Sorry

This feed does not validate.

In addition, interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.

Source: http://feeds.feedburner.com/sportsblogs/RockMNation?format=xml

  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Rock M Nation -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>A Blog for Ol' Mizzou</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50319/rmn-fav.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-18T05:00:00-05:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.rockmnation.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-18T05:00:00-05:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-18T05:00:00-05:00</updated>
  12.    <title>What kind of impact can Caleb Grill supply?</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Basketball: Loyola-Maryland at Missouri" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/pC2MegG5OJh4hkgoGqIwl4PHjcI=/0x343:2800x2210/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355250/usa_today_22014428.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;As we wait on word on Grill’s medical waiver, let’s look at what the super-super senior can provide.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="t9rORD"&gt;Waiting is sometimes the hardest part. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="IVuerM"&gt;For a while now we have felt like we’re &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/3/17/24103298/mizzou-basketball-2024-transfer-tracker"&gt;waiting on certain news&lt;/a&gt;. Despite the length of time it’s taking, our &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/forums/viewtopic.php?t=277"&gt;latest info on Josh Gray&lt;/a&gt; is that everything is on course. Obviously at this point there’s just the confirmation that needs to happen. I would think we’re close. I don’t know if it’s today, tomorrow, or Monday... but soon. &lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="TdAP2j"&gt;Until then, I wanted to talk about Caleb Grill. The man who might be forgotten in all the turnover on the roster this spring. &lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="grWyf3"&gt;Grill arrived last spring looking like one of the more important pieces to a team looking to sustain the built on success of Dennis Gates’ first year. I’m not going to say that things were going perfectly smooth, but I don’t think anyone thought Mizzou would go defeated in SEC play after they took down Wichita State at home in early December. Even with projected contributor John Tonje struggling to meet expectations following a foot injury, Mizzou was hovering in the 70s and 80s in &lt;a href="http://KenPom.com"&gt;KenPom.com&lt;/a&gt; and seemed to be solidifying a bit following four straight wins. &lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="9THiME"&gt;But the wrench was thrown already. &lt;/p&gt;
  25.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  26.        &lt;img alt="NCAA Basketball: Wichita State at Missouri" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/EPID3rGWKkUdtlKBrIcBnlDa7mQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25232275/usa_today_22029033.jpg"&gt;
  27.      &lt;cite&gt;Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/cite&gt;
  28.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="R8J1cj"&gt;During the Wichita State game Grill injured his wrist. He was expected to return, but at some point it became evident that Grill wasn’t going to return. And he did not. &lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="GaV7XH"&gt;Instead Mizzou applied for a medical waiver for Grill to punt on the 2023-24 season. &lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="XPkM1i"&gt;Maybe Grill’s presence would have helped Mizzou avoid the embarrassment of going defeated in league play. I’d venture to say probably! Mostly because after Grill left the lineup the Tigers sank from 82nd in &lt;a href="http://KenPom.com"&gt;KenPom.com&lt;/a&gt; to their final resting spot at 145. &lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;p id="joSe8L"&gt;Let’s recall &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-tigers-basketball/2023/10/16/23889903/mizzou-hoops-player-preview-caleb-grill"&gt;DataMizzou’s preview of Grill&lt;/a&gt; before the season:&lt;/p&gt;
  33. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="rCSHzk"&gt;Moving from the Big 12 to the SEC removes projection out of the equation. We know exactly what Caleb Grill can be in a high-major conference. The only remaining questions are how his role changes, if at all, and can his performance be improved.&lt;/p&gt;
  35. &lt;p id="alSkEb"&gt;I think his game is going to remain largely unchanged. He will likely get more opportunities in transition as well as open-rim attempts on cutting plays. His bread and butter will still be what he provides behind the arc. A move to a much more up-tempo — and open — offensive system should push his production to an even higher level.&lt;/p&gt;
  36. &lt;p id="u5AN3G"&gt;I expect to see Grill play starter minutes, likely in the 55-60% minutes played range. I also expect to see his usage rise simply by virtue of his new program encouraging him to unleash shots at any given time. An 18% usage rate, while still considered that of a role player, would be a pretty heavy increase from his career marks. A reasonable expectation should these things manifest is an 8-10 points per night scorer. And one who does it with some flair.&lt;/p&gt;
  37. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  38. &lt;p id="vzMtjE"&gt;It’s easy to overlook Grill. After all, this offseason Mizzou has added a former 5-star recruit and Duke transfer in Mark Mitchell. Plus All Big 10 point guard Tony Perkins, and the all time scorer at Northern Kentucky in Marques Warrick. &lt;/p&gt;
  39. &lt;p id="uBrJF2"&gt;If Grill were added to the roster now instead of last spring, he might be the third most talked about transfer. His 110.3 offensive rating last year (in limited duty) was the highest of his career, despite shooting the lowest percentage from behind the arc since his freshman season. His offensive and defensive rebound rate was the highest of his career. His highest assist rate, lowest turnover rate... things were trending very well for Grill before the injury. &lt;/p&gt;
  40. &lt;p id="p9hgR4"&gt;Missouri doesn’t need Grill to be what they needed last year. They need that from Perkins, Mitchell, and maybe Tamar Bates. Grill can take a step back, to a more familiar role of being a spacer, and a defender, and continuing to rebound. &lt;/p&gt;
  41. &lt;p id="55G4R9"&gt;Missouri has a lot of bodies available on the wing. Depending on how you want to define that position, Grill can be added to a body which includes Bates, Warrick, Aidan Shaw, Trent Pierce, Annor Boteng, Jacob Crews, Marcus Allen, and Mark Mitchell. All of whom are talented, but none who can bring what Grill brings. Toughness, experience, and a guy who has been with Gates more than a year now. He understands the assignment. &lt;/p&gt;
  42.  
  43. </content>
  44.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-tigers-basketball/2024/5/18/24159519/what-kind-of-impact-can-caleb-grill-supply"/>
  45.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/missouri-tigers-basketball/2024/5/18/24159519/what-kind-of-impact-can-caleb-grill-supply</id>
  46.    <author>
  47.      <name>Sam Snelling</name>
  48.    </author>
  49.  </entry>
  50.  <entry>
  51.    <published>2024-05-17T16:01:51-05:00</published>
  52.    <updated>2024-05-17T16:01:51-05:00</updated>
  53.    <title>Texas Center Tionna Herron joins Mizzou Women’s Hoops</title>
  54.    <content type="html">  
  55.  
  56.    &lt;figure&gt;
  57.      &lt;img alt="Syndication: Austin American-Statesman" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nPS3sL6slRBY5ElhEvd9ihqBE2I=/0x40:2400x1640/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354650/usa_today_21478504.0.jpg" /&gt;
  58.        &lt;figcaption&gt;&amp;nbsp;Texas basketball player Tionna Herron works out in the weight room with her teammates ahead of the basketball season, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023 in Austin. Herron underwent surgery for a heart abnormality, causing her to miss a year of basketball, but is hoping to get back on the court this season. | Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  59.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  60.  
  61.  &lt;p&gt;The newest Tiger has overcome significant medical hurdles since starting her collegiate career.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="gS0pgv"&gt;After starting the spring with five open roster spots on Mizzou women’s basketball, that number has now dwindled to one. The latest transfer commitment comes way of DeSoto, Texas as Tionna “Tree” Herron has committed to Mizzou after spending her redshirt freshman season at Texas.&lt;/p&gt;
  62. &lt;div id="CWul2f"&gt;
  63. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  64. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;next chapter    &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/committed?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#committed&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/PSRpeo8o6d"&gt;pic.twitter.com/PSRpeo8o6d&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Tionna Herron (@TREEvibess) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TREEvibess/status/1791531858418712584?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 17, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  65. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  66. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  67.  
  68. &lt;/div&gt;
  69. &lt;h1 id="i5XwHv"&gt;Let’s Meet Tionna&lt;/h1&gt;
  70. &lt;ul&gt;
  71. &lt;li id="EHk8Ns"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;From: DeSoto, Texas&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  72. &lt;li id="z7a31A"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Transfer Schools: Texas (1 year), Kentucky (1 year- medical redshirt)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  73. &lt;li id="Atn8Xm"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Year: Sophomore (3 years of eligibility remaining)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  74. &lt;li id="kIt7sa"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Position: Center&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  75. &lt;li id="2BMUMR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Height: 6-4&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/li&gt;
  76. &lt;/ul&gt;
  77. &lt;p id="ZWZWtv"&gt;Originally signed with Kentucky, Herron’s season was cut tragically short when, prior to arriving in Lexington, it was discovered that she had a structural abnormality involving her heart.  She underwent &lt;a href="https://x.com/KentuckyWBB/status/1628478201902292993"&gt;successful open-heart surgery&lt;/a&gt; in August 2022 and was not cleared to return to play while with UK. In the offseason, she entered the transfer portal and committed to the Longhorns in May 2023, &lt;a href="https://www.kxan.com/sports/after-heart-surgery-tionna-herron-transfers-to-texas/"&gt;citing a desire to move closer&lt;/a&gt; to home (completely understandable after such a scare). &lt;/p&gt;
  78. &lt;div id="SvKzHI"&gt;
  79. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  80. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The UT women's basketball team has a lot of players that are currently dealing with or have dealt with injuries, but nobody has been through what Tionna Herron has. Her story tonight at 9:30 on Beyond the Sport. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TREEvibess?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@TREEvibess&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TexasWBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@TexasWBB&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/1708Media_ATX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@1708Media_ATX&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/SpectrumNews1TX?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@SpectrumNews1TX&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/XQj5uoyGHH"&gt;pic.twitter.com/XQj5uoyGHH&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Travis Recek (@TravisRecek) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TravisRecek/status/1748387926189437070?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;January 19, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  81. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  82. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  83.  
  84. &lt;/div&gt;
  85. &lt;p id="PayJ0B"&gt;Thus far in her young career, Herron has seen very limited collegiate action, playing in less than 50 minutes and just 11 games in her one season with the Longhorns. One standout performance came against UT-Arlington, where Tree scored six points and grabbed three rebounds in 12 minutes. She was expected to be a piece of the Longhorns’ future, so it seems that her transfer announcement from UT on April 22 comes as a surprise. &lt;/p&gt;
  86. &lt;p id="0EfYX6"&gt;But don’t let the limited numbers fool you: Herron was an extremely sought after recruit out of high school. She was a four-start and the No. 69 recruit ranked in the class of 2022 out of DeSoto High School. Herron won back-to-back state titles, and was named a Texas Association of Basketball Coaches All-State selection her senior year. &lt;/p&gt;
  87. &lt;p id="nd9vYz"&gt;Herron is nicknamed “Tree” and for good reason. At 6-4, Herron will be the second-tallest player for the Tigers behind only Lucija Milkovic. After looking extremely thin at the 5 several weeks ago, the arrival of Herron and the return of Angelique Ngalakulondi (medical waiver) helps bolster the center position for Mizzou. &lt;/p&gt;
  88. &lt;p id="D8DV0E"&gt;In high school Herron averaged 12 points and eight rebounds her senior season, adding even more help on the boards for a Tigers team that desperately needed it. &lt;/p&gt;
  89. &lt;p id="1NjspV"&gt;“Tree” will be the roots of Mizzou and their defensive identity, hoping to see her using her impressive frame in the paint to turn away smaller guards. I wouldn’t want to meet her down low.&lt;/p&gt;
  90. &lt;h2 id="qHWO9p"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Highlights&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  91. &lt;p id="tFiPPz"&gt;She’s tall, you guys.&lt;/p&gt;
  92. &lt;div id="2mtEzx"&gt;
  93. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  94. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Tionna Herron on "D" &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NTXElite2022?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#NTXElite2022&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/yLM5caDEEq"&gt;pic.twitter.com/yLM5caDEEq&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Tionna Herron (@TREEvibess) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TREEvibess/status/759928863430287360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 1, 2016&lt;/a&gt;
  95. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  96. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  97.  
