COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball pushed its national-best winning streak to 20 games after defeating Little Rock, 11-8, Tuesday night at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou’s 20-game winning streak is the second-longest in school history and Mizzou is now in sole possession of the nation’s longest active winning streak after Louisville lost to Cincinnati Tuesday.

Mizzou exploded for six runs in the first, two in the second and three more in the fifth with its six-spot in the first being the most by Mizzou in the opening frame all season. Mizzou’s offense was the beneficiary of 11 walks in the game. Little Rock used nine pitchers and the first seven issued at least one walk. Starter Carter Brown walked the first three batters of the game to set up Mizzou’s six-run first. He took the loss, falling to 1-1. Mizzou’s Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) earned his second win of the season. Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) earned his first save of the year.

For the fourth consecutive game, Mizzou got on the board in the first inning. After Little Rock starter Carter Brown walked the bases loaded, Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) roped a single into left field to plate a pair. Little Rock again loaded the bases and Nelson Mompierre (Miami, Fla.) followed Bond’s lead with a bases-loaded single into left. Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) added a two-run single of his own to wrap up a 47-minute first inning that saw Mizzou send 11 batters to the plate while seeing three Little Rock pitchers. Mizzou led 6-0 after one.

Montes De Oca turned in a couple 1-2-3 innings in the second and third, getting through three innings on 41 pitches. He then ran into trouble in the fourth inning as Little Rock hung four runs on the board, two coming on a two-out error by SS Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.).

Mizzou’s bats stayed quiet until the bottom of the fifth when Brumfield earned his second walk of the game. He was then tripled in by Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) to extend Mizzou’s lead to 9-4. Bond then tallied an RBI infield single to extend the lead to 10-4. A sacrifice fly made the score 11-5 after five.

The sixth inning was quiet before Little Rock plated a run off Mizzou reliever Ryan Lee (Grandview, Mo.). Mizzou went to the bullpen to bring in RHP Nolan Gromacki (Smithville, Mo.) with the bases loaded in the seventh inning. He walked the first batter he faced to cut the lead to 11-6 but got a strikeout to escape the jam and preserve the lead.

Little Rock plated a pair in the eighth inning before Sharp settled things down for Mizzou, getting the final five outs for his first save of the season.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – A new era in Mizzou Men’s Basketball began Monday as Cuonzo Martin was introduced as the 19th head coach to lead the storied Tigers program. Martin, who has spent the past three seasons as head coach at the University of California, has averaged 20.7 wins in nine seasons as a head coach with seven postseason appearances over the last eight years to his credit.

“We are thrilled that Cuonzo is returning to the Midwest and that his family will now call Columbia home,” Sterk said. “From the outset of our search, our goal was to find a coach who had demonstrated success, academically and on the court, while also sharing our values and who can help to reignite interest in Mizzou Men’s Basketball among our fan base. I believe we found all of that and more with Cuonzo and I look forward to watching him compete for championships and postseason appearances for many years to come.”

Martin, who was born in St. Louis and moved to East St. Louis, Ill., as a young child, owns a nine-year head coaching record of 186-121 (.606), which includes a three-year mark of 62-39 (.614) at California. He has registered six, 20-win seasons as a head coach, including a 21-13 mark in his final season at Cal, which earned the Golden Bears an NIT bid.

The 2016-17 Golden Bears cracked the Associated Press Top 25 in the season’s second poll and received votes in nearly every USA Today coaches poll registered during the year. Four Golden Bears earned All-Pac-12 recognition, as Ivan Rabb was a first-team honoree while Jabari Bird earned honorable mention honors. Kingsley Okoroh was an honorable mention All-Defensive team selection and Charlie Moore was an All-Freshman team honorable mention pick.

Martin’s Golden Bears went 23-11 in 2015-16 and tied for third in the Pac-12 en route to the program’s highest NCAA Tournament seed in school history (No. 4). A consensus top 10 recruiting class, which included top-five overall prospects Rabb and Jaylen Brown, helped the Bears fashion the best single-season record in school history at Haas Pavillion (18-0) and end the year with a 19-game homecourt win streak. All-told, the Golden Bears won a school-record 27-straight home games which spanned the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons.

Cal also led the Pac-12 in both scoring defense (67.3 ppg) and field-goal percentage defense (.396).

