SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – With rain expected to continue throughout the evening Friday, Missouri State’s NCAA Regional contest with Canisius has been postponed until Saturday at 12:05 p.m. (CT).

The contest, featuring the top-seeded Bears (45-10) and the fourth-seeded Golden Griffins (34-28), was originally scheduled for a 6:05 p.m. start Friday before thunderstorms forced the cancellation of MSU’s first postseason home game as a Division I program and the shuffling of Saturday’s schedule.

The loser of Saturday’s first contest will now face third-seeded Oregon, which dropped a 3-1 decision to Iowa in Friday’s regional opener, at 4:05 p.m. The two first-round winners will then square off in an 8:05 p.m. game.

— MSU Sports Information —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — For the ninth time in program history, Missouri State has been selected to compete in the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship, where the Missouri Valley Conference champion Bears earned the No. 8 national seed and will host the four-team Springfield Regional at Hammons Field as part of the 64-team NCAA field that was announced Monday morning.

Making their second NCAA Tournament appearance in four seasons, the top-seeded Bears (45-10) will face the Canisius Golden Griffins in opening-round action at 6 p.m. (CT) Friday (May 29). The second-seeded Iowa Hawkeyes and third-seeded Oregon Ducks will meet in the opening game Friday at 1 p.m. All Springfield Regional contests will be streamed live online through ESPN3 (WatchESPN.com).

In their last Championship appearance in 2012, the Bears went 1-2 against the field at the Coral Gables (Fla.) Regional, sandwiching setbacks against UCF and Stony Brook with a 12-2 victory over four-time national champion and host Miami. Missouri State is 14-17 all-time in NCAA Division I Tournament play and has won at least two games in five of their last six trips to a regional since 1996.

Missouri State was one of three Missouri Valley Conference teams selected for the NCAA Tournament, marking the third time in the last four seasons the league has earned multiple berths in the Championship. MVC regular-season runner-up Dallas Baptist (43-13) also earned a top seed and the right to host the Dallas Regional, where the Patriots will face VCU in opening-round action Friday. Additionally, MVC Tournament runner-up Bradley (35-19) secured the second seed in the Louisville Regional and a date with No. 3 seed Michigan in the first round. Regional play continues through Monday (June 1) with a double-elimination format.

The 16 regional winners will advance to the Super Regional round, which will be contested June 5-7, with the eight winners of the three-game, head-to-head series moving on to the 2015 NCAA Division I Men’s College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha in Omaha, Neb., June 13-24.

— MSU Sports Information —

INDIANAPOLIS — The NCAA Division I Baseball Committee has announced the 16 regional sites for its 69th annual baseball championship, and for the first time in their 33-year Division I history, the Missouri Valley Conference champion Missouri State Bears have been selected to host an NCAA Regional.

Missouri State, which captured the program’s third MVC Tournament title earlier Sunday and brings a 45-10 overall record into the postseason, will host a four-team regional next Friday (May 29) through Monday (June 1) at Hammons Field in Springfield. By virtue of being awarded a regional, all 16 host institutions have also been selected to the 64-team championship field.

Each regional field features four teams, playing in a double-elimination format. The 16 regional sites, with host institutions and current records are as follows:

Baton Rouge, La. — LSU (48-10)
College Station, Texas — Texas A&M (45-11)
Champaign, Ill. — Illinois (47-8)
Coral Gables, Fla. — Miami (Fla.) (44-14)
Dallas, Texas — Dallas Baptist (43-13)
Fort Worth, Texas — TCU (43-11)
Fullerton, Calif. — Cal State Fullerton (45-10)
Gainesville, Fla. — Florida (43-16)
Houston, Texas — Houston (42-18)
Lake Elsinore, Calif. — UC Santa Barbara (40-15)
Los Angeles, Calif. — UCLA (42-14)
Louisville, Ky. — Louisville (43-16)
Nashville, Tenn. — Vanderbilt (42-18)
Springfield, Mo. — Missouri State (45-10)
Stillwater, Okla. — Oklahoma State (37-18)
Tallahassee, Fla. — Florida State (41-19)

The remaining at-large teams, top-eight national seeds, first-round regional pairings and site assignments will be announced Monday at 11 a.m., when Valley Coach of the Year Keith Guttin’s squad will learn which three teams will join them in the Springfield Regional. The one-hour program will be televised live on ESPNU. Game times will be finalized Monday following the NCAA’s announcement of the entire postseason tournament field.

