#24 @MizzouSoftball Hosts Mizzou Tournament in 2017 Home Opener

#24 Mizzou Ready For 2017 Home Opener
OPPONENT	LOCATION	DAY	TIME (CT)	WATCH	STATS
#4 Oregon	Mizzou Stadium	Friday, March 3	5:30 pm	SEC Network +	Stats
Stephen F. Austin	Mizzou Stadium	Friday, March 3	8 pm	SEC Network +	Stats
Maryland	Mizzou Stadium	Saturday, March 4	3 pm	SEC Network +	Stats
#4 Oregon	Mizzou Stadium	Saturday, March 4	5:30 pm	SEC Network +	Stats
Maryland	Mizzou Stadium	Sunday, March 5	12:30 pm	SEC Network +	Stats
Butler	Mizzou Stadium	Sunday, March 5	3 pm	SEC Network +	Stats

MIZZOU GAME NOTES

COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 24 Mizzou Softball is set for its 2017 home opener this weekend (March 3-5), as it hosts the Mizzou Tournament. The Tigers will be joined by No. 4 Oregon, Stephen F. Austin, Maryland and Butler.

The opening three games of the Mizzou Tournament will occur at University Field. Beginning with Mizzou and Oregon's matchup on Friday, March 3, the rest of the weekend's games are scheduled to be played at the new Mizzou Softball Stadium.

This weekend's complete Mizzou Tournament schedule can be found here.

Stadium gates will open one hour prior to first pitch. Tickets will be available at the main gate through the Mizzou Ticket Office booth. Adult tickets are $8, while youth and senior tickets are available for $5 apiece.

Additional details on stadium policies, parking and more can be found inside the 2017 Mizzou Softball Fan Primer.

Series Snapshots

Mizzou leads the all-time series against Oregon, 6-3.
Mizzou leads the all-time series against Stephen F. Austin, 4-2.
Mizzou leads the all-time series against Maryland, 3-1.
Mizzou leads the all-time series against Butler, 1-0

Tigers Roar Back in Comeback Win Over #7 Washington

Mizzou produced a thrilling 9-5 comeback win over No. 7 Washington on Friday, Feb. 24, in day two of the 2017 Mary Nutter Classic.
The visiting Huskies recorded five runs in their first at bat, putting the Tigers in an early hole. Mizzou responded in a big way, posting nine unanswered runs en route to its second top 25 victory this year.
Redshirt sophomore Madi Norman fired her third complete game of the season, as she was lights out after the first inning. Things began clicking at the conclusion of the first inning for Norman, as she struck out her final two batters. Through her final six innings in the circle, the Tiger righty allowed only three hits and zero runs, while posting eight additional punch outs.
Overall, Norman finished with 10 strikeouts against the Huskies, marking her second consecutive start with double-digit K's.
Senior Kirsten Mack, freshman Braxton Burnside and senior Natalie Fleming all tallied home runs in the Tigers' big comeback victory, highlighted by Burnside's first career multi-home run game.
Tied, 5-5 in the sixth inning, freshman Cayla Kessinger produced the eventual game-winning hit after delivering an RBI single to centerfield.

Norman Lights Out at Mary Nutter Classic

Norman continued her sensational first year in Tiger black and gold with a dominant weekend (Feb. 23-25) at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif.
She tallied a perfect 2-0 record with a microscopic 0.49 ERA and 23 Ks in 14.1 IP (11.24 Ks per 7 IP).
Norman began the weekend firing a CG shutout against Notre Dame, limiting the Irish to only four hits. Norman also produced a career high 10 Ks in the circle.
Overall this year, Norman's two shutouts rank top 20 in the NCAA.
Her performance against Notre Dame looked even more impressive as the weekend went along, as the Irish later claimed wins over No. 11 Georgia and No. 4 Oklahoma following their loss to Mizzou.
Norman came back the next day and dominated No. 7 Washington after a tough first inning (5 R allowed, but only 1 ER), tossing 6.0 consecutive shutout frames to secure the Tigers' thrilling 9-5 comeback win.

She allowed 0 BB, while posting 10 Ks for the second straight start, matching her career-best.

Burnside Continues Early-Season Power Surge

Entering this week (Feb. 27 - March 5), Burnside leads all SEC freshmen in HR (4).
Despite Mizzou only playing in 12 games thus far (T-fewest games played among SEC teams so far this season), Burnside ranks T-3rd overall in SEC in HR and top 35 in NCAA.
Burnside also currently ranks top 10 overall in SEC in doubles (four) and total bases (29).
The sweet-swinging Tiger shortstop continues to rake in the heart of Mizzou's lineup each game out (only 1-of-3 Tigers to start in all 12 games thus far this season). This past weekend at the Mary Nutter Classic, Burnside hit a team-best 2 HR and 5 RBI.
Her signature game of the season came against No. 7 Washington (Feb. 24), as she blasted 2 HR (first career multi-HR game), including a game-tying 2-run shot, keying a thrilling 9-5 comeback win for Mizzou.
Burnside has been a consistent threat for the Tigers, hitting safely in 4-of-5 games at the Mary Nutter, including a pair of multi-hit efforts (four this season).
The Paragould, Ark., native also produced two multi-RBI games in Cathedral City, Calif., giving her a team-best three multi-RBI outings this season.

Visit MUTigers.com for the latest information on all things Mizzou Softball. You can also find the Tigers on social media by liking us on Facebook (University of Missouri Softball Team) and following us on Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouSoftball).

Schedule