We’ve already taken a quick look at this matchup in the What to Watch series, but a matchup of this magnitude deserves an even closer look. In fact, with new rankings coming out since What to Watch was published, this series has taken the jump from a fun top 25 matchup to a clash of titans between two teams occupying spots in the top 10. Needless to say, this series should be catching the attention of everyone paying attention to D2 baseball.
How We Got Here
First, let’s take a look back at how these two teams earned their spots in the top 10. Central Missouri began the season in a stacked Houston Winter Invitational, facing off with three straight top 10 teams at Minute Maid Park and finishing with a 1-2 record as they made their way back to Warrensburg, MO. Since that point, the Mules have made their way through two different four-game series with an unblemished 8-0 record to show for it, outscoring their opponents 63-20 over the eight games.
Central Oklahoma comes into this conference matchup with a perfect 11-0 record, outscoring their opponents 96-27 to this point. The Bronchos began their season as the hosts of the Edmond First Pitch Classic, where they took care of in-state foes East Central and a very solid Oklahoma Baptist squad, as well as defeating New Mexico Highlands twice. UCO was then able to take all four games from Arkansas Monticello on the backs of terrific pitching from what has quickly turned into one of the better pitching staffs in the country. Finally, UCO was able to take care of East Central once again and then held off cross-town rivals Oklahoma Christian to bring themselves to the 11-0 record they sit at today.
What’s At Stake
After beginning the season at 5th in the MIAA polls, UCO has outperformed expectations to this point, but the one possible blemish to their perfect season to this point is that they don’t have a “signature win” yet (although OBU sits in 6th in the latest Central Region rankings). Well, it doesn’t get much better than a road win over a top-three opponent, not to mention a conference foe on top of that. A series win for the Bronchos this weekend cements their status as not only the new top dogs in the MIAA but as a genuine contender to make a run at a championship this season.
As important as this series is for UCO, it’s every bit as important for Central Missouri. Outside of possibly Missouri Southern, the Mules won’t face a team ranked this highly for the rest of the regular season, so this weekend serves as the final chance for the Mules to prove they can beat top-tier competition. The Mules, as we previously talked about, went 1-2 against top 10 competition in Houston to start the season, but lost one of those games by 12 runs, and their only win was by only one run against a team that has already fallen completely out of the top 25, devaluing what once looked like a great win significantly.
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