SEC Scramble, With a Side of Tremendous Stubble

MIZZOU SOFTBALL NCAA REGIONAL

♦ Mizzou Seeded Sixth, Set to Host NCAA Regional (mutigers.com)

The Mizzou softball team will serve as one of 16 NCAA Regional hosts this weekend, announced Sunday by the NCAA Division I Softball Selection Committee. The Tigers received the No. 6 overall seed in the national bracket and are the top-seeded squad in the Columbia Regional with a 35-11 overall record...

♦ The Third Annual RMN Tremendous Stubble Charity Drive (RockMNation)

For the third straight year, we’re proud to be raising money for the MU Children’s Hospital. You see, there are people that are smaller than you – we call them kids. There is a high likelihood that you were once one. And sometimes, those kids get sick. When they get sick, if they live in Columbia, they go to the MU Children’s Hospital, where they’re taken care of by some of the best darn doctors in the whole darn world.

As I mentioned before, this is a cause near-and-dear to coach Earleywine and the MU softball team.

Basically, there are sick kids, and you can help them. If that’s not your thing, by all means, click out of your browser now. What’s that? Literally nobody clicked out of their browser? Super.

WHAT WE’RE ASKING OF YOU

It’s simple: you pledge a certain amount for every game that the Mizzou softball team wins in the Women’s College World Series. The selection show for the WCWS is on Sunday, and Mizzou could begin play as early as Thursday, May 16...

SEC TOURNAMENT

♦ Loss to Arkansas puts Vols at mercy of rival in order to reach SEC tournament (Go Vols Extra)

For at least one weekend, Tennessee fans will also need to be Kentucky fans.

The Vols lost 10-2 to No. 14 Arkansas in front of 8,523 fans at Baum Stadium Sunday and remain on the outside looking in for the 12-team SEC baseball tournament field.

In order for Tennessee to earn its first league tournament berth since 2007, the Vols (20-28, 7-18 SEC) must win one more game this weekend at home against Texas A&M than Missouri does at home against Kentucky...

♦ SEC Baseball After Last Weekend: What's Left to Sort Out in the 2013 Season (Team Speed Kills)

The No. 11 and No. 12 seeds. In a normal year, your humble correspondent would rant even more emphatically about the stupidity of a 14-team league having 12 seeds in its baseball tournament (it's worse than professional hockey), but at least it gives us something to pay attention to this year. Tennessee and Georgia are still in this thing, technically, at least in part because they have missed two and three games, respectively. The Dawgs face perhaps the longest odds: They need to sweep Florida (stop laughing), see Kentucky sweep Missouri and see Tennessee lose at least two to Texas A&M. Tennessee has a few more routes to the Top 12, but not many...

Word on the Tweet: Attention Mizzou Fans

@jemens20: Attention mizzou fans: 

at least we'll have a good baseball team..

season tickets will be available shortly

Mizzou Baseball 2012 A-Z at the Halfway Mark

A week before the 2012 season began, I posted a season preview entitled Mizzou Baseball 2012 A-Z.  Now that the Tigers have played 27 of their 54 scheduled games, it's a good time to see how the season is progressing as compared to the pre-season prognostications.

Anderson

Eric Anderson was expected to be the Tigers' Friday night ace in 2012, but that plan hit a couple of speed bumps.  In his first three starts he pitched well enough, but not well enough to compensate for the slow start of the offense, and found himself quickly at 0-3.  Then in his 4th start he was removed in the 5th inning with arm troubles.  The MRI came up negative with any actual damage, so the plan is to let him rest.  For 10-14 days.  Or 30 days.  Or whatever it takes.

Big 12

Texas, Texas A&M and Oklahoma were the only Big 129 teams in any of the pre-season polls.  Everyone expected a down season from the Big129, and that prediction seems to be holding mostly true so far.  Texas started out really slow but is in several of the polls at this point just because they're Texas, I guess.  A&M is in everyone's top 10, and Baylor has come on strong in the past couple of weeks to sneak into the lower end of the polls.  Mizzou managed only 1 win against the Aggies this past weekend, but fought them tooth and nail,s threatening to upset them right down to the final out of each game.  The Tigers play Baylor at Simmons Field this week (Thursday, Friday, Saturday).  If they can play with the same zeal and determination as they did this past weekend, the Bears are beatable.

Ben Turner
Missouri Baseball on Facebook

Catcher

Senior Ben Turner was expected to be the starting catcher, and that he has been, for most of the games so far in 2012.  Turner has been a tough and gutsy leader on the field, enduring backsinging bats to the helmet, full-on tackles at the plate, and other numerous aches and bruises.  But his leadership on the field continues to inspire the Tigers.   Patrick Quintanilla is the heir apparent, and made good use of his starts, both defensively and offensively.

Defense

In some ways Missouri  has been noticeably improved defensively in 2012.  On the other hand, there have been some notable problems.  Eric Garcia has made some amazing plays while also setting a pace to break the MU single season record for errors (29).  And there was a two-game defensive slump by the team that began with 4 errors in the final High Point game on 3/19 and gained steam in the Indiana State game with 6 errors on 3/21.  Not surprisingly, the Tigers lost those two games by a combined score of 28-8.