  98. &lt;/div&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="koV5Cu"&gt;A fun get-to-know-you piece when while she was in Austin&lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;div id="68ia4F"&gt;
  101. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  102. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;fresh on the Forty  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;welcome to Texas &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TREEvibess?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@TREEvibess&lt;/a&gt;!&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HookEm?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#HookEm&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/5MRlkLC1Li"&gt;pic.twitter.com/5MRlkLC1Li&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Texas Women's Basketball (@TexasWBB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TexasWBB/status/1696935490144944335?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;August 30, 2023&lt;/a&gt;
  103. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  104. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  105.  
  106. &lt;/div&gt;
  107. &lt;h2 id="nl3OEp"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;What Others are Saying:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  108. &lt;div id="i1JSEU"&gt;
  109. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  110. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Former UK and Texas center Tionna Herron has landed at Mizzou, returning to the SEC. Herron was the No. 69 overall ranked prospect in the class of 2022. &lt;a href="https://t.co/R7TNUEnrQp"&gt;https://t.co/R7TNUEnrQp&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Caroline Makauskas (@cmakauskas) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/cmakauskas/status/1791540099991179353?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 17, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  111. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  112. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  113.  
  114. &lt;/div&gt;
  115. &lt;p id="RpC4p7"&gt;Originally thought to play a big role in the Longhorns’ first season in the SEC, Herron will now suit up for the Tigers.&lt;/p&gt;
  116. &lt;div id="2iAoPK"&gt;
  117. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  118. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Don't forget the first two Gs off the bench, &lt;br&gt;Ndjakalenga Mwenentanda &amp;amp; Gisella Maul as well P Tionna Herron and G Jordana Codio, all four poised to make an impact in 2024-25.&lt;br&gt;    &lt;a href="https://t.co/VdFUBD5OEt"&gt;https://t.co/VdFUBD5OEt&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Jose Loera (@JoseLoera) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JoseLoera/status/1777427384511127720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 8, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  119. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  120. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  121.  
  122. &lt;/div&gt;
  123. &lt;p id="8r5gfz"&gt;During the 2023-24 campaign, Mizzou had a grand total of zero players from Texas on the roster. Now with Tree and Nyah Wilson transferring in and recruits Ma’Riya Vincent and Londyn Oliphant joining the squad, it’s a Lone Star showcase next season in the Show-Me State. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;As mentioned previously, Mizzou now only has one open roster spot remaining (we think). The 16 players on the roster now surpasses the total from last season. Herron has three years of eligibility left, and joins an absurdly large group of six Tiger sophomores next season.&lt;/p&gt;
  124.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  125.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tfBV6POksgnoxR9Tf3Hp4SBl4w4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25453428/may_17_screenshot.png"&gt;
  126.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  127. &lt;h2 id="zAcSTh"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Welcome, Tree! M-I-Z!&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  128. &lt;p id="e8ZyC0"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  129. &lt;p id="LqymIy"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  130. &lt;p id="brWcEw"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  131. &lt;p id="JSD9V2"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  132. &lt;p id="pxGEss"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  133.  
  134. </content>
  135.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/17/24159278/texas-center-tionna-herron-makes-the-move-to-mizzou-womens-basketball"/>
  136.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/17/24159278/texas-center-tionna-herron-makes-the-move-to-mizzou-womens-basketball</id>
  137.    <author>
  138.      <name>Dylan Heinrich</name>
  139.      <name>Karen Steger</name>
  140.    </author>
  141.  </entry>
  142.  <entry>
  143.    <published>2024-05-17T10:00:00-05:00</published>
  144.    <updated>2024-05-17T10:00:00-05:00</updated>
  145.    <title>A Fan’s Guide to Mizzou Softball</title>
  146.    <content type="html">  
  147.  
  148.    &lt;figure&gt;
  149.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nU_LzaHkICreRvI0_pDi7BODzuc=/28x0:721x462/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353745/fans_guide.0.jpg" /&gt;
  150.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Karen Steger Designs&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  151.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  152.  
  153.  &lt;p&gt;There’s always room on the bandwagon&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="ycyPl5"&gt;All aboard the Mizzou softball bandwagon.&lt;/p&gt;
  154. &lt;p id="5JSTP8"&gt;If you’re new here, welcome, and it must be asked in a slightly scolding tone like my mother&lt;small&gt;**&lt;/small&gt; would have used in my childhood, &lt;em&gt;“Where have you been?&lt;/em&gt;” And if you’re a returner, hello again. Nice to see you. &lt;small&gt;&lt;em&gt;**disclaimer: not MY mom, she would NEVER&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  155. &lt;p id="tKzkab"&gt;A small but mighty group of us had the immense joy of covering this team all season, and now that it’s postseason time (more on that below), we thought it’d be fun to give you glimpse of this team we just can’t stop writing about! &lt;/p&gt;
  156. &lt;p id="ANEJqZ"&gt;Consider this your Pre-Regionals Primer of sorts. &lt;/p&gt;
  157.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  158.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/9A7268wSGrmy83yWXKIkSoAkAAI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451143/Season_Rewind.jpg"&gt;
  159.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  160. &lt;p id="pOOQmB"&gt;No one thought they would be here, friends. All season long, as I wrote in my May 10 Morning Commute post, &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/10/24152756/whos-afraid-of-little-old-me-mizzou-softball-sec-tournament-arkansas-razorbacks"&gt;they were the ones who were counted out&lt;/a&gt; — picked ELEVENTH in the preseason poll — the ones who still, despite picking up an absurd amount of road wins (19; 34 if you count neutral sites) and the second most Top 25 wins in the whole conference (15 if you count SEC Tourney), were the unknowns. The forgotten-abouts. The “they should just be happy to be in the conversations.” And so they took those projections and told them to shove it. JK, what I meant to say is they proved them all wrong. Just a season removed from dead last in the Southeastern Conference, in a real “worst to first” — well, to fifth, anyway — this scrappy bunch went from winning a single SEC series to winning five, and only getting swept by one team (Tennessee, which Coach has said we are supposed to forget about so poof! it’s gone). &lt;/p&gt;
  161. &lt;p id="6jkxTX"&gt;Their performance was good enough to earn the five-seed in the SEC Tournament, and despite advancing all the way to the title game (&lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/11/24154410/missouri-tigers-softball-tournament-run-ends-in-uncharacteristic-showing-vs-florida-sec-title-game"&gt;where they ultimately lost to Florida 6-1&lt;/a&gt;), if you were to look at the prognosticator’s NCAA Tournament predictions, you’d see a bunch of people writing off this Tiger team, picking Washington to advance to Supers.&lt;/p&gt;
  162. &lt;p id="NpwPmt"&gt;This whole being overlooked thing — which seems common for Mizzou sports teams, right? — reminds me of a slogan the high school swim team I coached put on the back of our shirts one year.&lt;/p&gt;
  163. &lt;p id="gqsjnv"&gt;&lt;em&gt;I can.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  164. &lt;p id="YRnvto"&gt;&lt;em&gt;We Will.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  165. &lt;p id="jCv4tc"&gt;&lt;em&gt;You’ll See.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  166. &lt;p id="ZlTl4g"&gt;Counted out they shouldn’t be, for these mighty Tigers have an awfully ferocious roar.&lt;/p&gt;
  167.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  168.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wNjt_MkvUKwhibknEmvljrPleiw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451144/Como_regional.jpg"&gt;
  169.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  170. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  171. &lt;p id="6RkmRt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;WHEN: &lt;/strong&gt;Friday, May 17 at 4:30pm &lt;/p&gt;
  172. &lt;p id="VC8iJt"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;VENUE: &lt;/strong&gt;Mizzou Softball Stadium | Columbia, Mo. (&lt;a href="https://am.ticketmaster.com/mizzou/buy"&gt;TICKETS LINK&lt;/a&gt;)&lt;/p&gt;
  173. &lt;p id="4EEFpR"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;HOW TO WATCH:&lt;/strong&gt; SECN &amp;amp; ESPN+ (Chuckie Kempf, Monica Abbott on the call)&lt;/p&gt;
  174. &lt;p id="1kXNM5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LIVE STATS: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d1/2024/regionals/113"&gt;Statbroadcast&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  175. &lt;p id="lrn1rs"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;OPPONENT:&lt;/strong&gt; University of Nebraska-Omaha (41-13, 14-4 Summit League, no. 67 RPI)&lt;/p&gt;
  176. &lt;p id="2bR3t0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COLUMBIA REGIONAL WEEKEND SCHEDULE: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  177. &lt;p id="BQy4n5"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Friday, May 17 - Game 1: 2 p.m., CT – Washington vs. Indiana | &lt;/small&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/a62f33fb-ba2c-445f-a17b-41e39dd982d6"&gt;&lt;small&gt;ESPN+&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  178. &lt;p id="y4KBt1"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Friday, May 17 - Game 2: 4:30 p.m., CT – Missouri vs. Omaha | &lt;/small&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/cc4aa149-722f-4c65-80be-895b0190e63c"&gt;&lt;small&gt;ESPN+&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  179. &lt;p id="DX36fc"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Saturday, May 18 - Game 3: 2 p.m., CT – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  180. &lt;p id="k1x1WQ"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Saturday, May 18 - Game 4: 4:30 p.m., CT – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  181. &lt;p id="oMqGow"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Saturday, May 18 - Game 5: 7 p.m., CT – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  182. &lt;p id="pYTOGC"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Sunday, May 19 - Game 6: TBD – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  183. &lt;p id="tUmrT0"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Sunday, May 19 - Game 7: TBD – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  184. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  185. &lt;p id="2jxVlk"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  186.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  187.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/m4PXpe0pz5PFRTFsu7c4rTgRdS0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451145/pitching.jpg"&gt;
  188.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  189. &lt;p id="c4LAsa"&gt;Going into the postseason, Mizzou Head Coach Larissa Anderson is &lt;s&gt;excited&lt;/s&gt; enthralled about the health and depth of the pitching staff, which entered the SEC title game with a 0.95 ERA across its three games of the SEC Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;
  190. &lt;p id="6LGIAW"&gt;“The really great thing about our team,” Anderson said after Selection Sunday, “is that our pitching staff is so healthy and so fresh... Laurin Krings (is) at around 117, and some of our opponents were up around 175. That just shows me how healthy Krings is. And McCann is below 100 and Harrison is hovering right around 100, so they’re extremely healthy and extremely fresh so I can rely on any single one of them and be able to get the best output out of them.”&lt;/p&gt;
  191. &lt;p id="iG48Ao"&gt;Let’s meet the staff, shall we?&lt;/p&gt;
  192. &lt;h3 id="405dco"&gt;Laurin Krings (AKA: Specs, Lo)&lt;/h3&gt;
  193.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  194.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/dZ8K63bkZ0SxIwNBAOaLYcjB16I=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25423399/CAL_5905_1.jpg"&gt;