Brown was named a 2015-16 USBWA Freshman All-American as well as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year before being selected as the No. 3 pick by the Boston Celtics in the 2016 NBA Draft. Tyron Wallace joined Brown as Martin’s second Bear drafted, selected in the second round by the Utah Jazz.

Led by Bob Cousy Award finalist Wallace, who in his first season as Cal’s point guard, was the only Pac-12 player to finish among the top five in scoring rebounding and assists, Martin’s debut season along the Golden Bears’ sideline saw them reach the Pac-12 Tournament quarterfinals en route to an 18-15 final record.

While Martin’s teams enjoyed on-court success at Cal, community service was also an important staple of the Golden Bear program as he encouraged his student-athletes to pursue volunteer opportunities in the Bay Area as part of his “Building Men” philosophy. The 2016-17 Golden Bears worked with Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center to help its patients celebrate 150 years of service, visited the South Berkeley Senior Center to serve visitors a pancake breakfast on a weekday morning, and spread holiday cheer at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Christmas party.

Before moving to the West Coast, Martin spent three highly-successful seasons at Tennessee, where he guided the Volunteers to a 63-41 (.606) record and into the postseason each year (one NCAA, two NIT). His teams also finished among the top-five in the SEC standings every season, including a second-place tie in his first campaign after the Volunteers were ticketed for an 11th-place finish in the preseason poll.

After back-to-back NIT appearances in his first two years as the Volunteers head coach, Martin led Tennessee to a 24-13 record, the Sweet 16 and a No. 23 national ranking in the season-ending 2013-14 USA Today coaches poll In the process, Tennessee matched the fourth-best win total in school history and recorded its most postseason victories since the 2009-10 campaign. After earning a berth in the NCAA’s First Four, the Martin-led Volunteers captured victories over Iowa, Massachusetts and Mercer to equal the most wins in one NCAA Tournament in program history.

Under Martin’s tutelage, forward Jarnell Stokes was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection and was one of just three individuals in the six power conferences in 2013-14 to average a double-double. Stokes led the SEC and ranked seventh nationally in rebounding at 10.6 rpg, while also averaging 15.1 ppg. Predicated on tenacity and defense, Martin’s 2013-14 Tennessee squad limited opponents to just 61.7 ppg, the lowest mark in the SEC and second-lowest total at UT since 1969, as the Vols ranked 18th nationally in scoring defense.

Martin is no stranger to the Show-Me State, having launched his head coaching career at Missouri State. After an 11-20 debut season at the Springfield school, Martin led the Bears to a 24-12 record and the 2009-10 CollegeInsider.com Championship in year two.

His third season saw Missouri State record a 26-9 record en route to the program’s first-ever regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship and an NIT bid. Martin was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and was the 2011 recipient of the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the nation’s top minority head coach in Division I men’s basketball.

The 45-year-old Martin has served the game of basketball for more than two decades, beginning with a standout four-year playing career at Purdue. He has played and coached alongside some of the game’s most highly-regarded mentors, including Hall of Fame Coach Gene Keady. Martin is a member of a distinguished group of successful college basketball coaches to serve under Keady, along with Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Weber (Illinois and Kansas State), Steve Lavin (UCLA and St. John’s) and Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt and Pitt).

Martin also has experience as a coach with USA Basketball, serving on the USA Junior National Team staff at the 2011 FISU World University games in Shenzhen, China.

As a student-athlete, Martin was a 1995 first-team All-Big Ten selection at Purdue when he averaged 18.4 ppg and sank 91 three-pointers. He graduated as one of the program’s all-time leaders in three-pointers (179) and among the Boilermakers’ career scoring leaders (1,666). Playing under Keady and alongside All-American Glenn Robinson, Martin led Purdue to a pair of Big Ten titles and to a 90-37 four-year record. The Boilermakers went to the postseason each season with Martin, reaching the Elite Eight of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

Following his collegiate playing career, Martin was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 57th overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. He played professionally for four years with the NBA’s Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Vancouver Grizzlies. In 1997, Martin was the leading scorer for Felize Scandone in Italy.

Martin returned to his alma mater where he earned his bachelor’s degree in restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management from Purdue in 2000, and served one season as an assistant on the staff at West Lafayette High School. After earning his degree, Martin joined Keady’s Purdue staff for the 2000-01 season as an assistant coach, his college coach, and remained with the Boilermaker program when Painter took over as head coach upon Keady’s retirement. He served as the Boilermaker’s associate coach during the 2007-08 season before taking the Missouri State post the following season. In his eight-year tenure at Purdue, mentored several all-conference standouts, including All-American and current Minnesota Timberwolves forward Robbie Hummel.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball freshman LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) has earned SEC Co-Freshman of the Week, announced Monday by the league office. Sikkema earned a pair of saves in Mizzou’s series sweep at Alabama last weekend, helping run the team’s winning streak to 19 games, the longest streak in the nation.

