Feb. 7, 2008

Anticipation fills the air as Missouri softball Head Coach Ehren Earleywine enters his second year at the helm of the nationally-ranked Tiger team. Coming off of a season in which the Tigers finished with 40 wins and earned their 11th trip to an NCAA Regional Tournament, Big 12 Coach of the Year Earleywine and his staff are confident that the Tigers will only improve on last year's amazing turnaround season.

With the loss of six seniors, the youth of the Missouri softball program will be counted on to keep the progression of improvement at a forward rate. Combined with the leadership and talent of three returning seniors, Missouri's 2008, 20-member team has a powerful combination of skill and competitiveness to take the team to new heights.

Returning to the mound for her senior campaign, right-handed ace Jen Bruck made her mark in the Missouri record books and looks to move the Tigers up the weekly national polls throughout the year. With 60 career wins and a 2.63 ERA to her name, Bruck has the ability to shutdown some of the nations top-ranked teams and did so during the 2007 campaign. A dual threat, Bruck also has proven strength at the plate and holds the Missouri career home runs record at 33, crushing her last yard ball in Missouri's opening game against Southern Illinois at the NCAA Regionals in Carbondale.

"Jen Bruck returning on the mound and in the middle of the lineup is an important element to this team's success," Earleywine said. "Over the past three years, she has accounted for some strong pitching performances against some of the best teams in the country. In addition, she is always a power threat at the plate. When her work ethic in practice matches her overall talent ability, she is tough to beat."

Also back for her senior campaign is first baseman Amanda Renth. Leading her team with a season-high 14 home runs and .588 slugging percentage as a junior, Renth will be counted on not only for her skill at the plate and in the field, but for the leadership she provides to her teammates.

"Amanda is coming off of a nice year offensively and all signs lead to that happening again, Earleywine said. "She really absorbs new information well and is able to make adjustments at the plate as well as anyone we have. She is also by far the best communicator we have on defense and with a young team, that will be important to our growth."

Micaela Minner, who was expected to make her final start in Missouri's outfield, will apply for a medical hardship after suffering a tear in her Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) early in spring training. Instead of making her impact felt in the field, she will be relied on to provide leadership in a different capacity.

"Not having Micaela in the lineup will be a loss for the team," Earleywine said. "But, I expect her to be able to find ways to step up and help support and encourage her team through various other outlets."

Two transfers, juniors Lindsey Ubrun and Stacy Delaney, will also be expected to step into Missouri's lineup. Ubrun, who enters her first year at Missouri after two years at the University of Maryland, will play the infield, while Delaney, a two-year member of the top-ranked Michigan team, will step in as a right-handed pitcher.

"Ubrun came in as a third baseman, but in a short amount of time this fall became our shortstop," Earleywine said. "She has good range and a very strong arm. She is still learning the position, but with repetition and time, will be strong. Additionally, Lindsey hits and hits with power. She will drive in a lot of runs for us in the middle of the lineup and is very capable of hitting double digit home runs for us."

With Ubrun moving into shortstop, junior Andee Allen will now find her starting place at second base. Allen, who turned in 114 putouts at shortstop last season and started in all 62 of Missouri's games, will take over for recent graduate and four-year starter Sarah Stringer.

"I believe that moving Lindsey (Ubrun) to shortstop has allowed us to put Andee back to her true position, which is second base," Earleywine said. She is tailor-made for that spot and had a great fall there."

Fellow transfer, Delaney, will see time in the pitching rotation.

"Delaney had an outstanding fall for us, Earleywine said. "She is a totally different type of pitcher than Bruck and is at the least, just as effective. With average velocity, she relies heavily on good movement and location. She can throw all three of her pitches, rise, drop and change, in any count and all three are very good."

Sophomore All-Big 12 first team member Julie Silver will resume her place in Missouri's outfield. In her first year with the team, Silver turned in a .301 batting average and .909 stolen base percentage. In conference games alone, Silver led her teammates with a .327 average, accounting for 17 hits against some of the best pitcher's in the nation.

Missouri fans should watch for two additional newcomers, freshmen Rhea Taylor and Shana White, to make an immediate impact in the Tiger lineup. Expected to play in the outfield, both individuals are talented at the plate and bring speed around the bases.

"With experience and confidence, Rhea and Shana could quite possibly change the whole feel of our lineup," Earleywine said. "Both hit from the left side and primarily work the short game with bunts and slaps. Defending them on the infield requires perfect execution to record an out. These two could be enormous difference makers for us as table setters on offense and rangy outfielders on defense."

A challenging schedule may force a few growing pains at the start of the campaign, but Earleywine rests assured that the Tigers will only learn from their talented early-season competitors. Missouri's eighth coach in program history is confident that no team in the competitive Big 12 Conference owns too dominating of a lead heading into the spring season and feels that Missouri has the staff to put together only the second Big 12 Champion team in Tiger history.

"This season we will continue to play some of the top teams in the nation," Earleywine said. "Our RPI should once again be very high. My reasoning behind the schedule was the realization that we lost six seniors and need to bring some of the younger players along at the right pace. They will get tested by the best from time-to-time, but there will be more opportunities for learning and teaching along the way."

