April 13, 2007
Columbia, Mo. - The Missouri softball team (29-17) will put its perfect 5-0 conference mark on the line when they host third-ranked Oklahoma (42-4, 7-2) in a two game series. Game one is slated to begin Saturday, April 14, at 6 p.m. (CT) on University Field, while game two is scheduled for a 1 p.m. (CT) Sunday afternoon first pitch. Live stats and all-access will be provided for both games.
The Tigers, currently on a seven-game win streak, opened league action with a 7-4 victory over Texas Tech on March 24 and have swept both Texas and Oklahoma State to stand at second in the competitive Big 12 Conference. Only 13th-ranked Baylor stands ahead of the Tigers with a 7-0 mark. Oklahoma, 7-2 in conference play, stands third in the league having most recently swept Iowa State in Norman, Okla. Oklahoma's only conference losses of the campaign have come to fifth-ranked Texas A&M (9-4) and 11th-ranked Texas (5-4).
Down two games, 33-35, in the all-time series with Oklahoma, the Tigers swept the Sooners last season, 8-6 and 9-6, in Norman. Eight Tigers combined for 17 Missouri runs against Oklahoma and six of the eight are back for the 2007 campaign. Junior Jen Bruck (St. Peters, Mo.) who was credited with both wins against OU last season, is currently on a six-game win streak and has won all of Missouri's Big 12 games this year. Over the past three years, Bruck has tallied a 14-14 mark against Big 12 competition.
Offensively, Missouri senior Kathy Masterson (St. Louis, Mo.) and redshirt junior Micaela Minner (Sanger, Texas) have proved hottest at the plate in Big 12 action. Masterson, batting .500, is 8-for-16 with four runs and four RBI. Minner, .375 in Missouri's five league games, has managed six hits including a solo home run against Texas Tech and two doubles. Together, the Tigers have combined for a .300 overall batting average, with seven individuals averaging .300 or better.
Batting .345 on the season, Oklahoma leads the league at the plate while its pitching staff owns a 1.57 ERA , good enough for third. Two Sooners, senior Norrelle Dickson and sophomore Samantha Ricketts, own the highest individual average at .515 and .444, respectively. Junior Lauren Eckermann is 6-1 in the conference with a 1.25 ERA.
One win shy of 30 on the season, the Tigers look to become the third Missouri softball team in five years to break the 30-win barrier.
In conjunction with the softball series with Oklahoma and baseball's three-game series with Texas A&M, the University of Missouri athletics department is hosting a reception for former softball and baseball players beginning Saturday at 11 a.m. (CT) in the Mizzou Athletics Training Complex (MATC). Registration will begin at 11 a.m. in the lobby of the MATC with the program beginning at 11:30 a.m. in the Al Onofrio Room. Guided tours of the recently renovated building will be provided from Noon to 1 p.m., with lunch served from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. in the Sells Family Dining Hall.