Missouri State players and coaches will view the show at Big Whiskey’s Downtown, 311 Park Central East, in Springfield, with the general public invited to attend. Doors open at 10 a.m. and admission is free, with lunch specials available to those in attendance.

Tickets for the Springfield Regional will go on sale at Noon (CT) Monday (May 25) and will be available for online purchase only through a special ticket link on MissouriStateBears.com. Beginning Tuesday (May 26), phone and in-person ticket orders will be also accepted only through the Hammons Field Box Office (Gate 1 only) at (417) 863-2143 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

— MSU Sports Information —

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State assistant football coach John Egorugwu is departing the Bears for an opportunity in the National Football League. He will be serving as a defensive coaching assistant for John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens and began his new role earlier this week.

“I just really want to thank Stec and Missouri State for the opportunity,” said Egorugwu, a Kansas City native who joined the Bears’ staff as wide receivers’ coach in December. “To get a chance to work in the NFL is an opportunity of a lifetime, but it’s bitter sweet because I have to leave a program that will be very successful in a short amount of time. I wish the Bears the best and I’ll be watching them from afar.”

Missouri State first-year head coach Dave “Stec” Steckel said it reflects well on MSU to have an assistant coach scooped up by an NFL franchise.

“It’s an opportunity for him to coach at the next level, and I’m ecstatic for him to get a shot to work with Coach Harbaugh,” said Steckel. “Our players have learned a lot from John, and I give Coach Harbaugh and the Ravens credit for letting him finish up spring ball with us.”

Stec noted that a national search for Egorugwu’s replacement will begin immediately.

— MSU Sports Information —

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University men’s basketball coach Paul Lusk has finalized his staff for the upcoming season with the formal announcement of Matt Sligh as the Bears’ new assistant coach Monday.

Sligh, spent the last two years as head coach at Motlow College in Tullahoma, Tenn., where he helped lead the Bucks to a 23-6 record in 2014-15 and final NJCAA Division I ranking of No. 17 in the national juco poll. His club finished second in the Region VII tournament this year and ranked among the top 10 junior college programs in the nation in scoring (95.2), assists, 3-point field goals made, blocks and defensive rebounds.

“We’re really happy about Matt joining our staff,” said Lusk who is beginning his fifth season at the helm of the Bears. “He’s a quality individual who can help us in all areas of our program. I know our players, our fans and our community will embrace him and his wife Marina as part of the Missouri State family.”

Sligh was 37-20 in his two seasons at Motlow with a pair of NJCAA All-America performers and four All-Region VII standouts to his credit.

“I’m extremely honored and blessed to join such a tradition-rich program and quality staff,” said Sligh. “Coach Lusk is a great coach, and he treats his guys the right way. I’m looking forward to getting started right away and being part of this program.”

Prior to taking the Motlow College job in 2013, he was the top assistant coach at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo., from 2010-2013 for legendary coach Larry Holley. He was part of a 25-8 season in 2010-11 that culminated in an NAIA Division I Tournament berth and was instrumental in recruiting, scouting and the program’s transition to NCAA Division II status. Sligh helped coach and recruit six all-conference players at William Jewell and an NAIA All-American.

A native of Lakeland, Fla., Sligh enjoyed a successful three-sport collegiate career at Covenant College in Georgia where he excelled in soccer, basketball and golf. He was a two-time NAIA Academic All-American at Covenant and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology in 2005.  He went on to earn his Masters in health and physical education from Northwest Missouri State in 2012.

Sligh, 32, was also a standout prep athlete at Lakeland (Fla.) Christian School where he earned 13 varsity letters in four sports and scored 1,135 points as an all-state basketball performer and two-time district player of the year for the Vikings.

His hire is contingent upon final approval by the Missouri State University Board of Governors at its next scheduled meeting, May 14.

He joins a Missouri State coaching staff that includes fellow assistants Jermaine Henderson and Brad Korn who are entering their fourth and third seasons in the program, respectively. The Bears will have eight squad members returning for 2015-16, including all five starters.

