Then McLagan made incredible progress. In the team’s Monday intersquad games — for the pitchers and hitters who didn’t play on the weekends — McLagan started to stand out. When Ryan Ampleman moved from DH to catcher after Coleman’s injury, Gebhart and Conner Mach were given the chance to fill that role. Neither claimed the job, so the coaches turned to McLagan.■ According to Boyd's World, there is a statistical 5% advantage in the postseason for teams that have more recent-season post-season experience than their opponents. That should count in Mizzou's favor, since this team looks to be heading into its 7th straight NCAA Regional. The 4-year seniors on this team have played in 9 post-season games prior to 2009.
“He’d been hitting the cover off the ball. And we really weren’t getting anything from anybody else,” MU Coach Tim Jamieson said. ... “We thought he would give us a bit of a spark.”
It was decided, too, that it would be better for McLagan and the Tigers both for the future run-producer to get Big 12 experience before next season.
So on May 7, pitching coach Tony Vitello called McLagan’s father, Gary, and the two discussed the situation. Garrison went home for dinner that night and was given the message that Vitello wanted to talk to him. McLagan made the call and got the good news. He would be in the lineup.
“I couldn’t have been happier,” McLagan said. “Just finally to get the opportunity — especially this year, I thought I was redshirting, I was like, ‘I can’t wait till next year
and get to play.’ To have it this year is a pretty big honor for me.”
■ According to the Columbia Missourian, the Tiger starting pitchers this weekend will be Gibson, Hicks and Clubb, with Tepesch being held back for the first game of the Big 12 Tournament, which could be as early as Wednesday at 9:00 AM.
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