ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon Baseball (22-20, 15-14 MIAA) heads out for its final road swing of the regular season this week, beginning Tuesday at Northwest Missouri State (30-13, 20-9 MIAA) before closing the trip with a three-game series at Arkansas-Fort Smith (5-36, 4-28 MIAA).
MoWest opens the trip on April 21 with a 1 p.m. first pitch in Maryville against No. 30 Northwest Missouri State, looking to carry momentum into the final stretch of MIAA play. The contest presents another key conference challenge for the Griffons.
MWSU is also aiming for its first season sweep of Northwest since 2019, when it won all four regular-season meetings. Earlier this season, the Griffons claimed both matchups by scores of 16-6 and 7-3.
The road swing continues with a three-game series at Arkansas-Fort Smith, beginning Friday, April 24 at 1 p.m. The series will continue Saturday and Sunday, with both games also set for 1 p.m. starts in Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Miguel Cantu led the Griffons offensively over the past week, going 5-for-15 (.333) with two runs scored and a team-high eight RBIs across four games.
Cantu delivered his top performance in the series finale on April 19 at Missouri Southern, going 2-for-4 with two home runs and six RBIs. He opened the stretch with an RBI on April 14 against Emporia State, followed by a two-hit performance on April 17. On April 18, he added a double and another RBI, recording at least one RBI in three of the four games.
For the week, Cantu totaled two home runs, one double, and two walks, posting a .389 on-base percentage and an .800 slugging percentage while anchoring the Griffon lineup.
MoWest is also in position to clinch its first MIAA Tournament berth since 2019. The Griffons currently sit seventh in the standings, and a win by MWSU or a loss by Northeastern State would secure a postseason spot.
What's Next
The Griffons return home to wrap up the regular season with a three-game MIAA series against Rogers State. The set begins Thursday at 6 p.m., followed by a 3 p.m. first pitch Friday, and concludes Saturday at 1 p.m. at Griffon Baseball Field.