  195.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  196.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  197. &lt;p id="zvDPV0"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Laurin Krings.&lt;/strong&gt; a senior from Loveland, Colorado and the undisputed ace of this Tiger team. After serving in the de facto no. 2 spot for years behind Jordan Weber, this season has been her time to shine for the black and gold. &lt;/p&gt;
  198. &lt;p id="pa9TRp"&gt;There can’t be a rainbow without a cloud and a storm, however, and at one point in the season, there was talking of moving Krings to a relief role, as she was struggling to connect her strong bullpen sessions to her to actual pitching performance. Alas, those days are long behind her and she has been Specs-tacular the last month-plus. Krings posted a career-best 2.64 ERA as part of a 13-win season, recording eight complete games and a shutout.&lt;/p&gt;
  199. &lt;p id="rF4shP"&gt;If you follow Karen on socials, you’ll notice that she loves to show her strikeouts by attaching additional &lt;a href="https://x.com/karensteger/status/1776669349954068600"&gt;Ks to Krings&lt;/a&gt;. It only gets weird when she throws three of them, y’all.&lt;/p&gt;
  200. &lt;h3 id="OaTgwG"&gt;Cierra Harrison (AKA: CC)&lt;/h3&gt;
  201.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  202.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IQVIhvlTD280wFlzDSveThb5Ths=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25424643/1859_04282024_sb_MSST_1.jpg"&gt;
  203.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  204.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  205. &lt;p id="kMqTS9"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Cierra Harrison&lt;/strong&gt;. The sophomore from KCMO is small but mighty, standing at between 5-foot-2 to 5-foot-4 (she’ll says she’s 5’4; Coach thinks she’s 5’2), and has &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/3/23/24108003/ace-of-the-future-inside-cierra-harrisons-growth-into-one-of-mizzou-softballs-budding-stars-columbia"&gt;showcased her ace potential&lt;/a&gt; this season, posting a 14-3 record with a 2.06 ERA. Harrison is a true workhorse in the circle, pitching with a level of energy and effort that isn’t matched by many. &lt;/p&gt;
  206. &lt;p id="xjOnF7"&gt;“She’s tough as nails,” Anderson said. “She refuses to lose and she’s gonna go out there and give everything she has all the time. It’s just a matter of, can her body do what it needs to do? A rise ball is a very taxing pitch. Because of her stature, she has to put maximum effort on every single pitch to get it to do what it needs to do.”&lt;/p&gt;
  207. &lt;p id="SgValp"&gt;What should viewers look for when watching Harrison?&lt;/p&gt;
  208. &lt;p id="h2XiE8"&gt;“She [CC] has the ability to move the ball, like every ball that comes out of her hand, even if she misses her spots, is spinning, so it’s really, really difficult for the hitters to be able to square the ball,” Anderson said at Monday’s Tiger Talk. &lt;/p&gt;
  209. &lt;h3 id="5o51Yr"&gt;Marissa McCann (AKA: M&amp;amp;M)&lt;/h3&gt;
  210.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  211.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/zRjt_vBdRQzrcNzXtKEf9GwDbKU=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25391866/CAL_3443_1.jpg"&gt;
  212.      &lt;cite&gt;Missouri relief pitcher Marissa McCann prepares to pitch in the seventh inning against Florida. She threw 2.2 innings of relief to give Missouri the win. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)&lt;/cite&gt;
  213.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  214. &lt;p id="m1ke5d"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Marissa McCann&lt;/strong&gt;. The certified Swiftie from Surprise, Arizona, who has wanted nothing more than to be a Tiger.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="yI0xa4"&gt;“When I first heard that there was this kid from Arizona that wanted to come play at Mizzou, and she used to be from here, and I’m like, ‘Okay, whatever, like there’s 1,000 of those kids, and I’m not really interested in taking a charity case,” Anderson said. “And then I saw her throw...” &lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="He7mfu"&gt;The gifted freshman right-hander has left quite the first impression this season, appearing in 27 games with six starts. McCann sported a 7-2 record with a 1.93 ERA, including a 2.12 ERA across 15 appearances in conference play, and only improved as the season went along, allowing just seven earned runs over her final 48 innings, good for a 1.02 ERA. McCann’s role with Mizzou has asked a lot out of the freshman, but she has responded in an emphatic way. &lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="tqdkPp"&gt;“McCann has been extremely (good) in bridging the gap between starter and closer,” Anderson said during the SEC tourney. When the starters have run a little bit of trouble, it’s been a case of, “Let’s immediately go to McCann because she’s been there, done that.”&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;p id="PHE2aU"&gt;Arguably her most notable appearance was during the SEC Tournament against LSU. With the bases loaded and no outs, McCann retired three consecutive batters with two of them being set down on strikeouts. &lt;/p&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="RWU8uH"&gt;While Krings and Harrison have proven that they can go the distance, McCann has offered her team a quality relief option that’s stepped up in big moments. If she’s called upon during the tournament, it could turn into a&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/mizzousoftball/status/1786804741839724566?s=12&amp;amp;t=56b6P5hGLbbUyZK8G87tYA"&gt;cruel summer&lt;/a&gt; for the opposition.&lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;h3 id="wcCL1x"&gt;Taylor Pannell (AKA: TP)&lt;/h3&gt;
  221.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  222.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0SIAVeq7m01VY-INaJRhBJWSclc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25424826/1717_04282024_sb_MSST.JPG"&gt;
  223.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  224.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  225. &lt;p id="ukQQNK"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Taylor Pannell. &lt;/strong&gt;She’s the Tigers’ lefty closer with the long blonde hair, not unlike that of the lead singer of a certain musical group that plays her preferred walk-out music, “&lt;em&gt;Welcome to the Jungle&lt;/em&gt;.” (she’s a bit more blonde)&lt;/p&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="lYWvtR"&gt;Yes, she’s a closer. Confused because most softball teams don’t utilize a closer? &lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p id="IW3wYW"&gt;“It’s great to have someone like that on staff that embrace that role,” Anderson said. “That want to be in that situation, that thrive in that environment. For someone to embrace that role, it’s rare. It’s really, really rare.”&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;p id="wj7526"&gt;While it may be rare, Pannell’s part in Missouri’s success cannot be understated. &lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;p id="YKNv35"&gt;The sophomore southpaw leads the nation with 14 saves this season — one shy of the NCAA Division-I record — and owns a 0.97 earned run average across 25 appearances. Pannell has stepped up in any and all moments, and she does it with an unwavering motivation. Need TP for an inning? Sure thing. &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/5/24149765/in-the-game-that-would-seemingly-never-end-the-missouri-tigers-come-out-on-top"&gt;Need her for 4 innings in a pivotal conference matchup.&lt;/a&gt;? No problem! &lt;/p&gt;
  230. &lt;p id="Lx46uP"&gt;“I play with a chip on my shoulder,” Pannell said in &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24156476/inside-the-tough-mentality-that-shapes-mizzou-closer-taylor-pannell-success-tigers-saves-record-ncaa"&gt;an interview with Rock M Nation’s Brandon Haynes&lt;/a&gt;. “I just remember when I was younger, a lot of people didn’t think I was good enough to play college softball, especially in the SEC. ... I go out there with that mentality like I’m proving everybody wrong. I don’t care who we play, like we’re getting this game over. I’m going to do my job, and I’ll support my team in whatever way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  231. &lt;h2 id="S8TrUh"&gt;Lilly Whitten &lt;/h2&gt;
  232.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  233.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/J6HWOfoImEQwcVYYRjo9tSzrs_A=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25405693/CAL_6328_1.jpg"&gt;
  234.      &lt;cite&gt;(Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)&lt;/cite&gt;
  235.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  236. &lt;p id="EngTrg"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Lilly Whitten&lt;/strong&gt;, who's dealt with injuries the past two years that have kept her off the field. I’d call her the most surprising “addition” — yes, she’s been on the team for a bit, but we never saw her — to the pitching staff and has a 1.18 ERA and 5-0 record (three starts) in 29.2 innings. Of the starts, all of which were in the non-con, she forced six-plus strikeouts. In limited use in SEC play — Coach has expressed not throwing her into the fire so soon — she allowed just one earned run and five hits in 6.2 IP to go with a 1.05 ERA and .185 opponent batting average. &lt;/p&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="ymNmAk"&gt;“She’s consistently [throwing] 68,” Anderson said in mid-April. “She’s topped out at 72 by getting on it, and did that overnight only understanding how your body works... It’s just her understanding the force that you put into the ground to generate the power. And for her to get that velocity and that power just shows you the potential that she has... But she’s really a freshman.”&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="ZupmF7"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  239.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  240.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MC3XaBjG1c5GgJvgVwDpYHxlrl8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451147/infield2.jpg"&gt;
  241.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  242. &lt;h3 id="xPpNhj"&gt;Abby Hay (AKA: Lightning McQueen)&lt;/h3&gt;
  243.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  244.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5GJ-4dSFig2dSGEizp2mnXRAZlI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25265518/CAL_2344.jpg"&gt;
  245.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  246.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="gkkxHB"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Abby Hay&lt;/strong&gt;, the CoMo native and Mizzou legacy a million times over, who, &lt;a href="https://www.columbiamissourian.com/sports/mizzou_sports/hays-journey-from-baseball-to-softball-stardom-embodies-determination-family-legacy/article_2b6185c6-fdac-11ee-b1d8-e3f89a9d3a6d.html"&gt;until being approached by Rock Bridge softball coach Lisa Alvis&lt;/a&gt; her freshman year at Rock Bridge, played baseball. She wears a baseball cap (as opposed to a visor), she’s hilarious (more on that later), and she’s got the mind of a veteran softballer.&lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="fndxCA"&gt;It wasn’t until the road series at Arkansas that she took over at first base, finding a permanent spot in the Tigers’ starting lineup, and she hasn’t looked back since.&lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="irYcYf"&gt;One of the most impressive things about Hay, who hit .310 in 71 at-bats this season and is second on the team in slugging percentage (.507), is that she doesn’t try to do too much. “She’s not up there looking to try to hit homeruns,” Anderson said. “She’s going to put a good swing on a pitch and where it goes, it’s where it’s supposed to go.”&lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="wjErhd"&gt;She told Coach after taking third from first on a ground ball one game, “I changed the rhythm of my lead so I could screen the fielder. So she couldn’t see the entire ground ball, right?’ Impressive stuff. &lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;h3 id="umyJXT"&gt;Maddie Gallagher (AKA: Gally, MadG&lt;small&gt;—Karen keeps trying to make this stick&lt;/small&gt;)&lt;/h3&gt;
  252.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  253.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/OWqJPN-PKujJUKamKM3xB_s7JNc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25450333/madG.jpg"&gt;
  254.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  255. &lt;p id="kafPEc"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Maddie Gallagher&lt;/strong&gt;, who is in her second season with the Tigers after transferring from South Carolina. She starts a party each time she steps up to the plate, hitting three headlining home runs this season. Most recently, she carried the Tigers’ offense in their SEC semifinal against LSU. She homered in the third and hit a walk-off sac fly to send Missouri &lt;a href="https://x.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1789083545404600558"&gt;to the championship game&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  256. &lt;p id="4ywp10"&gt;She’s also quite the whiz in the field, earning All-Defensive honors for her incredible playmaking abilities all season. “She can read the swing really well. She starts to lean before there’s even contact based on how that bat angles come into the zone,” Anderson said one post-game after a particularly astounding spin move at second base.&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="CPKPjo"&gt;Like the rest of the team, Gally is also just an all-around good human. She led Missouri in community service hours and earned a spot on the 2024 SEC Community Service Team. She volunteered with Special Olympics in basketball and softball and served at the football National Championship game, among many other experiences.&lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;h3 id="AcJsmS"&gt;Jenna Laird&lt;/h3&gt;