— MSU Sports Information —

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Deion Lavender scored 12 points and grabbed five rebounds to help lead ninth-seeded Southern Illinois past eighth-seeded Missouri state 55-48 in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament on Thursday night.

Anthony Beane and Sean O’Brien each added 10 points for the Salukis (12-20), who will play top-seed Wichita State on Friday. Thursday was the fifth time in six years Southern Illinois has played in an opening round “play-in game.” They are 3-4 overall in the first round.

After Missouri State’s Dorrian Williams hit two free throw to cut the Southern Illinois lead to 45-43 with 3:20 to play, the Salukis scored the next five, highlighted by and O’Brien 3-pointer, to push the back to seven and put the game away.

Austin Ruder scored 17 to lead the Bears (11-20), who shot just 35 percent from the field and turned the ball over 16 times.

— Associated Press —

CHICAGO (AP) — Christian Thomas tied his season-high with 21 points and added a career-high 12 rebounds to lead Loyola of Chicago past Missouri State 65-51 on Saturday.

Earl Peterson finished with 12 points for the Ramblers (18-12, 8-10), who opens the Missouri Valley Conference tourney in St. Louis on Friday against Indiana State. The win also gives Loyola of Chicago its most wins ever as a MVC member and its most since winning 10 in the Horizon League in 2006-07.

The Ramblers led 44-43 with 9:27 to play, but ripped off 10 of the next 12 points to push their lead to nine. The Bears got no closer than seven the rest of the way.

Austin Ruder scored 14 points to lead Missouri State (11-19, 5-13). The Bears play Southern Illinois in the opening round game of the MVC tournament on Thursday.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Christian Kirk had 16 points and nine rebounds to lead Missouri State past Bradley 80-77 in triple-overtime Wednesday night.

Chris Kendrix and Loomis Gerring each hit a pair at the line in the final :23 to push the Missouri State lead to five and the Bears held on.

Austin Ruder had 20 points, including five 3s and Kendrix added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Bears (11-18, 5-12 Missouri Valley).

Bradley scored the first seven points of double overtime, but Missouri State scored seven of the next eight points capped by a tying 3-pointer from Gavin Thurman with 1:16 left.

After three free throws from Sutherland put Bradley up three, Ruder hit a tying 3-pointer with 6 seconds left to force a third overtime.

Josh Cunningham had 15 points and a career-high 21 rebounds, 11 on the offensive end, and Tramique Sutherland added 20 points for the Braves (8-22, 3-14).

— Associated Press —

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gary Ricks Jr. sank six 3-pointers and finished with 20 points to help propel Drake to a 78-43 win over Missouri State on Sunday.

Reed Timmer added 17 points while pulling down seven rebounds, Jacob Enevold Jensen and Chris Caird added 10 points apiece as Drake (9-19, 6-10 Missouri Valley Conference) shot 51.8 percent from the floor, including 13 of 21 from 3-point range, to snap a two-game skid.

The Bulldogs broke it open with a 19-2 run in the first half that included 3-pointers from Timmer and Caird and the margin never fell below double figures the rest of the way. Leading 35-14 at the break, Drake continued to pull away in the second half.

Chris Kendrix scored 13 points and Camyn Boone had 12 and 10 rebounds for Missouri State (10-18, 4-12), which was held to 28.1 percent shooting, including just 3 of 19 from long range.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Freshman Chris Kendrix scored a career-best 20 points — including a key rebound and free throw in the final seconds — as Missouri State snapped a four-game skid to defeat Indiana State 60-56 Wednesday night.

Missouri State (10-17, 4-11 Missouri Valley) took the lead for good, 57-56 with a Dorrian Williams pull up jumper with 49 seconds remaining. In that final span, Indiana State (13-14, 9-6) missed four shots, including a trio of 3-point tries.

It was after Khristian Smith missed a trey with six seconds left that Kendrix collared the rebound and was fouled. He sank the front end of a one-and-one to push the lead to 60-56. It was enough even as Indiana State’s Justin Gant missed a trey in the final two seconds.

Williams scored 16 for the Bears. Kendrix added eight rebounds, also a career best.

Frosh Brenton Scott led the Sycamores with 16 points, Smith added 13.

— Associated Press —