Sikkema made two appearances for Mizzou on the weekend at Alabama, earning saves in the Friday and Sunday contests, pitching 5.1 innings while striking out an incredible 10 batters without allowing a run. On Friday, he pitched the final 2.0 innings and helped Mizzou earn its first SEC shutout since March 15, 2015, while teaming with Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) to allow the fewest hits ever for a Mizzou opponent in an SEC game (two). Four of his five strikeouts Friday were of the looking variety as he now has an SEC-best 22 on the season. Sikkema followed that by pitching the final 3.1 innings in Sunday’s contest, settling down what had been a wild game before he came in. He again struck out five in that contest.

Sikkema has arguably been the top reliever in the SEC this season, as he now owns a personal 27.0 shutout inning streak with 46 strikeouts and just 13 hits allowed in that span. He is tied for the SEC lead in strikeouts (46) while ranking third in ERA (0.33) and third in opponent batting (.143). He has earned a decision, four wins and three saves, in each of his last seven appearances and is averaging 15.15 strikeouts/nine innings this season, the top mark in the nation among freshmen.

— Mizzou Athletics —

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Whatever adjustments Shakayla Thomas makes at halftime, it takes Florida State’s game up another level.

The junior forward scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half to propel the third-seeded Seminoles into the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season with a 77-55 victory over No. 6 seed Missouri on Sunday.

Thomas, who was the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year, also had 11 rebounds for her second straight double-double game and fifth of the season. It is the 13th game this season where she has scored 10 or more points in the second half.

“I feel like I come out with a different mindset for the second half,” Thomas said. “We talk about it at halftime, put it into action and add more to it.”

Florida State (27-6) will face either second-seeded Oregon State or No. 7 seed Creighton in a regional semifinal game in Stockton, California on Saturday.

The Seminoles led 32-27 at halftime but put the game out of each by scoring the first eight points of the third quarter, which included four by Thomas. Nine of their 24 points in the quarter came off eight Missouri turnovers as they led 56-37 going into the fourth.

The Seminoles would be up by as many as 29 (66-37) after scoring the first 10 points of the fourth quarter.

“I feel like over the past couple games we are getting back to that mentality and style of the play that we had for much of the season,” said Leticia Romero, who was one of four FSU players in double figures with 14 points.

Brittany Brown added 16 points and Imani Wright scored 14 for Florida State, which shot 57.1 percent from the field for the first three quarters before finishing 24 of 52. They were strong from the perimeter the entire game, going 7 of 14 on 3-pointers.

Missouri (22-11) led 17-12 22 seconds into the second quarter on a Jordan Chavis 3-pointer before Florida State took the lead for good with a 17-2 run as Romero scored six points. The Tigers were held without a field goal for 7:12.

“There’s a different feel to the NCAA Tournament because there’s a lot of feeling out from teams in the first quarter. I was proud that we were able to weather that and then make adjustments,” Florida State coach Sue Semrau said. “When we had the run we said it was important to have another one.”

Missouri led the Southeastern Conference in 3-pointers but were 5 of 20, including missing its first seven. Sophie Cunningham scored 17 points and Cierra Porter added 12 for the Tigers, who were trying to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 2001.

“Florida State can go on runs and score a bunch of points in a hurry,” said Missouri coach Robin Pingeton. “We didn’t attack enough and missed some open shots. On defense they are very good. We never looked fluid on offense.”

MILESTONE FOR SEMRAU

Semrau, who is in her 20th season at Florida State, got her 400th career victory. She has 11 20-win seasons at the school, including the past five.

“It is very special to get that win for her,” said Brown, who is one of four seniors. “Coach Sue gives us the credit for all the wins but she has done so much for each and every one of us.”

TIP-INS

Romero has scored in double figures in all nine NCAA Tournament games she has played in for Florida State and is averaging 14.4 points. … Missouri finishes the season shooting 80.2 percent from the free-throw line, which is a team and SEC record.

