Missouri baseball is rolling into another huge SEC weekend, fresh off its big wins over Missouri State and Kentucky.
The series against South Carolina kicks off at 7 p.m. Thursday night, followed by 6 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon. This will be another game at Taylor Stadium underneath the lights, with Tiger fans dressed in black and the bats ready to do some damage.
Series Expectations
The Tigers have a current record of 20-14, and a home record of 11-7, after their huge victories against
Missouri State and Kentucky. The team has an overall batting average of .287 and a slugging percentage of .438.
The Gamecocks have an overall record of 15-19, with their away record being 1-8. The team has a .253 batting average and a .446 slugging percentage, with more strikeouts than Mizzou.
Offensive Side
The biggest threats Mizzou will have to watch out for are KJ Scobey, with 15 doubles this season, Talmadge LeCroy, with a .496 SLG and Will Craddock, with a .308 AVG and a .598 SLG. Although their weak spots run in the bottom of their lineup, with weaker batting averages.
Mizzou takes the advantage on the consistency side, with more walks and a better team on-base percentage of .404. The Gamecocks are on the hunt for extra-base hits, so Mizzou pitchers will have to look out for this.
Although the Tigers have key hitters, such as Tyler Macon, with a .348 AVG, and lots of gap power. Also, Jase Woita has a solid combo of power and consistency, which will hopefully be a big threat for the Gamecocks. Blaize Ward has not gone unnoticed, with an on-base percentage of .467 and key hits when needed most.
Pitching Comparison
The Tigers have a team ERA of 5.29 and an opponent average of .235. South Carolina has a lower team ERA of 4.51, with a higher opponent average of .237. That being said, the Gamecocks have the same number of strikeouts as the Tigers do, and an almost identical opponent average.
To break it down even more, Josh McDevitt is the team’s ace, with a 3.66 ERA and 52 strikeouts for the team. Alongside him, Javyn Pimental has contained low damage during his time on the mound and a 3.33 ERA to go along with it.
Mizzou’s bullpen is even stronger, with Eli Skidmore proving to be a shutdown reliever and Juan Villarreal’s opponents averaging a 1.46. Sam Rosand, a usual late-game option, started for the first time in his career and secured their win against Kentucky on April 5.
The Gamecocks have an ace similar to McDevitt, named Amp Phillips, with a 2.59 ERA and 46 strikeouts. Alongside him, Brandon Stone has a 3.11 ERA and 36 strikeouts. For their bullpen, Zach Russell and Logan Prisco have been effective relievers.
South Carolina’s 2026 Statistics: https://storage.googleapis.com/gamecocksonline-com/2026/04/ca8ef4f1-bsb_seasonstats_040726.pdf
Blaize Ward’s On a Roll
Ward has had nothing short of an impressive season so far, from becoming the SEC Freshman of the Week to going 3-3 against Kentucky during the last game of the series on Sunday, April 5.
Ward leads the team with his outstanding batting average of .360, with 20 RBI’s and 27 hits in total. His ability to drive in runs for the team when needed most is stellar, and so is his current seven-game hitting streak.
Victory against Neighboring Missouri State
The Tigers put on a show at Taylor Stadium and claimed a 5-2 victory backed by Donovan Jordan and his powerful bat. He delivered the game’s biggest moment when launching a three-run homer on his birthday, breaking their 2-2 tie.
On the mound, Keyler Gonzalez dominated as a reliever, tossing six innings in total with nine strikeouts to shut down Missouri’s offense. More pitching led the way for the Tigers, as Trey Lawrence came in at the end of the game and secured his first win of the season.
Wrap Up
With a chance to extend their SEC success and protect their home-field advantage, Missouri looks ready to make this three-game series a showcase for Tigers baseball at its best.
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