Edge

As predicted, the Tigers' EDGE in 2012 has been good pitching.  Even with Eric Anderson's injury, solid performances by starters and relievers have kept MU in the games, even when the offense has struggled to get going.  Take a look at Baseball Performance Through March (RockMNation.com):  "There's no Scherzer, Gibson, or Crow here, but developing a third option on par with the first two could give them the depth to grind out their share of series wins through the Big 12 season."

Myles Smith
njcaa.org

Gone

Ryan Gebhart is having a great year as the team leader at Florida Gulf Coast U,  Brian Carr  is having a good season both pitching and hitting with William Woods U, Jeff Lusardi and Garrison McLagan are having decent years with San Diego Christian College, Myles Smith is 7-1 with a 1.64 ERA at Miami Dade Community College.  

Home Stand

19 games in 27 days produced a 13-5 record, with one game cancelled.  That's an improvement on 2011's March home stand, which resulted in a 10-7 record (and 3 rain-outs).

Infield

Dillon Everett (2B), Eric Garcia (SS) and Conner Mach (3B) have become fixtures at their positions.  First base has been shared by Gavin Stark (15 starts), Andreas Plackis (5) and Landon Lucansky (5). Mike McGraw (1), and Ben Turner (1).  Stark has been struggling at the plate, so it remains to be seen who will be the go-to guy at first.

JuCo Transfers

LHP Blake Holovach has established himself as a dominant weekend starter.  His complete game shutout against High Point on St. Patrick's Day brought he Tigers' luck and some hope after the injury to Eric Anderson. His Saturday performance against Oklahoma State earned him the Big 12 Newcomer of the Week award.  And his incredible performance against A&M on Saturday got him a lot of attention.

Blake Holovach 

Jeff Cline and Kyle Harbeck have both seen mixed results in their mound appearances.

Mike McGraw and Gavin Stark have both seen playing time, but have struggled offensively.

Kauffman Stadium

The only Tiger at Kauffman Stadium is Aaron Crow, who made the big-league Royals' roster again, but his chances for a spot in the starting rotation were sidelined by an injury to Joakim Soria.

 Line-up

Blake Brown and Brannon Champagne have switched back and forth between the 1st and 2nd slots in the lineup; Conner Mach has been a fixture at #3; Dane Opel had settled into the cleanup spot until he began to struggle in the past week or so; 5-8 have been a constant re-mix between several different players; and Dillon Everett has nailed down the #9 slot in the batting order.

Microphones

Tex Little and Hunter Mense have perfected their Abbott and Costello routine in the broadcast booth, pestering one another with their personal eccentricities and the unique and semi-pertinent points they choose to emphasize (e.g., foul area size matters, statistical W-L performance per uniform style, etc.)

The new "voice of Taylor Stadium" is drive-time DJ turned PA Announcer James Abey.  Abey (aka Jim Shorts) struggled early on to raise his name-pronunciation batting average, but he has steadily lowered his opposing-batters-name-intro-clarity ERA by mixing in a variety of levels of boredom and apathy about their relative importance to the matter at hand.  All in all an entertaining change-up for the ballgame experience. 

NCAA Tournament

The words "NCAA Tournament" still leaves a bad taste for many Mizzou fans following the basketball season, but in regard to baseball, the Tigers had a better March home stand than in the past couple of years, which could help their RPI and record at the end of the season.  It the Tigers play the rest of the season like they did in College Station, that will increase their chances for an NCAA invite.  

Outfield

Allow me to quote myself from the pre-season preview:  "Dane Opel is the key. . .
if Opel can return to the level of offensive and defensive excellence he once showed, he can be the key to giving depth to the Tigers both offensively and defensively. " 

Mr. Opel has indeed been the key.  When he's productive at the plate, the Tiger offense is productive.  And when he's not, the whole lineup seems to suffer.  

Pitching Rotation

The weekend pitching rotation is still in flux, due to the sidelining of RHP Eric Anderson.  If EA makes a successful return to the mound, then the weekend staff will likely settle into some version of Anderson-Zastryzny-Holovach.  Rob Z and Holovach have been impressive and productive. 

If EA is not able to return to the weekend rotation, then someone is going to have to step up and show some consistency as a Sunday starter, whether that be Emens or Platts or Cline or Graves or someone else.

