March 5, 2008

Columbia, Mo. - Currently on a seven game win streak, the Missouri softball squad will put its 15-6 record on the line when they take on teams from UTC, Central Michigan, Long Island, Purdue, Villanova and Team USA, in the four-day University of South Florida (USF) Under Armour Tournament beginning Thursday, March 6, in Clearwater, Fla.

One of 24 teams participating in the event, the Tigers will compete in one of four pools setup to play Thursday, March 6, Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8. Bracket play will begin Sunday, March 9. Missouri is set to play its first game Thursday, March 6 at 8:30 a.m. (CT) against the Mocs of Chattanooga. Following game one, the Tigers will pair with Central Michigan beginning at 11 a.m (CT).

Missouri holds an 11-5 advantage in the all-time series with its weekend opponents and will take on Long Island University and Villanova for the first time in program history.

Freshman Rhea Taylor (Buford, Ga.), the Big 12 Player of the Week, enters the tournament with Missouri's highest average, .394. Known for her ability to steal bases, Taylor is 23-of-24 on the season, with her only out recorded Feb. 22 against nationally-ranked Washington. Taylor is three stolen bags away from etching her name in the Missouri single season stolen bases record book. Currently, Stacy Bailey and Wendy Harrison stand tied at ninth with 26, while Julie Link, a 1989 graduate, holds the record of 46, set in 1988.

Senior Amanda Renth (Mascoutah, Ill.) will make her first road trip of the season after sitting out the Lobo Invitational due to injury. Renth currently holds a .585 slugging percentage having hit three home runs and three doubles on the season.

Big hitter Lindsey Ubrun (Riverside, Calif.) owns a team high six home runs on the season, hitting three at the Tiger Invitational last weekend. Ubrun is another Tiger looking to crack into the single season home run record book and stands three homers away from the 10th spot held by Lisa Swarts, Tiffany Heick, Leanne Bowers and Micaela Minner with nine.

In the circle, junior Stacy Delaney (Freeland, Mich.) has proved dominant. Delaney, who owns a 0.72 ERA, has thrown 58.1 innings and allowed only six earned runs. In her eight starts, Delaney has allowed only three earned runs and has struck out 52 batters.

Sophomore Jana Hainey (Raymore, Mo.) is currently 6-1 on the year and has made 11 appearances in the circle. Hainey owns a 1.93 ERA and has struck out 43 batters and held opponents to a .258 average.

Scouting the Mocs of UCT, Missouri's Game One Opponent
Heading into this year's USF Under Armour Invitational, the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Lady Mocs are 11-8 on the season. The tournament is being held in Clearwater, Florida; a good sign for the Lady Mocs who are 3-1 this season on neutral ground.

The Lady Mocs are coming off an impressive showing this past weekend when they hosted nine teams in the 2008 Frost Classic. Despite various cancellations due to weather, the UTC women went 2-1, capping off the classic in dramatic fashion with a victory over Marshall as a result of freshman fist baseman Michelle Fuzzard' walk-off homerun in the bottom of the seventh inning.

The Lady Mocs are currently batting .267 collectively while being led by Fuzzard (.429) and freshman catcher Katie Blevins (.366). Blevins' power has been on full display this season; she leads the team with seven homeruns, 19 RBI and a slugging percentage of 1.000. Fuzzard is at her best with runners on base, with a batting average of .556 and she is 3-for-3 with the bases loaded.

In the circle, freshman Kandice Irwin is 5-3 with an ERA of 2.83 in 11 appearances. At one point in this past weekend's game against the University of Connecticut, Irwin retired 14 straight batters. Despite the 1-0 loss, Irwin pitched a complete game, allowed only three hits, and struck out six. Sophomore Brooke Loudermilk has pitched the most innings for the Lady Mocs, compiling a 4-4 record and a 3.05 ERA.

Chattanooga is 1-3 all-time against the Missouri Tigers; winning 5-4 on Feb. 6, 2004 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Florida.