  259.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  260.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iQeqVtfhpTOvwefVfrFvXm3f72M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25405694/CAL_6340_1.jpg"&gt;
  261.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  262.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="0SR3ZO"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Jenna Laird&lt;/strong&gt;, another New Yorker who has known Anderson since she was a child.&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;The senior leadoff hitter and starting shortstop has been good all year, leading the team in batting average (.350), runs scored (52), stolen bases (18), and is tied for the top spot in hits (64), and walks (25). But in the SEC Tournament, she took it to another level, going 6-for-14 with four runs scored, two walks, two doubles, an RBI, and a pair of stolen bases. &lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;p id="pmcWo2"&gt;Looking for a home run hitter? Well, that is decidedly not Laird, who actually hasn’t hit a bomb in two seasons, though during the SEC tourney, she hit two that were &lt;em&gt;thisclose &lt;/em&gt;to getting out. But if you’re looking for a grinder, someone who will give it everything they’ve got, then you’ve found your match in Jenna Laird.&lt;/p&gt;
  265. &lt;h3 id="4mJEu1"&gt;Kara Daly (AKA: The Knockout&lt;small&gt;— you know, because she ran over Coach)&lt;/small&gt;
  266. &lt;/h3&gt;
  267.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  268.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Jzpsz8kAy8D5jmea_1siufYaGsE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25326125/CAL_9222.jpg"&gt;
  269.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  270.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="NWpyFy"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Kara Daly&lt;/strong&gt;, the Tigers’ third baseman who is making a &lt;a href="https://x.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1787238482215117045"&gt;gasp-inducing play&lt;/a&gt; one second, and an error the next. The most power-hitting of the Tigers’ power-lite lineup, Daly can be counted on for a home run (she leads the team with seven) as much as a strikeout (she leads the team with 43). It’s been an up-and-down season for the Jeff City junior by all accounts, but she’s a dangerous hitter and a must-watch player in this lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="UFc2cw"&gt;Call me an optimist, but I think she’s coming on strong to end the season, as she was 3-for-9 in the South Carolina series with a run scored, a home run and four RBI. &lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;h3 id="dj5kFo"&gt;Julia Crenshaw (AKA: Cranny, JC)&lt;/h3&gt;
  274.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  275.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oA_Al7dula4lAoMo_dLypcANOcs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25426561/CAL_0230.JPG"&gt;
  276.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  277.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="kzcjXo"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Julia Crenshaw&lt;/strong&gt;, the team leader in sacrifice hits (7), and the catcher of this Mizzou team. During a 2023 season in which Larissa Anderson searched for production behind the plate, they turned to JC, who was decidedly NOT a catcher by trade. And since then, she’s flourished, especially in her communication with Anderson, in telling her what batters are doing and how the pitches move. &lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="2jsVBd"&gt;“She has given me a lot of feedback, and she just, I think, she (has done) a real good job of being able to manipulate some balls and get some calls from the umpire.” &lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="HLCfrW"&gt;When Crenshaw isn’t catching strikes, she’s bowling them. Per Dylan Heinrich, Crenshaw started a bowling team with Chantice Phillips and Laurin Krings. They have bowling shirts and everything.&lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="kIFygI"&gt;Hitting-wise, it’s been a weird season for JC, as she seemingly hit all her balls right AT people, but she, like Daly has come on really strong as of late and was 4-for-10 in the SEC Tourney. &lt;/p&gt;
  282.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  283.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/hx05bgOPSwgrheQpAHA2aea0N1M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451148/outfield.jpg"&gt;
  284.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  285. &lt;h3 id="yf3M3W"&gt;Kayley Lenger (AKA: Bruiser&lt;small&gt;— new nickname being workshopped&lt;/small&gt;)&lt;/h3&gt;
  286.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  287.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HWGJA6MeRwadHasphu9o3UvQwvY=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25391859/CAL_3184_1.jpg"&gt;
  288.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  289.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  290. &lt;p id="r1zsG4"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Kayley Lenger&lt;/strong&gt;, Mizzou’s SEC All-Defensive team left fielder, and a new starter to this Tiger team after only accumulating three at-bats her freshman season, mainly contributing in a pinch-running role. Lenger is a joy to watch both in the field (her .989 fielding percentage was tops among the starters) and at bat, as she was a big, big fan of getting on base by any means necessary. Oftentimes, that meant taking a pitch to the body (hence the new nickname “Bruiser”), as she is the conference leader with 19 hit-by-pitches.&lt;/p&gt;
  291. &lt;p id="fGehY1"&gt;When asked about this stat, she said, “I mean, that’s my box. So I’m gonna stand in my box on my line and if they want to come in and they’re gonna come in and I’m not gonna get out of the way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  292. &lt;p id="yxT6Nb"&gt;Weirdly, there are people out there who think taking HBP isn’t a meaningful way of producing offense, but you know what? They’re WRONG. &lt;/p&gt;
  293. &lt;p id="UXI6Qc"&gt;“If you’re getting hit by pitch, it’s good because that means you’re grounded in your legs,” Anderson told us (and you, the doubters). If you’re stabilized in your lower body and you’re moving to hit, you should be getting hit by pitch... Kayley’s mentality is just get on base in any way possible and she does crowd the plate.”&lt;/p&gt;
  294. &lt;h3 id="jjxFKo"&gt;Alex Honnold (AKA: Al Pal)&lt;/h3&gt;
  295.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  296.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WFpBtsokKYHvGI1qSePGu4YULRM=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25394066/CAL_5560_1.jpg"&gt;
  297.      &lt;cite&gt;Missouri center fielder Alex Honnold catches Ariel Kowalewski’s line drive in the sixth inning for an out. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)&lt;/cite&gt;
  298.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  299. &lt;p id="m3hhSD"&gt;Meet&lt;strong&gt; Alex Honnold&lt;/strong&gt;, who may have the loudest bat, but is never the loudest volume-wise. She works hard, she grinds, she’s atop the stats leaderboard (.348 BA- 2nd, 64 hits- 1st (tie), 34 RBI- 2nd, 14 SB- 2nd) and after being a part of press conferences with her for years, we know that she much prefers to conduct herself in the background, instead giving her teammates the spotlight. The Mizzou all-time doubles leader has been one of the most consistent players to wear a Mizzou uniform in recent history and will likely end her time in the black &amp;amp; gold with a batting average north of .300 and less than five errors. Wow.&lt;/p&gt;
  300. &lt;p id="IAfGOs"&gt;After struggling to begin SEC play in a very un-Alex-like way (she was hitting just .227 going into the Georgia series), she found her pitch, and got herself back to normal levels of awesomeness, skyrocketing her batting average up to .308 after a 6-for-10 weekend. And while the scoresheet won’t show it, she also scored a Little League home run in the UGA series, as a single turned into an extra base turned into a throwing error into the outfield and home she went.&lt;/p&gt;
  301. &lt;h3 id="n9SBg8"&gt;Left Fielder by Committee&lt;/h3&gt;
  302.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  303.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YylZDjcGyx0FJWj1BomQO3kCZ2M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25392683/CAL_4005_1.jpg"&gt;
  304.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  305.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  306. &lt;p id="j80p8q"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Chantice Phillips&lt;/strong&gt; (AKA: ChannyP, CP), &lt;strong&gt;Mya Dodge&lt;/strong&gt; (AKA: MVC Mya) and &lt;strong&gt;Claire Cahalan&lt;/strong&gt; (AKA: Tiny Claire), the left field tandem. All can play defense, but all have failed to produce consistently in the lineup (yikes). &lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="ODbRKX"&gt;I have to believe that Anderson thought the former MVC Player of the Year (Dodge) would be the starting left fielder when she brought her in from UNI, but Mya has admittedly struggled against top-notch SEC pitching, leading to a steep decline in her at-bats. She’s got just 79 AB on the year and accumulated just 17 hits (nine of the extra base variety) and ten runs scored, while striking out... a lot (28, third most on the team). &lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;p id="fWfjNv"&gt;“She’s still learning like there’s a big difference between the teams we played out on the East Coast and the SEC. She has to be able to make faster adjustments in terms of how teams are pitching her and what pitches she needs to be looking for. I saw growth even though she didn’t get the results,” Anderson said in an early April press conference.&lt;/p&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="1Ibwm6"&gt;Phillips has been a career back-up, but she’s a real Glue Gal, and always could be counted on for enthusiasm and entertainment in the dugout. In 63 at-bats this season, she hit below .200 but did have two home runs. &lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;p id="oSEpdK"&gt;Coach told a story at Monday’s Tiger Talk about knowing the first time she saw Chantice play out in Kansas City. The problem? They were done with recruiting and all the money had been spent. &lt;/p&gt;
  311. &lt;p id="WofBXe"&gt;“I was watching her,” Anderson said, “and I was like, ‘I have to get this kid’… And so we worked extremely hard to make it work, but she is that contagious personality. You want to be around her. She believes in everybody.”&lt;/p&gt;
  312. &lt;p id="9X8qCm"&gt;Perhaps the most important thing to know about Phillips is that she has her own podcast, The &lt;a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-channyp-podcast/id1608909481"&gt;Channyp Podcast&lt;/a&gt;, which she started in February 2022.&lt;/p&gt;
  313. &lt;p id="Wr6sqB"&gt;Cahalan is the newest edition to the left fielder lineup, with just five starts, four of which came in the SEC Tournament! (more on her a bit later)&lt;/p&gt;
  314.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  315.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nIIQvX_PcKP-NWQur1BIbg3C2Sc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451149/DP2.jpg"&gt;
  316.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  317. &lt;h3 id="QdUjtz"&gt;Katie Chester (AKA: KC)&lt;/h3&gt;
  318.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  319.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/UxqoCkpw6orWLrMZEjYRvfeqGRQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25424635/1024_04282024_sb_MSST_1.jpg"&gt;
  320.      &lt;cite&gt;Missouri’s Mya Dodge (center) hugs pinch hitter Katie Chester (left) after hitting an RBI single. Chester was subsequently removed for a pinch-runner. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)&lt;/cite&gt;
  321.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  322. &lt;p id="2M8UKM"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Katie Chester&lt;/strong&gt;, the first baseman-turned-pivotal pinch hitter in the Tiger lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
  323. &lt;p id="9ykpMB"&gt;“She’s been unbelievable in RBI situations and I want to continue to use her in that (role) because statistically, she really comes through and has great at-bats and not so much when people aren’t on base,” Anderson said in late April. &lt;/p&gt;
  324. &lt;p id="jJVkOM"&gt;So how’s she done? From my research, it looks like she transitioned into mainly a pinch-hitter against Drake on April 10 and made what looks like 14 pinch hit appearances since then. Most notable was against Georgia when, after replacing Dodge, she smacked an RBI double, against Mississippi State where she hit a two-run double, and the two RBI singles in the South Carolina series. &lt;/p&gt;
