Seen and Heard at the MU Fall World Series

Game 1: Black wins, 6-5.
Stars of the Game:
· Sophomore Rex Meyer (aka, "Doggy" or "oo"), 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs
· Sophomore Jonah Schmidt, scored from 3rd in the 8th on a delayed double-steal; sacrifice RBI in 9th
· Junior Kyle Gibson, 1 run, 4 hits, 5 strikeouts in 6 innings
· Sophomore Kelly Fick, 0 runs, 4 hits, 1 strikeout, 6 innings

Game 2: Gold wins, 13-12
On a cold and windy day, the batters were getting hit, the pitchers were getting hit, and the crowd was getting cold as the game crawled at a snail's pace.

Stars of the Game:
· Junior Greg Folgia, 4-for-4, 2 RBI, 3 runs
· Jonah Schmidt, 3 RBI on a 6th inning triple

Overheard at the games:

· Shortstop Michael Liberto, a JuCo transfer, has impressed in Fall practice and looked great this weekend. On Sunday, he tracked down a wind-blown fly ball that appeared head for the shortstop position and finally landed in Liberto's glove several feet in back of and to the 1st base side of 2nd base. Word is he may hae the starting shortstop job nailed down.

· 2nd Base may be the only starting job still open for competition, with Freshman Conner Mach a likely candidate to earn the job - if not at the season's beginning, then likely by the time the Big XII season arrives.

· Likely starters:
Outfield: Senne, Lollis, Folgia
1st: Gray
2nd: C Mach?
SS: Liberto
3rd: K Mach
C: Coleman

· Kelly Fick appears to have impressed greatly in Fall practice among the pitchers, and will almost certainly begin the season in a starting role. Kyle Gibson and Ian Berger will likely begin the season as weekend starters, with Fick, Tepesch, Allen, Hicks and others jostling for position in the rotation. With the crowded schedule in the first weeks of the season, all pitching candidates swill get opportunities to earn their keep.

· David Rollins, the MIA Recruit, who declined to sign with the Dodgers, who drafted him, but also is not on the MU roster or even on the MU student rolls, reportedly opted to go the Junior College route. I haven't been able to locate exactly where he chose to go, but that is apparently why he is Missing In Action in Columbia.


Seen at the games:

Both "Bonus Bum" Aaron Crow and his former rotation-mate Rick Zagone were at the game Sunday. I heard at the ballpark that Crow is on a workout schedule, including tossing the ball around with turn-of-the-semester local Mizzou recruit Garrison McLagan each week, an arrangement that benefits both of these "sitting-and-waiting" players.