Historical Significance
Including the first Big 12 tournament title, Nebraska and Oklahoma have more games - 17 - in the event than any other league school. Oklahoma has the highest winning percentage at .708. Oklahoma (17-7), Nebraska (17-8), Texas (8-7), and Missouri (10-10) are the only teams to have posted a .500 or better record at the event. All four of these teams have won the tourney title. Every team has won at least two games in the event. The following is the breakdown of teams' records.

^ Denotes Tournament Champion.

A Look at the Cyclones
The Cyclones enter Thursday's contest having dropped four of their last six contests and eight of their last 11. However, they did win their latest contest, a 6-3 victory over Kansas on Sunday to ensure a split of the weekend series. They are the No. 8 seed in the tourney finishing the regular season with an 18-23 overall mark and a 6-12 league mark.

Erica Martinez has been the leader of the squad at the plate. Martinez has been in a fight all season with Mizzou's Rachael McGinnis for the best batting average in the Big 12 Conference and brings a .383 average into the contest. She has 10 doubles and 10 home runs on the year with a .733 slugging percentage. Martinez and Jen Bice have been the workhorses in the circle for the Cyclones having worked 251 of the 277 2/3 innings ISU has played this season. Mizzou leads the all-time series with the Cyclones, 34-29. The two squads have split four meetings this season.

This Season Against the Cyclones
Mar. 16 in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri 6, Iowa State 4
Mar. 17 in Columbia, Mo.
Missouri 5, Iowa State 3
Mar. 27 in Ames
Iowa State 10, Missouri 2 (6)
Iowa State 4, Missouri 1

A Look at the Longhorns
The Longhorns claimed the Big 12 regular season championship this season and enter as the tournament's No. 1 seed. They have been the hottest team in the league winning 11 straight contests and 19 of their last 20. They enter this weekends action with a 44-10 overall mark and a 17-1 record in the Big 12 garnering a No. 14-ranking in the latest NFCA/USA Today Coaches Poll.

National freshman of the year candidate Cat Osterman has been unbelievable for the Longhorns in the circle. She is a remarkable 30-7 with a 0.90 ERA in 258.0 innings of work while striking out 478 batters she has faced.

The Horns are led offensively by Wynter Turner, who has hit five home runs and three doubles. She sports a .347 batting average. Lindsay Gardner has also been solid at the plate with a .337 batting average, 61 hits and 13 doubles. The series is tied between Mizzou and Texas at 6-6.

This Season Against the Longhorns
The Tigers met the Longhorns in the Big 12 Tournament last season in the 8-9 play-in game and were victorious, 1-0.

Mar. 23 in Austin, Texas
Texas 9, Missouri 2
Mar. 24 in Austin, Texas
Texas 5, Missouri 4

Who's En Fuego

Spinning Your Favorite Records Every Season, Your Listening to the Missouri Softball Network
Several Tigers are making major moves in the Mizzou softball record books.

Here is a breakdown of some of the movers and shakers.

Rachael McGinnis ranks...
-3rd on the single season RBI charts (47).
-would rank second on the Mizzou charts in single season slugging percentage if the season were to end today (.621).
-tied for 6th on the single season home run charts (7).
-tied for 10th on the Mizzou career homerun charts (9).
-7th on the single-season walks charts (25)

Morgan LeCluyse ranks...
-tied for 6th on the single season home run charts (7)

Ingrid Werner ranks...
-8th on the career appearance chart (97).
-10th on the career innings pitched (413 2/3).
-8th on the career strike outs charts (217).

Erin Erickson ranks...
-1st in single-season putouts (488)
-tied for 4th on the career doubles charts (34)
-5th on the career homerun charts (14)
-5th on the career put outs charts (1,003)

Mary McGrane ranks
-8th on the career put outs charts (766)
-1st on the career fielding percentage charts (.995)

Run Fast, Turn Left
Junior Sara Vassmer is arguably one of the fastest individuals on the Tiger's squad and possibly in school history. She leads Mizzou is stolen bases (20) and is second in runs-scored with 34 tallys. Vassmer has put that blazing speed to use over the course of the past several games in a big way. Vassmer has strung together an 11-game hit streak dating back to the Tiger 's series with Nebraska on April 13-14. She has hit .429 during that streak, has scored eight runs and stole four bases. She had a great afternoon last Tuesday against SLU when she went 4-for-8 with four runs scored and three stolen bases.

Fisher is Off the Hook
Junior Melanie Fisher was off the hook last week, or really good in other words. Despite the Tiger's tough week, junior Melanie Fisher had a solid four-game stretch batting .455 (5-for-11) with a double, a homerun and five RBI.

