May 22, 2013
MIZZOU Media Notes
| SUPER REGIONAL CENTRAL | TICKETS
COLUMBIA SUPER REGIONAL
NCAA DIVISION I SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP - MAY 23-24
THURSDAY, MAY 23 (CDT)
8 p.m. - Game One: Washington vs. Mizzou | ESPN | KTGR | Live Stats
FRIDAY, MAY 24 (CDT)
5 p.m. - Game Two: Mizzou vs. Washington | ESPNU | KTGR
8 p.m. - Game Three (if necessary) | ESPN | KTGR
LEADING OFF
• No. 7/6 Mizzou plays host to the Columbia Super Regional for the fourth-straight season as it continues in the 2013 NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The No. 6-seeded Tigers face No. 11 Washington (41-15) in a rematch of the 2011 Columbia Super Regional, in which head coach Ehren Earleywine's Tigers swept the Huskies with scores of 4-0 and 6-3 to advance to the program's third-straight Women's College World Series.
• Missouri and Washington both carry impressive Super Regional streaks into the weekend. The Tigers have made six consecutive Super Regional appearances, while Washington is on a run of five consecutive Super Regional berths.
• Mizzou's streak of Super Regionals puts it in very exclusive company: only the Tigers, Alabama and Arizona State have played in six consecutive Super Regionals. The Tigers have only been stopped short of the WCWS twice (2008, 2012) when competing in Super Regionals.
FOLLOW THE ACTION AT THE COLUMBIA REGIONAL
• Mizzou and Washington's best-of-three series in the Columbia Super Regional will be shown live on ESPN and ESPNU with Mark Neely (play-by-play) and Amanda Freed (analysis) on the call. Thursday's Game One is scheduled for an 8 p.m. CDT start on ESPN, with Friday's games set for 5 p.m. on ESPNU and 8 p.m. on ESPN (if necessary).
• Live radio coverage will come from KTGR (100.5 FM, 103.1 FM, 1580 AM, KTGR.com and Mizzou Network) for the entire best-of-three series.
• The Columbia Super Regional will have continual updates to the official Twitter account of Mizzou Softball, @MizzouSoftball. Live statistics will be available at MUTigers.com, as well as post-game coverage of recaps, notes and quotes.
RECENT SWINGS
• Mizzou won its sixth-straight NCAA Regional and fifth-straight in Columbia with its 5-0 win over Hofstra (May 19) on the arm of senior pitcher Chelsea Thomas. The standout in the circle threw a one-hitter against the Pride, recording nine strikeouts and zero walks. Sophomore 1B Kelsea Roth and senior Nicole Hudson homered in the contest to power the Tigers' offensive efforts. The game, the seventh of the Columbia Regional, was forced after Mizzou dropped a five-inning, 10-0 result to the Pride in an earlier Sunday game.
• The Tigers started the Columbia Regional with back-to-back wins, first defeating Stony Brook (May 17), 3-0, thanks to Hudson's work in the circle and senior catcher Jenna Marston's ability with a bat. Hudson held the Seawolves to just two hits in the complete game (7.0 IP) win, while Marston launched her first home run of the season, a three-run shot, to right center field. Mizzou then held of Hofstra the following day on May 18 with a 1-0 victory. Thomas pitched the complete game (7.0 IP) shutout, and freshman 2B Emily Crane recorded the RBI single to get Mizzou the victory.
LAST TIME VS. WASHINGTON
Earleywine's 2012 team met Washington early in its campaign, with then-junior Thomas pitching the ninth no-hitter of the career to beat the Huskies 2-0 (Feb. 25, 2012). The Tigers' ace carved up Washington with eight strikeouts and zero walks allowed. Marston, then-freshman SS Corrin Genovese, Roth and then-freshman 2B Ashtin Stephens recorded hits in the victory.
COLUMBIA SUPER REGIONAL
• Mizzou fans have become familiar with NCAA Super Regionals, with University Field hosting four-straight during the Tigers' run of six consecutive Super Regional appearances. Winning the best-of-three series that occurs in the round has happened often, as well, with Missouri advancing to the Women's College World Series in Oklahoma City three times (2009, 2010, 2011).
• Earleywine has led his Tiger squad to a 7-5 record in Super Regional action. To date, Mizzou has won three of the four Super Regionals it has hosted.
SCOUTING WASHINGTON
• Washington features six batters hitting better than .300 in their lineup, led by junior outfielder Victoria Hayward's .371 average. Hayward is the team-leader in hits (66), triples (5) and stolen bases (21-for-23). Pitcher Kaitlin Inglesby leads the team in RBI (60) and home runs (11) and falls just below Hayward with a .370 batting average. Junior first baseman Hooch Fagaly leads UW with a .505 on-base percentage.
• Inglesby, along with junior Bryana Walker, head up the Huskies' pitching department. Inglesby sports a 22-7 record (160.1 IP) with a 1.92 ERA, recording 126 strikeouts to 35 walks. Walker has racked up 190 strikeouts in 165 innings pitched to go 17-7 with a 2.93 ERA.
