Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern Baseball team returns to Warren Turner Field after five contests on the road. They also return to MIAA action after a single contest against Drury. Visiting Joplin will be Washburn, as the Ichabods and Lions will face off in a three game series.     

Game Information:
Teams: Missouri Southern (24-5, 11-2 MIAA) vs Washburn (15-10, 9-4 MIAA)
Date: March 22-24 (Friday-Sunday)
First Pitch: 6:00pm, 1:00pm, 1:00pm
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Warren Turner Field
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Scouting the Lions
The Lions jumped back to #8 in the most recent NCBWA poll, and they take a 24-5 (11-2 MIAA) record into this weekend's series with Washburn. They began the year with a big 7-2 victory over #17 Southern Arkansas, and Cole Gayman was named the National Pitcher of the Week for his performance. The offense exploded in game two, winning 16-4 over Henderson State. Another strong offensive performance occurred the next day as the Lions defeated Arkansas-Monticello 10-6. Ouachita Baptist took the final game of the opening tournament, 8-1. In their first mid-week contest with SWOSU, MSSU plated a few late, but fell 7-4 to the Bulldogs. 

The Lions outscored the Ouachita Baptist Tigers 26-2 in their home opening series, taking game one 15-1 in seven innings, game two 6-0, and game three 5-1. In another mid-week contest, the Lion bats exploded for 21 runs against Oklahoma Baptist, ending it 21-6 in seven innings. Missouri Southern then picked up five wins in four days with big victories over MSU-Mankato 2-1, Illinois Springfield 5-2, and Northeastern State 14-6. In their first MIAA series, they took two out of three against Fort Hays State, taking game one 14-10, game two 23-5, and dropping game three 5-3. MSSU fell to Oklahoma Baptist in their second meeting this year, splitting the season series with the Bison. 

In the first MIAA series of the year, the Lions swept the Jets by scores of 15-0, 7-6, and 11-9. They picked up a second straight series sweep against Emporia State, 5-0, 11-7, 11-8. In the first of the split up midweek series with Rogers State, Bryce Darnell won his 500th game as the head coach of the Lions with a 5-1 victory. Their eight game win streak came to an end in game two against Pittsburg State, but the Lions closed out the series with a 3-1 victory to take the series two games to one. The Lions took a break in MIAA action with a midweek contest against Drury, outlasting the Panthers 10-8. 

Henry Kusiak has broken three records this year, becoming the program's all-time hits leader, recording the most total bases, and most at-bats in program history. He leads the team in nearly every hitting category, recording a .421 batting average (45-107), collecting 10 doubles, 2 triples, and 9 home runs this season for an .804 slugging percentage. From those hits, he has driven in 38 runs and scored 40 himself. Additionally, Kusiak was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week on February 26. He leads the conference in runs scored, runs batted in, and hits. 

Will Doherty has also driven in a team-high 38 runs so far this season. Of his 42 hits, 10 have been doubles, 2 triples, and 7 home runs. He is hitting .362 and has crossed the plate 38 times this year. In the MIAA rankings, Doherty leads the at-bats and runs batted in sections, claiming the second spot in runs scored and hits. 

Leadoff batter Drew Townsend enters the weekend 34-103 (.330) with 5 doubles, 5 home runs, 17 RBI, and 36 runs scored. His .527 on-base percentage is second on the team, as he has drawn an NCAA Division II leading 38 walks this year. 

Cole Gayman has won six games in seven starts this year, leading to three MIAA POTW awards and one NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week honor. Over his 41.2 innings pitched this year, he has given up 21 hits, 7 earned runs, and 17 walks, striking out 45 batters in the process. He is holding opposing hitters to a .144 average and has an ERA of 1.51. Cale McCallister had a solid outing on Sunday to improve his record to 3-1 on the year. Over his 36.0 innings pitched, he has retired 36 by strikeout and has an ERA of 3.00. Out of the bullpen, Kyle Moore has recorded 4 saves and 2 wins over 23.2 innings pitched, striking out 22 batters. Laif Hultine was credited with the save on Tuesday, making it 3 on the year and 13 in his career. 

Scouting the Ichabods
The Washburn Ichabods enter the weekend series with a 15-10 (9-4 MIAA) record this year. They began the season with a tournament in Florida, going 2-2 with wins over Palm Beach Atlantic and Barry. In their first series, the Ichabods dropped all three to Union University, but all were decided by one run. They hosted Truman State for their first home series, taking two out of three against the Bulldogs. Kicking off conference play, Washburn took two out of three against Pittsburg State. Prior to their next MIAA series, the Ichabods defeated Rockhurst in a high-scoring affair of 29-19. They took two out of three against Emporia State, swept Missouri Western, and run-ruled Northwest Missouri State in a midweek contest, but they dropped two out of three against #3 Central Missouri. They took game three of that series, 10-9. Most recently, the Ichabods picked up a 12-4 win over Southeastern Oklahoma State. 

Payton McHarg (#5) has started all 25 games for the Ichabods, leading them with a batting average of .389 (37-95). He leads the MIAA with 13 home runs and has the second most RBI in the league at 37 (trails Henry Kusiak and Will Doherty). Along with his 13 home runs, McHarg has 9 doubles for a slugging percentage of .895 (second in MIAA). Cash Jay (#2) also has double digit home runs (10) and has driven in 30 runs with 11 doubles. Hayden Priest (#26) has also driven in 30 runs, hitting 5 doubles, 1 triple, and 4 home runs. 

Caden Bressler (#10) has started game one of the past two series for Washburn. He is 2-1 on the year with an ERA of 3.43. Over his 21.0 innings pitched, Bressler has struck out 12 batters and recorded 2 saves. Chase Torkelson (#20) and Cooper Carlgren (#14) have each won 3 contests. Carlgren has struck out 36 over 30.2 innings, and Torkelson has retired 20 with the strikeout over 32.0 innings. Leading the team in strikeouts is Griffin Huiatt (#24), collecting 38 so far this season.