight's 6 p.m. start.
State isn't your average non-conference opponent
The Tigers and Bears aren't just the top-ranked teams in the state of Missouri. They're among the best teams in the country according to multiple college baseball polls.
Mizzou is ranked No. 14 in the Baseball America Top 25, No. 23 in the coaches poll, No. 15 in Collegiate Baseball's poll and No. 30 in the NCBWA Top 30.
Missouri State is one slot behind the Tigers in the Baseball America poll and three lower than Mizzou in the Collegiate Baseball Top 30. The Bears bested Mizzou in this week's coaches and NCBWA polls, coming in at No. 19 and No. 23, respectively.
"That game, in the three years I've been here, has always felt like a conference game," Mizozu third baseman Josh Lester said of playing Missouri State. "We always bring the energy for them.
Lots of history in and between both dugouts
Mizzou and Missouri State have played 49 times on the diamond, with the short drive between Columbia and Springfield becoming a common occurrence as of late. The Tigers hold a narrow 25-24 series advantage. Missouri State won the last meeting 9-0 in Springfield last season behind nine scoreless innings from tonight's starter, Andy Cheray.
Another constant has been the teams' head coaches. Mizzou's Tim Jamieson is in his 21st year with the Tigers, having won 668 games in the process. Missouri State's Keith Guttin, who has coached the Bears since 1983, is ranked 13th among active Division I coaches with 1,116 wins.
According to Mizzou Athletics, tonight's game will be the first meeting in which both teams are ranked.
Tigers hope to break mid-week malaise
Missouri is one of the better weekend teams in the country, having won five of six Southeastern Conference series behind starting pitchers Reggie McClain, Tanner Houck and Peter Fairbanks.
The same can't be said of the Tigers' mid-week performances. Mizzou is 4-4 in mid-week games this season, with only of those opponents (Illinois) ranked in the aforementioned polls.
"I think it's just a lack of focus," Lester said of the team's mid-week woes. "We come off the adrenaline and all that from those (SEC) weekends and, I mean, we've been playing really well in those games so you'd think you just come out to the ballpark and it carries over."
Last Tuesday, Missouri dropped a home game to then 13-19 Arkansas - Little Rock. Tonight's starter for Missouri, John Miles, struggled with his command that game but didn't allow an earned run. The Tigers are hoping for more scoreless innings from Miles without the errors and miscues that cost them last week.