She collected nine total bases and registered an amazing .818 slugging percentage during the four-game stretch. She also showed great patience at the plate recording three walks and a .571 on-base percentage. Fisher has recorded a hit in 22 of the 31 games she has played in this year (joined the team on Mar. 15 after WBB) and has two or more hits in eight contests.

Hostile, "Mo"bile and Versatile
Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse, better known as "Mo" by her teammates, has been an outstanding addition to the Tiger lineup. She has been a versatile addition for the Tigers on defense seeing time at short, second, center and right. She has also been unbelievable at the plate. She has put up career-best totals in doubles (10), homeruns (7) and RBI (25). Morgan has been especially flammable the past eight contests. She has recorded a hit in six of the Tigers last eight contests and is hitting .435 over the past eight games.

A Hot Bat on the Hot Corner
Tiger third baseman Rachael McGinnis continues to swing a red-hot bat for Mizzou heading into the final series of the season. McGinnis has truly had a remarkable season and currently boasts a .385 batting average, a mark that would qualify as the third highest single-season BA in school history if the season ended today and currently leads the Big 12.

After recording a 13-game hitting streak and seeing her batting average climb as high as .512 during the pre-Big 12 portion of the season, McGinnis cooled off a bit (like a week or so.) However, she has reignited as of late recording a .333 batting average over the past eight contests with a homerun, a double and nine RBI.

With her four RBI effort against SLU last Tuesday, McGinnis now has 47 runs batted in, the third highest single-season total in school history.

Swingin' For the Fences
After not hitting a home run in three straight contests earlier this month, the Tigers have exploded for seven crush jobs in the last 11 games.

Junior Melanie Fisher was the first to break out with her second home run of the season in the top of the first inning against Nebraska (4/14) giving Mizzou a 1-0 lead.

Fisher would hit her second in as many games in the Game 1 of Mizzou's series with UMKC, a majestic game-winning shot to center field. She would record yet another bomb against SLU on Tuesday giving three round-trippers in the Tigers last eight games.

Seniors Erin Erickson and Lindsey Jacoby would also get in on the act. Erickson hit her second of the year in the fourth inning on Sunday against the Huskers (4/14) which plated two Tiger runs. Jacoby broke out of an 0-16 slump with an opposite way job in Game 2 of the Tigers series against UMKC (4/16) in Independence.

Sophomore Rachael McGinnis kept the power surge going against KU (4/18) when she recorded her seventh round tripper. Sophomore Morgan LeCluyse also has seven jobs on the year, her latest coming on Tuesday against SLU. Mizzou has now hit 27 home runs as a team on the season, which ranks sixth in the Big 12 and is already more than double the number of home runs the Tigers hit in 2001.

Last Time Out...
Tigers Drop Final Contest of Regular Season

College Station, Texas - The University of Missouri softball team fell victim to the big inning once again on Sunday in College Station, Texas. With the score tied at 1-1 after 5 ? innings against the Texas A & M Aggies, Mizzou gave up five runs in the bottom of the sixth to drop the game, 6-1. The game was the Tiger's penultimate contest of the regular season.

Junior Ingrid Werner got the starting nod for Mizzou and held the Aggie offense in check despite walking four and giving up three hits through three innings as the two teams played to a scoreless tie through three frames. The Tigers threatened in the top of the third when senior Heather Allister singled to left and junior Sara Vassmer recorded a bunt single advancing her hit streak to 11 games. However, with two on, Aggie starter Jessica Slataper would retire the next two Tiger batters via the strikeout to end the inning.

The Aggies had their chances as well leaving seven on base in the first three frames and would finally break through off of Werner when second baseman Lisa Klam doubled to right field scoring Crystal Martin to give TAMU a 1-0 lead. Mizzou would respond in the top of the sixth inning. Junior Melanie Fisher doubled off of the right field wall driving in Vassmer, who had reached earlier in the inning on an error and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Morgan LeCluyse, as Mizzou tied the game at 1-1.

The bottom of the sixth would spell disaster as the Aggies sprang for five runs on five hits and two walks to run to a 6-1 lead. Werner was excellent through the first five innings though her final line didn't show it as she dropped to 10-13 on the year. The Tigers offense struggled recording only seven hits and one run in the two weekend losses to the Aggies. Four different Tigers recorded hits on the day.

MUTIGERS.COM
Missouri's official web site can be found at www.mutigers.com. The comprehensive site, which includes releases, photos, biographical sketches and audio broadcasts, is part of the Official College Sports Network. OCSN currently hosts sites for more than 100 universities, including eight Big 12 schools.

