The Missouri Tigers will be the home team in this year’s matchup against Illinois on March 26. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Terrance Williams
Staff Writer
Sauget, IL — The Gateway Grizzlies announced on Monday that the “Braggin’ Rights” rivalry baseball game between the University of Missouri and University of Illinois will return to Grizzlies Ballpark on March 26. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m., with first pitch scheduled for 6:00 p.m. This year, Mizzou will be the home team and occupy the first base dugout, while Illinois will be on the third base side.
The two teams will play each other for the third straight year in Sauget, with the game featuring exciting action on the field in each of the last two seasons.
In 2023, the Tigers beat the Fighting Illini in a thriller by a final score of 6-5, scoring three runs in the first to take an early lead before Illinois eventually came back.
In 2022, Missouri won 11-7 in a contest that featured four home runs and a whopping eight multi-run half-innings in total. With the pair of victories, the Tigers took a 16-14-1 lead in the all-time series.
Mizzou enters their first season under new head coach and St. Louis native Kerrick Jackson in 2024, with the former Kirkwood High School standout returning to Columbia after serving as an assistant there from 2011-15.
The Tigers will also feature St. Louis-area natives Brock Daniels (St. John Vianney), Jack Holubowski (Marquette), Kaden Jacobi (Liberty), Ian Lohse (Marquette), Tyler Macon (Kirkwood), Kaden Peer (Christian Brothers), Victor Quinn (Liberty), and Daniel Wissler (Fort Zumwalt West) on their roster this year.
The Fighting Illini are seeking to return to prominence under longtime head coach Dan Hartleb, who enters his 19th season as head coach and 34th on the Illinois staff overall, and has guided the program to four NCAA tournament appearances, most-recently in 2019. Edwardsville, Ill., native Drake Westcott highlights their 2024 roster, coming off a season where he hit .299 while leading the team in home runs (18) and RBIs (47).
MISSOURI TIGERS 2024 BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 16, 2024 (Friday) | 8:00 p.m. | Away | Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | |
| February 17, 2024 (Saturday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | |
| February 18, 2024 (Sunday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | |
| February 19, 2024 (Monday) | 3:00 p.m. | Away | Cal Poly | San Luis Obispo, Calif. | |
| February 22, 2024 (Thursday) | 8:00 p.m. | Neutral | Cal State-Bakersfield | San Diego, Calif. | |
| February 23, 2024 (Friday) | 8:00 p.m. | Away | San Diego State | San Diego, Calif. | |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 4:00 p.m. | Away | UC San Diego | La Jolla, Calif. | |
| February 27, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Southeast Missouri | Taylor Stadium |  |
| March 1, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Northern Kentucky | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | Northern Kentucky | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 3, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Northern Kentucky | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 8, 2024 (Friday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Purdue Fort Wayne | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 12:00 p.m. | Home | Purdue Fort Wayne | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 10, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Purdue Fort Wayne | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 12, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Kansas | Lawrence, Kan. | |
| March 15, 2024 (Friday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| March 16, 2024 (Saturday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| March 17, 2024 (Sunday) | 2:00 p.m. | Away | Arkansas | Fayetteville, Ark. | |
| March 19, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Neutral | Kansas | Kansas City, Mo. / Kauffman Stadium | |
| March 22, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Kentucky | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 23, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Kentucky | Taylor Stadium | |
| March 24, 2024 (Sunday) | 11:00 a.m. | Home | Kentucky | Taylor Stadium |  |
| March 26, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Neutral | Illinois | Sauget, Ill. / Grizzlies Ballpark | |
| March 28, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| March 29, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| March 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Vanderbilt | Nashville, Tenn. | |
| April 2, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 3, 2024 (Wednesday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Tennessee-Martin | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 5, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Florida | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 6, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Florida | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 7, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Florida | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 9, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | SIU-Edwardsville | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 11, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 12, 2024 (Friday) | 5:00 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 13, 2024 (Saturday) | 1:00 p.m. | Away | Georgia | Athens, Ga. | |
| April 16, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:30 p.m. | Away | Missouri State | Springfield, Mo. | |
| April 19, 2024 (Friday) | 7:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 20, 2024 (Saturday) | 4:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 21, 2024 (Sunday) | 2:00 p.m. | Home | LSU | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 23, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Missouri State | Taylor Stadium | |
| April 25, 2024 (Thursday) | 6:00 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 26, 2024 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 27, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:00 a.m. | Away | Tennessee | Knoxville, Tenn. | |
| April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Lindenwood | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 3, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 4, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 5, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | South Carolina | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 10, 2024 (Friday) | 6:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 11, 2024 (Saturday) | 3:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 12, 2024 (Sunday) | 1:00 p.m. | Home | Auburn | Taylor Stadium | |
| May 16, 2024 (Thursday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| May 17, 2024 (Friday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss, | |
| May 18, 2024 (Saturday) | TBA | Away | Mississippi State | Starkville, Miss. | |
| May 21, 2024 (Tuesday) | TBA | Neutral | SEC Tournament | Hoover, Ala. |