BIG PICTURE

Missouri: The Tigers, who were ranked 25th in the final Associated Press poll, accomplished one milestone by winning NCAA Tournament games in consecutive seasons for the first time in school history. They will lose three starters due to graduation but will return first-team, All-SEC selection Cunningham along with Porter. They should be a factor again in the SEC after finishing third this season.

Florida State: The Seminoles, who are making their fifth appearance in the Sweet 16, are 3-0 in NCAA second-round games that have taken place at the Tucker Center. The previous two times — 2010 and ’15 — they would end up making it to the Elite Eight.

— Associated Press —

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Mizzou Baseball matched the longest winning streak in school history after sweeping Alabama with an 8-5 decision Sunday at Sewell-Thomas Stadium. The Tigers, at 19-1 and off to the best start in school history, have won 19 consecutive games. That ties the school record, which was originally set by the 1964 team. The sweep is also Mizzou’s first SEC road sweep since March 15, 2015, at Georgia and just the third sweep for Mizzou since joining the league.

It was a wild, back-and-forth affair for the first four innings, but sophomore OF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) delivered a crushing blow with a two-out, two-run single to spark a three-run fifth inning that seized momentum for the Tigers. From there, Mizzou got a scoreless frame in the bottom of the fifth from reliever Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) and LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) closed the door from there, throwing the final 3.1 innings, striking out five with no runs, earning his third save of the season. Bartlett earned the win, his third of the season.

Just as it did in the first two games of the series, Mizzou scored in the first inning on Sunday. This time, Mizzou tallied three runs on four hits with clutch RBI singles from Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) and Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.), followed by a sacrifice fly to the warning track by Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.), who just missed a homer with the swing.

Alabama got two of those runs back as Mizzou starter Andy Toelken (Green Cove Springs, Fla.) struggled in the first inning, issuing a pair of walks and committing and error that led to a pair of unearned runs. After Mizzou stranded a runner on second base in its half of the second, Toelken got the first two outs in Alabama’s half, but a two-out double by Logan Carey and a single by Cobie Vance tied the game at 3-3.

Mizzou got the lead back in the top of the third inning on an Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) two-out single through the right side to plate Harris, who walked and stole second. Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) then just missed a homer, settling for a double as Mizzou put runners on second and third with two outs, forcing Alabama to go to the bullpen. After a walk, Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) roped one into the gap in right center with the bases loaded, but it was hauled in for the out.

Alabama tied the game in the bottom of the third on a one-out single into center by 3B Connor Short. The run was charged to Toelken but the hit came off Mizzou reliever Cameron Dulle (St. Louis, Mo.). Mizzou then regained the lead on a double steal in the fourth. Misner broke from first and forced the throw, but Alabama forgot about Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) on third and he trotted home to give Mizzou the lead.

After Alabama again tied the game in the bottom of the fourth, Brumfield delivered a big two-out, two-run single in the fifth, followed by a Glendinning RBI single as Mizzou hung a three-spot in the fifth. Bartlett then allowed the first two men to reach in the bottom of the fifth, but Glendinnig made a leaping catch to snare a line drive for out No. 1 and then a 6-4-3 double play ended the frame as Mizzou finally hung a zero on the board.

Both teams settled things down from there and Mizzou tacked on another run in the ninth on an RBI single by Brumfield. Sikkema then closed it out in the ninth.

Mizzou returns home this week for the start of an eight-game homestand, beginning Tuesday with a 6:30 p.m. first pitch vs. UALR.

— Mizzou Athletics —

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – No. 23 Mizzou Baseball defeated Alabama, 7-4, on Saturday afternoon (March 18) at Sewell-Thomas Stadium to push its national-best winning streak to 18 games. The win streak is the second-longest streak in school history while the 18-1 record is the best start in the history of the program. The Tigers have also won their first SEC series since April 29-May 1 last season when they swept Tennessee. It is Mizzou’s first SEC road series win since April 1-3 at Arkansas a year ago. Mizzou is now 18-1 and 2-0 in SEC play.

Sophomore OF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) tallied a career-high five hits to lead an offense that pounded out 12 hits and drew eight walks. He is the second Tiger with a five-hit game this season after Mizzou had not accomplished that feat since 2011. Junior Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and freshman OF Kameron Misner (Polar Bluff, Mo.) also drove in two runs.

Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer (St. Louis, Mo.) earned his fourth win of the year after going 5.0 innings, striking out three while allowing just three earned runs and Mizzou has now won all five of his starts this season. Alabama LHP Dylan Duarte took the loss as the Tide fall to 10-9 (0-2 SEC).

