Feb. 18, 2015

Game	Location	Day/Time (CT)	Media
vs. Cal State Fullerton	Cathedral City, Calif.	Thursday // 7:30 p.m.	Live Stats
vs. Long Beach State	Cathedral City, Calif.	Thursday // 10:00 p.m.	Live Stats
vs. Texas	Cathedral City, Calif.td>	Friday // 5:30 p.m.	Live Stats
vs. No. 12 UCLA	Cathedral City, Calif.	Friday // 7:30 p.m.	Live Stats
vs. No. 13 Arizona	Cathedral City, Calif.	Saturday // 4:30 p.m.	Live Stats

CATHEDRAL CITY, Calif.- Mizzou Softball (4-1) takes a west coast swing this week to take on Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach State, Texas, No. 12 UCLA and No. 13 Arizona at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif., from Thursday, Feb. 19 to Saturday, Feb. 21.


Tiger Tales

• Junior Sami Fagan smacked three home runs in 18 at bats at the Dot Richardson Invitational. After a three-run bomb against Cleveland State, Fagan touched them all twice in the same contest versus SDSU. She posted 11 RBIs over the weekend.
  
  
• Mizzou's three pitchers, Tori Finucane, Paige Lowary and Cheyenne Baxter, allowed only five total runs in five games at the Dot Richardson Invitational. The Tigers outscored their opponents 28-5 over the weekend. Baxter surrendered just one hit in her first start in a Mizzou uniform.
  
  
• Finucane has won six of her list eight meetings against ranked opponents. The Tigers face No. 12 UCLA and No. 13 Arizona this weekend.
  
  
• Mizzou's team ERA of 0.61 ranks second in the SEC, trailing only No. 1 Florida. Finucane, Lowary and Baxter have allowed three earned runs in 34.1 combined innings in the circle.
  
  
• Junior Taylor Gadbois led the SEC in stolen bases with her 46 swipes in 2014. Her success ranked her in Mizzou's single-season Top 10 for stolen bases at third, all-time. The speedy junior patented the Gadbois' Double: get on base by any means necessary and immediately steal second. Gadbois stole five bases in five games to start the 2015 campaign. She has a team-high eight hits and eight runs scored, batting .500 to open the season.
  
  
• Mizzou's first three batters in the lineup were responsible for most of the Tigers' offensive surge at the Dot Richardson Invitational. The trio of juniors Gadbois, Fagan and Emily Crane accounted for 16 runs scored, 20 hits and 17 RBI. The three combined  to hit .392 at the dish and account for 31 total bases over the weekend.
  
  
• Head Coach Ehren Earleywine has now been at the helm for  496 games at Mizzou. When the Tigers face UCLA on the back end of a doubleheader this Friday, Earleywine will coach his 500th game as a Tiger. He has won 373 games during his tenure in Columbia, Mo.

• The Mary Nutter Classic in Palm Springs, Calif., is familiar territory for Mizzou. The Tigers went 3-2 at the tournament in 2014, losing a pair of one-run games to Baylor and UCLA. Mizzou faces the Bruins against this year after they rallied for two runs to stun the Tigers in the seventh inning last season. Finucane tossed a five-hit shut out with eight strikeouts against No. 14 Arizona in a 2-0 victory over the Wildcats.
  
  
• The Tigers travel 1,588 miles to play at the Mary Nutter Classic. Seniors Angela Randazzo and Kelsea Roth, junior Kirsten Mack and freshman Amanda Sanchez, who are all California natives, will be playing within 120 miles of their respective hometowns.  

The Field

• Mizzou begins play at the Mary Nutter Classic against Cal State Fullerton. The Titans are 7-3 through the first two weekends of the 2015 campaign, sitting just outside the Top 25 in both polls.  CSF is led by Missy Taukeiaho and Courtney Rodriguez, who both have 15 hits thus far. Taukeiaho has six home runs and 12 RBI thorugh 10 contests.
  
  
• The Tigers then take on Long Beach State in the nightcap Thursday. The 49ers are 6-4 overall. LBSU is paced by five hitters batting .323 or higher. Sophomore Lauren Lombard has been a reliable weapon for the 49ers with 10 hits and 12 RBI.
  
  
• Friday and Saturday feature matchups with powerhouse programs. The opening game Friday pits the Tigers against Texas.  The Longhorns are 7-3 coming off a 4-1 weekend at home. Erin Shireman boasts a .793 slugging percentage in 10 starts, posting 12 hits and 10 RBI.
  
  
• Earleywine's 500th career game at the helm for Mizzou will be against No. 12 UCLA. The Bruins are 9-2 with losses to No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 19 Notre Dame. Senior pitcher Ally Carda is 5-1 with a 1.60 ERA. Carda has 48 strikeouts in nine appearances.
  
  
• Mizzou's final opponent, No. 13 Arizona, is a perfect 9-0 on the season, including five wins via run rule. The Wildcats are paced by pitchers Trish Parks and Nancy Bowling. Parks sports a 0.54 ERA in six appearances. She is limiting opponents to a .186 batting average in 26.0 innings in the circle. Bowling is 3-0, surrendering only two total runs in four starts.