Feb. 4, 2005

Columbia, Mo. -The Missouri softball team is set to open its season Saturday, Feb. 5, at 3 p.m., with the annual Black and Gold game held in the south end zone of Faurot Field. The Tigers will play a full seven-inning game and admission is free to the public. Fans are encouraged to park in the S parking lot located on the southern end of Faurot Field.

The Tigers, who earned votes in the national ESPN.com/USA Softball preseason poll and were selected to finish sixth in the highly competitive Big 12 Conference, are led by Head Coach Ty Singleton, now in his third year at the helm of the program. Coming off of a 29-26 season in which the Tigers' advanced to their second consecutive NCAA Regional Tournament appearance, Singleton and his squad of 19 women are anxious to get the 2005 campaign underway.

"It's going to be a beautiful day and we're all excited to play ball," Singleton said. "The only thing that could possibly make the afternoon better would be if we were able to play on our own field."

The Tigers will travel to Tallahassee, Fla., for the Seminole Classic, Feb. 11-12. Teams playing in the tournament include Nicholls State and Florida State. Missouri will open action at home on March 9, in a double header against Ball State set to begin at 2 p.m.