Feb. 12, 2015
Louisville: The Cardinals finished 36-22 last season and clinched their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Louisville is off to a 2-3 start in 2015. Sophomore Maryssa Becker and senior Whitney Arion combined for 13 hits over the weekend. Head coach Sandy Pearsall is in her 16th season at the helm.
UT Chattanooga: Chattanooga also made the NCAA Tournament in 2014, bowing out following back-to-back losses to open its NCAA regional. The Mocs were selected as 2015 preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference championship.
UCF: Central Florida won the American Athletic Conference regular season title last year. The Golden Knights were selected to repeat as league champions in 2015. UCF finished runner-up in the NCAA Tournament's Gainesville Regional and ended its 2014 season with a 43-18 record.
Cleveland State: The Tigers also take on Cleveland State on day two. Mizzou won the only previous meeting between the two schools. CSU finished 24-20 last season.
South Dakota State: Mizzou faces South Dakota State to wrap up the Dot Richardson Invitational. The Jackrabbits posted an 11-36 record in 2014. The Tigers are 2-0 all-time against SDSU.
Schedule:
Friday:
10 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. Louisville
12:30 p.m. CT - Mizzou vs. UT Chattanooga
Saturday:
10 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. UCF
12:30 p.m. CT - Mizzou vs. Cleveland State
Sunday:
10:30 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. South Dakota State
Stayed tuned to Twitter @MizzouSoftball for game updates and GameTracker links (which are also available on the schedule page).
| Game | Location | Day/Time (CT) | Media |
|---|---|---|---|
| vs. Louisville | Clermont, Fla. | Friday // 10:00 a.m. | Live Stats |
| vs. Chattanooga | Clermont, Fla. | Friday // 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats |
| vs. UCF | Clermont, Fla. | Saturday // 10:00 a.m. | Live Stats |
| vs. Cleveland State | Clermont, Fla. | Saturday // 12:30 p.m. | Live Stats |
| vs. South Dakota State | Clermont, Fla. | Sunday // 10:30 a.m. | Live Stats |
Mizzou Softball launches its ninth season under head coach Ehren Earleywine this weekend at the Dot Richardson National Collegiate Softball Invitational in Clermont, Fla. The Tigers officially begin their season with a doubleheader on Friday. Mizzou faces the Louisville Cardinals at 10 a.m. CT and UT-Chattanooga at 12:30 p.m. CT. All games are being played at Legends Way Ballfields.
TIGER TALES -
- Earleywine welcomes back eight players with starting experience and 2014 SEC Freshman of the Year, Tori Finucane, as the Tigers seek a ninth consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and seventh NCAA Super Regional appearance in eight years.
- Mizzou sits at No. 18 in both the USA Today/NFCA and ESPN/USA Softball Division I Top 25 polls to begin its 2015 season. The Tigers have been a fixture in the Top 25 since June 10, 2008 as they enter the 2015 campaign ranked for the seventh year in a row
- A senior-laden middle of the order brings power back to the lineup for Earleywine's squad this season. Veterans Corrin Genovese, Kelsea Roth and Angela Randazzo return, bolstering the Tigers' explosive offense. Genovese put together a breakout 2014 campaign, batting .410 at the dish and posting a team-best .597 slugging percentage. Roth returns 31 career home runs, which has her currently ranked seventh in school history. Randazzo has collected 90 RBI over the last two seasons.
- Finucane and junior OF Taylor Gadbois were named to the 2015 Preseason All-SEC team. Finucane was also put on the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List. The sophomore hurler logged 190.1 innings with a 1.73 ERA in 32 appearances, grabbing 21 wins as a freshman. Gadbois went from role player to All-American in 2014 as the Tigers' lead-off hitter. The speedster racked up an SEC-best 46 steals and led Mizzou with a .421 avg. and 85 hits. Gadbois earned an NFCA Third-Team All-America distinction for her performance.
- Juniors Sami Fagan and Emily Crane round out Mizzou's wealth of experience. Fagan has been an all-purpose asset for the Tigers, getting infield experience before shifting to catcher at the end of last season. Fagan ripped 10 doubles and scored 38 runs in 2014. Crane, who was also named to the USA Softball Player of the Year Top 50 Watch List, is a lock down outfielder and an efficient batter. She committed zero errors in the field and hit .389 at the plate last season.
- Mizzou's 2014 squad finished with 43 wins. The Tigers earned 40 victories for seventh time in Earleywine's eight seasons as head coach.
Louisville: The Cardinals finished 36-22 last season and clinched their 11th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance by winning the American Athletic Conference Tournament. Louisville is off to a 2-3 start in 2015. Sophomore Maryssa Becker and senior Whitney Arion combined for 13 hits over the weekend. Head coach Sandy Pearsall is in her 16th season at the helm.
UT Chattanooga: Chattanooga also made the NCAA Tournament in 2014, bowing out following back-to-back losses to open its NCAA regional. The Mocs were selected as 2015 preseason favorites to win the Southern Conference championship.
UCF: Central Florida won the American Athletic Conference regular season title last year. The Golden Knights were selected to repeat as league champions in 2015. UCF finished runner-up in the NCAA Tournament's Gainesville Regional and ended its 2014 season with a 43-18 record.
Cleveland State: The Tigers also take on Cleveland State on day two. Mizzou won the only previous meeting between the two schools. CSU finished 24-20 last season.
South Dakota State: Mizzou faces South Dakota State to wrap up the Dot Richardson Invitational. The Jackrabbits posted an 11-36 record in 2014. The Tigers are 2-0 all-time against SDSU.
Schedule:
Friday:
10 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. Louisville
12:30 p.m. CT - Mizzou vs. UT Chattanooga
Saturday:
10 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. UCF
12:30 p.m. CT - Mizzou vs. Cleveland State
Sunday:
10:30 a.m. CT - Mizzou vs. South Dakota State
Stayed tuned to Twitter @MizzouSoftball for game updates and GameTracker links (which are also available on the schedule page).
Document Links: Game Notes 