March 1, 2005

Columbia, Mo. - Missouri redshirt freshman Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) was named this week's Big 12 Softball Player of the Week for her accomplishments at the Louisville Courtyard Red & Black Classic this past weekend in Louisville, Ky. The honor is the Missouri softball team's first of the 2005 season and the first in Minner's MU career.

A key element in helping the Tigers to the Louisville Courtyard Marriott Red & Black Classic tournament title, Minner totaled eight hits in 13 at bats. Throughout the three-day tournament, Minner pounded two doubles and a game-winning home run in the eighth inning of Missouri's final game against Iowa, Feb. 27. Minner scored four runs, notched seven RBI and tallied a .615 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage. In the field, Minner had 11 putouts and one assist for a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage.

Minner's game-winning home run against Iowa was her sixth yard ball of the season and moved her to eighth in the Missouri season home run record book.

To date, Minner leads her teammates in batting average (.500), slugging percentage (1.053), on base percentage (.612), runs scored (13), hits (19), RBI (21), home runs (6), total bases (40) and walks (9).

The No. 22 Tigers will resume action this Saturday, March 5, at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC) Coaches Versus Cancer Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. The two-day tournament will pit schools from UMKC, Southeast Missouri, Southwest Missouri and the University of Missouri against one another. MU will play its first game March 5, at 10 a.m. (CT).