VERO BEACH, Fla. – Behind the pitching of Kadden Drew and a 10-run eighth inning, University of Missouri baseball concluded its season-opening road swing with a 15-3 victory over Southern University Sunday morning at the Andre Dawson Classic at Holman Stadium.

Drew (1-0) scattered five hits and struck out three hitters over 6.0 shutout innings to earn his first collegiate victory for the Tigers. Mizzou's offense also turned in a big day, tallying season bests for both runs and hits (14), led by three-hit performances by Cayden Nicoletto and Mateo Serna.

Serna led the way for the Tigers early, kick-starting the Mizzou offense with a base hit in the first inning that led to the first run of the day when Gehrig Goldbeck lofted a sacrifice fly to right. Serna added a single in the third, before doubling home a run as part of the Tigers' 10-run, eighth-inning rally that turned a 5-0 contest into a 15-run MU lead. The Tigers sent 14 batters to the plate in the eighth, which marked Mizzou's biggest inning since a 14-run rally vs. Northern Kentucky on March 2, 2024.

Drew faced challenges from the Southern offense throughout his appearance, working around Jaguars baserunners in five of his six innings. He received a lift from Jedier Hernandez behind the plate, as the senior catcher threw out a pair of would-be base-stealers to help thwart Southern rallies. One of those came with MU protecting a 2-0 lead in the fourth, when Southern put its leadoff man aboard before Hernandez cut him down at second. The following two batters reached via hits, but Drew induced a 4-6-3 double-play grounder – the Tigers' first defensive twin-killing of the season – to end the threat.

Mizzou doubled its two-run lead in the top of the sixth, using Nicoletto's first hit as a Tiger to set up a scoring opportunity against Southern starter Nick Luckett (1-1). Hernandez drew a free base when he was hit by a pitch, and Brock Daniels drove in the runner from third with a sacrifice fly to center. Trey Lawrence kept the rally alive with a base hit, before Cameron Benson extended his hit streak to four games with an RBI-single that made it a 4-0 game.

Nicoletto delivered again in the seventh, lacing a two-out, RBI-double down the left field line to stretch the lead to five runs. He added one of the Tigers' seven eighth-inning hits as part of a string of eight consecutive MU hitters reaching base safely. Benson drove in a run with a ground ball to the right side, and freshman Brady Picarelli recorded not only his first collegiate hit, but his first home run and RBIs (2) as a Tiger with a pinch-hit, two-run homer to right. Another MU rookie, Trey Callaway, cleared the bases with a three-run double in his Mizzou debut, and Daniels completed the scoring by driving in his second run of the game with an RBI-single.

Serna finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Nicoletto logged a 3-for-4 day and both Daniels (2-for-3) and Picarelli (2-for-2) added multi-hit performances for Mizzou.

TIGER NOTEBOOK

• With its victory over Southern, Missouri improved to 2-0 all-time vs. the Jaguars.
• Benson extended his hit streak to four straight games, which represents the longest of the season by a Mizzou hitter.
• Drew's 6.0 innings marked the longest outing by a Tiger since Ryan Magdic worked six innings vs. Auburn on May 12, 2024.
• Three Mizzou freshmen - Picarelli, Callaway and Aden Malpass - combined for four hits and eight RBIs in the victory.
• Goldbeck and Nicoletto each recorded a stolen base, running the Tigers' season total to 15 steals (in 17 attempts).

UP NEXT
Mizzou returns to Columbia for its 2025 home opener Tuesday, when the Tigers host Lindenwood for a 4 p.m. (CST) contest that kicks off a 10-game home stand at Taylor Stadium. University of Missouri baseball single-game tickets for the 2025 season are on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets by calling the ticket office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS or by visiting MUTigers.com.

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