Cayden Nicoletto celebrates hitting a home run in Mizzou’s win over Illinois at Grizzlies Ballpark in Sauget on Tuesday. (Photo courtesy: Mizzou Athletics)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri (9-16) | 3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 12 | 0 |
| Illinois (12-10) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 1 |
WP: Wil Libbert – MIZ (2-2) LP: Ryan Daly – ILL (1-2) SV: Xavier Lovett – MIZ (2)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
SAUGET, IL — The University of Missouri baseball team snapped a seven-game losing streak and won the annual Braggin’ Rights Game over rival Illinois, 11-9, Tuesday night at Grizzlies Ballpark.
The Tigers scored eight runs in the first two innings, added more runs late, then held off the Illini’s late comeback attempt to earn the victory.
Missouri is now 9-14 on the season, while Illinois fell to 12-10.
Mizzou got big hitting nights from each of its first four batters in the lineup.
Leadoff man Gehrig Goldbeck had three hits, two RBIs, and scored two runs. No. 2 man Jackson Lovich also had three hits, with four RBIs, and two runs scored, including his team-leading sixth home run of the season.
Three-hole hitter Cayden Nicoletto had two hits — one his third homer of the season. And cleanup man Mateo Serna had two hits and three RBIs.
Mizzou’s Jackson Lovich hit his team-leading sixth home run of the season in the Tigers’ win over Illinois on Tuesday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The Tigers broke from the gate with a flurry of offense, putting their first four batters of the game on base in the opening frame, sparked by Goldbeck’s bunt single to lead off the contest. Lovich followed with a towering two-run blast to left field for his sixth home run of the season and a 2-0 Mizzou advantage. Nicoletto followed suit, with a double to right, then coming around on a Serna base hit to make the score 3-0.
After starting pitcher Wil Libbert fanned a pair of Illini hitters to work out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the first, Mizzou went back on the offensive in the second to stretch its advantage.
A leadoff walk to Pierre Seals and a Kaden Peer base hit set up the rally, before Illinois right-hander Ryan Daly (1-2) hit Peyton Basler and Goldbeck to force home a run.
Lovich’s second hit made it a 5-0 lead, and Serna delivered a two-run single to inflict even more damage. Finally, Keegan Knutson – the ninth Mizzou hitter of the rally – brought home Lovich with the eighth Tigers run of the game to cap the scoring outburst.
Libbert (2-2) held the defending Big Ten champions in check through five shutout innings, retiring seven straight batters at one point. The left-hander didn’t allow a baserunner to reach scoring position from the second through the fifth frames, striking out five Illini in the process.
But Illinois’ offense came to life in the sixth, following Goldbeck’s two-out, RBI-single that pushed the MU lead to nine runs in the top half of the inning. A walk and back-to-back singles set up Collin Jennings’ grand slam to right-center that sliced the Tigers lead to 9-4 and ended Libbert’s evening.
The Illini tacked on two more in the sixth, plating a fifth run on a two-out wild pitch, then pulling to within three runs on Greg LaChance’s RBI-single.
The two offenses traded home runs in the seventh – first with Nicoletto lining a leadoff shot over the right-field wall to momentarily make it a four-run game, followed by Vytas Valincius’ two-run blast to center that brought the Illini to within 10-8.
Mizzou kept the pressure on Illinois, adding another insurance run in the eighth thanks to Lovich’s two-out, infield hit that scored Basler from second. The Illini answered with their third round-tripper — a solo shot by Jacob Schroeder to open the home half of the eighth.
But Xavier Lovett locked down the victory — and his second save — by retiring six of the final seven hitters he faced over the final two innings.
Missouri will be back in action at Taylor Stadium in Columbia this weekend. That’s when it will be hosting a three-game weekend series against No. 7 Texas.
The Tigers and Longhorns will play on Friday at 6 p.m., on Saturday at 4 p.m., and on Sunday at 1 p.m. The Friday and Saturday games will be streamed live on SEC Network+, while Sunday’s game will be televised nationally on the SEC Network.
