COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball has signed transfer guard Mark Smith to its 2018 recruiting class, head coach Cuonzo Martin announced Monday. Smith, the 2017 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year and 2017 Illinois Mr. Basketball, was a consensus four-star, Top-80 recruit out of high school.

Smith transfers from the University of Illinois, where he made 19 starts in 31 game appearances and averaged 5.8 points and 1.4 assists as a freshman. The Edwardsville, Illinois, native will sit out the 2018-19 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules and have three years of eligibility remaining.

“We are excited to have Mark Smith join the Mizzou Basketball Family,” Martin said. “Mark is a high character individual and a great fit for our program. We can’t thank his parents, Yvonne and Anthony, enough for trusting us with their son. He is a dynamic, talented scorer and distributor, and we can’t wait to get him to campus.”

Smith averaged 21.9 points, 8.2 rebounds, 8.4 assists and 2.1 steals as a senior while captaining Edwardsville High School to a 30-2 record. He racked up eight 30-point games and reached double figures 30 times.

After his stellar senior campaign, Smith garnered First-Team All-State recognition from the Associated Press, Chicago Tribune, Champaign News-Gazette and the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. He was also named St. Louis Dispatch All-Metro, and Champaign News-Gazette Player of the Year.

“Cuonzo has a lot of faith in me, he’s expecting big things from me in the future and I just feel like we have a really good relationship,” Smith said. “I’m excited to get to Columbia and work with him and the staff.”

Smith steered Edwardsville to the IHSA Class 4A Sectional Championship, exploding for a career-high 45 points and hauling in 16 rebounds in the title game. He is the fifth member in a vaunted group of Mizzou newcomers heading in to the 2018-19 season, alongside signees K.J. Santos, Javon Pickett, Xavier Pinson and Torrence Watson.

— Mizzou Athletics —

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball lost its series finale against No. 1 Florida, 7-2, Saturday night in game two of a doubleheader at McKethan Stadium. Mizzou falls to 24-12 on the year and 6-9 in SEC play while Florida improves to 32-6 and 12-3 in SEC play. Mizzou grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the third, but Florida scored lone runs in the fourth and fifth innings before exploding for five in the eighth to earn the win.

Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer took his first loss of the season, going 5.1 innings while allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits while striking out six. The go-ahead run was an unearned run in the fourth inning following an error that turned a double from Florida CF Nick Horvath into a triple. He scored on a sacrifice fly to give the Gators the lead.

Gator RHP Tyler Dyson earned the win, improving to 5-2 on the year. He allowed one run on four hits over 5.0 innings.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou ran out to a 1-0 lead in the nightcap, getting an RBI sacrifice fly by Zach Hanna in the top of the third inning, but the Gators, as they did all weekend, immediately answered in their half of the inning. JJ Schwarz ripped an RBI double just inside the left field line, past an out-stretched 3B Alex Samples. That evened the game and Florida then grabbed a 2-1 lead in the in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by 1B Brady Smith.

Florida then scored five runs in the ninth to put the game away before Hanna hit his third homer of the season in the top of the ninth inning.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Head Coach Steve Bieser

“We just got it handed to us. That’s about all I can say. They dominated us. That’s the game, you have to play nine innings. We competed well for seven innings in the first game and almost eight innings in the second game. We just didn’t finish it out. That’s the game of baseball; you have to play all nine innings and you have to play them all well. We just have to regroup and turn this thing around.”

TOP TIGERS

–          Junior OF Zach Hanna tallied a SAC fly in the third inning, his third RBI of the series and sixth of the week. He also walked in the game. Hanna homered in the ninth inning for his second of the week and third of the season as well.

–          Hanna hit 5-for-12 (.417) with four runs, seven RBI, two homers and two doubles over the four games.

–          Junior 1B Brian Sharp drew a pair of walks Saturday, his second game this season with multiple walks.

–          Junior LHP Michael Plassmeyer went 5.1 innings and allowed just two runs (one earned) on six hits with six strikeouts in a tough-luck loss, his first of the season.

–          Sophomore Kameron Misner turned in his team-leading 15^th multi-hit game of the season in the nightcap.

UP NEXT

Mizzou will be back in action Tuesday at home against Chicago State. First pitch is slated for 4 p.m. for that game.

— Mizzou Athletics —

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Mizzou Baseball lost game one of its Saturday doubleheader at No. 1 Florida, 10-2, at McKethan Stadium. Mizzou tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the sixth before Florida broke out for one run in the bottom of the sixth and six more in the seventh to put the game away. Mizzou falls to 24-11 and 6-8 in SEC play while the top-ranked Gators go to 31-6 and 11-3 in league games.

Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante took a tough-luck loss, falling to 4-2 on the season. He went 6.0 innings and allowed just three runs on six hits with three strikeouts. Florida starter Jackson Kowar earned the win, his sixth of the season.