Questions

• Will the Tigers be able to mount an effective offense with an everyday lineup made up almost entirely of returning players who struggled offensively with the new BBCOR bats in 2011?
• Early in the season the answer seemed to be a resounding "NO!".  But following the disastrous San Francisco weekend, the bats have picked up.
• Will the pitching staff live up to the high expectations that are being set for them?
• Yes and no.  EA's injury has thrown a wrench into the expectations, and freshman starters Platts and Graves have yet to demonstrate consistency.  
• Will Tim Jamieson and Matt Hobbs be able to rely on their bullpen past the top 3 or 4 workhorses?
• The bullpen has been impressive.  Jake Walsh has stepped forward as a dominant closer, Jeff Emens is the reliable long relief man, and Dusty Ross, John Miles and Ryan Yuengel have been reliable.
• Will Dane Opel's junior year be the one where he plays up to the potential everyone has seen since he was in high school?
• Yes, most definitely.  If he can keep the slumps shortened, he will end up with a very good yar.
• Will Rob Zastryzny show more consistency and stamina deep into the 2012 season than he did in the 2011 campaign?
• Robby Z has been mostly steady and effective.  His longevity won't be answered until May is well under way.
• Will the Big 12-to-SEC transition be a distraction for the team?
• It doesn't appear to be a factor at all.  The rest of Mizzou seems to have moved on, but sports like Baseball and Softball are facing Big 12 opponents every weekend now, so thoughts of Arkansas, Kentucky, LSU, et al, aren't even on the radar.
• Will MU be able to build a superior record on the road, in order to take advantage of the new weighted RPI formula?
• MU hasn't been on the road much yet.
• Will KU continue to suck?  
• Always.

Relief

Jake Walsh has shown the attitude and effectiveness to be the Tigers' closer.  When he comes out to the mound to the semi-sanitized sounds of Eminem's "Cinderella Man", Tiger fans grin wide with anticipation.  His last 2 or 3 outings have been less than perfect, but I doubt anyone expected perfection from the "Junkyard Dog". 

Walsh is not alone in the bullpen.  It's pleasant to not feel the need to cringe when the middle relievers (Emens, Ross, Miles, Yuengel) take the mound.

Senior Conner Mach
Missouri Baseball on Facebook

Seniors

Conner Mach is having a solid year, as is BenTurner.  Both are leaders on the field and off. Jeff Emens and Dusty Ross are steady leaders on the pitching staff.  And without Ryan Clubb, how would we know what to do during a rain delay?

TV

TV is what you watch when you get home from the ball game.

Underestimated

The Tigers are still unranked, but that's OK.  The only ranking that matters numbers 1 through 64 at the end of the regular season.  Mizzou broke in to the top 100 in the boydsworld.com RPI after their weekend series with Texas A&M.

Versus

• Auburn 2-1
• San Francisco 0-3
• Ball State 2-1
• Nebraska-Omaha 1-0
• Charlotte 3-0

• North Dakota 2-0 
• High Point 2-1 
• Indiana St 0-1
• Oklahoma State 2-1
• Central Arkansas 1-1
• Texas A&M 1-3

Weather

I have never sat through an entire week of ballgames at Simmons Field in the middle of March wearing no jacket or coat.  Until this year.  The weather has been incredible.  The Ball State series at the beginning of March was typical Taylor Stadium weather:  An average game-time temp of 42.  But for the remaining 13 games of the home stand, the average game-time temperature was 71.  And three games were in the 80s.

X marks your vote

Followers of SimmonsField.com expressed their opinions in the You Make the Call poll.  They think Mizzou can win the Big 12 (or at least be in the top half), and they overwhelmingly expect the Tigers to return to the NCAA tournament in 2012.  Time will tell.

Year of the Big 12 finale

Ho hum.   Let's get it over with already. 

Zastryzny

@Robbyball_Z has been thrust into the bright lights of Friday nights while Eric Anderson recovers from his arm problems.  He has been more effective than his Friday night record would indicate, holding his own against other teams' Friday aces.

HI NOTES: Fhaith and Hope

BIG 12

♦ It's not Baseball, but . . . Frank Haith was hired on April 4th to the sound of MU fans wailing and calling for Mike Alden's head. 11 months later, on March 4th, MU fans are wailing and crying foul that Haith was robbed of the Coach of the Year title. That difference illustrates the amazing job the man did this year.

♦ When Was the Last Time Texas Owned the Big 12 Cellar? (rivals.com)

With today's Texas loss and Missouri's win, it is what it is. I don't believe I have ever seen Texas at the very bottom of the conference.

GAME DAY


After a horrible weekend in San Francisco, the Tigers regained some confidence and renewed hope for a good season by taking 2 of 3 from Ball State.

♦ Missouri baseball beats Ball State to win first home series (Columbia Missourian)

Everett, a sophomore, has struggled at the plate since taking over for Andrew Thigpen, who graduated in 2011. After going 2-for-22 in Missouri's first eight games, Everett went 3-for-4 Sunday and hit his first two doubles of the year.
. . .
On the mound, junior transfer Blake Holovach was successful in his first start as a Tiger after four bad appearances out of the bullpen.

♦ Missouri cruises to series victory over Ball State (The Maneater)

The Tigers started with an unusual face on the pitcher’s mound. Junior pitcher Blake Holovach recorded his first start for the Tigers, striking out a career-high eight Cardinal batters through five straight innings.
. . .
Sophomore second baseman Dillon Everett had a breakout game at the plate. Everett hit three line drives past the infield, drawing in two RBIs in the process. The performance came as a relief to Everett, who had been struggling on the stat sheet for the past couple of games.

“Obviously, I haven’t been putting the stats on the paper like I’ve wanted to,” Everett said. “I’ve been hitting the ball well, and today they found holes so it was a good feeling to get that off my back.”