For the second consecutive game, Brumfield led off the contest with hit, this time a triple into deep left center. He scored on a Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) sacrifice fly to give Mizzou a 1-0 lead. Misner then hit a two-out, RBI single to give Mizzou a 2-0 lead. The Tigers saw 48 pitchers off Duarte in the first. Plassmeyer then came out and cruised through the first on 11 pitches.

Alabama got its first run of the series on a solo homer by C Kyle Kaufman with two outs in the bottom of the second, cutting the lead to 2-1. Mizzou got that run back in the fourth on an RBI bunt single from Brumfield and that knocked Duarte out of the game as Mizzou took a 3-1 lead. Junior Robbie Glendinning (Scarborough, Australia) then nearly cleared the bases with a liner into the right centerfield gap, but it was run down as he had to settle for a sacrifice fly. That gave Mizzou a 4-1 lead.

Alabama hit back-to-back, two-out double in the fourth to score a run, cutting the lead to 4-2 and then got an RBI single up the middle to cut the lead to 4-3. Mizzou stretched the lead to four runs with a three-spot in the sixth inning, taking advantage of three hits and three walks in the inning.

Junior RHP Nolan Gromacki (Smithville, Mo.) relived Plassmeyer in the sixth inning and was helped out by two tremendous plays by Ian Nelson (Lake St. Louis, Mo.), who entered the game in that inning as a defensive replacement. He pitched two perfect innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts.

Sophomore LHP Ty Shoaff (Akron, Ohio) came on in the eighth and he walked the leadoff man. Alabama wound up loading the bases with no outs, but Mizzou limited the damage as Misner ran down three hard hit balls into left, allowing just one run to score. Mizzou led 7-4 moving to the ninth. Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) closed the door from there.

Mizzou will be back in action tomorrow, looking for the sweep at noon.

— Mizzou Athletics —

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Sierra Michaelis ended up being in the right spot at the right time for Missouri.

The senior guard was all alone under the basket and made the game-winning shot on a putback off an Amber Smith miss with 0.6 seconds remaining to give No. 6 seed Missouri a 66-64 win over No. 11 South Florida Friday in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Michaelis had 13 of her 16 points in the second half as Missouri (22-10) rallied from a 38-25 halftime deficit. It is the first time in program history they have won tournament games in consecutive seasons.

“I don’t really remember much about the play,” Michaelis said. “We executed the play just like it was drawn up. I was just there.”

Missouri had 11 of their 13 offensive rebounds in the second half and also had a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points. The Tigers’ defense also held USF to 7 of 24 shooting from the field in the second half.

“We switched on the lob pass and we were right there to contest the first shot,” USF coach Jose Fernandez said. “Unfortunately we weren’t there for the rebound and we could only watch.”

Lindsey Cunningham had 13 points, including four 3-pointers, and Sophie Cunningham 12 for the Tigers, who have won 11 of their last 14 games.

“I love the way we responded at halftime. We dug in on defense and kept them off the boards,” Missouri coach Robin Pingeton said.

Missouri scored the first seven points of the third quarter as part of a 12-3 run. It would trail 46-43 at the end of the quarter.

The Tigers would eventually tie it at 50 on a Michaelis layup with 7:59 remaining. Kitija Laksa’s three-point play gave the Bulls (24-9) the lead again before the Tigers took the lead on a 12-3 run.

“I told our team that the first five minutes of the third quarter were going to be crucial and we didn’t end up scoring,” Fernandez said.

Missouri led 64-61 before Laska tied it with a 3-pointer with 3.3 seconds left. Michaelis then hit a layup with less than a second remaining to give Missouri the win.

Arianda Pujol scored 20 points for South Florida with 16 coming in the first half. Laksa added 19.

BIG PICTURE

South Florida: Considering that the Bulls came into the season with only one returning starter, getting to the NCAA Tournament for the third straight season should be considered a successful year. Fernandez will have most of his team returning next season, which should make them a team to watch again. This was the third straight year the Bulls were in the 6 vs. 11 game, but they were the sixth seed the past two seasons.

Missouri: The Tigers are second in the nation in free throw accuracy at 80.3 percent. They made their first 10 in Friday’s game but were 2 of 4 in the fourth quarter. They remain on pace to break the program (76.3 percent) and SEC single-season records (78.1 percent by Georgia in 2006).

