April 12, 2006
Playing the first of two Midwest Ford Border Showdown games against Kansas, the Tigers and Jayhawks will meet on University Field Wednesday, April 12, at 6 p.m. (CST). Live stats will be provided on mutigers.com through Gametracker and Columbia's own KCOU (88.1) will broadcast the game locally. Fans interested in viewing the game on-line can do so by subscribing to All-Access at mutigers.com.
Down seven points in the annual school rivalry (17.5-10.5), a win Wednesday by either team would give their school an additional 1.5 points. Missouri and Kansas play two regular season games in softball, one in Columbia and one in Lawrence. The two games provide teams with an opportunity to earn three total points.
Over the past 10 years Missouri has put up an 8-2 record when playing the Jayhawks at home on University Field. Overall Missouri leads Kansas 51-38 in the all-time series and since Tiger Head Coach Ty Singleton took over the reins in 2003, he has tallied a 5-1 record against the Jayhawks.
Currently on a six game losing streak, the Tigers are looking for a win over Kansas to help them stay above the .500 mark and also to improve on their 2-4 conference record. After winning their first two league games of the season, Missouri has suffered four losses to No. 20 Baylor and No. 1 Texas.
Sophomore Jen Bruck holds Missouri's highest team batting average at .355 and is the team's consistent starter in the circle with a 3.31 ERA in 152.1 innings pitched. Junior outfielder Leanne Bowers carries a five-game hit streak into Wednesday's game against Kansas. Bowers was 2-for-5 against Texas ace Cat Osterman and is one of six Tiger players to manage a hit off the Olympic Gold Medalist. Bowers was the only Mizzou player to get a hit in Missouri's second game against Texas, April 9.
Looking Ahead: Missouri will continue its four game homestand with a Friday night (6 p.m. CST) and Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. CST) game against Oklahoma State. This marks the ninth time this season that the Tigers will have played on a Friday. To date, the Tigers are 3-5 in Friday games, 5-6 when playing at night and 1-3 on Friday nights.
Of Note: Missouri's game against Southern Illinois has been rescheduled for Tuesday, April 18, at 2 p.m. (CST). Missouri's game against Missouri State, originally scheduled for March 21, has been cancelled.