  325. &lt;p id="JT1xg0"&gt;Katie Chester, RBI magnet.&lt;/p&gt;
  326. &lt;h3 id="KtMcuQ"&gt;Stefania Abruscato (AKA: Fania)&lt;/h3&gt;
  327.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  328.        &lt;img alt="FloSports: FloSoftball SEC Softball Tournament" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Zm716EFkZ3tqKBSC0HiwE3YPgpw=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451386/usa_today_23246164.jpg"&gt;
  329.      &lt;cite&gt;May 10, 2024; Auburn, AL, USA; Missouri Tigers catcher Stefania Abruscato (7) bats against the LSU Tigers at Jane B. Moore Field. Mandatory Credit: Julie Bennett&lt;/cite&gt;
  330.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  331. &lt;p id="KLKRWp"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Stefania Abruscato&lt;/strong&gt;, the Smithtown, New Yorker and Gatorade Player of the Year with perhaps the coolest name on the roster! A natural catcher, it will be interesting to see if she moves into that role in the future, but for now, she’s the go-to DP on this Tiger team.&lt;/p&gt;
  332. &lt;p id="GNyjX4"&gt;Coach Anderson said mid-season that anything you get out of freshmen offensively is a bonus, so winning SEC Freshman of the Week after a stellar week against Drake and Florida is an incredible feat. Fania batted .417 with five hits, three RBI and a home run that week, including a 3-for-4 performance against the Bulldogs. Since that amazing run, and really, since the East Coast trip right before it, it became hard to keep her bat out of the lineup.&lt;/p&gt;
  333. &lt;p id="E6sKMa"&gt;“Stefania is really learning how to let the ball get deep,” Anderson said. “She’s got unbelievable bat speed, so she’s not going to be overpowered because of genetically what she’s able to do. Sometimes she’s a little bit too quick and she’s a little bit too fast out of the zone. So we’re just learning how to let that ball travel.”&lt;/p&gt;
  334. &lt;p id="YzcDYU"&gt;She’s also been at the forefront of Missouri’s energy revelation this season. Oftentimes, number seven in black and gold is leading dugout chants and is the star of the team’s mini-vlogs that go out on social media. Expect more of the same in the postseason.&lt;/p&gt;
  335. &lt;p id="znQeYc"&gt;“I’ve known to be a loud person,” Abruscato said back in March. “I’m just naturally loud.” (Same, Fania, same.)&lt;/p&gt;
  336.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  337.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Mr7SHgzUMpHP_F7JNhjQxS142zs=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451150/bench_mob.jpg"&gt;
  338.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  339. &lt;h3 id="iy4SbX"&gt;The Flash(es)&lt;/h3&gt;
  340.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  341.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/oMga7HaiSwxdeEPvD1UyDyag2dE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25394065/CAL_5515_1.jpg"&gt;
  342.      &lt;cite&gt;Missouri pinch-runner Danielle Blackstun scores MU’s lone run of the game on a Mya Dodge groundout in the fifth inning. (Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation)&lt;/cite&gt;
  343.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  344. &lt;p id="5KBFFd"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Danielle Blackstun&lt;/strong&gt; and&lt;strong&gt; Claire Cahalan&lt;/strong&gt;— the primary Tiger pinch runners, and the true speedsters of the team. You’ll often see them taking over for Abby Hay, Katie Chester, or any number of Tiger players depending upon the situation. You may not see the duo bat much (Claire has gotten into LF a bit recently), but their role is just as important as anyone else’s, if not more so, as it leads to manufacturing runs. &lt;/p&gt;
  345. &lt;p id="X4RcmM"&gt;“Blackstun and Cahalan can get in the game every single game and win the game for us, and you know, it’s getting that extra run, that safety run late in the game is huge,” Anderson said.&lt;/p&gt;
  346. &lt;p id="RJ4Fv7"&gt;Per Rock M colleague &lt;a href="https://themaneater.com/the-anatomy-of-a-pinch-runner-claire-cahalan-and-danielle-blackstuns-unique-role-with-missouri-softball/"&gt;Dylan Heinrich’s piece for &lt;em&gt;The Maneater&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt;,&lt;/em&gt; the reserves stay loose by running to the outfield wall after every inning, and some have gotten into the habit of taking “mental reps” where they assess another runner’s situation and think about what they’d do.&lt;/p&gt;
  347. &lt;p id="8BdPOV"&gt;“On fly balls [asking] would I tag on this … just try to figure that out,” Blackstun told Dylan.&lt;/p&gt;
  348. &lt;p id="GH2JEn"&gt;Between them, they’ve accounted for 28 runs on the season, and are 4-5 on stolen base attempts. &lt;/p&gt;
  349. &lt;p id="j3wngJ"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  350. &lt;h3 id="1wgFiq"&gt;The Pitch Spotters&lt;/h3&gt;
  351.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  352.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/R7gFXJCc_qnOJNR23jK07wYhy58=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25423402/CAL_5992_1.jpg"&gt;
  353.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  354.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  355. &lt;p id="mAOfDw"&gt;Meet &lt;strong&gt;Nathalie Touchet &lt;/strong&gt;and &lt;strong&gt;Jayci Kruse&lt;/strong&gt;, Mizzou’s lesser-used pitching corps. In a March 19 press conference with Larissa Anderson, she shouted out the bullpen. “This bullpen is unlike any other bullpen in terms of competitiveness and support of each other. Nathalie Touchet is probably leading that charge in being able to pick pitches. Her and Jayci Kruse, they spend a lot of time, and I’ll add Taylor Pannell in that, especially because Taylor knows that she’s coming in late in the game so she’s working really hard and picking pitches and keying in.... They bring so much energy and enthusiasm to encourage the people that are on the field.”&lt;/p&gt;
  356. &lt;p id="ageruZ"&gt;Nathalie is also famously the mastermind of many of the stunts we’ll get to later, and was &lt;a href="https://x.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1762206268092272938"&gt;the star of many a travel vlog&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  357. &lt;h2 id="v1f3r1"&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  358.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  359.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/56DRgeE2RbQ7NXq6A9hXE2b4R08=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451152/show_me.jpg"&gt;
  360.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  361. &lt;p id="2OWc3T"&gt;Still looking for a reason to latch on to this team? Well, there’s a boatload of Missourians (and one Honorable Mention) to root for! &lt;/p&gt;
  362. &lt;ul&gt;
  363. &lt;li id="53Pb5K"&gt;Abby Hay (fr)— Columbia, Mo. | Rock Bridge High School&lt;/li&gt;
  364. &lt;li id="FLam6X"&gt;Kara Daly (jr)— Jefferson City, Mo. | Jeff City High School&lt;/li&gt;
  365. &lt;li id="ooNS2q"&gt;Kayley Lenger (so) — Liberty, Mo. | Liberty North High School&lt;/li&gt;
  366. &lt;li id="6mzx63"&gt;Katie Chester (so)— Liberty, Mo. | Liberty North High School&lt;/li&gt;
  367. &lt;li id="BW7J0v"&gt;Cierra Harrison (so)— Lee’s Summit, Mo. | Lee’s Summit North&lt;/li&gt;
  368. &lt;li id="2la4Cf"&gt;Taylor Pannell (so)— Lee’s Summit, Mo. | Lee’s Summit West&lt;/li&gt;
  369. &lt;li id="LSUeDv"&gt;Chantice Phillipps (sr)— Kansas City, Mo. | Park Hill South&lt;/li&gt;
  370. &lt;li id="qMu1Vs"&gt;Lilly Whitten (so)— Tunas, Mo. | Skyline High School&lt;/li&gt;
  371. &lt;li id="bZXnwX"&gt;Julia Crenshaw (jr)— O’Fallon, Mo. | Fort Zumwalt West&lt;/li&gt;
  372. &lt;li id="RXrpUk"&gt;Danielle Blackstun (fr)— O’Fallon, Mo. | Fort Zumwalt West&lt;/li&gt;
  373. &lt;li id="cnNe74"&gt;HONORABLE MENTION: Madison Walker (fr)— Olathe, Kan. | Olathe West&lt;/li&gt;
  374. &lt;/ul&gt;
  375. &lt;p id="CSZALO"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  376.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  377.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ns2c-SIhTCDzSkWHbfoER9ZTKFo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25451153/shenanigans.jpg"&gt;
  378.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  379. &lt;div id="gyZ48B"&gt;
  380. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  381. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;This silly team just got a top-eight seed &lt;a href="https://t.co/9Ba9def7c3"&gt;pic.twitter.com/9Ba9def7c3&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Quentin Corpuel (@quentincorpuel) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/quentincorpuel/status/1789797338870923426?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 12, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  382. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  383. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  384.  
  385. &lt;/div&gt;
  386. &lt;p id="mJTlYx"&gt;“This is probably one of my most favorite teams I’ve ever coached, Anderson said after the MS State series, and has reiterated several times since then. “It really is. And I’m going back 25 years. I can be myself. Last year, I was exhausted because I had to motivate. Every day I had to wake up and the practice preparation and the emotional energy I had to give to them to get them to do what they needed to do was exhausting.”&lt;/p&gt;
  387. &lt;p id="o69ipP"&gt;She continued. “I don’t have to do that with this team. Like literally, they’re out there on the field before practice even starts. And that’s when you know you have an unbelievable culture in your locker room when they want to be here.”&lt;/p&gt;
  388. &lt;p id="2yfom7"&gt;This freshman class, especially, can be credited for keeping it light, as they work hard and are fun with a capital F. Most of the silliness we’ve witnessed each game has been due to this class, Laurin Krings told us. “That’s &lt;em&gt;your&lt;/em&gt; class,” Krings told freshman Abby Hay one postgame. “These freshmen are coming up with something new every game,” she said nonchalantly. &lt;/p&gt;
  389. &lt;p id="vPS67D"&gt;Missouri’s creative team, headlined by the incomparable Katie White, has also been on a heater this season. They’ve done an unbelievable job of capturing the team’s unique bond and how much fun they’ve had this season. While the camera has found Abruscato and Touchet the most often, everyone’s seemed to enjoy the limelight at least a little bit. &lt;/p&gt;
  390. &lt;div id="cw3Xc4"&gt;
  391. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  392. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Tiger Chat with Nat  ️ &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Who had the best moves?  ⬇️&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OwnIt?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#OwnIt&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIZ?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#MIZ&lt;/a&gt;    | &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/natouchet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@natouchet&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/EbYCZR832Y"&gt;pic.twitter.com/EbYCZR832Y&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Mizzou Softball (@MizzouSoftball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1780303697484095683?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 16, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  393. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  394. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  395.  
  396. &lt;/div&gt;
  397. &lt;h3 id="duxJzC"&gt;The Chair&lt;/h3&gt;
  398.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  399.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/cULRum9QJZzJ6wvXKZh4YeWCHX4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25450307/chair.jpg"&gt;
  400.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  401.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  402. &lt;p id="v2mh2e"&gt;When &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/4/28/24143363/saturday-night-shutout-mizzou-softball-mississippi-state"&gt;Mizzou took on Mississippi State during senior weekend&lt;/a&gt;, the media perched high atop the press box noticed an unusual object being raised into the sky. It was... a chair? “If you strike out,” Abby Hay said, “You go take a seat on the bench, So they’re just reminding them about the chair after each strikeout... she needs to go sit down.”&lt;/p&gt;
  403. &lt;p id="VkgVxZ"&gt;Well said.&lt;/p&gt;
  404. &lt;h3 id="sLqsoA"&gt;RIP, HCLA&lt;/h3&gt;
  405. &lt;div id="TYToxF"&gt;
  406. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center" data-conversation="none"&gt;
  407. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The aftermath. Well played &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@MizzouSoftball&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/ZSJwE1Jq6H"&gt;pic.twitter.com/ZSJwE1Jq6H&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Hilary Cox (@hilcox18) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hilcox18/status/1787261959798157358?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 5, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  408. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  409. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  410.  