NO WALKS? NO PROBLEM!
Senior pitcher Chelsea Thomas issued zero walks in the 5-0 NCAA Regional final win over Hofstra (May 19), allowing one hit and fanning nine Pride batters in the process. She had previously walked zero batters in the 3-0 win over No. 4 Tennessee (May 11) at the SEC Tournament, striking out nine Lady Vols. For her career, she's completed this feat 40 times out of 144 starts. Mizzou holds an outstanding 37-3 record in those starts, holding its opponents to less than one run per game (0.88). In those 40 outings, opposing batters average 0.41 hits per inning against the senior Tiger. Thomas is pitching "zero-walk starts" in roughly one out of every four starts in her career.
THE MARSTON MACHINE
Senior catcher Jenna Marston has been Mizzou's hottest batter down the final stretch of the 2013 season, hitting .423 over the last four weeks (since the 2-1 win over UK on April 26), batting 22-for-41 with 14 runs scored and 12 RBI. The 12 RBI includes her first home run of the season, a three-run bomb that proved to be the winner in Mizzou's 3-0 win over Stony Brook to open the Columbia Regional (May 17). Seven of Marston's hits have gone for doubles (tied for the team lead). She has struck out a team-low three times over that time span.
STELLAR SENIOR CLASS
Mizzou's senior class - redshirt senior Chelsea Thomas, Rachel Hay, Nicole Hudson, Princess Krebs, Jenna Marston and Lindsey Muller - have put together one of the most prolific five-year stretches in collegiate softball. The run began with Thomas' freshman season in 2009, in which the Tigers went 50-12 and advanced to the program's third Women's College World Series appearance and first under Earleywine. Thomas redshirted after pitching a small portion of the 2010 season and was joined by Hay, Hudson, Krebs, Marston and Muller for another WCWS appearance (51-13). The group helped Mizzou to a 53-10 record and third-straight trip to Oklahoma City for the WCWS in 2011. The Tigers compiled a 47-17 record en route to the program's fifth consecutive NCAA Super Regional in 2012. In their final collegiate seasons, Mizzou's seniors have led the squad to a 38-12 record.
NCAA RPI
Mizzou last received a No. 7 RPI (ratings percentage index) from the NCAA (May 13). The squad received a No. 5 ranking in the initial NCAA RPI of the 2013 season, released March 25. Last season, the Tigers began with a No. 15 RPI ranking.
FUN TOURNAMENT RUN
Mizzou's offense performed admirably in its first appearance in the SEC Tournament, batting .317 as a team with four batters hitting better than .400 in their trips to John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky. Freshman 2B Emily Crane and junior OF Mackenzie Sykes batted 5-for-10 (.500) in the tournament, while senior catcher Jenna Marston hit 5-for-11 (.455) at the plate. Sophomore 1B Kelsea Roth had the biggest impact, hitting a home run in each game.
CAN'T PSYCH OUT SYKES!
Junior OF Mackenzie Sykes had herself a day in Mizzou's five-inning, 8-0 win over No. 21 Arkansas to start the SEC Tournament (May 9), batting 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBI. The incredible part was her hits: a single, a triple and a double to give her a 2.000 slugging percentage for the game.
SENSATIONAL SENIOR DAY
• It was a big day for senior Nicole Hudson, who hit two home runs for a career-high six RBI and pitched the complete game (6.0) in the six-inning, 12-8 win over Tennessee on May 5 at University Field. The senior's second long ball of the day was a grand slam in the bottom of the second inning, the second hit of a 2-for-3 batting performance. Senior catcher Rachel Hay got into the home run-hitting action, as well, launching a two-run shot in the bottom of third inning.
• Following the game, seniors Hay, Hudson, Princess Krebs, Lindsey Muller, Jenna Marston and Chelsea Thomas were honored in the team's Senior Day ceremony. Senior student managers Nikki D'Aurelio, Matt Guemmer and Lance McMahon were also recognized for their contributions to the Mizzou softball program.
ANOTHER NO-HITTER FOR THOMAS
• The story of May 4 was Thomas, who no-hit the SEC's top batting team, Tennessee, who entered the contest with a .344 team average. Including combined no-hitters, the effort against the big swinging Lady Vols was Thomas' 14th career no-hit pitching performance. Her strong outing was her first complete game no-hitter (11 total) since blanking Oklahoma State last season (May 11, 2012) with 12 strikeouts in a 4-0 win.
• The effort earned Thomas her fifth SEC Pitcher of the Week award (May 6), the 17th conference honor of her career. With the recognition, Thomas became just the second conference pitcher to earn five weekly awards in a single season. The Tiger standout joined former Tennessee ace Monica Abbott, who earned five honors in 2005. Thomas finished the regular season leading all SEC players in weekly awards, as well as cementing her lead over the rest of the conference's pitchers. Three league pitchers finished with two honors apiece.