April 17, 2009
The 10th-ranked Missouri softball team will take its seven game win streak on the road to Texas Tech for a two-game series beginning Saturday, April 18, at 2 p.m. (CT) on Rocky Johnson Field. The first of four remaining Big 12 series for Missouri, game two will be played on Sunday, April 19, at Noon.
Missouri's final road trip of the regular season pits the Tigers against the Red Raiders. The teams have met 36 times since 1981 with Missouri holding the 22-14 advantage in the all-time series. Of the past 10 meetings, Missouri has come out the victor on eight occasions, with Texas Tech taking the most recent win, 5-3, in the 2008 single elimination Big 12 Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla. The Tigers have swept the Red Raiders in the past four years of competition, taking the one game win in 2007 after tornadoes in Lubbock, forced the cancellation of game two.
In 2009, Missouri has swept nine of its opponents including three Big 12 foes, Texas A&M, Baylor and Oklahoma State. Last season, the Tigers swept 12 opponents.
Shana White, Marla Schweisberger and Rhea Taylor continue to dominate at the plate, all carrying above a .400 average. Schweisberger, who has played in 36 games this season, is batting .446 and is tied with teammate Micaela Minner for most RBI on the year, 39. With over 100 at bats, Schweisberger has hit six doubles, one triple and six home runs while taking a squad-high 71 bases.
Fellow sophomore, Megan Christopher, is also havoc on opponent pitchers. With a team-high .746 slugging percentage, Christopher is tied with senior Lindsey Ubrun for most home runs on the year at eight. Four Tigers have hit five or more home runs this season, Christopher and Ubrun as well as Schweisberger and Minner, each of the latter with six.
As a team, Missouri leads the Big 12 in batting and pitching. With a .332 squad average, and 1.27 ERA the Tigers are a force to reckon with. In Conference games only, Oklahoma owns the best team batting average at .326, while Baylor holds the best ERA at 1.42. Missouri stands fourth in the league at .472 and third with is 2.18 ERA.
After taking the Big 12 lead last week following Missouri's 5-3 win over Oklahoma State, the Tigers are looking to extend their lead and distance themselves from Big 12 South foe Oklahoma. The 9-4 Sooners are followed by Texas, now tied for third with Baylor at 8-4 on the year.
Following the weekend series with Texas Tech, the Tigers will return to Columbia to close out the season with Big 12 games against Iowa State, No. 15 Oklahoma and Nebraska. Missouri's final midweek competition of the year is set for Wednesday, April 22. The Tigers will take on the Cyclones of Iowa State beginning at 2 p.m. (CT) on University Field. Weekend series with Oklahoma (April 25 and 26) and Nebraska (May 2 and 3) will signal the end of the regular season.