Opening action, Friday, Feb. 8, at the Florida International University (FIU) Invitational in Miami, Fla., the Tigers will begin the 2008 season against Virginia Tech. Tech, a team that entered the 2007 NCAA Regional tournament as the No. 16 seed, is led by the strong arm of right-handed pitcher Angela Tincher. One of 10 finalists for the USA Softball Pitcher of the Year Award, Tincher finished her junior outing with a 0.56 ERA, 617 strikeouts and 38 wins.

"I believe our opening game against Virginia Tech matches us up against the best pitcher in the country," Earleywine said. "This definitely won't be a hitters dream for an opening game, but it will be a great challenge."

The Tigers will spend time on both sides of the country this year. After traveling to Miami for the season opener, the team will venture west to Las Vegas and compete in the Louisville Slugger Desert Classic hosted on the campus of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Following a quick trip home for games against UMKC, Missouri will again head west for the Lobo Invitational, hosted by the University of New Mexico, Feb. 22-23. Midwest opponents Wichita State and Texas Tech will be in attendance as well 2007 Women's College World Series (WCWS) attendee, Washington.

Missouri's final regular season road tournament will be held in Tampa, Fla. Playing in the University of South Florida (USF) Under Armour Tournament, March 6-8, the Tigers will face two new opponents in Long Island and Villanova. Also competing in the two-day tournament will be Team USA, Tennessee-Chattanooga, Central Michigan and Purdue. By the end of the season, Missouri will have faced at least 11 teams that advanced to a 2007 NCAA Regional tournament and three of the WCWS competitors. The Tigers will take on 35 different programs from 17 different conferences and will play in six regular season tournaments.

"As we develop and grow through the first half of the season, we will have seen good competition, but at the same time, will have developed into a team with confidence going into Big 12 Conference and post-season play," Earleywine said. "Confidence, for me, was the priority for this team, and if we can develop and strengthen a few of our weaknesses in spring practice, we should be very tough for anyone to deal with."

Missouri will host 25 home games at University Field with the first, a doubleheader against in-state opponent UMKC, set for Feb. 20, beginning at 3 p.m.

"Playing at home is always a good thing because you don't have to travel," Earleywine said. "There is something to be said for sleeping in your own bed and staying in a routine at home. This year's schedule has more home games than typical and I'm excited about that. We have great support at our home games and truly appreciate those who come out to watch us play."

This season, the University of Missouri will host two tournaments, the first running Feb. 29 through March 2, with the second tournament held March 14-16. Both tournaments bring exciting competition for the Tigers, with South Dakota State and Boston University playing in the first tournament and North Dakota State and Wisconsin playing in the second.

"Softball is one of the fastest, if not the fastest, growing sport in the world," Earleywine said. "Once people watch it, they generally want to do it again. We feel like the product we will put out there is a very good one and worth watching. I want to assemble a team and program that this state can be proud of. Not just on a state or regional level, but nationally as well."

Missouri's first home Big 12 game is also its first league game. Taking on the Cowgirls of Oklahoma State, the Tigers will host a two-game series, March 21-22. A Thursday-Friday series as opposed to the usual, Saturday-Sunday conference routine, the two teams will play earlier in the week due to Easter falling on Sunday, March 23.

This season, several teams in the Big 12 are ranked among the top-25 in the nation. Missouri will host Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, Kansas and Baylor before the start of post-season play, May 9.

One change Tiger fans will note from previous years' schedule is that Kansas and Missouri will play a doubleheader at home in Columbia as opposed to splitting the series with games held in both Columbia and Lawrence. This marks the second consecutive season in which a doubleheader will be played. Last season, after rain forced a delay in Missouri's home game against Kansas, the Tigers and Jayhawks made up the game in Lawrence, with Missouri sweeping their Border Showdown opponents, 3-0 and 1-0. Over the past 10 years, the two teams have played doubleheaders against one another on only three occassions.

This year's Big 12 Tournament will run May 9-11 at the American Softball Association (ASA) Hall of Fame Stadium in Oklahoma City, Okla. The second year of the single-elimination format, the Championship game will be played Sunday, May 11 at noon, and will be televised on Fox Sports Midwest. As in years' past, the Champion of the Big 12 Tournament will earn automatic qualification into the NCAA Regional Tournament. "In looking back at last season, we were one game away from the Big 12 title," Earleywine said. "In addition, we played seven of the eight teams in the World Series and beat three of the seven. With that being said, it seems realistic to set our goals accordingly."

This year's goals, to win the Big 12 title and go onto the World Series, doesn't seem as far-fetched as in year's past.

"I'm not usually one to talk much about titles," Earleywine said. "I've always felt that those are nice accomplishments, but only the bi-product of a lot of hard work. If this team will outwork its opponents and make the sacrifices necessary to play at that level, the outcome will take care of itself."

Youth, leadership, confidence, skill, aggressiveness and a top-ranked softball staff look to be the deciding factors in the outcome of Missouri's 34th season.