2008 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
2/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
Feb. 14, 2009
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
• Mizzou advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth-consecutive season and is one of only 16 schools nationally that has been selected to the postseason in each of the last six years.
• Missouri won 39 games in 2008, which tied for the ninth most victories in a season in school history. The Tigers have won at least 35 games in each of the last six seasons.
• The Tigers' 20-3 start to the season matched their best record ever after 23 games.
• Mizzou won 14-straight games from March 2-25, matching the fourth-longest winning streak in school history.
• The Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the March 24 Baseball America poll, its highest-ever ranking.
• The 31 runs put up by MU against Texas in a 31-12 win on April 11 were the most runs scored by the Tigers since they scored 30 against Truman State in 2003. It was the runs most against a conference opponent since defeating Nebraska 27-4 in 1956. The loss was the worst ever for Texas. Every Tiger in the starting line-up had at least one hit and five had at least three hits in the game.
• Mizzou had a pitcher record a career high in strikeouts in each of the three games against Toledo, March 14-16. Aaron Crow struck out 15 on Friday, Ian Berger fanned nine on Saturday and Kyle Gibson sat down 11 on Ks on Sunday.
• In the Tigers' three-game sweep of Baylor March 21-23, the MU pitching staff did not give up an earned run and MU outscored the Bears 22-2 in the three games.
• Missouri's third win of the 2008 season was the 2,000 victory in the school's history. MU is just the 36th program in the NCAA to reach the 2,000-win mark.
• Missouri recorded its three highest single-game regular season crowds in school history in the three-game series against Nebraska, with a crowd of 3,126 on May 17, setting the new record.
INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS
• Aaron Crow led the nation with 13 wins on the year, setting a school record for victories in a season. He finished 13-0, taking the win in 13 of his 15 starts on the year.
• Crow had a stretch of 43.0 scoreless innings pitched from Feb. 29-April 11. The streak is the fourth longest streak in NCAA D-I history. During that stretch, Crow recorded three complete-game shutouts and one combined shutout.
• Along with breaking the school record for wins in a season, Crow's 127 strikeouts on the season are second most in MU history and his 277 career strikeouts rank third in the Mizzou record books.
• Jacob Priday set new school career records for home runs (55), RBI (240), at-bats (890) and extra-base hits (113) and tied the Missouri record with 56 career doubles.
• Priday broke the Mizzou record and the Big 12 Conference record with four home runs in a game against Texas on April 11. Priday was 5-for-5 on the night and also set school record with nine RBI and tied the MU mark with six runs scored.
• Aaron Senne tied a then-school record with eight runs batted in against Minnesota on March 25. He was 4-for-4 on the night and homered twice in his return to his home state.
• Ian Berger had a string of 36.1 scoreless innings pitched from March 9-29.
HONORS
• Aaron Crow was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Year. He was joined on the All-Big 12 Team by six other Tigers. Aaron Senne and Jacob Priday earned first team honors, while Trevor Coleman was named to the second team. Greg Folgia, Kyle Gibson and Ryan Lollis were all honorable mention selections.
• In July, Crow was named the recipient of the Clemens Award, which is given to the nation's top pitcher.
• Crow earned All-America recognition from Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America, the National Baseball Writers' Association and the American Baseball Coaches' Association.
• Three Tigers earned All-Midwest Region honors, with Aaron Crow leading the way as a first-team selection. Jacob Priday and Aaron Senne were named to the second team.
• Crow was one of five finalists for the 2008 Golden Spikes Award and was one of four finalist for the Dick Howser Trophy.
• Jacob Priday was selected to the All-Tournament Team for the Big 12 Conference Championship.
• Ryan Lollis, Steve Gray and Aaron Crow were named to the NCAA Coral Gables Regional All-Tournament Team.
• Crow was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week and the NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week on March 24. He earned a second Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honor on April 7.
• Jacob Priday was named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Week and the NCBWA Player of the Week on April 14 after hitting .583 with four home runs, 11 RBI and a 1.667 slugging percentage in three games against Texas.
• Kyle Gibson was named the Big 12 Conference Pitcher of the Week on May 12 after picking up a win and a save in the series against Kansas.
• Senne and Gibson were invited to USA Baseball's National Team Trials. Gibson was selected to the team and led Team USA in wins, compiling a 5-0 record. He earned the victory in the gold medal game of the FISU World Championships as the National Team finished the summer with a undefeated 24-0 record.
• Six Tigers earned Academic All-Big 12 honors as Jacob Priday, Dan Pietroburgo, Trevor Coleman and Aaron Senne were first team selections and Kurt Calvert and Scooter Hicks were named to the second team.
• Six Tigers were selected in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft, led by the ninth-overall pick Aaron Crow, who was selected by the Washington Nationals. He became the highest draft pick in MU baseball history. Also taken in the draft were Rick Zagone (6th round, Baltimore), Jacob Priday (11th round, Houston), Ryan Lolllis (20th round, Detroit), Kurt Calvert (32nd round, Chicago Cubs) and Lee Fischer (46th round, Chicago White Sox).