♦ Another poor start dooms Ball State (BSU Daily News)

Its bats stifled by Missouri's starting pitching for the second day in a row, Ball State was again unable to overcome an early deficit and lost 9-2 Sunday. Despite a victory Friday night, Ball State (2-6) was unable to leave Columbia, Mo., with a series win.

♦ Holovach pitches five solid innings for Mizzou, gets win over Ball State (KBIA Extra)

“On the way back from San Francisco (coach Tim Jamieson) said I hadn’t been the same since I got put in the pen so he’d be starting me,” Holovach said. “I had a chip on my shoulder. I wanted to prove that I could do better than what I had been doing.”

The lefty pitcher worked one-third of an inning in California, giving up six hits and one run.

“It’s a different mindset, you don’t have as much time to warm up and you have to worry about runners,” Holovach said. “It was the first time I’d ever come out of the pen was this year. It was a lonely experience for me, but (when I start) I’m more comfortable and more relaxed.”

♦ Mizzou Baseball Links (RockMNation)

Few things probably eat away at a baseball team more than when they completely dominate a series overall -- Mizzou 26, Ball State 12 -- but don't get the sweep. As we will probably see plenty of times this year, the bats went quiet again on Friday night

HI NOTES: M, USF

There's a new Twitter group called @SaveThe_M, dedicated to preserving the use of the traditional block-M logo on MU Football helmets

@SaveThe_M:  "Proudly displayed on Tiger football helmets since 1971 and hoping to stay there in the tradition rich #SEC"

I sympathize , but I can't get too excited about those minor MU sports

@trripleplay:  @SaveThe_M Here's the M I care about saving: dugouthats.com/shop/images/mi… @mizbaseball

@SaveThe_M:  @trripleplay @mizbaseball Sorry, that's gotta go too. An 'M' doesn't represent the the Univ. of #Mizzou. Needs a swoosh. signed, #MikeAlden

♦ Media Notes for this weekend's series against the San Francisco Dons are now available at mutigers.com.

• Starting rotation still listed as Anderson, Zastryzny, Cline
  
  
• This weekend’s trip out west marks the Tigers’ second straight season in which they will play in California after playing in last year’s season-opening tournament at USC. Prior to this stretch, Mizzou had not played in California since 2008, when they played in a tournament hosted by San Diego. Since 2006, Mizzou is 8-6 in games played in California, but has lost two of its last three contests. In all, Mizzou is 16-19 overall against teams from California and the Tigers are 14-17 against West Coast Conference opponents

Tiger Celebrities

What do Max Scherzer and Larry Wyatt have in common?  They're both Tiger celebrities.

♦ Max Scherzer: From Tigers pitcher to game show host? (Detroit Free Press)
Max Scherzer asked the questions as they were handed to him in a trivia contest Friday. Mostly, the event required the power pitcher to lob softballs. But then he broke off a Dick Enberg curve.

♦ Video of Max as game show host at Patch.com

♦ 'Super fan' brought his spirit to Missouri gymnastics meet (Columbia Missourian)

The lighting was dim as "Fight, Tiger" blared over the PA system; the crowd, subdued, but with one loud exception.

Proudly belting the words to Missouri's fight song, Larry Wyatt II was on his feet, clapping in rhythm. As the Tigers walked onto the Hearnes Center floor on Friday night, Wyatt remained standing, enthusiastically trying to pump up the crowd.

"Rip 'em up, tear 'em up, give 'em hell, Tigers!"
. . .

Conference Hokey-Pokey™: Impact on non-revenue sports

♦ Missouri coaches talk about SEC's pros and cons (Columbia Tribune)

Gary Pinkel has served as the public voice of Missouri’s frustration with the Big 12, calling the unrest and defections over the past 15 months “sad,” “embarrassing” and “unbelievable.”

But the Missouri athletic department’s angst about the realignment saga extends beyond Pinkel and the school’s power brokers. While a potential conference switch would be driven by football and television riches, a move also would have a profound effect on the Tigers’ nonrevenue athletic programs.
. . .
Baseball is an especially interesting case. A move to the SEC, which claims the last three NCAA champions and is regarded as the country’s top conference, would generate excitement. But Missouri is a world away from the fevered baseball culture of the South. While MU spent a Big 12-low $1.18 million on baseball and averaged less than 500 fans per game at Taylor Stadium last season, LSU might as well be running a small-market major league franchise. LSU spent $7.5 million last year and drew an average of 10,534 fans to its $38 million stadium.

Baseball Coach Tim Jamieson and track Coach Brett Halter, who would face similar weather and cultural challenges, declined comment.

Mizzou Athletics

■ Time of the Tigers? (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Moreover, Mizzou is one of just 22 schools whose athletics department is in the black. While that operating revenue is well behind Texas and Oklahoma State, each with budgets of over $100 million, MU's budget last year was only a few million behind fifth-place Kansas.

At a time when NCAA president Mark Emmert is expressing concern that the gap in revenue between the haves and have-nots is redefining "competitive equity," Mizzou is firmly among the haves, finishing 41st in the recently released Learfield Director's Cup Standings for all sports, or sixth among returning Big 12 schools - far behind Texas A&M (eighth), Oklahoma (10th) and Texas (12th) but closer to Oklahoma State (32nd) and Baylor (35th).

