Missouri Opens 2004 Season with Trip to Phoenix
2/11/2004 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 11, 2004
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The Mizzou Baseball team will open up the 2004 season in Phoenix, Ariz. this weekend at the Oakland A's Spring Training Tournament.
After an exhibition matchup against a club from British Columbia on Thursday, the Tigers will open up the regular season on Friday against Nevada before taking on Portland and Northwestern.
Missouri is coming off a 2003 season in which it finished with a 36-22 record and made a return trip to the NCAA Regionals.
Eighteen letterwinners from the 2003 squad return this season including seven position starters and seven members of the pitching staff.
MU will continue tournament play next weekend as it faces Coastal Carolina, Albany and Rider in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Opening Act
Missouri will be looking for a season-opening win for the second straight year this week in Phoenix. Last year, the Tigers defeated UNC-Wilmington 12-1 to start the season. That win snapped a string of three straight season-opening defeats for Mizzou. MU Head Coach Tim Jamieson is 5-3-1 at MU in season openers.
Seniority Rules
After having just two seniors on the squad last season, Mizzou returns eight seniors in 2004.
Two pitchers, Danny Hill and Mark Alexander, will return to the mound this season. Both are right-handers who saw significant playing time in 2003. Mizzou also returns its All-Big 12 second team catcher, Brad Flanders.
The right side of the infield will consists of a pair of seniors as Cody Ehlers returns at first base and Jeremy Hernandez is back at second.
Lee Laskowski, Ryan Rallo and Kyle Johnson will be back in the outfield for MU. Laskowski and Rallo will share time in left field and each will see time as the designated hitter when not in the outfield. Johnson will see time in right field again for the Tigers.
It Never Rains in Phoenix, Right?
Wrong. Last season, Missouri attempted to get away from the February weather in Columbia by traveling to Phoenix to take part in the Oakland A's Spring Training Tournament. However, the poor weather conditions found the Tigers, as heavy rains caused MU to play only two of their four scheduled games in Phoenix.
The Tigers lost to Northwestern, who MU will face again in this season's tournament, by a score of 5-3. They then fell to Cal Poly by a 4-2 count in their second and final game played at the tournament.
What's Returning...
Seven of Missouri's nine position starters (including the DH) are returners from last year's squad.
Of the 2002 at-bats Mizzou had last season, 1574 (79%) came from players returning for the 2004 season. The returners also accounted for 73% of the runs scored last year, 75% of the hits, 85% of the home runs and 87% of the RBI.
Five of the nine pitchers who started games for MU last year return this season. Junior Garrett Broshuis was second on the team in 2003 with 15 starts, while senior Danny Hill started seven games.
All-Big 12 second team catcher Brad Flanders, along with Honorable Mention selections Cody Ehlers (1B), Ryan Rallo (OF) and Travis Wendte (RHP) are among those returning in 2004.
... And What's New
Missouri lost just two position starters from last year's squad as CF Jayce Tingler used up his eligibility and SS Ian Kinsler was taken in the Major League Baseball draft.
Replacing Tingler in centerfield may be the Tigers' biggest challenge. A pair of sophomores, Tyler Williams and Josiah Holst are looking to step up to take that role.
Sophomore Zane Taylor, the Tigers' regular third baseman last year, will move to his left to fill the shortstop spot. Junior college transfer (Sante Fe CC) Cosme Caballero will take Taylor's spot at third base.
Among the new pitchers to the Missouri pitching staff who will likely see time on the mound include transfers Erik Dessau (Forest Park CC), Dustin Wernecke (Blinn College) and Dustin Braud (Boosier Parrish CC).
The Hits Keep on Coming
Five Tigers begin the 2004 season with a hitting streak in tact from the end of the 2003 season.
Seniors Ryan Rallo and Jeremy Hernandez each ended last season on a three-game hitting streak, while Adam Garrett, Tyler Williams and Bo Davis had hits in MU's final two games of 2003.
Tigers Picked Ninth in Big 12 Preseason Poll
For the second consecutive season, the Big 12 Conference Baseball Coaches have selected the Tigers to finish ninth in the conference. Last season, after being picked ninth in the preseason poll, Mizzou ended up with a fourth place finish, recording a 15-11 record in Big 12 play.
Texas was picked by the conference coaches to win the Big 12. Baylor was second followed by Nebraska.
Six of the top seven teams in the preseason poll are from the Big 12 South, with Nebraska the only North team in the top half of the predictions.