  411. &lt;/div&gt;
  412. &lt;p id="u4dpJj"&gt;Here lies the body of Mizzou Head Coach Larissa Anderson. She was &lt;a href="https://x.com/MIZSBmanagers/status/1786936017007632615"&gt;run over by Kara Daly&lt;/a&gt;, who blew through her stop sign against South Carolina on May 4 and instead of taking out the third baseman who was clearly obstructing the basepath, she took out the coach. &lt;/p&gt;
  413. &lt;p id="DVipnl"&gt;While Anderson thankfully was not injured (just her pride, she said), the team did not let her forget, and when she walked out onto the field the next day, she saw this— a “chalk” (it was medical tape) outline of her body in the fetal position at the scene of the crime. The culprit for such an egregious prank? Freshman Abby Hay. &lt;/p&gt;
  414. &lt;p id="i9JoIs"&gt;And it didn’t end there. During Tiger Talk, Anderson referenced the team making memes to spam the group chat. We convinced SID Eric Mueller to show us some of them after Tiger Talk, and they were hilarious. Imagine the famous Ali photo... but with a cutout of coach’s body in the fetal position under him. Now imagine her form on a water slide. Mueller said in what was only a 20-minute or so bus ride, that the group chat was bombarded with memes, all of Coach, all in that position, plastered into every background imaginable.&lt;/p&gt;
  415. &lt;h3 id="TmHvjx"&gt;Mine, Mine, Mine!&lt;/h3&gt;
  416.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  417.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/25-96g02wC7zrUWd-zTwRABRQj4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25423393/CAL_5293_1.jpg"&gt;
  418.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  419.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  420. &lt;p id="MkHKuw"&gt;Do something well, get rewarded. Anderson likes to keep things light and fun but is not above bribing the team with candy&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(recently, watermelon Sour Patch Kids)&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;when they do something well, whether it’s when a player reaches third base, or when the bench mob correctly picks an opposing pitcher’s change up and it results in a hard hit ball. &lt;/p&gt;
  421. &lt;p id="KOZde3"&gt;Does it work? Per Jenna Laird, yes. “It’s kind of just extra motivation because once we get on third base, she’ll give it to us.”&lt;/p&gt;
  422. &lt;p id="rVbP9H"&gt;“It’s gotten to the point now where I’m superstitious,” Anderson told us on April 13 after we realized what was transpiring. “When I saw we were being no hit at Drake that I’m coaching third and I go to my pocket and I’m like, I don’t have any candy. No wonder we haven’t gotten anybody on base.”&lt;/p&gt;
  423. &lt;p id="Sx9VMQ"&gt;So, if you see a collection of Tigers this weekend standing at the dugout fence looking in the direction of HCLA and behaving like meerkats, you’ll know why.&lt;/p&gt;
  424. &lt;h3 id="o9xhoS"&gt;Road Trip Tattoos&lt;/h3&gt;
  425. &lt;p id="ehXkXO"&gt;Sometimes, a road trip turns into a stop by a tattoo parlor? Or at least that can happen when left to the watch of hitting coach Jeff Cottrill. When the team went to Texas for the Tracy Beard Classic in mid-February, Coach Anderson went off to scout, and Coach Jeff, as CC Harrison explained the story on Monday’s Tiger Talk, “let us do whatever we wanted” while at Fort Worth Stockyards, and permanent branding of skin was on a particular player’s itinerary. Freshman pitcher Marissa McCann got a tattoo of a duck on her ankle, and planned to hide it from her mother, until she accidentally sent a text to her mom about it instead of teammate Nathalie Touchet. &lt;/p&gt;
  426. &lt;p id="bR9Etk"&gt;Like we’ve all done before, she frantically tried to unsend it, but too late. Her mom saw it. “She was Face Timing me right away, and was like, ‘Do you have a tattoo?’”, McCann said.&lt;/p&gt;
  427. &lt;p id="8MTkqY"&gt;You can listen to the exchange &lt;a href="https://x.com/MizzouRadio/status/1790780178240503926"&gt;here&lt;/a&gt;. For those wondering, there is no significance of the duck. “There’s no story.” she said. “I just got the duck and I liked it. Kind of a funny story.” &lt;/p&gt;
  428. &lt;h3 id="qjzuN3"&gt;Hammer Time&lt;/h3&gt;
  429. &lt;p id="047BIT"&gt;Look closely and at your television screen and you may see a Mizzou player brandishing a hammer in the dugout. No, friends, it’s not to perform some light carpentry in between innings. It comes from one of Coach Cottrill’s favorite metaphors, “You want to be the hammer, you don’t want to be the nail.” If you’re the hammer, Anderson explained at Tiger Talk — this was the greatest Tiger Talk of all time, by the way —, YOU are in control. “You’re pounding that nail down and you don’t let that nail come up.” &lt;/p&gt;
  430. &lt;p id="gLBFLg"&gt;So where did the hammer, which looks pretty decrepit, come from? “An undisclosed location,” Coach said. “&lt;em&gt;Somehow &lt;/em&gt;it ended up on our bus.” &lt;/p&gt;
  431. &lt;p id="HTJpFN"&gt;Ahh, nothing like a little petty thievery to build team comradery. Also, anyone else worried about the strays Coach Cottrill keeps catching? &lt;/p&gt;
  432. &lt;h3 id="NfAtfQ"&gt;Special shoutout: “The GOAT Managers at Mizzou”&lt;/h3&gt;
  433. &lt;p id="zwRFER"&gt;If you’re ready to hop on (or stay on) the Mizzou Softball fandwagon, do yourself a favor and follow the softball managers on &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MIZSBmanagers"&gt;Twitter/X.&lt;/a&gt; They supply all the behind-the-scenes memes and moments. They capture the competitive golden retriever energy the team exudes. Here’s hoping we’ll keep seeing this meme in our feeds over the next month:&lt;/p&gt;
  434. &lt;div id="RoqwFB"&gt;
  435. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  436. &lt;p lang="zxx" dir="ltr"&gt;&lt;a href="https://t.co/qyMIHAcb2Z"&gt;https://t.co/qyMIHAcb2Z&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/uXTD0oX3Y8"&gt;pic.twitter.com/uXTD0oX3Y8&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— The GOAT Managers at Mizzou (@MIZSBmanagers) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MIZSBmanagers/status/1789094695135809634?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 11, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  437. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  438. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  439.  
  440. &lt;/div&gt;
  441. &lt;p id="9DJrGy"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  442. &lt;h2 id="RgVC6E"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;LET’S GO!!!!!!!! &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  443. &lt;p id="t2cAM1"&gt;As I say in my best Gladiator voice, “Are you not entertained?!” &lt;/p&gt;
  444. &lt;div id="8Jlhi8"&gt;
  445. &lt;blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Cwjyqx3mI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14" style=" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:658px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);"&gt;&lt;div style="padding:16px;"&gt; &lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Cwjyqx3mI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;" target="_blank"&gt; &lt;div style=" display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  446. &lt;/div&gt;
  447. &lt;/div&gt;
  448. &lt;div style="padding: 19% 0;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display:block; height:50px; margin:0 auto 12px; width:50px;"&gt;&lt;svg width="50px" height="50px" viewbox="0 0 60 60" version="1.1" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"&gt;&lt;g stroke="none" stroke-width="1" fill="none" fill-rule="evenodd"&gt;&lt;g transform="translate(-511.000000, -20.000000)" fill="#000000"&gt;&lt;g&gt;&lt;path d="M556.869,30.41 C554.814,30.41 553.148,32.076 553.148,34.131 C553.148,36.186 554.814,37.852 556.869,37.852 C558.924,37.852 560.59,36.186 560.59,34.131 C560.59,32.076 558.924,30.41 556.869,30.41 M541,60.657 C535.114,60.657 530.342,55.887 530.342,50 C530.342,44.114 535.114,39.342 541,39.342 C546.887,39.342 551.658,44.114 551.658,50 C551.658,55.887 546.887,60.657 541,60.657 M541,33.886 C532.1,33.886 524.886,41.1 524.886,50 C524.886,58.899 532.1,66.113 541,66.113 C549.9,66.113 557.115,58.899 557.115,50 C557.115,41.1 549.9,33.886 541,33.886 M565.378,62.101 C565.244,65.022 564.756,66.606 564.346,67.663 C563.803,69.06 563.154,70.057 562.106,71.106 C561.058,72.155 560.06,72.803 558.662,73.347 C557.607,73.757 556.021,74.244 553.102,74.378 C549.944,74.521 548.997,74.552 541,74.552 C533.003,74.552 532.056,74.521 528.898,74.378 C525.979,74.244 524.393,73.757 523.338,73.347 C521.94,72.803 520.942,72.155 519.894,71.106 C518.846,70.057 518.197,69.06 517.654,67.663 C517.244,66.606 516.755,65.022 516.623,62.101 C516.479,58.943 516.448,57.996 516.448,50 C516.448,42.003 516.479,41.056 516.623,37.899 C516.755,34.978 517.244,33.391 517.654,32.338 C518.197,30.938 518.846,29.942 519.894,28.894 C520.942,27.846 521.94,27.196 523.338,26.654 C524.393,26.244 525.979,25.756 528.898,25.623 C532.057,25.479 533.004,25.448 541,25.448 C548.997,25.448 549.943,25.479 553.102,25.623 C556.021,25.756 557.607,26.244 558.662,26.654 C560.06,27.196 561.058,27.846 562.106,28.894 C563.154,29.942 563.803,30.938 564.346,32.338 C564.756,33.391 565.244,34.978 565.378,37.899 C565.522,41.056 565.552,42.003 565.552,50 C565.552,57.996 565.522,58.943 565.378,62.101 M570.82,37.631 C570.674,34.438 570.167,32.258 569.425,30.349 C568.659,28.377 567.633,26.702 565.965,25.035 C564.297,23.368 562.623,22.342 560.652,21.575 C558.743,20.834 556.562,20.326 553.369,20.18 C550.169,20.033 549.148,20 541,20 C532.853,20 531.831,20.033 528.631,20.18 C525.438,20.326 523.257,20.834 521.349,21.575 C519.376,22.342 517.703,23.368 516.035,25.035 C514.368,26.702 513.342,28.377 512.574,30.349 C511.834,32.258 511.326,34.438 511.181,37.631 C511.035,40.831 511,41.851 511,50 C511,58.147 511.035,59.17 511.181,62.369 C511.326,65.562 511.834,67.743 512.574,69.651 C513.342,71.625 514.368,73.296 516.035,74.965 C517.703,76.634 519.376,77.658 521.349,78.425 C523.257,79.167 525.438,79.673 528.631,79.82 C531.831,79.965 532.853,80.001 541,80.001 C549.148,80.001 550.169,79.965 553.369,79.82 C556.562,79.673 558.743,79.167 560.652,78.425 C562.623,77.658 564.297,76.634 565.965,74.965 C567.633,73.296 568.659,71.625 569.425,69.651 C570.167,67.743 570.674,65.562 570.82,62.369 C570.966,59.17 571,58.147 571,50 C571,41.851 570.966,40.831 570.82,37.631"&gt;&lt;/path&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/g&gt;&lt;/svg&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  449. &lt;div style="padding-top: 8px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" color:#3897f0; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;"&gt;View this post on Instagram&lt;/div&gt;
  450. &lt;/div&gt;
  451. &lt;div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"&gt;
  452. &lt;div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  453. &lt;/div&gt;
  454. &lt;div style="margin-left: 8px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  455. &lt;/div&gt;
  456. &lt;div style="margin-left: auto;"&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  457. &lt;/div&gt;
  458. &lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt; &lt;div style=" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  459. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7Cwjyqx3mI/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;amp;utm_campaign=loading" style=" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;" target="_blank"&gt;A post shared by Mizzou Softball (@mizzousoftball)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  460. &lt;/div&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  461. &lt;script async="" src="//platform.instagram.com/en_US/embeds.js"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  462. &lt;/div&gt;
  463. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="dHRGNB"&gt;
  464. &lt;p id="Ek8UCb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;To the fans: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thanks for following along this season, and hopefully we’re just getting started. While several members of our Rock M family — Abigail (KCOU), Dylan (Maneater), and Quentin (MizzouCentral) — spread out the softball coverage around mid-Mo this season, it was nice to get to work together to share our thoughts this season on this fantastic team. And to Brandon, you’re the best-est of the rest-est and you’ve been the best coworker. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  465. &lt;p id="GCPJSR"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  466. &lt;p id="J9Ht8K"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  467. &lt;p id="ApWyvS"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  468. &lt;p id="Fyi9ms"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  469. &lt;p id="EYsfu2"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  470. &lt;p id="4sIeko"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  471. &lt;p id="hRsaly"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  472.  
  473. </content>
  474.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24157378/a-fans-guide-to-mizzou-softball-pre-regionals-primer"/>
  475.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24157378/a-fans-guide-to-mizzou-softball-pre-regionals-primer</id>
  476.    <author>
  477.      <name>Karen Steger</name>
  478.      <name>Brandon Haynes</name>
  479.      <name>Abigail Klapatauskas</name>
  480.      <name>Quentin Corpuel</name>
  481.    </author>
  482.  </entry>
  483.  <entry>
  484.    <published>2024-05-17T08:00:00-05:00</published>
  485.    <updated>2024-05-17T08:00:00-05:00</updated>
  486.    <title>‘There’s nobody better’: A look at what shapes Pannell’s end-of-game dominance</title>
  487.    <content type="html">  
  488.  
  489.    &lt;figure&gt;
  490.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ARGFKRrpcNUswhD1LJ4oSt_eOjA=/255x0:5345x3393/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353442/CAL_4784_1.0.jpg" /&gt;
  491.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  492.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  493.  
  494.  