Read more: http://www.stltoday.com/sports/college/mizzou/article_05938da7-a2bf-532b-8fa0-67dfffc01903.html#ixzz1RniuYP6E

Mizzou Network

■ Missouri among schools seeking to improve presence in new technology (Columbia Tribune)

In collaboration with Learfield Sports, KOMU and CBSSports.com, MU hopes to unveil what officials are calling the Mizzou Network by the end of this year.

The proposal includes offering free broadcasts of nonrevenue events, archived game footage and original athletic and academic programming to viewers through virtually every electronic medium except cable and satellite television. Fans would be able to watch live and on-demand video via the web, smartphone, tablet and connected television — a fast-growing technology that merges high-definition TV and the Internet.

“There’s just so much potential that I can’t even get my hands around it,” said Senior Associate Athletic Director Whit Babcock, who is overseeing the project for Missouri’s athletic department. “I feel like we’re ahead of the game.”
. . .
The NCAA softball regional in Columbia last month proved to MU there is extensive interest in high-quality broadcasts of nonrevenue games. More than 2,900 unique viewers tuned into mutigers.com both days to watch the tournament games, said Kevin Fletcher, Missouri’s coordinator of online operations.

While Missouri typically requires viewers to pay $9.95 a month to watch nonrevenue events that often feature one stationary camera trained on the entire field, the softball broadcasts showcased a new model.

The games were free and featured three remote cameras, a manned camera perched behind the plate and a producer in charge of replays.

Jonah Schmidt: MU Punter?

■ @JonahSchmidt25 (twitter): I'm actually going to try to walk on the football team because I have one semester left

■ @BlumbergOTB (twitter): #Mizzou baseball player @JonahSchmidt25 is going to try out (punter) for the football team soon.

■ Well, he's not a swimmer/diver, but I guess he'll do... (RockMNation.com)

■ Here's the kicker (St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 21, 2007)

Jonah Schmidt's college decision wasn't easy.

Should the Chaminade senior two-sport standout go to the University of Missouri, where his father pitched in the late 1970s, to play baseball and possibly walk on to the football team as a punter in a couple years?

Or should he go to Ohio State to play baseball for his father's former college coach, Bob Todd, with the possibility of being the Buckeyes' punter and playing in the Horseshoe in front of 100,000 fans in a few years?

"I've always loved baseball since day one when I was little," Schmidt said, "but I was getting more interest for football."
. . .
Schmidt is a two-time Post-Dispatch All-Metro first-team selection in football as a punter. He averaged 41.4 yards per punt as a junior, then 43.4 yards per punt as a senior, when he also kicked three field goals.

As Chaminade's quarterback, he threw for 1,512 yards and 14 touchdowns and rushed for 149 yards and five touchdowns. He led Chaminade to a 7-3 record and second-place finish in the Metro Catholic Conference.

Jonah was also a pitcher at Chaminade

Congratulations 2012 Big 12 Softball Champions

Mizzou Softball, Big 12 Champions

Photo from @BlumbergOTC on Twitter

Mizzou Softball vs. Texas Longhorns

"So Texas lost to Texas A&M last night, meaning Mizzou and the 'Horns are now tied in the loss column. So uh, if you're not doing anything this weekend, there's a gigantic softball series taking place in Como ... Texas-Mizzou for the conference lead..." (RockMNation.com)

The Baseball Tigers are out of town, so I'm hoping to finally get over to University Field and see the Softball Tigers take on Texas. Join me in cheering them on and helping them set a new attendance record.

A few links to help you brush up on your MU Softball knowledge.

■ Black Out University Field: Tigers host No. 3 Texas to determine the Big 12 championship (mutigers.com)

The fate of the Big 12 championship comes down to this weekend, as the No. 8 Missouri softball team plays host to the No. 3 Texas Longhorns in arguably the biggest regular season series to ever be played at University Field. At 44-6 overall and 13-2 in conference play, Texas is currently in first place in the conference, with Missouri (42-6) a game behind at 11-2 in Big 12 action.

Saturday’s game begins at 2 p.m. CT, with Sunday’s finale starting at Noon. Sunday’s game will air live nationally on ESPN, with Cara Capuano and Jessica Mendoza on the call.
. . .
ARRIVE EARLY
Fans are encouraged to get to University Field as early as possible, as record-setting crowds are expected. Gates open an hour prior to first pitch. There is limited parking available around the field, but plenty of spaces down by the Reactor lot. Golf cart shuttles will be running back and forth from the field to Reactor all weekend long.

BLACK OUT
Though Sunday’s game is officially the Black Out game, the softball team wants fans to wear their black attire all weekend long. A packed house with everyone wearing the same color makes for a great atmosphere and shows off the unity of the Mizzou fan base on national television.

BREAK THE ATTENDANCE RECORD
We’re hoping to pack 2,000 fans into University Field on each day this weekend, and we need your help to accomplish that. University Field’s regular season attendance record is 1,712, set three weekends ago in the series finale against the Oklahoma Sooners. The overall record was set last year during game one of the NCAA Super Regionals with Oregon, as 1,765 fans showed up for that contest.

