Leathernecks Embark on Weekend Series at Mizzou

Wednesday, March 04, 2020 | By: WIU Athletic Communications

The Three game series serves as the Tigers home-opening series.

Series Four

Who | Western Illinois (0-9) at Missouri (6-5)
When | Friday (March 6) at 6:30 p..m. - Saturday (March 7) at 2 p.m. - Sunday (March 8) at 1p.m.
Where | Taylor Stadium - Columbia, Mo.
Social Media | Twitter and Facebook #TRADITIONofTOUGH

First Pitch | The Western Illinois baseball team returns to SEC play for the second time this season and opens up a three-game weekend tilt against the Missouri Tigers. It will also serve as opening weekend for Mizzou.

New Skipper | This season the Leathernecks are led by first-year head coach Andy Pascoe who is the seventh head coach in program history. He was hired on Sept. 19, 2019, after he spent three seasons at Butler (2016-19) as an assistant/hitting coach.

History vs. Missouri | Western Illinois and Mizzou have squared off on the diamond 27 times with the Tigers owing the all-time series 22-5. The two clubs first met in 1978 where the Leathernecks shutout Missouri 8-0 in game one of a doubleheader. The last time both sides played was 10 years ago in Columbia, Missouri and WIU fell 10-3.

Last 5 meetings

3/10/10 | L, 3-10 | A
3/10/09 | L, 4-18 | A
4/1/08 | W, 5-3 | A
3/15/07 | L, 3-6 | A
3/3/04 | L, 2-8 | A

2020 Momentum | Last season the Leathernecks collected 22 wins, which tied the most single-season wins in 12 years. Also a program record was set for the most Summit League victories (16) in program history and handed Oral Roberts, a four-time league champion, its first-ever sweep in league play.

The Leathernecks return the ace of the staff, Javin Drake and key offense pieces Drue Galassi (.298) and Kevin Raisebeck (.291) who each batted just a shy under .300. Both Drake and Galassi First Team All-Summit selections last season as well.

DraKKKKe | A strikeout machine, Javin Drake will take the mound again as the Leatherneck ace. Last season he set the single-season program record for strikeouts (109) for a career total of 204 and is only 25 more away from becoming the all-time leader. He also tied 10th for wins in a season with seven and third in innings pitch at 103.

1. 237 KENT MURPHY ...................1982-85
2. 213 JAVINE DRAKE....................2017-Present

Galassi's Grass | Drue Galassi has raked at the plate since he stepped foot at WIU. After earning a medical redshirt in 2016, he bounced back to be named a 2017 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American while batting .281 with eight home runs and slugging .519. That season he also hit two grand slams in one inning to be named Collegiate Baseball Co-National Player of the Week en route, setting the single record of 10 RB.

Galassi ranks seventh all-time in home runs (21) and fifth in RBI (111). He returns to the Purple and Gold as last seasons leader in slugging (.527), hits (56), RBI (51), triples (2), and home runs (10)

5. 23 JEFF WELLWOOD..............1999-02 23
          MIKE MOHR.......................1985-87
7. 21 CHRIS HOWARD ................1984-87
    21 STAN SCOTT ......................1983-86
    21 DRUE GALASSI....................2016-Present

4. 117 JEFF WELLWOOD..............1999-02
5. 111 DRUE GALASSI....................2016-Present

A Whole New Staff | First-year head coach Andy Pascoe isn't the only new member of the staff this season. He adds assistant/pitching coach Braeden Ward, graduate assistant coach Adam McGinnis and volunteer assistant coach Trey Muilenburg.

Hall of Fame | Western's 1974 baseball team is associated with the best of the best in Leatherneck history. Coached by the program's all-time winningest coach and 2004 Hall of Fame inductee Dick Pawlow, the '74 squad also has two players enshrined in Ed Gvazdinskas (1994) and Dennis Mantick (2003).

The 1974 team went 31-12 on the year for the most single-season wins at the time and second most today, and concluded the campaign with a trip to the NCAA Division II Mideast Regional. The postseason appearance marked the first-ever for WIU baseball, and several of the team's season statistics still sit Top 10 in school history. Two players from the team went on to Major League Baseball ranks in Mantick and Rick Vogel, who earned spots with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago Cubs, respectively.

New Faces | Leatherneck baseball welcomes 15 new faces for the 2020 season - Toby Allred, Johnny Beck, Jack Bell, Aidan Cossio, Gage Cruz, Austin Edwards, Tyler Estes, Jayden Gibson, Adam Juran, David Olejnik, Brian Raymond, Luke Schwartz, Brett Sears, Max Slavens and Chase VanDerGinst.

Quick Start | Catcher Jayden Gibson made his collegiate debut in the season opener at Tennessee one to remember as he recorded both of Western's two hits in the series opener. Off his bat in the second inning, he collected the Leathernecks first hit of the 2020 season and later singled up the middle in the bottom of the eighth. Gibson also threw out a runner at second in the bottom of the sixth.

Long Ball | The Leatherneck bats have hit a home run in each series so far, including three straight games with one. Alex Dorethy ranks second in The Summit League with three while Drue Galassi and Trenton Bauer have tallied one.

Bauer Begins | Trenton Bauer led the Leatherneck offense in Memphis and finished the weekend series batting. 500 (6-12) and three RBI. The senior is second in the Summit with a .370 batting average and is the team-leader in hits with 10.

Welcome to the Show | Six newcomers have already tallied their first hits and five have recorded their first strikeout on the mound for in the Purple and Gold.

Swiped | Last season's league leader in stolen bases, has continued the trend. WIU has stolen 11 bases this season compared to being thrown out three times.

On Deck | Western Illinois host the home opener on Tuesday (March 10) at 3 p.m. versus Clarke. Followed by the kickoff of Summit League play against Purdue Fort Wayne (March 13-15).

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