TIP-INS
The Bulls fell to 20-2 on the season when leading at halftime while the Tigers improved to 6-4 when trailing at the half. … Maria Jespersen had 17 rebounds, which is the most by a USF player in an NCAA Tournament game. Alisia Jenkins had the old mark of 13, which was set in a first-round game last season against Colorado State. … Missouri’s Cierra Porter also had 11 points and 12 rebounds for her 12th double-double this season.

HE SAID IT

“Everybody is going to remember the last possession but there were 75 other ones that we could have done differently. All in all, with everything this group has been through, this one is definitely going to hurt,” Fernandez.

UP NEXT

Missouri faces Florida State on Sunday.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri Director of Athletics Jim Sterk announced today the appointment of Cuonzo Martin as Mizzou’s 19th head men’s basketball coach. Martin, who has spent the past three seasons as head coach at the University of California, has averaged 20.7 wins in nine seasons as a head coach with seven postseason appearances to his credit.

Martin, who was born in St. Louis and moved to East St. Louis, Ill., as a young child, will be introduced at a 4 p.m. campus celebration on Monday, March 20 at Mizzou Arena. Doors open to the general public at 3:30 p.m.

“We are thrilled that Cuonzo is returning to the Midwest and that his family will now call Columbia home,” Sterk said. “From the outset of our search, our goal was to find a coach who had demonstrated success, academically and on the court, while also sharing our values and who can help to reignite interest in Mizzou Men’s Basketball among our fan base. I believe we found all of that and more with Cuonzo and I look forward to watching him compete for championships and postseason appearances for many years to come.”

Martin has registered six, 20-win seasons as a head coach, including a 21-13 mark in his final season at Cal which earned the Golden Bears an NIT bid. He owns a nine-year head coaching record of 186-121 (.606), which includes a three-year mark of 62-39 (.614) in three seasons in Berkeley. After directing his first Cal team to an 18-15 mark in 2014-15, Martin’s Golden Bears went 23-11 in 2015-16 and tied for third in the Pac-12 en route to an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Before moving to the West Coast, Martin spent three successful seasons at Tennessee, where he guided the Volunteers to a 63-41 (.606) record and into the postseason each year (one NCAA, two NIT). After reaching the NIT in each of his first two seasons in Knoxville, his final UT squad registered a 24-13 record and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Martin is no stranger to the Show-Me State, having launched his head coaching career at Missouri State. After an 11-20 debut season at the Springfield school, Martin led the Bears to a 24-12 record and the CollegeInsider.com Championship in 2009-10. His third season saw Missouri State record a 26-9 record en route to the program’s first-ever regular-season Missouri Valley Conference championship and an NIT bid. Martin was named the Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year and was the 2011 recipient of the Ben Jobe National Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the nation’s top minority head coach in Division I men’s basketball.

The 45-year-old Martin has served the game of basketball for more than two decades, beginning with a standout four-year playing career at Purdue University. He has played and coached alongside some of the game’s most highly-regarded mentors, including Hall of Fame Coach Gene Keady. Martin is a member of a distinguished group of successful college basketball coaches to serve under Keady, along with Matt Painter (Purdue), Bruce Weber (Illinois and Kansas State), Steve Lavin (UCLA and St. John’s) and Kevin Stallings (Vanderbilt and Pitt).

Martin also has experience as a coach with USA Basketball, serving on the USA Junior National Team staff at the 2011 FISU World University games in Shenzhen, China.

As a student-athlete, Martin was a 1995 First-Team All-Big Ten selection at Purdue when he averaged 18.4 ppg and sank 91 three-pointers. He graduated as one of the program’s all-time leaders in three-pointers (179) and among the Boilermakers’ career scoring leaders (1,666). Playing under Keady and alongside All-American Glenn Robinson, Martin led Purdue to a pair of Big Ten titles and to a 90-37 four-year record. The Boilermakers went to the postseason each season with Martin, reaching the Elite Eight of the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

Following his collegiate playing career, Martin was selected by the Atlanta Hawks with the 57th overall pick of the 1995 NBA Draft. He played professionally for four years with the NBA’s Hawks, Milwaukee Bucks and Vancouver Grizzlies. In 1997, Martin was the leading scorer for Felize Scandone in Italy.