■ Team looks to bounce back with win over surging Tigers (The Daily Texan)

These two softball powerhouses sit even atop the Big 12 standing going into this series, and since no other team is within striking distance of these two, this pair of games will decide it.

“I think it’s definitely going to be a big weekend for both teams,” said sophomore Blaire Luna. “I think we’re really pumped up to be in this situation. We’ll be practicing hard all week for it because this is what we’ve worked for and talked about.”
. . .
Texas won the title last year based on its tournament mettle, earning the title after a strong run. But this year, the championship will not be decided in that way, as this year’s Big 12 season will not have a
tournament. The coaches decided the tournament hurt the athletes academically, being so close to finals, so they got rid of it.

■ Softball Preview: No. 9/8 Missouri (texassports.com)

The Horns are ranked No. 3 in the most recent USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) poll released May 3... nine of Texas' opponents are ranked in the poll with two of them being ranked in the top 10 ... six other Big 12 teams are ranked in the Top 25 ... Missouri is the highest ranked Big 12 team behind UT, holding the No. 9 spot, Nebraska ranks 14th, Oklahoma ranks 15th, Oklahoma State ranks 16th, Baylor holds the 20th spot and Texas A&M ranks 22nd ... Texas' No. 3 ranking on April 12 marked its highest ranking since it ranked second on May 10, 2006.

■ Thomas sets strikeout record in Missouri softball team's double header sweep Columbia Missourian)

Thomas' eighth strikeout during Wednesday's game, in the top of the sixth inning against Western Illinois at University Field, was strikeout No. 287 on the year for Thomas, meaning the Missouri record books will have to place her name at the top of another list.
. . .
That wasn't enough for Thomas. It was announced Wednesday that Thomas will be joining teammate Rhea Taylor in California this summer to try out for the USA women's national softball team.

■ Softball freshman Ruggeberg embraces opportunity (The Maneater)

“I gave her another at-bat, she hit a home run, and before you know it, she’s in the lineup every day,” Earleywine said. “Not only does she get playing time, but she wasn’t touted to get playing time. It’s further proof that when you get your opportunities, do something with them, and we will give you more opportunities.”

Ruggeberg made the most of her chance on the way to one of the more impressive freshman campaigns in recent Missouri history. She ranks third on the team with a .339 batting average and has 37 hits, four home runs and 23 RBIs on the season.

■ Mizzou's Chelsea Thomas commands attention (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)

Armed with a fastball that can hit 73 mph and a changeup that can hit 50 — think what that will do to your timing — and command of pitches that rise and drop, Thomas has blossomed into one of college softball's elite pitchers. Choose your stat: She has the best ERA in the country at 0.72, a 23-4 record and is fifth in the nation with 11.4 strikeouts per seven innings. She's thrown 10 shutouts and two perfect games (plus another she shared with a teammate).

■ Chelsea Thomas pitches to perfection: Twice! (hercampus.com)

Meet Chelsea Thomas, a collegiette™ who knows what it’s like to be perfect. As a pitcher for the No. 12 ranked softball team, Chelsea threw the first perfect game for Mizzou since 2002 March 2, 2011. Later that week, she did it again.
. . .
Actually, I didn't realize I was throwing a perfect game. I've adopted a new mode of thinking this year: pitch-by-pitch. I try to focus on winning one pitch at a time. I am very focused on this way of thinking during the game, so I never actually realized I threw a perfect game until after the game.

Mizzou Baseball Game Day: No broadcast for Game 2 of DH

From @MIZLive on Twitter:

BASE: Listen live to Tex & Hunter call game #1 on KTGR AM/FM. Game #2 today IS NOT being broadcast due to conflict w/women's basketball

@MIZLive is the official update twitter ID for MU Athletics Media Relations. This weekend it is being manned in Charlotte by Chad Moeller, Director of Media Relations.

Trrip Note: Apparently the Zimmer Radio Group cannot find room on their 7 Columbia stations to broadcast men's basketball, women's basketball and both games of a baseball doubleheader all in one afternoon.

Alternatives for keeping up with Game 2:

• Charlotte has a paid-subscription live feed Video broadcast. There appears to be no Audio-only version available for today's games. As I discovered yesterday, listening to their play-by-play guy is somewhat like listening to a Saturday Night Live parody of a sportscaster, but it's better than nothing. Go to their Schedule Page and click on Niner Network Video (paid subscription).
  
  
• There is a GameTracker available from the mutigers.com schedule page.
  
  
• @MIZLive on Twitter will provide occasional updates

MU Athletics

■ MU teams thriving in Big 12 despite fewer financial resources (columbiatribune.com)

While MU sponsors 20 athletic programs — third-most in the Big 12 — its total expenses last year were eighth in the conference at $53.2 million. In contrast, Texas spent a league-high $114 million on its 19 programs last year.
. . .
MU was last in eight sports, including baseball, women’s basketball and wrestling.

