Feb. 1, 2002

After an impressive offensive performance yesterday, the Missouri Tiger baseball team's defense got its chance to shine in practice Friday.

Freshmen pitchers Garrett Broshuis (Advance, MO) and Justin James (Yukon, OK) took to the mound for a late-afternoon intrasquad game inside the Devine Pavilion. Assistant coach Evan Pratte was impressed with what he saw.

"Both these guys are throwing extremely well right now," Pratte said. "They haven't allowed much of an opportunity for any offense. They're both showing excellent control."

Following the intrasquad, the Tigers ran team defensive drills.

Because of a wet field due to rain earlier in the week, the team was forced inside again Friday. Pratte said playing inside isn't slowing down the team's progress or its readiness for opening day.

"We haven't skipped a beat," he said. "We're fortunate in that we have such a nice facility that we can move inside and still be able to play scrimmages."

The Tigers will hold practices over the weekend but will not play another intrasquad game until Monday afternoon. Missouri opens its regular season in less than two weeks on Thursday, Feb. 14, against the University of Washington in Phoenix, Ariz.