No. 20 Baker Set to Host Missouri Valley on John Frangoulis Day
BALDWIN CITY – In a matchup that features the NAIA's top-two all-time winningest programs, No. 20 Baker will take on Missouri Valley on Saturday, Oct. 5 for John Frangoulis Day with kickoff set for 1 p.m. from Don Paker Field and Liston Stadium.
On Saturday, Baker will honor former head coach John Frangoulis, who passed away late last year. Frangoulis coached at Baker for 11 seasons, serving as the head coach from 1996-2003 where he went 45-39 and finished .500 or better in his first five seasons.
The Wildcats are coming off their first setback of the season with a 27-24 loss at No. 12 Benedictine last Saturday in the Heart "Game of the Week". BU held the Ravens to just three points in the second half, but couldn't fully complete a fourth-quarter comeback before falling in the top-25 matchup.
After winning its first three games of the year, Baker sits at 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Heart South play. The Wildcats boast a top-10 scoring offense that averages 45 points per game this season, while their defense has only given up one score at home this year and ranks second in the NAIA with four defensive touchdowns.
Baker has garnered conference player of the week honors in all three categories this season with PJ McCallop Jr. (Special Teams, Week 2), Truman Juelsgaard (Offensive, Week 3) and Canon Karn (Defensive, Week 4) each receiving the award.
Missouri Valley comes into the game also with a 3-1 record, but won its conference opener against Central Methodist last week, 35-17. Despite being shut out by No. 3 Grand View, the Vikings are averaging over 25 points per game and have rushed for over 150 yards in every game this year except against GVU. Their backfield features three different running backs with over 100 yards compiled this season with Tavion Campbell leading the team with 171 yards and two touchdowns.
With 649 all-time wins, Baker overtook Missouri Valley for most wins in NAIA history back in 2022 and currently has a six-win gap over the Vikings, who are at 643 all-time wins.
Saturday's game will be the 57th meeting between the two teams with the Vikings holding a slight advantage at 27-26-3 in the all-time series. The Wildcats have won the last six games in the series, which includes a 48-14 victory last year in Marshall, Mo.
The Wildcats will kick off at 1 p.m. on Saturday from Liston Stadium where they are undefeated this season (2-0) and have outscored their opponents, 113-7 in their two previous home games.
A live stream of the game can be found on The Heart Conference Network and live stats for the game are available here.
#BakerBuildsChampions