Feb. 2, 2007
The following is the first part in a five-part series previewing the 2007 Mizzou Baseball season.We begin the preview by taking a look back at an historic 2006 season.
A dogpile behind the pitcher's mound of Eddy D. Field Stadium in Malibu, Calif. will likely be the most memorable moment of 2006 for Mizzou Baseball. That celebration followed the final out of the Tigers' victory over Pepperdine on June 5, giving MU the first NCAA Regional Championship in school history.
Missouri, on the brink of elimination after dropping its first game of the Malibu Regional, won four straight games, including an 8-3 victory in the championship game to become one of just 16 teams advancing to the NCAA Super Regionals.
A late-season scramble by Mizzou earned it a fourth-consecutive NCAA Tournament selection. MU is one of just 22 teams in the nation, and one of only two in the Big 12 Conference, to have advanced to an NCAA Regional in each of the last four seasons.
Once in the tournament, Missouri found itself on the banks of the Pacific Ocean, participating in the Malibu Regional, where it opened play with a loss to Pepperdine. The Tigers, however, rallied to win the next four games, including a 14-inning thriller, complete-game wins by a pair freshmen pitchers and back-to-back victories over Pepperdine.
After the 3-2 defeat to Pepperdine on the opening day of regional play, Mizzou took on UC-Irvine in a battle to keep its season alive. It took 14 innings and nearly five hours, but the Tigers managed to do just that. They scored two runs in the top of the ninth, forcing extra innings and in the 14th, freshman Ryan Lollis delivered a pinch-hit single to drive in J.C. Field with what would be the game-winning run.
After the 14-inning game, the Tigers would play 18 innings the next day as they would have to defeat both UCLA and Pepperdine on the same day to avoid elimination. The Tigers did just that behind two impressive pitching performances by a pair of freshmen.
Rick Zagone recorded his first-career complete game as Missouri took a 2-1 win over UCLA. Zagone struck out seven and allowed just one run on six hits to keep MU alive.
Fellow freshman Aaron Crow matched Zagone by recording his first-career complete game as MU defeated Pepperdine, 4-1. Crow, like Zagone, allowed just one run on six hits as the Tigers forced a rematch with Pepperdine the next day with the winner advancing to the Super Regionals.
With momentum on their side heading into the rematch, the Tigers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after the fourth inning and never looked back. They added four runs in the seventh inning and despite allowing three hits in the bottom of the ninth, Mizzou held on for the win, setting off the celebration as the Tigers were crowned Regional Champions.
Missouri would fall short in the Super Regionals the following weekend, as Cal State-Fullerton ended MU's season by taking wins in the first two games of the best-of-three series. The Tigers managed just one run in each of the two games against CSF, who was the No. 5 seeded team in the NCAA Tournament.
The Tigers finished the year ranked No. 16, which is the best it has ever ended a season. It began the year ranked No. 10, which was also an all-time best.
In between the preseason ranking and the postseason ranking, the Tigers' season was a roller coaster. The preseason expectations were high.
When Big 12 Conference play began, MU was 10-7 on the year. It opened league play by sweeping Texas A&M in College Station and taking two-of-three from Kansas State. The Tigers were 8-1 in the Big 12 after a 3-0 win over Kansas on the final day of March, as Nathan Culp pitched his first of two shutouts on the season.
April, however, proved to be difficult for the Tigers, who were just 5-12 in the month.
Missouri was able to find its way back into the win column in May, as it won its final seven home games, which included series sweeps over Mississippi Valley State and Big 12 Champion Texas. Entering the Big 12 Conference Tournament, Mizzou was one of the hottest teams in the league.
The Tigers turned away Oklahoma State in the opener of the tournament, scoring five runs in the top of the ninth inning and taking a 9-5 victory as Culp picked up his 11th win of the season, tying a school record.
Mizzou rolled over Oklahoma in its second game of the Big 12 Tournament, as Max Scherzer improved to 7-1 on the year, pitching all seven innings of an 11-0 run-rule victory.
The six-game winning streak for MU was snapped when Kansas took a 4-3 decision over the Tigers, leaving MU just one win short of reaching the Big 12 Championship game.
Two days later, the Tigers received the selection for the NCAA Tournament and four days after that, began their run to the Regional Championship, which was just one of several accomplishments for the Tigers.
Pitching was again what led the Tigers in 2006 as Scherzer and Culp anchored the pitching staff which led the Big 12 with a 3.36 ERA. Scherzer battled injuries for much of the season, but still managed a 2.25 ERA, which ranked second in the conference.
Culp's 11 wins tied a school record and was tied for the most victories in the Big 12. He was twice named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week and added All-Big 12 and All-Region honors.
Culp and sophomore Jacob Priday led Mizzou as members of the All-Big 12 First Team. Scherzer, Zane Taylor, Evan Frey and Travis Wendte were honorable mention selections.
In June, Scherzer became the first Tiger ever to be drafted in the first round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Players' Draft as the Arizona Diamondbacks selected him with the 11th overall pick.
Culp was also taken on the first day of the draft, going to the San Diego Padres in the fourth round.
Juniors Brett Reynolds and Hunter Mense, were drafted in the 17th round by Arizona and Florida, respectively. On day two of the draft senior pitchers Taylor Parker (21st round to the Chicago Cubs) and Travis Wendte (24th round to Milwaukee) were selected, bringing the total to six Tigers taken in the draft.
2006 was one to remember for Mizzou and head coach Tim Jamieson, who concluded his 12th season as the first Missouri skipper with a Regional Championship. The first win of 2007 will be the 400th career victory for Jamieson, who would become just the third coach in Missouri Baseball history to reach the 400-win mark.
Jamieson and the Tigers look for the first win of 2007 to come early, with several more to follow as they set their sights on making a fifth-straight NCAA Tournament appearance.
2007 MIZZOU BASEBALL SEASON PREVIEW
PART I- 2006 in Review
PART II- 2007 Pitching Staff
PART III- 2007 Infielders
PART IV- 2007 Outfielders
PART V- A look at the 2007 Schedule