Tigers on the Radio
Tiger softball Big 12 tournament games can be heard on 1580 KTGR AM. Veteran Mid Missouri sports broadcaster Tex Little will provide the play-by-play while assistant media relations director Sam Fleury provides the color commentary.

All Tiger softball games can also be heard at the official web site of Missouri Athletics, www.mutigers.com. Once at the site, go to the softball page, click on the schedules and results section of the page, scroll down to the desired game link, and click on the live broadcast link.

Mizzou Softball Finds Success in Caribbean
Curacao, NA-With the 2002 softball season quickly approaching, the University of Missouri softball team had the opportunity to prepare in a very unique way. The Tigers traveled to the island of Curacao from Jan. 10-17 to train and compete with the Netherlands Antilles National Team. Curacao is an island located 50 miles north of Venezuela.

The Tigers finish action in the Caribbean at 3-1. MU came from behind in two of the wins. One run decided three of the four games in the series and two of Mizzou's wins came in the final inning of the game.

The Tigers played in front of large crowds throughout the trip. The team embraced the opportunity to experience a different culture and also developed a stronger sense of unity. Their hosts were warm, friendly people and treated them very well.

Tiger Softball Wraps Up 2002 Recruiting Class
Columbia, Mo.-University of Missouri softball coach Jay Miller announced the four members of the Tiger softball 2002 recruiting class on Wed., Nov. 21. Kendra Power (Kansas City, Mo.), Samantha Fleeman (Pleasant Hill, Mo.), Devon Francy (Pleasant Hill, Mo.) and Stephanie Standley (Lamar, Mo.) make up the class.

Power (2B/SS) will help sure up the Tiger middle infield for the 2002-03 season. A versatile player who can play both second base and short stop, Power was a member of the Park Hill South squad that reached the final four this fall in Class 4A. Power was named to the State All-Tournament team and also was a member of the "KC Lasers" summer traveling team that finished in the top 16 at the ASA Gold Nationals. Miller said that Power is a complete player and will make things happen in the Tiger line up.

Fleeman (P/1B) was considered by many to be the best pitcher in Missouri this year. She will also play first base for the Tigers. Fleeman was a vital member of two Pleasant Hill State Championship teams during her time at PHHS and set the Missouri high school record for strikeouts in a game with 44 in the State Final Championship game that lasted a record 21 innings this past fall. Fleeman was featured in the Nov. 19 issue of Sports Illustrated in recognition of her record, setting outing in the "Faces in the Crowd" section.

She sported a 22-0 record last season and allowed opponents to hit only 0.96 against her. For her efforts, she was selected to the Missouri All-State squad. Fleeman is also a member of the "KC Shockwaves" summer traveling team, that finished second in the nation at last summer' s ASA National Tournament.

Francy (C/OF) was Fleeman's catcher at Pleasant Hill. She was one of the top hitters on the Pleasant Hill squad, which won two state championships and was a two-time all-state selection. Francy drove in the game-winning run in the 21st inning of the Missouri State Championship game, the same game in which her teammate, Fleeman set the single-game strikeout record. She was also a member of the "KC Shockwaves" summer traveling team.

Standley (OF/Middle Inf.) will also provide depth and versatility for the Tigers. Her ability to play multiple positions will be key for the Tigers as they look to solidify their lineup. She was named first team All-Big 8, all-district, all-sectional and all-state this past fall. She also is a pole vaulter and plays basketball at Lamar High School.

Three Tigers Named All-American Scholar Athletes
Columbia, Mo. - Three members of the 2001 Missouri Softball team were named All-American Scholar Athletes by the National Fast Pitch Softball Coaches Association on Tuesday. Karen Williams, Stephanie Falk and Ingrid Werner each were named for the second time in their careers.

Williams, who completed her eligibility with the 2001 season, was also named NFCA All-American following last season. She is only the second player in Missouri softball history to be named to both teams in the same season; the other being Karen Snelgrove in 1991. Williams led the Tigers in batting average (.429, the ninth-highest average in the nation last season) and stolen bases (24) in 2001.

Falk, who also completed her eligibility in 2001, was one of the most prolific pitchers in MU history. She holds the MU record for innings pitched (1006.1), games started (144) and appearances (176) and ranks second on the charts in strikeouts (865), complete games (117) and career wins (89).

Werner is the elder member of the 2002 pitching staff as a junior and looks to continue her success. She has been named to the NFCA Academic All-American squad each of her fist two years at MU. The native of Fremont, Calif., was also named Academic All-Big 12 and received Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honors for week of February 22. She carried a 1.63 ERA through the Tigers fall season and 11 runs in 34.1 innings of work.