April 13, 2005

The 18th ranked Missouri softball team will take on Border Showdown Rival Kansas in the first of two meetings, Wednesday, April 13, at 6 p.m. (CT), on University Field. Presented by the Ford Midwest Dealers, game two will be held Wednesday, May 4, at 5 p.m. (CT) at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kan. A live broadcast for Wednesday evening's game will be available on 88.1 FM, KCOU and live stats will be provided on www.mutigers.com.

Entering the series with a 31-6 record and on a four game win streak, the Tigers lead the Jayhawks 50-37 in the all-time series. Kansas however, holds a half point lead in the Border Showdown (13.0-12.5). A win by the Tiger softball team would put MU on top for only the second time of the season.

The Tigers have taken seven of the last eight meetings with the Jayhawks (dating back to 2001) including last season's 7-0 and 3-0 shutouts. MU has clinched four of the past seven wins by three runs or more.

Wednesday's game against Kansas marks the midway point in the competitive Big 12 softball season. To date, the Tigers stand fifth in the league with a 5-3 record, while Kansas is ninth at 1-5. The Jayhawks enter University Field with a 17-16 record, earning their most recent victory by a score of 3-1 over Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla.

Coming off of a winning weekend against Texas Tech, the Tigers are eager to return home to take on Kansas. Of Missouri's 52 home runs on the season, 27 have come on University Field. Combined, the team holds a .360 batting average when playing at home and has managed to hold their opponents to .183. Missouri has tallied 100 runs at home this season and the strong Tiger pitching staff has held opponents to only 30 runs off 48 hits.