Martin returned to his alma mater where he earned his bachelor’s degree in restaurant, hotel, institutional and tourism management from Purdue in 2000. He and his wife, Roberta, have two sons, Joshua and Chase, and a daughter, Addison.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball edged Chicago State, 7-6, in extra innings after a walk-off dropped fly ball off the bat of sophomore OF Connor Brumfield (Columbia, Mo.) in the 13th inning Wednesday night at Taylor Stadium. Mizzou moves to 16-1 on the year, the longest win streak by a Mizzou team since 1981 and ties the longest active win streak in the nation this season. At 16-1, Mizzou is also off to the best start in program history through 17 games.

Mizzou led much of the game before Chicago State tied the game in the top of the eighth inning. Mizzou left 18 men on base as it failed to get the clutch hit many times. It looked like that would haunt them as Chicago State hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the 11th. But Brumfield hit a two-out, two-run double to tie the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the 11th. Mizzou loaded the bases in the 13th and Brumfield lifted a fly ball to left field which was dropped, allowing the winning run to score. The play was reviewed, but the call was upheld to seal the win.

Lost in the long, 4:40 game was the start by junior RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) who went 5.0 innings with just one unearned run and a career-high six strikeouts. He was part of a Mizzou pitching staff that allowed just three earned runs over the 13-inning affair.

Montes De Oca cruised through the first two innings, picking up a pair of strikeouts and a slick 1-3 pickoff for out No. 3 in the second inning. Mizzou then got on the board in the bottom half of the inning, picking up an RBI single from Matt Berler (Hoover, Ala.) and an RBI groundout from Chris Cornelius (St. Louis, Mo.), giving Mizzou a 2-0 lead. Chicago State’s CF Matt Paciello robbed Brumfield of a hit and an RBI to end the frame with a diving catch.

After the offense gave him a lead, Montes De Oca issued a pair of walks in the third, but got a huge 4-6-3 double play and his third strikeout of the game to escape the inning. Mizzou got another run on an RBI single from Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.) in the bottom of the third.

Chicago State got an unearned run in the fourth after a passed ball and an error put two men on. Jacob Northrup doubled to plate a run, but Mizzou got out of the jam with just one run allowed and took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning.

CSU cut into the lead in the seventh on a two-out, RBI single off Mizzou reliever Ty Shoaff (Akron, Ohio). That cut the lead to 3-2.

Mizzou loaded the bases in the seventh inning with one out after a Kameron Misner (Poplar Bluff, Mo.) bunt single. Berler hit an RBI groundout to second to extend the lead to 4-2. The Cougars then took advantage of a pair of Mizzou errors in the eighth inning, getting a big two-out single to tie the game at 4-4.

Mizzou stranded three runners in the eighth, one in the ninth and two in the 10th inning, including the winning run on third base in the 10th. RHP Cole Bartlett (Williamsburg, Ind.) then got hit with a two-run homer by 3B Rick Salazar to take a two-run lead in the top of the 11th inning.

Misner drew a leadoff walk in the bottom of the 11th inning and Brian Sharp (Liberty, Mo.) singled to put two men on. Brumfield then hit a double to center field to bring both runners home as the ball scooted under the glove of the diving CSU center fielder. That tied the game at 6-6 after 11.

Sharp took over on the mound in the top of the 13th inning, pitching lights out and retiring three consecutive batters, two on strikes. Moving into the bottom of the frame, Berler led off the inning with a single blasted through the left side. Sharp helped his team out with a single of his own while Alex Samples (Bridgeport, Texas) loaded the bags with a free pass to first, giving Brumfield the opportunity at the walk-off hit.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball is officially returning to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament for the second consecutive season. The Tigers have now earned berths in the back-to-back NCAA Tournaments for the first time since 1985-86.

Mizzou clinched a No. 6 seed in the Stockton (Calif.) region, it was announced Monday. Mizzou will face No. 11-seed South Florida at 4 p.m. CT on Friday on ESPN2 at the Donald L. Tucker Civic Center on the campus of Florida State University. The winner of the opening round game will take on the the winner of the game between Florida State and Western Illinois on Sunday in the second round.

The Tigers will make their 11th appearance in the NCAA Tournament, seeking a win in back-to-back tournaments for the first time in program history. It’s the 24th overall postseason tournament selection for Mizzou. The Tigers are 5-10 all-time in the Big Dance after downing BYU in the opening round of last season’s NCAA Tournament.

— Mizzou Athletics —