Mizzou Baseball Recruits

■ The Kirksville Daily Express reports on MU Recruit Cody King's first outing of the spring:

Staff ace and Mizzou-bound Cody King surrendered eight earned runs in a 12-2
loss at Hannibal in the season opener Wednesday. In the grand scheme, this probably means very little. Kirksville's chances at winning a district title or advancing in the state playoffs will not be diminished by the defeat, but still, yikes.

■ FoxSports.com features MU Recruit Blake Brown of Normal West HS:

"He's got all the tools the next level is looking for," Hawkins said of the 6-foot-1, 190-pound senior. "He runs really well (6.5 seconds over 60 yards) and has a lot of arm strength. He can throw 90 (mph) from the outfield. He can hit for power and hit to all fields."

While batting behind current North Carolina State freshman Harold Riggins last spring, Brown hit .440 with an Area-leading 11 home runs and 51 RBIs to earn all-state honors.

That production along with standout performances at offseason showcases led to Brown signing a national letter of intent to play at Missouri next spring.

■ BND.com focuses on MU Recruit Dane Opel in its preview of the Edwardsville, IL baseball season: Major league teams definitely have Opel on their radar screens as a high draft pick. Eight scouts showed up to watch him in Edwardsville’s intrasquad game last week.

“When you’ve got a player that’s going to be seen by the pro scouts, that’s a
good scenario,” Funkhouser said. “Maybe down the road he’ll have a decision to
make, whether he wants to go to Mizzou or he wants to sign. I’ve always said
he’s a potential five-tool player, and that’s something to be said for us around
here.”

That same article talks about Gregg Culp, who has yet to sign a letter of intent but has shown interest in Mizzou:

The Tigers also are celebrating the return of senior right-hander Gregg Culp, who missed much of last season with tendinitis. Culp is a Division I prospect and the brother of former Mizzou star Nathan Culp, a fourth-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres moving rapidly through their organization.

“He was on the radar of a lot of people prior to that injury,” Funkhouser said of Gregg Culp. “If you lose your No. 5 pitcher, it doesn’t affect your team as much. But when you lose your No. 1, that bumped everybody up a notch.”

Culp (3-0, 1.15 ERA, 13 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings) rested his arm throughout the summer, then pitched some in the fall before resting it during the winter.
“He looks a lot better now,” Funkhouser said. “His delivery’s smoother and he’s throwing pain-free.”