Sunday, Feb. 23 | 3 p.m. & 6 p.m. (DH)
GAME ONE | Northwest Missouri State at No. 13 Missouri Southern | Warren Turner Field | Joplin, Mo. 
GAME TWO | Northwest Missouri State at No. 13 Missouri Southern | Warren Turner Field | Joplin, Mo. 
WATCH | LIVE STATS (GAME ONE) | LIVE STATS (GAME TWO)
 
Monday, Feb. 24 | 1 p.m.
Northwest Missouri State at No. 13 Missouri Southern | Warren Turner Field | Joplin, Mo. 
WATCH | LIVE STATS
 
The Northwest Missouri State baseball team (4-4) opens MIAA play with a three-game road series against the No. 13-ranked Missouri Southern Lions at Warren Turner Field in Joplin, Mo. 
 
With weather impacting the weekend schedule, the Bearcats and Lions will now play a doubleheader on Sunday, Feb. 23, with game one set for a 1 p.m. first pitch and game two following at 4 p.m. The series finale is scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24, at 1 p.m.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MISSOURI SOUTHERN
Missouri Southern holds a 56-42 advantage in the all-time series, including a 27-17 record on its home field.

Last season, the Bearcats secured their first series victory over a ranked opponent since 2006 (Central Missouri), taking two of three games from Missouri Southern in a thrilling regular season matchup in Maryville. The first two contests went to extra innings before Northwest sealed the series win. The two teams met in the postseason, where the Lions got the upper hand, sweeping the Bearcats in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament.
 
SO FAR THIS SEASON

• Senior utility player Ryan Williams leads the Bearcats with a .414 batting average and a .474 on-base percentage while remaining flawless in the field. Behind the plate, he has also thrown out two baserunners.
• Senior infielder Dylan Hufft follows closely with a .406 batting average and leads Northwest with a .626 slugging percentage. Hufft has tallied a team-high 13 hits, including five doubles and a triple.
• Senior infielder Kaehukai Young has powered the Bearcat offense with a team-best three home runs and leads Northwest with 14 RBIs while hitting .310.
• Junior right-hander Brock Steggall has appeared in two games this season, allowing no runs, three hits, and four strikeouts in six innings pitched. Steggall was credited with a win against Regis on Feb. 1, and a save against Christian Brothers on Feb. 7. 
• Junior pitcher Ben Haug (2-0) leads the Bearcats with 11 innings pitched, highlighted by a complete-game performance in Northwest's dominant 16-0 shutout win on Feb. 8.
• On the basepaths, Northwest has been perfect this season, successfully swiping 14 bases in 14 attempts.
• At the plate, the Bearcats lead the MIAA and rank 24th nationally with 21 hit-by-pitches.
• Northwest has totaled 72 runs through eight games, ranking second in the conference behind Central Oklahoma's 89 runs in 11 contests. The Bearcats average 9.0 runs per game, sitting fourth in the MIAA and 25th nationally. 

ABOUT THE LIONS

• Missouri Southern (7-2 overall) comes into this weekend's series ranked No. 13 in the country. The Lions opened the 2025 game winning its first four games, before dropping their Feb. 8 contest with St. Cloud State and splitting a doubleheader with Drury on Feb. 14. 
• Junior outfielder Ethan Clark boasts a .444 batting average, tallying a team-high 16 hits and 11 RBIs. Another junior outfielder in Brayden Luikart sits behind with a .387 average, to go along with 12 hits (three triples) and ten RBIs. Luikart has not recorded a strikeout through nine games this season. 
• First-team All-American right-hander Cole Gayman (2-0) returns to this Lions' program for his senior season, accumulating a 2.37 ERA in 19 innings of work. Gayman has totaled 25 strikeouts. A familiar name in Casey Stalzer squares off with the Bearcats after transferring to MSSU from Northwest this season, appearing in three games with a 3.07 ERA. Stalzer has accounted for 22 strikeouts. 
• MSSU was picked to finish second, earning two first-place votes, behind Central Missouri in the MIAA Preseason Poll. 

2025 MIAA BASEBALL PRESEASON POLL
1. Central Missouri [11] – 141 points
2. Missouri Southern [2] – 128 points
3. Pittsburg State – 120 points
4. Central Oklahoma – 119 points
5. Washburn – 97 points
6. Fort Hays State – 78 points
7. Emporia State – 67 points
8. Rogers State – 65 points
9. Missouri Western – 53 points
10. Arkansas-Fort Smith – 52 points
11. Northeastern State – 41 points
12. Northwest Missouri – 33 points
13. Newman – 20 points
[#] - First Place Votes