College World Series or bust? Everything you need to know about Missouri State baseball entering 2019

After Missouri State lost in the NCAA Tournament's Oxford Regional a season ago, Bears head coach Keith Guttin said he didn't think the Bears would make it as far as they did. 

"Coming out of the fall, I didn't see it, honestly," Guttin said. 

Going into the 2019 season, we didn't waste any time reminding Guttin of what he said as we attempted to get his thoughts going into this season. 

"Do I have to answer?" Guttin joked. 

"They've worked really hard," he continued. "Every year is different. Teams grow at certain speeds and it's hard to tell. We'll see how they grow together. I think the team chemistry is good and they've worked hard. 

"Now you gotta go play."

Coming off their second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, the Bears have the pieces to go as far as they've ever gone before. 

With perhaps its deepest pitching recruiting class ever, combined with big bats and veteran leadership, the Bears feel like they have what it takes to reach the College World Series for the second time in school history.

Here is what you need to know going into the 2019 Missouri State baseball season:

1. Drew Millas is the Bears' next top prospect

The list of top prospects to come out of Missouri State is destined to grow this season.

Junior catcher Drew Millas is considered the best pro prospect on the team this season, with D1Baseball projecting him as a possible Top 5 rounder. 

Millas is coming off a season in which he led the team in hitting (.321) and OPS (.916) while adding seven home runs and 61 RBI. He was nearly perfect behind the plate with a .994 fielding percentage. 

The Swansea, Illinois, product spent his summer in the prestigious Cape Cod League where he batted .274 between the playoffs and regular season. D1Baseball wrote he showed off his strong receiving and blocking skills during his time in Wareham, Massachusetts. 

"I have a lot to improve on," Millas said. "I feel as prepared as I ever have. I just need to remain humble and stay within myself."

Millas falls in line in the lengthy list of top pro prospects to come out of Missouri State. Jeremy Eierman, Dylan Coleman and Hunter Steinmetz led the way for the Bears just a season ago, while Jake Burger, Trey Turner and Doug Still went in the first 11 rounds of the MLB draft the season before. 

The switch-hitting catcher made a big jump from his freshman to sophomore seasons. No one should be surprised if Millas continues to improve. 

2. This recruiting class has been hyped as one of MSU's best in years

Even out of all the successful recruiting classes Guttin has brought to Springfield, this one is regarded as one of the strongest he's ever signed. 

The latest recruiting class has a healthy mix of junior college power, some of the best young arms in the region and young centerpieces for the future. 

Perhaps the most-anticipated player of the class is Jefferson College transfer Joey Polak — who is likely to start at third for the Bears come opening day. 

JOEY POLAK:Did Missouri State baseball just add its next superstar?

Polak was named the 2018 ABCA/Rawlings NJCAA Division I Baseball Player of the Year while hitting 32 homes runs and driving in 107 runs. He batted .459 with a slugging percentage of .991. 

It should take some time for him to adjust to Division I pitching, but if he can hit a little better than half of that, the Bears will be in good shape. 

Other immediate impact players in the field will come from the likes of Collin Clayton (John A. Logan College), Mason Hull (Effingham High) and Anthony Herron Jr. (Mount Carmel High). 

On the pitching side, the Bears have a deep group of newcomers which includes five of the top high school pitching prospects in their respective states. This could be the best group of arms both Guttin and pitching coach Paul Evans have ever brought to Missouri State.

Ben Cruikshank (Belleville East) was Perfect Game's top left-handed pitcher in Illinois as he struck out 105 over his last two seasons. He was also ranked as the No. 3 overall player in the state. 

Hayden Juenger (O'Fallon Township High) was ranked as the No. 3 right-handed pitcher in Illinois, according to Perfect Game. He went 9-1 with a 1.55 ERA during his senior season. 

Nick Schmidt (Holt High) was ranked as the No. 2 right-hander in Missouri and the No. 3 overall by Prep Baseball Report. During his senior year, he had a 7-1 record with a 2.18 ERA while striking out 77 en route to a conference player of the year honor. 

Peyton Carson (Shawnee Heights High) was the top left-handed pitching prospect in Kansas, according to Perfect Game. He was among the city of Topeka's leaders in wins, ERA and strikeouts during his senior year. 

Another name to keep an eye on is freshman Javier Ramos (Vian High), who can both pitch and play in the field. He batted .455 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI his senior year while also going 10-1 with a 1.84 ERA on the mound. Ramos was the No. 3 overall prospect in Oklahoma according to Perfect Game.

More:WATCH: Missouri State baseball player amazingly, painfully hits line drive at his own...well.

Guttin and Millas both said a freshman pitcher is going to have to step up and take over as the third man in the Bears' weekend rotation. A college team's top three starters typically line up as the Friday, Saturday and Sunday starters for the regular weekend rotations. 

One freshman might also be tabbed as the midweek starter due to the loss of Austin Knight to graduation. 

And to think, this recruiting class could have been even better.

Missouri State lost high-profile prospect signees Wyatt Sparks (Aurora High) and Trey Riley (John A. Logan College) to the MLB Draft. Sparks was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 23rd round, while Riley was drafted in the fifth round by the Atlanta Braves. 

3. Missouri State's weekend rotation took a big hit last week

Missouri State’s pitching rotation isn’t what it was once thought to be after it lost its ace for the season due to an injury last week.

Sophomore Ty Buckner ruptured his Achilles tendon while participating in extra footwork drill just last week. He is out for the next 9-12 months.

Buckner was going to be the team’s Friday starter — the No. 1 pitcher in the rotation — with junior Logan Wiley throwing on Saturday.

More:Missouri State baseball loses pitchers Ty Buckner, Tyler McAlister to season-ending injuries

Expectations for Buckner were high going into the season. Millas told the News-Leader the pitcher reached 94 mph in a recent bullpen session and had been solid all preseason.

Now, the Bears are left needing to fill three of its open starting jobs due to the injury and because they lost Dylan Coleman to the MLB Draft.

All three starting spots could end up going to its talented group of freshman pitchers coming in. Alex Moore is another name to keep an eye on cracking the starting rotation.

Wiley (Kickapoo High/Kansas State) is coming off a 7-6 season in which he finished with a 4.13 ERA while striking out 68 as the Sunday starter. He is expected to be the team’s No. 1 pitcher moving forward.

4. The bullpen is still deep

With three of the team's talented five freshmen possibly taking starting roles, the bullpen isn't as deep as once thought but it should still be set for success.

The bullpen is led by sophomore Connor Sechler —  a 2018 All-MVC selection and 2019 Preseason All-MVC selection — who went 7-1 in 32 appearances. He had a 2.98 ERA and struck out 59. 

Senior Davis Schwab returns for his senior year out of the pen. He finished 2-1 in 23.1 innings with a 5.01 ERA and 20 strikeouts. 

The two had a heavy load a season ago but should have a lot more help in 2019. 

Moore and Matt Russell are both expected to return from injury. 

Russell pitched 27.2 innings in 18 appearances and had a 4.88 ERA before tearing a ligament in his elbow and undergoing season-ending surgery. 

Moore suffered an elbow injury before the season and underwent surgery. He did not pitch in 2018 but had a 2.61 ERA in 10 appearances with 10.1 innings pitched in 2017. 

Jake Lochner also returns for his senior year out of the bullpen. He appeared in 18 games and 22 innings a season ago with a career-best 2.86 ERA and 16 strikeouts. 

MSU could also have bullpen depth from whichever freshmen don't crack the weekend starting rotation. Other potential relievers to keep an eye on include sophomore Zach Gibbs, Ozark product Forrest Barnes and Walnut Grove product Logan Thomazin. 

5. Injuries from 2018 are healing

A good Missouri State team from a season ago could have been even better if it was healthy. 

Missouri State was getting positive play from relievers Alex Moore and Matt Russell but both had their seasons end early due to season-ending arm injuries. 

Guttin said Russell is on pace to return at some point during the year and the team is hopeful Moore will be good to go soon. 

Guttin also expects to have junior outfielder Jack Duffy ready to go for opening day. Duffy tore his ACL during summer ball in July. He is expected to compete for the centerfield job left by Steinmetz.

First baseman Ben Whetstone told the News-Leader that he has fully healed from a hand injury that kept him out of some of the fall.

6. The Bears aren't afraid to talk about going to Omaha

Reaching the NCAA Tournament has become the expectation for the Missouri State baseball program and this year is no different. 

But the Bears are now expecting more from themselves. 

"We're not scared about how we talk about getting to Omaha," Whetstone said. "That's our main goal. We're shooting for the stars. We don't want to settle for winning the Valley and making it back to the tournament. That was fun and all last year but that wasn't our ultimate goal."

If the young arms are as good as advertised and the Bears can get consistent production from their offense, reaching Omaha isn't out of the question. 

Missouri State last made the College World Series in 2003. It came up just a win short in 2015. A season ago, the Bears won one game in the regional round and were sent home with two losses to Tennessee Tech. 

"I don't feel like we came as close as we wanted to as far as the NCAA Tournament last year," Whetstone said. "We want to keep going and make a long postseason push."

7. Replacing Jeremy Eierman? Look to Mason Hull

Replacing a second-rounder like Eierman isn't an easy task but the Bears are confident in freshman Mason Hull. 

Hull (Effingham High) is expected to be the Bears' starting shortstop in 2019. 

The Effingham, Illinois, product was Illinois' No. 5 high school shortstop in the Class of 2018. His senior year saw him bat .571 with seven home runs and 37 RBI in just 28 games. He earned all-state honors as well as USA Today Illinois All-America recognition. 

"It's hard to replace a guy like Jeremy," Millas said. "Mason stepped up since day one. He's a leader among that group of freshmen and I think he's going to grab the shortstop role by the horns."

Eierman, who was drafted by the Oakland Athletics, was considered a five-tool player and had rare athleticism and power for a shortstop. He had a down year in 2018 by batting .287 with 10 home runs and 49 RBI. That came a season after breaking out by batting .313 with 23 homers and 68 RBI. 

Hull was selected by D1Baseball.com to finish as the MVC's Freshman of the Year when the season concludes.

8. The leadership is as good as ever

Millas compares the leadership of the 2019 team to the leadership of the 2017 team that made it to the NCAA Tournament Super Regional. 

That was a pretty good team. 

The 2017 Bears were led by the likes of Burger, Justin Paulsen and Aaron Meyer among others. 

Now, Meyer and Paulsen are both assistants with the team while Millas still gets advice from Burger, the Chicago White Sox's 2017 first round pick. 

"Burger said that it starts from the top," Millas said. "We lacked leadership a little last year and it nipped us in the bud a little bit. We have a good group of older guys this year and that's where it starts."

Millas was named a captain along with Whetstone and junior second baseman John Privitera. The three were all on the 2017 team and saw how leadership was done and now they're front and center. 

"They know what it takes," Guttin said. "The players have high expectations and that's always more important than the expectations the coaches have."

9. The schedule is as tough as ever

Nothing is going to come easy for the Bears, especially the first half of the season. 

Guttin loaded up his non-conference schedule with a number of teams that made the NCAA Tournament just a season ago.

Missouri State plays a total of 11 games against six different 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers — including five that will be played at Hammons Field. 

The schedule features a home game against rival Arkansas on March 26. The Razorbacks are coming off a College World Series runner-up finish. MSU also hosts conference rival Dallas Baptist for a crucial three-game series May 2-4. 

Other NCAA Tournament qualifier games include a home-and-home with Oral Roberts, a tournament game in California against Cal State Fullerton, a three-game series at Oklahoma and a mid-week game at Oklahoma State. 

Notable Hammons Field matchups include Mizzou on April 16, Wichita State on May 7, Kansas on March 27 and the home opener against Central Arkansas on Feb. 26.

10. Other things to know

Fall starting lineup vs. Pittsburg State on Oct. 3, 2018

1. John Privitera, 2B
2. Sam Faith, LF
3. Drew Millas, C
4. Joey Polak, 3B
5. Anthony Herron, 1B
6. Logan Geha, RF
7. Javier Ramos, DH
8. Michael Briggs, DH
9. Collin Clayton, CF
10. Mason Hull, SS

Yes, we realize there are two designated hitters. It should also be noted that Jack Duffy was out recovering from an ACL tear he suffered in July. He is likely to get a starting outfield spot come opening day. 

Pitching Rotation vs. Pittsburg State on Oct. 3, 2018

1. Logan Wiley (2 innings)
2. Peyton Carson (1 inning)
3. Ty Buckner (2 innings)
4. Ben Cruishank (0.2 innings)
5. Logan Thomazin (1.1 innings)
6. Zach Gibbs (1 inning)
7. Connor Sechler (1 inning)

Local athletes

• Connor Sechler, P, So. (Bolivar)
• Jordan Fitzpatrick, OF/IF, So. (Rogersville)
• Logan Thomazin, P, Fr. (Walnut Grove)
• Forrest Barnes, P, Fr. (Ozark)
• Logan Wiley, P, Jr. (Kickapoo)
• Alex Moore, P, So. (Mountain Grove)

Coaches Preseason MVC Poll

1. Missouri State
2. Dallas Baptist
3. Indiana State
4. Bradley
5. Southern Illinois
6. Illinois State
7. Valparaiso
8. Evansville

MVC Preseason All-Conference

• Ben Whetstone, Missouri State
• Jarrod Watkins, Indiana State
• Brendan Dougherty, Bradley
• Jimmy Glowenke, Dallas Baptist
• Drew Millas, Missouri State
• John Rave, Illinois State
• Blake Billinger, Valparaiso
• Andy Shadid, Bradley
• Triston Polley, Indiana State
• Luke Eldred, Dallas Baptist
• Connor Sechler, Missouri State
• Jarod Bayless, Dallas Baptist

Returning 2018 batting stats

• Drew Millas: .321avg, 57gs, 212ab, 36r, 68h, 13(2b), 3(3b), 7hr, 61rbi, 106tb, .994fld%
• Ben Whetstone: .278, 57gs, 212ab, 31r, 59h, 10(2b), 9hr, 96rbi, 96tb, .992fld%
• Jack Duffy: .271avg, 54gs, 203ab, 30r, 55h, 9(2b), 3(3b), 3hr, 30rbi, 79tb, .992fld%
• John Privitera: .247avg, 56gs, 182ab, 38r, 45h, 5(2b), 1(3b), 20rbi, 52tb, .978fld%
• Logan Geha: .185avg, 39gs, 119ab, 25r, 22h, 4(2b), 1(3b), 9rbi, 28tb, .986fld%
• Brooks Zimmerman: .219avg, 26gs, 96ab, 14r, 21h, 3(2b), 6hr, 17rbi, 42tb, .961fld%
• Jordan Fitzpatrick: .196avg, 10gs, 51ab, 8r, 10h, 2(2b), 1hr, 8rbi, 15tb, .824fld%
• Sam Faith: .121avg, 5gs, 33ab, 6r, 4h, 1(2b), 1hr, 3rbi, 8tb, .929fld%
• Michael Briggs: 0gs, 3ab, 1.000fld%

Returning 2018 pitching stats

• Logan Wiley: 4.13era, 7-6, 22app, 11gs, 85ip, 84h, 39er, 23bb, 68k
• Ty Buckner: 4.81era, 7-4, 16app, 15gs, 76.2ip, 62h, 41er, 49bb, 60k
• Jake Lochner: 2.86era, 1-1, 18app, 0gs, 22ip, 16h, 7er, 19bb, 16k
• Connor Sechler: 2.98era, 7-1, 32app, 0gs, 54.1ip, 41h, 18er, 22bb, 59k
• Nate Witherspoon: 3.24era, 1-0, 20app, 0gs, 25ip, 27h, 9er, 8bb, 20k
• Zach Gibbs: 3.60era, 0-0, 4app, 0gs, 5ip, 6h, 2er, 4bb, 1k
• Matt Russell: 4.88era, 1-0, 18ap, 1gs, 27.2ip, 24h, 15er, 14bb, 26k
• Davis Schwab: 5.01era, 2-1, 14ap, 0gs, 23.1ip, 21h, 13er, 13bb, 20k
• Tyler McAlister: 8.05era, 0-0, 7ap, 5gs, 19ip, 22h, 17er, 17bb, 20k

Buckner and McAlister will miss the 2019 season due to injuries

Departed Missouri State players from 2018

• Hunter Steinmetz
• Ryan Skalnik
• Robbie Merced
• Dylan Coleman
• Jeremy Eierman
• Max McGuire
• Jake Fromson
• Matt Brown
• Austin Knight
• Jake Hausmann
• Landan Ruff
• Mason Dickemann
• Dennis Yingling
• Hunter Dame

2019 Missouri State Baseball Schedule

Feb. 15, 12 p.m. - Nevada (in San Marcos, Texas)
Feb. 16, 12 p.m. - Utah (in San Marcos, Texas)
Feb. 17, 3 p.m. - @ Texas State
Feb. 19, 3 p.m. - @ Oral Roberts
Feb. 22, 3 p.m. - Cal State Fullerton (in San Diego)
Feb. 23, 8 p.m. - @ San Diego
Feb. 24, 12 p.m. - Fresno State (in San Diego)
Feb. 26, 3 p.m. - Central Arkansas
Feb. 27, 3 p.m. - Central Arkansas
March 1, 3 p.m. - UC Irvine
March 2, 2 p.m. - UC Irvine
March 3, 1 p.m. - UC Irvine
March 5, 3 p.m. - Oral Roberts
March 8, 6 p.m. - @ Arkansas State
March 9, 2 p.m. - @ Arkansas State
March 10, 1 p.m. - @ Arkansas State
March 12, 3:30 p.m. - @ Oklahoma State
March 15, 6:30 p.m. - @ Oklahoma
March 16, 2 p.m. - @ Oklahoma
March 17, 1 p.m. - @ Oklahoma 
March 22, 5 p.m. - @ UC Santa Barbara
March 23, 4 p.m. - @ UC Santa Barbara
March 24, 1:30 p.m. - @ UC Santa Barbara
March 26, 6:30 p.m. - Arkansas
March 27, 6:30 p.m. - Kansas
March 29, 6:30 p.m. - Indiana State
March 30, 2 p.m. - Indiana State
March 31, 1 p.m. - Indiana State
April 2, 5 p.m. - @ Southeast Missouri State
April 3, 3 p.m. - @ Murray State
April 5, 6:30 p.m. - @ Southern Illinois
April 6, 2 p.m. - @ Southern Illinois
April 7, 1 p.m. - @ Southern Illinois 
April 9, 6 p.m. - @ Kansas
April 12, 5 p.m. - @ Illinois State
April 13, 2 p.m. - @ Illinois State
April 14, 1 p.m. - @ Illinois State
April 16, 6:30 p.m. - Mizzou
April 18, 6:30 p.m. - New Orleans
April 19, 6:30 p.m. - New Orleans
April 20, 2 p.m. - New Orleans
April 23, 6:30 p.m. - @ Mizzou
April 26, 2 p.m. - Bradley 
April 27, 12 p.m. - Bradley
April 28, 11 a.m. - Bradley 
April 30, 6 p.m. - @ Wichita State
May 2, 6 p.m. - Dallas Baptist
May 3, 6:30 p.m. - Dallas Baptist
May 4, 2 p.m. - Dallas Baptist
May 7, 6:30 p.m. - Wichita State
May 10, 6:30 p.m. - @ Evansville
May 11, 2 p.m. - @ Evansville
May 12, 1 p.m. - @ Evansville
May 16, 6:30 p.m. - Valparaiso
May 17, 6:30 p.m. - Valparaiso
May 18, 2 p.m. - Valparaiso
May 21-25 - MVC Tournament in Normal, Illinois