2025 MIZZOU TIGERS BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Tournament | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 14, 2025 (Friday) | 3 p.m. | Neutral | Penn State | Puerto Rico |  | Puerto Rico Challenge | L 10-0 (0-1) |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Neutral | UConn | Puerto Rico | | Puerto Rico Challenge | W 11-7 (1-1) |
| February 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | Stetson | Puerto Rico | | Puerto Rico Challenge | L 9-7 (1-2) |
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 5 p.m. | Away | UCF | Orlando, Fla. | | L 7-1 (1-3) | |
| February 21, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Neutral | Florida A&M | Vero Beach, Fla. |  | Andre Dawson Classic | W 6-5 (2-3) |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 3:05 p.m. | Neutral | Alabama State | Vero Beach, Fla. | MLB.com | Andre Dawson Classic | L 10-2 (2-4) |
| February 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 8 a.m. | Neutral | Southern | Vero Beach, Fla. | MLB.com | Andre Dawson Classic | W 15-3 (3-4) |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Taylor Stadium | W 14-10 (4-4) | ||
| February 28, 2025 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Evansville | Taylor Stadium |  | L 7-6 (4-5) | |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Evansville | Taylor Stadium | | W 6-2 (5-5) | |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 4:30 p.m. | Home | Evansville | Taylor Stadium | | W 17-7 (6-5) | |
| March 2, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Evansville | Taylor Stadium | L 9-5 (6-6) | ||
| March 7, 2025 (Friday) | 5 p.m. | Home | Binghamton | Taylor Stadium | | L 8-7 (6-7) | |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Binghamton | Taylor Stadium | W 16-6 (7-7) | ||
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 4:50 p.m. | Home | Binghamton | Taylor Stadium | W 4-2 (8-7) | ||
| March 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Binghamton | Taylor Stadium | | L 5-2 (8-8) | |
| March 14, 2025 (Friday) | 4:30 p.m. | Away | #1 LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | | L 12-5 (8-9) | |
| March 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 p.m. | Away | #1 LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | | L 7-6 (8-10) | |
| March 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | #1 LSU | Baton Rouge, La. | | L 10-5 (8-11) | |
| March 21, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Taylor Stadium | | L 9-6 (8-12) | |
| March 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Taylor Stadium | | L 17-10 (8-13) | |
| March 23, 2025 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Ole Miss | Taylor Stadium |  | L 14-6 (8-14) | |
| March 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Neutral | Illinois | Sauget, Ill. / Grizzlies Ballpark | W 11-9 (9-14) | ||
| March 28, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | #7 Texas | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| March 29, 2025 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | Home | #7 Texas | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| March 30, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | #7 Texas | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 1, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 2, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 4, 2025 (Friday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | | ||
| April 5, 2025 (Saturday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | | ||
| April 6, 2025 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | | ||
| April 8, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | SIU-Edwardsville | Edwardsville, IL | |||
| April 10, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | | ||
| April 11, 2025 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | | ||
| April 12, 2025 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Florida | Gainesville, Fla. | | ||
| April 15, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Missouri State | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 17, 2025 (Thursday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 18, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 19, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Oklahoma | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| April 22, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, Mo. | | ||
| April 24, 2025 (Thursday) | 7 p.m. | Away | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | | ||
| April 25, 2025 (Friday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | | ||
| April 26, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Alabama | Tuscaloosa, Ala. | | ||
| April 29, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | | ||
| May 2, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Georgia | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 3, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Georgia | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 4, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Georgia | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 6, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Kansas | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 9, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | | ||
| May 10, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | | ||
| May 11, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Texas A&M | College Station, Texas | | ||
| May 15, 2025 (Thursday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 16, 2025 (Friday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 17, 2025 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Mississippi State | Taylor Stadium | | ||
| May 20, 2025 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | TBA | Hoover, Ala. / Hoover Metropolitan Stadium | | SEC Tournament |