- This has to be the most useless time of the season.
- A good way to waste arms a week before the real tournament begins. Its nice to make a run in this tourny and get some momentum but not real crazy about this double elim format being started again. At least with old format you knew three games perhaps a fourth but that was it and you could set up your pitchers for the NCAA regionals the next week.
Augie Garrido deserves a tremendous amount of credit for coaching the Longhorns to their third straight Big 12 baseball championship despite a lack of strong hitting. Even though they hit only .255 in the three-game series against Texas A&M, with just three doubles, Texas' starting pitching posted an impressive 2.74 ERA, struck out 24 batters and walked only six.■ Missouri Student-Athlete Spotlight: Eric Anderson (Big12Sports.com)
One should never ever doubt the mystique of Texas baseball. I'm sure the Aggies won't. Won't shock me a bit if both teams reach the College World Series. Texas needs to salve some wounds in this bitter school year for Longhorn athletics, after another embarrassing implosion by its underachieving softball team — at home, no less.
Missouri baseball has a long history of Friday night aces, and after a hot start in his debut season last year, Eric Anderson looked to join their ranks. One torn labrum later, his journey to the starting spot took a difficult turn.
After offseason surgery, Anderson is back, and relishing every moment.
“It feels great [to be back],” Anderson said. “Going through an injury like that makes you not take anything for granted anymore. It feels good to get back out there.”
His return could not have come at a better time for the Tigers. Since rehabbing from his injury, Anderson started the first four conference series for Missouri, and emerged victorious in each of those starts.
Although Anderson only pitched two innings in his first appearance since his surgery, an 11-4 victory over Central Arkansas this March, he was able to shake off the rust and warm up for some powerhouse conference performances.
“It was a pretty big deal for me,” Anderson said of his first game back. “After all the work I had gone through, it was great. A lot of hard work goes into all the rehab, so it meant a lot to me.”
Injuries often prove just as debilitating mentally as physically. Although having his freshman season cut short was challenging for Anderson, he says the obstacle helped him gain a fresh perspective on the sport he loves.
“It was a really big motivator for me,” Anderson said. “I have to go out there every day and not take it for granted. At any point, you might not be healthy, so I can’t take baseball for granted at all. It taught me to enjoy the game as much as anything.”
While there are still steps to take in his recovery, Anderson has showed flashes of the enormous potential he has in several outings this season. Perhaps his most impressive was an 11-1 victory over Texas Tech, in which he pitched seven shutout innings, throwing a season-high 93 pitches, 61 of which were for strikes.
His 4-0 start to the conference season provided a much-needed spark for a Missouri team that has struggled at times, but always found a way to keep hope alive.
“I’m trying to do as much as I can to contribute,” Anderson said. “My start to the season means a lot, and it just happened to work out that I was able to be a part of some big wins.”
He has an opportunity to be a part of some even bigger ones. Missouri clinched its ninth straight Big 12 Tournament appearance over the weekend against Nebraska, and will face top-seeded Texas this Wednesday as the No. 8 overall seed. After a strong finish to the season, Anderson believes the team has a chance to be competitive in the tournament.
“I think we’ll do great,” Anderson said. “I think our team is the hot team right now, and the hot team in baseball has a good chance to win. I think we have a good shot going into this tournament.”
■ BIG 12 TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday's Games
G1: No. 4 Oklahoma State vs. No. 5 Baylor, 9 a.m
G2: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Missouri, 12:30 p.m
G3: No. 2 Texas A&M vs. No. 7 Texas Tech, 4 p.m
G4: No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Kansas State, 7:30 p.m
Thursday's Games
G5: G1 Loser vs. G2 Loser, 9 a.m
G6: G3 Loser vs. G4 Loser, 12:30 p.m
G7: G1 Winner vs. G2 Winner, 4 p.m
G8: G3 Winner vs. G4 Winner, 7:30 p.m
Friday's Games
G9: G5 Winner vs. G7 Loser, 3:15 p.m.
G10: G6 Winner vs. G8 Loser, 7 p.m.
Saturday's Games
G11: G7 Winner vs. G9 Winner, 9 a.m
G12: G8 Winner vs. G10 Winner, 12:30 p.m
*G13: G7 Winner vs. G11 Winner, 4 p.m.
**G14: G8 Winner vs. G12 Winner, 7:30 p.m.***
Championship
Sunday's Game
G15: Division One Winner vs. Division Two Winner, 1 p.m.
Day One matchups will feature: Division One: Seeds 4 vs 5, 1 vs 8; Divison Two: Seeds 3 vs 6, 2 vs 7
* Game 13 will be necessary if the winner of Game 9 also wins Game 11
** Game 14 will be necessary if the winner of Game 10 also wins Game 12
***If Game 13 is unnecessary, Game 14 will be played at 4 p.m. rather than 7:30 p.m.
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