Reggie McClain was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday
COLUMBIA, Mo. - Mizzou junior RHP Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.) was named SEC Pitcher of the Week, as announced by the league on Monday (Feb. 16). McClain earned the weekly conference honor after tossing 8.0 shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Iona, striking out 10 batters against zero walks. It is McClain's first SEC weekly honor and he is the first Tiger to earn SEC Pitcher of the Week honors since March 31 of last season when Keaton Steele earned the distinction. McClain's start was instrumental in a 4-0 weekend for Mizzou, which is off to its best start to a season since 2004.
McClain was outstanding in his first Division I start in game two of the series against Iona, tossing 8.0 shutout innings while allowing just three hits and no walks with a career-high 10 strikeouts in a 1-0 victory in game two of a doubleheader, earning his first Division I win. It was arguably the best start of the weekend by any SEC pitcher during opening weekend as he was the only pitcher in the league to go at least 8.0 innings with 10 or more strikeouts while allowing fewer than four hits. He leads the SEC in innings pitched, wins, strikeouts, ERA, pickoffs, walks allowed and is third among starters in opponent batting average.
Amazingly, McClain allowed only three baserunners and he picked two of them off of the base paths in his start. All three hits against him Friday were singles and the only player to reach second base against him was sacrificed over before McClain picked him off of second base. He is the first Tiger to post 10 strikeouts in a start since then-senior Eric Anderson did so at Kentucky in a Friday night win in Lexington on April 11 (22 game span).
McClain and the Tigers will be back in action this weekend as they take part in the 2015 Kleberg Bank College Classic on Corpus Christi, Texas, with scheduled games against Corpus Christi, Sam Houston State and Purdue. Action for the Tigers begins Thursday at 6 p.m. against the host Islanders.
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