Mizzou Baseball: Pitching Prospect

■ Bowers warms up in the bullpen (Columbia Missourian)

Laurence Bowers tied on borrowed spikes and picked up a loaned glove before climbing onto the pitching rubber in the left-field bullpen at Taylor Stadium.

Both appeared a bit too small for the Missouri basketball team’s elongated junior forward, but he still liked the fit of it all as he began throwing pitches under a bright summer sky Friday.
. . .
Several Missouri baseball players, as well as new MU pitching coach Matt Hobbs, observed the bullpen session and were surprised by what they saw. Hobbs even hinted that Bowers had enough raw tools to pitch effectively at the college level with the right instruction.

If everything goes according to plan on the hardwood, Bowers will never find out. But if it doesn’t …

“Worst-case scenario and basketball doesn’t work out, knock on wood, I think I’d use that fifth year to try to walk on to play that last year,” he said.

MizzouTube: 1928 MU film

Not baseball, but a great ride in the wayback machine for Mizzou fans:

Oldest known surviving film of a Missouri Football game

(link to Tigerboard discussion of the YouTube video, which I first saw referenced on RockMNation - I think that's the definition of viral video)

MizzouTube: VolleyZOU

Mizzou Baseball

■ Agents taking heavy hits (Columbia Tribune)

For years Missouri has taken a proactive approach in dealing with agents and preparing athletes for professional careers, led by the school’s compliance department and longtime director, Mary Ann Austin. Ten years ago, Austin helped establish the school’s Professional Sports Counseling Panel made up of several MU School of Law professors who advise athletes on managing pro careers. In years past, the panel has brought in independent consultants and former MU athletes to share their experiences with agents and contracts, including basketball’s Jon Sundvold, football’s Jerome Sally and baseball’s Phil Bradley.

“It gives students the chance to talk to somebody who isn’t paid to give them advice,” said Bob Bailey, assistant dean of the law school and the panel’s chairman.

Mizzou Baseball Quotes & Notes

■ Congratulations to the Mizzou Softball team, and well wishes for the Women's College World Series. KTGR will be airing the games live on radio and via online streaming audio, and ESPN/ESPN2 will air all games live on TV

■ If you're watching the St. Louis Cardinals' game tonight, you'll see a starting pitcher for the Cincinatti Reds by the name of Sam Lecure. Lecure is from Jefferson City, MO.

Mizzou Baseball fans may remember seeing Lecure pitch at Simmons Field in the uniform of the Texas Longhorns. It was on a Friday night, April 30, 2004. Lecure had plenty of hometown fans at the stadium cheering him on, but he was out-pitched by MU starter Danny Hill and closer Mark Alexander. (Game day report at Columbia Tribune)

Just another example of why all baseball fans should be following college baseball. You never know when you'll be watching a major league game and smile, knowing you saw that guy pitch back when he was in college. Happens to me nearly every time I watch the MLB.

Mizzou Recruits

■ Mizzou Recruit Ian Ekery is featured as one of El Paso Franklin High School's 10 Most Influential Seniors (fhschronicle.com)

Passionate. Focused. Driven. Playfully giddy? One would be hard pressed to find another person with a personality anything similar to that of Ian Ekery. It is his almost inhuman aptitude for baseball that landed him a pitching job at the University of Missouri (and a spot on this list), but it is his ceaseless charm and charisma that has kept his classmates captivated for four whole years. Everyone knows Ian Ekery. Ian Ekery knows everyone. He can rival anyone out on the diamond, too.

■ Rogersville baseball to face future Mizzou pitcher in state semifinal (TAG Magazine)

Not that Rogersville would expect anything less, but in the Wildcats’ first state baseball appearance, they’ll likely face the best pitcher they’ve seen all season.

That’s where Matt Linderer comes in.

While Bishop DuBourg, a St. Louis-area private school, is also making its state baseball debut, Linderer is a big reason why. The right-handed pitcher has already signed with Mizzou and will be one of the best pitchers at Meador Park for this week’s state baseball tournament.

In his senior season, he is 7-1 with a 1.33 ERA over 63 1/3 innings, striking out 80 and walking 22. He is 6-2 and 180 pounds, which some say might be a generous weight. Still, he has been clocked at 88 mph with his fastball.

Big 12 > Big 10

■ After one round, no knockdowns (Columbia Tribune)

Mike Alden: “The key is, and we’ve said that at Mizzou … as an institution you’re trying to get better every single day, every day — academically, research-wise, your alumni base, athletics, whatever that may be,” Alden said. “All of us have a responsibility that we’re trying to improve our institution every day.”

■ Big 12 opens meetings with change on the horizon (Austin American-Statesman)

"You've known me for very long, I am not hanging back," Texas athletic director DeLoss Dodds said.

"I'm not waiting to see what other people are going to do. I'm going to know what our options are, so that's not going to change. My hope is that the Big 12 survives and you and I retire knowing it's a great conference. It's been very viable, and if it stays in place, it will continue to be very viable."

Dodds noted that Texas was not the one that started realignment talk.

"If we need to finish it, we'll finish it," he said. "We're going to be a player in whatever happens."