  495.  &lt;p&gt;The nation’s saves leader, who is one shy of the NCAA D-I record, has found peace in high-leverage situations behind her gritty mentality. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="CcEzqi"&gt;Out of the bullpen steps the nation’s saves leader. Loudspeakers in the stadium come alive as the chorus of “Welcome to the Jungle” reverberates through the grandstands. Fans applaud in anticipation; teammates cheer; opponents prepare.&lt;/p&gt;
  496. &lt;p id="0QMmBT"&gt;But in Taylor Pannell’s mind, there is only silence — a peaceful-like tranquility that embodies the Missouri softball sophomore’s journey to becoming an elite college closer.&lt;/p&gt;
  497. &lt;p id="7i5aET"&gt;“I find a way to get out there, and I tune everything out,” Pannell said. “I just find this inner silence, and I’m so focused on what I am out there to do.”&lt;/p&gt;
  498. &lt;p id="KcfYAP"&gt;The hyper-focused mentality is not a mindset forged overnight, rather it is a frame of mind strengthened through a desire to be the best she can. Each night of the season, Pannell reflects on excerpts from a pair of books — “Mind Gym” and “The Champion’s Mind” — to uphold her walls of mental fortitude.&lt;/p&gt;
  499. &lt;p id="fIl3JY"&gt;“Those are mental toughness books,” Taylor’s father, Tim Pannell, said. “They work on the mental side of things, and she just has (it) in her head when she steps out there, there’s nobody better, nobody bigger, and she will beat anybody walking.”&lt;/p&gt;
  500. &lt;p id="ORQC3g"&gt;The closer-like mentality is already paying dividends for Missouri’s rising star. Taylor Pannell set the single-season and career saves records at Missouri last week at the &lt;a href="https://www.secsports.com/2024-sec-softball-tournament-bracket"&gt;SEC Tournament&lt;/a&gt;. Ahead of the &lt;a href="https://www.ncaa.com/brackets/softball/d1/2024"&gt;NCAA Tournament&lt;/a&gt;, which begins at &lt;a href="https://mutigers.com/news/2024/5/12/general-no-7-seed-softball-to-host-2024-ncaa-columbia-regional.aspx"&gt;4:30 p.m. Friday&lt;/a&gt; for the Tigers, Pannell is one save shy of tying the NCAA D-I all-time single-season saves mark, held by former Florida Gulf Coast Taylor Bauman and former Canisius closer Mallory Aldred at 15.&lt;/p&gt;
  501. &lt;p id="OoouHH"&gt;“Mentally, I just read a lot of books … just to sharpen the mental side of the game,” Taylor Pannell said. “I think that is part of the reason I’m so good in those (save) situations.”&lt;/p&gt;
  502. &lt;p id="VekRNB"&gt;The concentrated, deliberate approach has guided Taylor Pannell to 20 career saves, the fourth-most career saves in Southeastern Conference history, despite the fact she has just two seasons as Missouri’s bona fide closer under her belt. A similar output next season would put the left-hander in line to eclipse former Mississippi State closer Kellie Wilkerson’s 32 career saves to jump atop the SEC career saves leaderboard. &lt;/p&gt;
  503. &lt;div class="c-wide-block"&gt;  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  504.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/w7-JXMKDeMvQQKwslPDtb6u20J0=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25426572/CAL_0813.JPG"&gt;
  505.      &lt;cite&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/cite&gt;
  506.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  507. &lt;/div&gt;
  508. &lt;p id="36hEga"&gt;In terms of this season, though, Taylor Pannell sports a 3-1 record with a 0.97 earned run average, 29 strikeouts and a nation-best 14 saves. A knockout changeup coupled with a fastball and curve form an efficient repertoire that leaves opposing hitters befuddled. &lt;/p&gt;
  509. &lt;p id="ZMoV8j"&gt;The changeup, in particular, stands out as her favorite pitch due to its ability to dive and curve depending on her arm movement. It’s a pitch unique to Taylor Pannell, and it all comes down to her command of it.&lt;/p&gt;
  510. &lt;p id="DwQeH3"&gt;“It’s that arm acceleration at the end of the pitch,” former MU first baseman Sam Honeycutt, who has helped to coach Pannell in the past, said. “She comes through and just drives her arm up so fast, so to the hitter, it really looks like something hard coming in. It’s just that, that deception that sell to the hitter ... they can’t pick it up. I think she’s just really committed to selling it and she’s gained a lot of control with it too.”&lt;/p&gt;
  511. &lt;p id="4EAd7r"&gt;As a left-hander, Taylor Pannell also credits former Missouri and &lt;a href="https://soonersports.com/sports/softball/roster/paige-lowary/1029"&gt;Oklahoma star lefty&lt;/a&gt; Paige Lowary for transforming her into the pitcher she is today. The current Missouri sophomore met Lowary in a camp and thought to herself, ‘that was someone I always wanted to be like.’&lt;/p&gt;
  512. &lt;p id="V1Ydvu"&gt;Taylor Pannell is doing heck of an impression, as she already surpassed Lowary’s career saves total (18). Unlike Lowary, though, the sophomore is seeing a majority of her time in high-leverage save situations — a role that isn’t one that she would have originally imagined.&lt;/p&gt;
  513. &lt;p id="So9kWW"&gt;“Before, she was just like every other pitcher. She was a starting pitcher on a high school and on a (club) team,” Tim Pannell said. “The lights get bright in the seventh ... so you’ve got to figure out how to not let the walls cave in on you, and she will do anything possible to build them bigger and stronger where they will not fall into her. She’ll bust through them.”&lt;/p&gt;
  514. &lt;h3 id="3vDvdc"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Words into action &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  515. &lt;p id="8MVCIp"&gt;Even from a young age, Taylor Pannell seemed destined for success.&lt;/p&gt;
  516. &lt;p id="gw92hq"&gt;A daughter of undefeated state champion high school wrestler in Tim Pannell and a successful multi-sport prep athlete in Shannan Pannell, the future Missouri Tiger inherited the desire to compete and quickly fell in love with softball. &lt;/p&gt;
  517. &lt;p id="pjTP2y"&gt;“She first got into softball, I believe it was probably 8-and-under,” Tim Pannell said. “The next year, of course, they asked all of the kids who want to pitch. All of them wanted to, (and) some stuck, some didn’t. It stuck with (Taylor).”&lt;/p&gt;
  518. &lt;div class="c-float-left c-float-hang"&gt;  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  519.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/HJvVKPPi6k08XZ1zjPrKQGjHZ_Q=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448006/101_4281.jpeg"&gt;
  520.      &lt;cite&gt;Courtesy of Tim Pannell&lt;/cite&gt;
  521.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  522. &lt;/div&gt;
  523. &lt;p id="9hFJlB"&gt;Armed with a desire to showcase her talent, Taylor Pannell left a mark at a pair of destinations that ultimately played roles in her journey to Missouri — &lt;a href="https://demariniaces.com"&gt;Aces Fastpitch&lt;/a&gt; and Lee’s Summit West. &lt;/p&gt;
  524. &lt;p id="LOONhf"&gt;It was with the Aces that Taylor Pannell competed alongside fellow Missouri sophomore Cierra Harrison and gained national exposure, as she earned offers from Western Illinois and South Dakota State, among others. &lt;/p&gt;
  525. &lt;p id="FPpTyo"&gt;“Taylor was always one of those kids (who) just loves the game, loves to pitch,” Honeycutt said. “At first, I think it took her a while to kind of hone in her control on the ball, but you could tell she’s always had a lot of talent.”&lt;/p&gt;
  526. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;aside id="tJB0Oe"&gt;&lt;q&gt;“Taylor was always one of those kids (who) just loves the game, loves to pitch,” Honeycutt said. “At first, I think it took her a while to kind of hone in her control on the ball, but you could tell she’s always had a lot of talent.”&lt;/q&gt;&lt;/aside&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  527. &lt;p id="CwOlFi"&gt;Taylor Pannell unlocked that talent with the Titans, molding herself into one of the state’s top pitchers. The growth started to take shape early in her prep career and reached a peak as she finished it, a shift that her father noticed right away. &lt;/p&gt;
  528. &lt;p id="y7Xbsf"&gt;“It took her a little bit on the field, probably until her sophomore year in high school to really start showing who she was,” Tim Pannell said. “Then, in her senior season, her team won the state championship ... and that kind of put things going the right way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  529. &lt;p id="AwSl3D"&gt;In her senior season, the southpaw earned first-team all-state honors with a 21-5 record and 180 strikeouts in 157 innings.&lt;/p&gt;
  530. &lt;p id="jTtXDd"&gt;To cap the impressive campaign, Taylor Pannell played a key role in Lee Summit West’s first-ever softball state championship. The lefty started the &lt;a href="https://www.mshsaa.org/activities/districtwinners.aspx?alg=38&amp;amp;class=5&amp;amp;year=2021"&gt;Titans’ 6-5 title game victory&lt;/a&gt; over Francis Howell Central and helped to spark a five-run comeback with a triple. &lt;/p&gt;
  531.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  532.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/C2H00vab9xQetyHVTe_OjjsRrpc=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448486/FullSizeRender.jpeg"&gt;
  533.      &lt;cite&gt;Courtesy of Tim Pannell&lt;/cite&gt;
  534.      &lt;figcaption&gt;Lee’s Summit West pitcher Taylor Pannell holds the MSHSAA Class 5 following the Titans’ 2021 title.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  535.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  536. &lt;p id="0v48Zw"&gt;The championship run provided a cherry on top for Taylor Pannell, who committed to in-state Missouri earlier that season. An opportunity to represent her in-state school meant everything to a 5-foot-5 left-hander who had something to prove and a place to do it at. &lt;/p&gt;
  537. &lt;p id="KDWb24"&gt;“It’s her dream come true,” Tim Pannell, said. “She’d go through fire for every one of them (teammates and coaches) ... It’s just everything to her, just putting the Tigers’ uniform across her chest.”&lt;/p&gt;
  538. &lt;h3 id="g3ewtH"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The motivation behind the success&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  539. &lt;p id="56FAQC"&gt;Hidden behind all of the fire, intensity and celebration that surrounds a Taylor Pannell save is the catalyst for those emotions — a desire to prove doubters wrong.&lt;/p&gt;
  540. &lt;p id="wq0meW"&gt;The 5-foot-5 southpaw encountered uncertainty about her potential at the collegiate level, whether it be because of her size, talent or potential. However, the Missouri standout has channeled that skepticism into triumph, both at an individual and team level. &lt;/p&gt;
  541. &lt;p id="Jmqncj"&gt;“She was told ‘You’re not big enough. You’re not good enough,’” Tim Pannell said. “Her biggest drive is I’m going to go out there, and I’m gonna prove everybody wrong, and my team is gonna win.”&lt;/p&gt;
  542. &lt;p id="pST9WT"&gt;“I play with a chip on my shoulder,” Taylor Pannell said. “I just remember when I was younger, a lot of people didn’t think I was good enough to play college softball, especially in the SEC. ... I go out there with that mentality like I’m proving everybody wrong. I don’t care who we play, like we’re getting this game over. I’m going to do my job, and I’ll support my team in whatever way.”&lt;/p&gt;
  543. &lt;div class="c-wide-block"&gt;  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  544.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nsvczXCBIQdguq2BA35Q49nTeNo=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448013/IMG_4963.jpeg"&gt;
  545.      &lt;cite&gt;Courtesy of Tim Pannell&lt;/cite&gt;
  546.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  547. &lt;/div&gt;
  548. &lt;p id="t1aoTa"&gt;Taylor Pannell’s commitment to the team started Day 1 upon her stepping foot on campus, if you ask Missouri coach Larissa Anderson. The then-freshman’s willingness to inherit the closer role so early in her career emphasized the type of competitor she is. &lt;/p&gt;
  549. &lt;p id="2OdwOR"&gt;“She’s embraced that role since Day 1 stepping here on campus, and she loves it,” Anderson said April 16. “She loves coming out with hands; she wants the game on the line. She wants the crowd; she wants the energy, (and) she wants to finish it. &lt;/p&gt;
  550. &lt;p id="wPDVLy"&gt;“That’s a tough mentality.”&lt;/p&gt;
  551. &lt;p id="5LFPZs"&gt;Guided by that gutsy mindset, Taylor Pannell captured eight saves against Southeastern Conference opponents this season. Many of the teams that overlooked her amidst the era that was recruiting during the pandemic are starting to learn firsthand what they missed out on in the gritty Lee’s Summit native. &lt;/p&gt;
  552. &lt;div class="c-float-left"&gt;  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  553.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/rEb_o-ieCxl7xCKUvqoz6jDX8RQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448009/IMG_3396.jpeg"&gt;
  554.      &lt;cite&gt;Courtesy of Tim Pannell&lt;/cite&gt;
  555.      &lt;figcaption&gt;Taylor Pannell signs with the University of Missouri while accompanied by Samantha Honeycutt and Micky Fleeman, both of whom were Taylor’s pitching coaches at the time.&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  556.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  557. &lt;/div&gt;
  558. &lt;p id="SYoyqQ"&gt;But the team that bet on Taylor Pannell is reaping the benefits, riding the sophomore’s late-game flair to heights they haven’t reached in years. Much like the MSHSAA championship that the former Titans ace captured, she is stepping up when it matters most. &lt;/p&gt;
  559. &lt;p id="5Fd9mL"&gt;In three appearances during the SEC Tournament in Auburn, Alabama, last week, Taylor Pannell recorded a win and two saves while allowing zero hits in 3&lt;sup&gt;1&lt;/sup&gt;⁄&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; scoreless innings. Across her past 10 appearances, the closer has pitched to a 0.55 ERA with just five hits, nine strikeouts and four walks. &lt;/p&gt;
  560. &lt;p id="mAhZSv"&gt;“I said to (former Missouri pitcher Jordan Weber) the other night that I think Taylor’s really having fun with the game now,” Honeycutt said. “That is exciting to see, all (her) hard work paying off.”&lt;/p&gt;
  561. &lt;p id="etrlqp"&gt;The hard work and determination displayed by Taylor Pannell this season are similar qualities shared by her teammates this season at Missouri, which is hungry for its first &lt;a href="https://www.usasoftball.com/college-corner/ncaa-womens-college-world-series/"&gt;Women’s College World Series&lt;/a&gt; appearance since 2011 and seventh overall. &lt;/p&gt;
  562. &lt;p id="BYtfqg"&gt;“Of course she would like to have the NCAA record,” Tim Pannell said. “(But) her ultimate dream is for the Tigers to end up in Oklahoma City.”&lt;/p&gt;
  563. &lt;p id="Xs3atA"&gt;Luckily for the sophomore, she could do herself and her team a favor in the coming week-plus to help make a pair of dreams come true.&lt;/p&gt;
  564. &lt;p id="4TLphv"&gt;The Tigers open play in their own &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/12/24154527/mizzou-softball-is-no-7-overall-seed-in-ncaa-tournament-columbia-regional-omaha-indiana-washington"&gt;Columbia Regional against Omaha at 4:30 p.m. Friday&lt;/a&gt; at Mizzou Softball Stadium. The regional, which includes Washington and Indiana as well, guarantees Missouri at least two games in the double-elimination format. &lt;/p&gt;
  565. &lt;p id="fgEsNl"&gt;That also means Taylor Pannell will have at least two chances at history, and an opportunity to rediscover the inner silence that has made her so dominant this season.&lt;/p&gt;
  566. &lt;p id="lN8QWl"&gt;“I talked to Coach (Anderson) our last midweek game,” Taylor Pannell said. “I was like ‘I’m going to go break the record, like I want to do it.’ I was like ‘I’m gonna get it done this year,’ so hopefully I can.”&lt;/p&gt;
  567.  
