March 13, 2009
Coming off of an exciting win over Northern Iowa, the 14th ranked Tiger softball team looks to improve on its 19-3 record when they travel to Myrtle Beach, S.C. this weekend to take part in the Coastal Carolina Tournament. The Tigers will open the three-day tournament Friday, March 13, against Coastal Carolina beginning at 3 p.m. (CT).
Sophomore Rhea Taylor will try to keep the bat hot as she sports a .478 batting average with 19 runs scored and two homers. Redshirt senior Micaela Minner can also be counted on for crucial hits and owns a .340 batting average as well as a team-leading 21 RBI. Mizzou's freshman, Chelsea Thomas, will likely lead the way for the pitchers as she supports her 9-2 record with a 0.80 ERA and 63 strikeouts.
Coastal Carolina is 6-13 and coming off a doubleheader split with USC-Upstate. Coastal's leader offensively is sophomore Michelle Evans who owns a .358 batting average with three doubles and six RBI. On the mound for the Chanticleers is sophomore Katelin Edwards holding a 4-9 record in 14 appearances with a 4.61 ERA. Coastal supports a very young team in the tournament with only two seniors on its squad.
The Tigers will play two games on Saturday first facing off against Michigan State. The Spartans are coming off of a win against UNC-Wilmington and are fighting to bring their record up to .500 as they currently sit at 9-10. Their best offensive threat comes in senior Gina Mondo who currently has a .412 batting average with four doubles, two homeruns, and 10 RBI. As for pitching, senior Megan Hair leads the way with a 2-3 record in 11 appearances with a 2.90 ERA.
The Tiger's will finish their Saturday competition by facing North Carolina who is 19-5 and ranked 15th in the nation. Offensively, the Tar Heels are lead by junior Christine Knauer, with a .394 batting average in 66 at bats, and senior Breanna Brown, who owns a .342 batting average with two homeruns and 20 RBI. North Carolina will show off its two star pitchers junior Danielle Spaulding and senior Lisa Norris. Spaulding has a record of 8-2 with a 0.70 ERA and 136 strikeouts, while Norris' record is 8-3 with a 1.57 ERA and 106 strikeouts. Missouri will also face the Tar Heels on Sunday, March 15 at 10 a.m., to finish out the tournament. The next home game for the Tigers is set for March 18, where they will play a doubleheader against Western Illinois with the first game set to start at 2 p.m. on University Field.