Joplin, Mo. – The No. 9 ranked Missouri Southern baseball team will welcome in the No. 4 ranked Central Missouri Mules as the Lions will play host to UCM at Warren Turner Field this Friday and Saturday in a match-up between top-ten programs.
 
The two teams will play a single-game Friday at 2 pm with a double-header on Saturday beginning at 1 pm.
 
Southern (18-3, 12-3 MIAA) is coming into the weekend series with the Mules (18-4, 14-1 MIAA) after a three-game sweep at Fort Hays State. The Lions hit 12 home runs over the weekend as a team and Tommy Stevenson had a record-setting week where he was named both the MIAA Hitter of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Central Region Hitter of the Week.
 
Stevenson capped his week with a record-setting performance as he broke the MSSU single-game hit record and tied the MIAA record with six hits in a 6-for-7 performance in game three, driving in six and scoring three runs. On the week, Stevenson hit .600, while slugging 1.267 and posting an on-base percentage of .625. He had nine hits, four runs, 13 RBIs, two doubles a triple and a home run during the week.
 
This year, the Lions lead the MIAA in doubles, doubles per game, ERA, home runs, hits allowed per nine innings (fewest), home runs per game, shutouts, and strikeouts per nine innings, while ranking second in walks, batting average, fielding percentage, hits, strikeout to walk ratio, walks and hits per inning pitched (WHIP) and walks allowed per nine innings.
 
Southern ranks sixth nationally in doubles, while ranking eighth in home runs and ninth in strikeout to walk ratio.
 
Individually, Troy Gagan leads the MIAA in doubles and ranks fourth nationally in that category. Gagan is first in the MIAA in hits and slugging, and second in home runs, while Stevenson is second and Gagan fourth in RBIs.
 
Zach Parish is a machine and the senior leads the MIAA in strikeouts, wins and games started, while leading Division II in wins and ranking fourth in strikeouts and 19^th in starts. Among active players, Parish leads all of Division II in career wins, starts and strikeouts, while Will Bausinger is second in active career strikeouts. Parish leads all of college baseball in active career starts, wins and strikeouts. Parish is 6-0 this season and carries a 1.25 ERA, while striking out 63 batters in 43 innings pitched.
 
Cole Woods leads the MIAA in appearances and ranks second in saves, while Bausinger is tied with Parish for the league-lead in starts and ranks second in strikeouts.
 
Central Missouri is led by Erik Webb who this past week, set the MIAA career record for home runs with his 53^rd long ball. Webb is hitting .362 this season with seven home runs and 24 RBIs. Josh Schumacher leads the team with a .472 average, while also adding four home runs and 17 RBIs.
 
Mason Green is 6-0 for UCM with a 2.65 ERA this year. He has struck out 38 in 37 innings pitched.
 
Live stats and live video will be available for each game this weekend with a live radio broadcast from Fox Sports Joplin for the Friday game. Links for each can be found above in the story links.