April 22, 2014
| Opponent | Location | Day/Time | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri State | Columbia, Mo. | Wed./5 p.m. | Twitter | Stats | Video (Mediacom) | KTGR |
|
Mediacom (Ch. 22): Beau Baehman (PXP) | Chad Moller (Color) |
| TIGER TALES- No. 15 Mizzou Softball (35-12, 12-6 SEC) won its fourth-straight Southeastern Conference series and swept its second consecutive league foe with three wins over Ole Miss on Friday, April 18, and Saturday, April 19. Head coach Ehren Earleywine's group won twice in a Friday doubleheader by scores of 5-3 and 2-0 before the Saturday series finale, a six-inning, 9-1 victory for the Tigers.
• The Tigers welcome in-state foe Missouri State to University Field on Wednesday, April 23, for a 5 p.m. contest. The game will be Mizzou's Pink Out game, with fans encouraged to wear pink to raise breast cancer awareness. Mizzou won last season's doubleheader vs. MSU in Springfield, Mo., by a combined score of 19-0 on April 3, 2013. The Tigers claimed an initial five-inning, 12-0 win ahead of a 7-0 nightcap victory. Earleywine has led Mizzou to a 6-0 record against Missouri State in his time in Columbia, with the last Missouri State win in the series coming in 2006.
• Mizzou has won 10 of its last 12 SEC games to run its league record to 12-6, which is currently tied for second in the stout softball conference. Alabama, who the Tigers host at University Field from May 1-May 3, sit atop the standings with a 15-3 mark. Kentucky and Tennessee also sport 12-6 conference records. Mizzou's next SEC foe, Florida (April 25-April 27), is tied for fifth in the SEC standings at 11-7 with Georgia.
• The Tigers' three-win weekend at University Field had a distinctive stamp put on all three games by home runs in each contest from freshman 3B/2B Natalie Fleming. The newcomer to Mizzou looked like a seasoned veteran when she blasted a three-run, walk-off home run to right field with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. The long ball, her first of the series, gave the Tigers a 5-3 series-opening and doubleheader-opening win (Friday, April 18).
• Stop, thief! Gadbois leads the SEC in stolen bases with her 40 swipes in 2014. Her 0.89 stolen bases per game (heading into the week) ranked fourth in the nation. Her success on the base paths this season now ranks in Mizzou's single-season Top 10 for stolen bases at seventh.
• Just a freshman? Mizzou freshman P Tori Finucane was recognized for her first-year exploits on April 17, as the Tiger hurler was named a Top 25 Finalist for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's inaugural Division I National Freshman of the Year trophy. Finucane has been impressive in 2014, compiling a 1.69 ERA in 140.2 innings of work for a 16-5 record. Finucane has won six consecutive decisions (April 4-April 19), the longest winning streak for a Mizzou pitcher since former ace Chelsea Thomas won eight straight from April 13, 2013-May 11, 2013.
• The Tigers sweep of Ole Miss comes on the heels of the impressive three-win performance at No. 20 Auburn (April 11-April 13). The initial, 4-2 win (April 11) of the sweep was impacted by junior 3B/C Angela Randazzo's two-run home run in the fourth inning. Mizzou claimed one-run victories in the following two wins (8-7, 7-6) from April 12-13. Senior OF Mackenzie Sykes homered twice in the 8-7 win, batting an impressive 3-for-4. Two seventh-inning home runs from junior IF Corrin Genovese and freshman IF/OF Kelli Schkade helped the Tigers complete the sweep with the 7-6 win.
• If it is a conference game, expect Genovese to bring her bat (and glove). The Tiger infielder continued her hot conference hitting, batting 5-for-9 (.556) in Mizzou's three wins vs. Ole Miss. Genovese (.479) was barely caught by Tennessee's Madison Shipman (.480) for the top league games-only batting average over the weekend.
• Schkade was named SEC Freshman of the Week (April 14), showing a clutch bat for Mizzou in the sweep-clinching, 7-6 win at No. 20 Auburn (April 13), as she launched a solo home run to left center field with two outs in the top of the seventh inning to put her squad up 7-5. The home run was just one swing of an overall 6-for-16 (.375) week to help Mizzou record a perfect 5-0 record. The midweek doubleheader vs. WIU (April 9) included a superb performance by Schkade, as she went 3-for-4 at the plate with a single, double and triple in the 5-0 nightcap win.
THE OPPOSITION - MISSOURI STATE- Missouri State (24-20, 7-11 MVC) has a Tuesday, April 22, doubleheader with Wichita State before making its way to Mizzou for a lone contest on Wednesday, April 23 (5 p.m.). The Bears have lost five of their last seven contests coming into the week.
• Missouri State has four regulars in its lineup batting in the .300-range, with Kerri Cunningham's .331 batting average leading the way. Ashley Brentz' (.328) leads MSU in hits with 43 to her credit. The slugging comes from Bethany Sullinger (.300), who leads the team in RBI (36), home runs (5) and also has five doubles and three triples in 2014.
• MSU runs well, stealing 60 bases in 74 attempts. Cunningham leads the team with 22 stolen bases out of 24 tries.
• Two Bear pitchers have logged more than 100.0 innings in the circle in Erin Struemph (114.1 IP) and Chelsea Jones (101.0 IP). Struemph leads MSU with a 3.12 ERA and is holding batters to a .249 average.