April 14, 2009
The 10th-ranked Missouri softball team is down to its final 10 games of the season and final non-conference doubleheader of the campaign. Led by Head Coach Ehren Earleywine, the Tigers will host Missouri S&T, formerly Missouri-Rolla, in a Wednesday evening doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. (CT) on University Field. Game two is slated to begin at 7 p.m. (CT), although the start time is subject to change based on the length of game one.
The Big 12 leading Tigers enter the midweek series on a five game win streak that dates back to Missouri's April 4 win over Texas A&M. Missouri is 28-3 against its non-conference foes, most recently recording a 9-1 win in five innings over Southern Illinois last Wednesday. Of its 28 non-conference victories, 12 have been decided in six or fewer innings.
Missouri's fifth instate opponent of the season, the Tigers are 6-0 this year against instate schools and have outscored their Missouri rivals, 45-5. Wednesday's meeting with Missouri S&T is a program first for the Tigers.
At 36-5 on the year, Missouri's roster has combined for a .328 average and 1.28 ERA. Both stand No. 1 in the competitive Big 12 Conference and among the top 10 in the nation. Individually, Big 12 Player of the Week Marla Schweisberger is hitting .430, an average that ranks 27th in the nation. Schweisberger also stands among the nation's elite with her RBI per game (1.09) which ranks 18th in the country. Rhea Taylor is also among the nation's finest with her 0.72 stolen bases per game (12th in the nation) and 1.09 runs per game (16th in the country). Fellow sophomore Megan Christopher is close to breaking into the Missouri single season home run record book and has 10 bombs on the season. Christopher has crushed seven home runs in Missouri's last 10 games.
Senior
Stacy Delaney owns a 1.15 ERA which is good enough for 18th best in the country, while freshman Chelsea Thomas' mark of 1.00 stands 13th. Thomas last pitched in Missouri's March 21 game at home against Texas. Delaney, Thomas and freshman
Kristin Nottelmann have each amassed 10 wins to their name with Nottelmann doing so in Missouri's April 11, 6-1, victory over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. Together, the four person staff, including left handed hurler
Jana Hainey has held their opponents to a .195 average, striking out 240 batters in 268 innings and allowing only 49 earned runs.
As a team, the Tigers have recorded 96 stolen bases, with Taylor and fellow outfielder Shana White accounting for 23 and 24, respectively. Missouri's 2.37 stolen bases per game has them standing seventy in the nation, while Valparaiso leads with 3.06 per game.
Returning home after a successful swing through Stillwater, Okla., Missouri is prepared to host eight of its final 10 games this season on University Field. In addition to Wednesday's doubleheader against Missouri S&T, fans can catch their Tigers in action as they host Iowa State (April 22), Oklahoma (April 25 and 26) and Nebraska (May 2 and 3). This season, Missouri is 10-2 on its home field with a four game win streak set in place.