Mizzou and Florida will play game two later this evening with junior LHP and reigning SEC Pitcher of the Week Michael Plassmeyer on the bump for the Tigers.

TURNING POINT

After Florida took a 2-0 lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the first, it took Mizzou until the top of the sixth inning to solve Florida starter Jackson Kowar. Mizzou used a two-out rally of its own, culminating with a two-run double by junior OF Zach Hanna in the top of the sixth inning.

But as quickly as Mizzou tied the game, Florida regained the lead in the bottom of the frame, coming on a two-out solo HR by JJ Schwarz staking the Gators to a 3-2 lead. Florida then broke the game open in the bottom of the seventh inning, scoring six times to put the game away. The first eight men the Gators sent to the plate in the seventh inning reached base safely.

TOP TIGERS

–          Junior OF Zach Hanna hit a pair of doubles and drove in a pair runs. Over his last 11 games, he is hitting 8-for-22 with four runs, two doubles, a homer and eight RBI.

–          Junior LHP Tyler LaPlante made a spot start, his second of the week and first in SEC play this season. He went 6.0 innings, scattering five hits while surrendering three runs with three strikeouts.

NOTES

• Mizzou now trails the all-time series with Florida, 4-19.
• Mizzou falls to 8-4 on Saturdays.
• Mizzou suffered its third loss in a doubleheader this season and is now 4-3 in such games this season.
• Mizzou falls to 14-8 in three-game series this year.
• Mizzou falls to 6-5 vs. ranked opponents and 5-5 on the road vs. ranked teams.
• Mizzou 7-6 on road and 9-8 in games away from home.

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – No. 24 Mizzou Baseball dropped game one of its three-game set at No. 1 Florida, 3-1, Friday evening at McKethan Stadium. The game was tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, but Gator RF Wil Dalton ripped a game-winning, two-run, two-out double on a 1-2 pitch to give the Gators their first lead, one they did not relinquish.

Mizzou sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema (DeWitt, Iowa) took a tough-luck loss as the winning run was charged to him after allowing leadoff single in the eighth. He worked a season-high 7.1 innings with a season-high eight strikeouts.

Florida freshman LHP Jordan Butler earned the win, improving to 4-1 on the year, while Michael Byrne earned his ninth save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

TURNING POINT

Mizzou and Florida traded runs in the first inning, with Mizzou scoring on an RBI groundout from senior C Brett Bond following a pair of walks from Florida starter Brady Singer to open the game. Florida answered in its half of the first with a one-out homer from Nelson Moldanodo.

The game stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth inning as Sikkema allowed a leadoff single to 1B Brady Smith to open the frame. After the Gators bunted Smith over, Mizzou head coach Steve Bieser went to the bullpen for RHP Andy Toelken, who retired the first man he faced. The Tigers then elected to intentionally pass Johnathan India to face Wil Dalton, who ripped the game-winning, two-run double off the wall in left. The double came on a 1-2 pitch.

QUOTING MIZZOU

Head Coach Steve Bieser

“It was quite a pitcher’s duel. We expected that going out. Their guy has done that to many teams this year. We competed hard and we just didn’t get the clutch hit. There in the eighth inning, we just left a pitch up – it just wasn’t a very well-executed pitch – and those things happen in a game. You have to give them credit. They went out and put a good swing on the pitch and that’s why they won the game.”

TOP TIGERS

–          Sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema went a season-long 7.1 innings and a season-high with eight strikeouts. He surrendered two runs on six hits and walked just one.

–          Senior C Brett Bond tallied a hit and an RBI in the loss, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. He is hitting .393 with three RBI over his last seven games.

–          Freshman Cade Bormet tallied his first career multi-walk game in his first appearance in the leadoff spot.

NOTES

• Mizzou now trails the series with Florida, 4-18.
• Mizzou falls to 5-4 on Fridays this season.
• Mizzou falls to 14-8 in three-game series this season.
• Mizzou falls to 6-4 against ranked teams this season and 5-4 vs. ranked teams on the road.
• Mizzou falls to 7-5 in road games and 9-7 in games away from home
• Mizzou scored in the first inning for the 17^th time in 34 games this season Friday. Mizzou is now 13-4 in such games this season.
• Senior C Brett Bond tallied his third RBI in four games Friday. Bond extended his hitting streak to 10 games and is now hitting 11-for-25 (.440) over his last seven games.
• Freshman DH Cade Bormet tallied his first career game with multiple walks Friday.
• Sophomore LHP T.J. Sikkema reset season-high with eight strikeouts and went a season-long 7.1 on the mound Friday. It was his longest outing since a complete-game shutout at Tennessee on May 18, 2017.

UP NEXT

Mizzou and Florida will conclude their series tomorrow with a doubleheader, beginning at 3 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —