SHAWNEE – With the Dugan Invitational canceled, Oklahoma Baptist will play a single game against Missouri Southern State on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. at Seminole State College's BCB Memorial Complex.
The game will be streamed on the Bison Sports Network with Todd Miller providing commentary. Here are some quick hits on both teams as the 2026 season commences.
For the Bison:
There are 22 new faces on this year's OBU roster, which has 32 total players.
A season ago, the Bison posted a 23-23 record.
Among the key statistical highlights for coach
Chris Cox's team last year, they were 11th in home runs per game (1.59) and ranked 27th in slugging (.505).
The Bison pitching staff will be an early-season storyline. There were 12 pitchers that made appearances for OBU last year and only
Marcus Peters returns. A 6-foot-5 righty from Dallas, he posted a 5-1 record in 2025 with 56 strikeouts over 47.2 innings.
Offensively, there are a handful of contributors that return for OBU.
Lucas Schaefer led the team with 13 homers last year while
Keenan Morris posted 14 doubles, second-highest. Plus,
Matt Marsic returns after notching four triples in 2025. Lastly,
Zane Bennett, an outfielder, had 50 RBI last spring.
Schaefer is the lone All-GAC returnee for the Bison as well.
There are currently 47 games on the Bison's schedule. Only nine of those are against non-GAC schools.
For the Lions:
A season ago, MSSU went 28-25 and advanced to the MIAA Tournament semifinal round.
They were picked fourth in the MIAA Preseason Poll with one first-place vote.
Missouri Southern in 2025 was slotted 16th in DII in fielding percentage (.974) and 37th in homers per contest (1.25).
There are a few Lions players the return that were all-conference performers in 2025. Those include Ethan Clark who led the team with 54 RBI and batted .332. Jacob Filip and Bradyen Luikart also return after combined for 17 doubles and 12 bombs.
On the mound, Owen Schneider is MSSU's top returner. He went 5-3 last season with a 5.52 ERA to go with 50 strikeouts and 25 walks.