MU in the Majors

■ Scherzer, Anderson appear "fixed" (ESPN.com)

What's the basis for such confidence? That's simple. Mid-to-high 90s heat is what Scherzer is all about, not the low-90s junk he was throwing in his first few outings with the Tigers. He averaged 94.2 mph with his fastball in his rookie year of 2008 and 93.6 as a sophomore in 2009, according to FanGraphs. Those velocity levels helped him log 9.54 strikeouts per nine innings in those two seasons

.

#8 MU to play #1 UT Wednesday @ 12:30 PM

Big 12 Tournament

■ Complete Big 12 Tournament Schedule (with final rankings)

Wednesday, May 26

Game 1: No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Texas Tech 9:00 a.m.
Game 2: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 8 Missouri 12:30 p.m.
Game 3: No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 6 Baylor 4:00 p.m.
Game 4: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 7 Kansas 7:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 27

Game 5: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 5 Texas Tech 3:00 p.m.
Game 6: No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Missouri 7:30 p.m.

Friday, May 28

Game 7: No. 3 Kansas State vs. No. 7 Kansas 3:00 p.m.
Game 8: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 6 Baylor 7:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 29

Game 9: No. 5 Texas Tech vs. No. 8 Missouri 9:00 a.m.
Game 10: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 4 Texas A&M 12:30 p.m.
Game 11: No. 2 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Kansas State 4:00 p.m.
Game 12: No. 6 Baylor vs. No. 7 Kansas 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, May 30

Game 13: Division 1 Champion vs. Division 2 Champion {FSN} 1:00 p.m.

The event is in a two-division, pool play format, in which each of the squads competing is guaranteed a minimum of three games. The winners of each pool meet in the championship game on Sunday. The tournament winner receives the Big 12’s automatic berth into the NCAA Baseball Championship.

Live action from the Championship will be video streamed free on the Big 12 Conference’s official Web site, Big12Sports.com for the fourth year in a row. Audio from the webcast will also be broadcast on Sirius XM Radio (Sirius 217-best of XM/XM 231), a Big 12 corporate partner.

More details at Big12Sports.com

Sunday, UT 20, MU 11

■ UT sets home run record, routs Missouri (Statesman.com)

Missouri (27-25, 10-16) trailed 14-0 after five innings against Longhorn starter Brandon Workman (11-1).

Then the Tigers had eight hits in the last four innings, including two home runs by Aaron Senne and one by Eric Garcia. Senne has 16 for the season.

Workman allowed five hits and four runs in six innings. Senne hit one of his home runs off Workman. Garcia's home run also was against Workman.

"It was a very courageous comeback on their part," Garrido said.

Saturday, UT 6, MU 4

■ Close but not quite for Tigers . . . again (Columbia Tribune)

Despite dropping the first two games of the series, Missouri found comfort in going toe to toe with one of the best teams in the nation. Jamieson told the team afterward that it was the first time in a long time he felt the Tigers were all fighting for the same thing.

“I almost wish we would’ve played these guys earlier in the year, so they had an opportunity to experience what it’s like to fight for something that everybody believes in,” Jamieson said. “Hopefully, however many games we have remaining, we can use this in a real positive way.”

“I just really liked the way we came out,” said Nicholas, who hammered his 11th home run over the video board in left-center field. “We had a little chip on our shoulder today, played with some fire in us.”

MU-UT Saturday photos

■ Texas rallies for 6-4 baseball victory over Missouri (Statesman.com)

Texas had 11 hits Saturday, but none during its most successful inning.

Instead, the second-ranked Longhorns capitalized on Missouri's mistakes and used their own resourcefulness to produce two runs in the ninth inning, for a 6-4 victory Saturday.

■ Big plays help and haunt Missouri baseball team (Columbia Missourian)

For the Missouri baseball team in its game against Texas on Saturday at Taylor Stadium, it was all about big catches and big non-catches.

Saturday, UT 5, MU 2

■ Jungmann stays strong for victory over Missouri (Statesman.com)

Taylor Jungmann has produced better pitching performances than the one on Friday night.

And yet his coach, Augie Garrido, could not have been more impressed with the way the sophomore worked his way through seven innings while allowing nine hits during the Longhorns' 5-2 victory at Missouri.

"Taylor Jungmann pitched the most courageous game of his career at the University of Texas," Garrido said. "They hit him hard. They hit him often. He was in trouble almost every inning but one, and he battled his way out."

■ Missouri baseball loses first game without starting shortstop (Columbia Missourian)

At a practice earlier this week, while taking infield drills, Liberto's jaw broke when he was hit by a line drive. The ball wasn’t hit hard, but it hit him in the wrong spot.

Liberto’s jaw is wired shut, and coach Tim Jamieson said it is doubtful that he will return.

“The doctor says he can play, but he can’t even eat,” Jamieson said. “It’s just unfortunate for Mike. It’s his senior year and to not be able to finish it on the field, that’s unfortunate for him. The team will respond, but I feel really bad for him.”

■ And finally, congratulations to the Missouri Softball team for their win at the Columbia NCAA Regional. The Tigers will be hosting the Super Regional next weekend.