Games 40-43
vs. Northwest Missouri State 17-22 (9-15 MIAA) – 3 Games
Friday, April 12 – Saturday, April 14 | Bearcat Baseball Field | Maryville, MO
 
vs. Southwestern Oklahoma State 20-18 (11-13 GAC) – 1 Game
Tuesday, April 16 | McCarthy Field | Wichita, KS
 
Crunch Time
Newman Baseball heads to Northwest Missouri State in a crucial MIAA series that will likely decide the fates of the Jets and Bearcats postseason hopes.

Last Time Out
The Jets earned their second straight series win in the MIAA on Tuesday, defeating Fort Hays State 12-5 in a the league's midweek series finale.

With the game's first at bat, Eli Wohl set the tone as he hit a triple off of one of the first pitches of the afternoon. Wohl would score just moments later off of a Garrett Arnold single. 

Two more singles from Joe Kinneberg and Jason Schneider each scored a run, giving Newman a 3-0 lead after just one frame. 

A solo shot from Connor Owens was good for a fourth Newman run, and after another hit from Schneider, the Jets found themselves with a four run lead. 

Despite an impressive outing from Garrett Calderon, the Tigers even the score in fifth. In just over four innings of work, Calderon struck out two and helped keep Newman in the lead for most of the time he was in the game. 

In relief came Brycen Schoenhofer. While a run was scored in just his few first minutes on the mound, he would have one of the most complete Newman pitching performances of the season. From that point onward he only allowed a single hit and struck out four batters. 

In three consecutive plays, the Jets would score four runs in the sixth inning to give them a four run lead once again. A Kinneberg double got things started, scoring two runs. The very next play, Owens would reach home off a wild pitch. Blake Mitchell then put the Tigers in serious trouble after his double scored Kinneberg. 

Two more runs in the seventh put the game out of reach, and with Schoenhofer on the mound, no more hits would be allowed in the final two innings. 

Box Score
 
At The Plate
Several Jets had notable outings against the Ichabods and Tigers.

In the second game of the series against Washburn, Connor Owens went four of five from the plate and had three RBIs. Owens would then follow up that performance with another three RBI game in the series finale. He would also have a home run against Fort Hays State on Tuesday.

Joe Kinneberg's homerun in the first game against Washburn took the game to extra innings, in a game where Newman won 10-9 in ten innings. Kinneberg also had a big day against the Tigers, scoring 4 RBIs.
Between the four games, Newman hit nine home runs, with eight of them being against Washburn.

MIAA Standings
Despite the Jets being at the bottom of the standings, they find themselves just several games out of the eight seed for the MIAA postseason tournament.

Northeastern State holds the final spot currently, but two out of the final three series against MIAA opponents are just above Newman in the standings.

Northwest Missouri State is three games ahead of Newman, but the landscape of how this tournament plays out could be changed drastically with a sweep.

Current Standings

1. Central Missouri (34-4, 22-2)
2. Missouri Southern (30-10, 17-7)
3. Central Oklahoma (30-9, 16-8)
4. Pittsburg State (24=14, 14-10)
5. Washburn (20-16, 14-10)
6. Rogers State (20-16, 11-13)
7. Missouri Western (19-18, 10-14)
8. Northeastern State (19-20, 10-14)
9. Fort Hays State (21-17, 9-15)
10. Northwest Missouri State (17-22, 9-15)
11. Emporia State (16-23, 7-17)
12. Newman (10-29, 6-18)

The Enemy Dugout
Northwest Missouri State is coming off of three straight losses, two of which came in the MIAA. The Bearcats did win the series last weekend in Hays but lost the finale and then lost to Washburn in Topeka. This was followed up with a run rule loss against William Jewell on Wednesday.

The Bearcats have found some success this season, including winning a series against rivals Missouri Southern during the easter weekend. The Lions were ranked #8 at the time.

The Bearcats face a tough road to end the season, taking on Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma to end the MIAA calendar.

The Series (All Time)
The Series between the Bearcats and Jets is a close one, with Northwest Missouri State leading the all time series, 6-5.

Last season, Newman defeated the Bearcats twice at home to pick up a series win. However, Newman has only won once in Maryville since joining the MIAA.

The Tuesday Midweek
The Jets will host a rematch with Southwestern Oklahoma State next Tuesday. The Bulldogs won the first meeting 14-1 at the very beginning of the season.

The Bulldogs are 20-18 on the year, having won eleven games in the GAC this season.

A series loss to Oklahoma Baptist occurred last weekend, and before they meet the Jets, the Bulldogs will host Southern Arkansas beginning on Friday.

What's Next?
Senior Day will be celebrated on Sunday, April 21^st before the series finale with Pittsburg State. The Jets will begin the series next Friday at 3 p.m.