  568. </content>
  569.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24156476/inside-the-tough-mentality-that-shapes-mizzou-closer-taylor-pannell-success-tigers-saves-record-ncaa"/>
  570.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24156476/inside-the-tough-mentality-that-shapes-mizzou-closer-taylor-pannell-success-tigers-saves-record-ncaa</id>
  571.    <author>
  572.      <name>Brandon Haynes</name>
  573.    </author>
  574.  </entry>
  575.  <entry>
  576.    <published>2024-05-17T05:00:00-05:00</published>
  577.    <updated>2024-05-17T05:00:00-05:00</updated>
  578.    <title>The Road to the WCWS Starts Now.</title>
  579.    <content type="html">  
  580.  
  581.    &lt;figure&gt;
  582.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aVgqq-gfESJarC-R2WwmPsV4BMo=/153x0:1773x1080/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353156/the_morning_commute_1.0.png" /&gt;
  583.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  584.  
  585.  &lt;p&gt;The Morning Commute for Friday, May 17&lt;/p&gt; &lt;h3 id="AtPS90"&gt;Welcome to the Morning Commute (to Mizzou Softball Stadium).&lt;/h3&gt;
  586. &lt;p id="fQ6UWa"&gt;Happy Regionals to all who celebrate. I don’t know about you all, but I simply can’t wait to park my heinie at Mizzou Softball Stadium all weekend long to take in some joyous postseason softball. 1pm (when I’m leaving work today) cannot come soon enough!!!!!!&lt;/p&gt;
  587. &lt;p id="kDgPVR"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chills.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  588. &lt;div id="OPYOvy"&gt;
  589. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  590. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Let the games begin  &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OwnIt?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#OwnIt&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIZ?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#MIZ&lt;/a&gt;    &lt;a href="https://t.co/dNqJtEoiTQ"&gt;pic.twitter.com/dNqJtEoiTQ&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Mizzou Softball (@MizzouSoftball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1791206000273522767?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 16, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  591. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  592. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  593.  
  594. &lt;/div&gt;
  595. &lt;p id="A1JBM7"&gt;This is the Tigers’ 17th consecutive and 27th total appearance in the NCAA Tourney. They’ve played in every tournament since 2007 (2020 was canceled due to the Covid pandemic). In that time span, the Tigers have played in 8 Super Regionals and 3 WCWS. This will be the third time Missouri hosts a Regional under HCLA, and the first since 2022. And should they advance, it’ll be their first Supers hosting since 2021 (my rookie reporting season).&lt;/p&gt;
  596. &lt;p id="xPsbka"&gt;Let’s reminisce.&lt;/p&gt;
  597. &lt;div id="obcWjF"&gt;
  598. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  599. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/StorageMart?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@StorageMart&lt;/a&gt;                            takes a look back at the 2021 &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@MizzouSoftball&lt;/a&gt; NCAA Regional Championship! Make your way to COMO this weekend as your Tigers host the &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@NCAASoftball&lt;/a&gt; Columbia Regional!&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIZ?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#MIZ&lt;/a&gt;    &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OwnIt?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#OwnIt&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MakeRoomForMore?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#MakeRoomForMore&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/iaUQxYnsNs"&gt;pic.twitter.com/iaUQxYnsNs&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Mizzou Athletics (@MizzouAthletics) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouAthletics/status/1790745663422026228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  600. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  601. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  602.  
  603. &lt;/div&gt;
  604. &lt;p id="Ox4oXl"&gt;As for how they got to be a top 8 seed? Well, it’s called winning. Which they did a lot of. &lt;a href="https://media.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExZndnNjQxaDB1bDY0ZGZneDJtczZ6bW9yZHV6cnhmOWh3OHpreG5idyZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/yWS2itifUpxja/giphy.gif"&gt;As Elle Woods said&lt;/a&gt;, “What? Like it’s hard?”  &lt;/p&gt;
  605. &lt;p id="d9uNQV"&gt;Per D1 Softball, “Now, a team that almost never stumbled against teams it was supposed to beat (30-2 against teams outside the RPI top 25) will get to play at home as long as it continues to do that. &lt;/p&gt;
  606. &lt;div class="c-float-right"&gt;&lt;div id="C9B6a7"&gt;&lt;div data-anthem-component="aside:12335209"&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  607. &lt;p id="vLq86l"&gt;Should the Tigers advance past the Supers, it would be their seventh WCWS appearance, and their first in 13 years. &lt;/p&gt;
  608. &lt;p id="Z5jYw1"&gt;Per the latest polls, Mizzou is ranked no. 10 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and no. 9 in the ESPN/USA Softball.&lt;/p&gt;
  609. &lt;p id="MvS5e2"&gt;The Tigers (43-15), no. 6 in the latest RPI rankings, will face their first test against Summit League Tournament champion Omaha, who sits at no. 67 in RPI and went 41-13&lt;strong&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;on the season. The Mavericks are led by Summit League Coach of the Year Mike Heard, who is in his third season at the helm. &lt;/p&gt;
  610. &lt;p id="BCiidY"&gt;&lt;small&gt;[my internet is being wonky and I’m about to throw my laptop across the room so I’m just copying &amp;amp; pasting from &lt;/small&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/12/24154527/mizzou-softball-is-no-7-overall-seed-in-ncaa-tournament-columbia-regional-omaha-indiana-washington"&gt;&lt;small&gt;Brandon and my piece from Selection Sunday&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;small&gt;]&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  611. &lt;p id="39ISxE"&gt;Heard piloted Omaha to the NCAA Tournament last season, when the Mavericks earned their first-ever tournament win in a victory over Prairie View A&amp;amp;M before bowing out with two losses to Louisiana in the Baton Rouge Regional.&lt;/p&gt;
  612. &lt;p id="h8Elx9"&gt;Omaha has one of the nation’s top arms in Summit League Pitcher of the Year Kamryn Meyer, nicknamed the “Queen of K’s”. The right-hander posted a 25-4 record this season, pitching to a 1.51 earned run average with 239 strikeouts in 189&lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt;⁄&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; innings. Meyer had 18 complete games, including nine shutouts this season and only gave up more than four runs twice (five runs vs. Arkansas &amp;amp; Purdue). &lt;/p&gt;
  613. &lt;p id="mPJXlr"&gt;Summit League second-team selection Sydney Nuismer is the only other pitcher the Mavericks generally use, and she finished 13-6 with a 2.80 ERA and 70 strikeouts. Omaha led its conference with a 2.39 ERA and allowed the fewest home runs (22). &lt;/p&gt;
  614. &lt;p id="YbVDsI"&gt;A familiar name to Tigers fans can be found among the Omaha staff directory— Emma Raabe. The MU softball alum serves as an assistant coach on the Mavericks’ staff.&lt;/p&gt;
  615. &lt;div id="A7iAeK"&gt;
  616. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  617. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;            !&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;From playing on the left side of the bag to coaching on the right. Assistant Coach and 2022 Mizzou grad, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/emma_raabe?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@emma_raabe&lt;/a&gt;, is heading back to her alma mater to coach the Mavericks in the NCAA Columbia Regional. &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OmahaSB?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#OmahaSB&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/0nbclqE9k0"&gt;pic.twitter.com/0nbclqE9k0&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Omaha Softball (@OmahaSB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/OmahaSB/status/1790412817948106913?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 14, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  618. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  619. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  620.  
  621. &lt;/div&gt;
  622. &lt;p id="bsTGyb"&gt;I don’t recommend reading the entirety of noted Mizzou hater (I kid… or do I?) &lt;a href="https://d1softball.com/columbia-regional-preview-missouri-faces-difficult-path-to-hosting-super-regional/"&gt;D1 Softball’s Columbia Regional preview&lt;/a&gt;, but I DID like this part about the pitching. &lt;/p&gt;
  623. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="sKsZ02"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Pitching:&lt;/strong&gt; Even for those of us who look back wistfully to the pitching of yesteryear, this season’s Tigers prove that the new model isn’t just effective but entertaining. This is a staff that invites you to root for them, each person cast perfectly in an ensemble production. Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison are front and center as the starters, but it’s relievers Marissa McCann and Taylor Pannell, stopper and closer, respectively, who make everything work. Pannell has already matched the SEC single-season record with 14 saves and her next save ties the NCAA record.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  624. &lt;p id="wILnix"&gt;Anyway, I’ll close with this, as my internet is &lt;em&gt;still&lt;/em&gt; going in and out some four hours later…&lt;/p&gt;
  625. &lt;p id="yv7P6J"&gt;Here at Rock M Nation, it’s now ALL SOFTBALL, ALL THE TIME, so after you read this, read Brandon’s magnificent feature on Taylor Pannell, coming your way at 8am CT, and then stick around for our Fan’s Guide to Mizzou Softball, arriving at 10am CT (unless it gets pushed due to like, a Mizzou Hoops commitment or something... lame— JK). &lt;/p&gt;
  626. &lt;h3 id="UWijPC"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why not now? Go get ‘em, Tigers.&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  627. &lt;div id="XISXqr"&gt;
  628. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  629. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Don’t count us out now. We’re coming. &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;27th NCAA Appearance coming  &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OwnIt?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#OwnIt&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MIZ?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#MIZ&lt;/a&gt;    &lt;a href="https://t.co/Chh50qNIJ5"&gt;pic.twitter.com/Chh50qNIJ5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Mizzou Softball (@MizzouSoftball) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball/status/1790777750581899759?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  630. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  631. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  632.  
  633. &lt;/div&gt;
  634. &lt;div id="4Xk5A6"&gt;&lt;div style="float:right; margin:10px;"&gt;&lt;iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/page.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Frockmnation&amp;amp;tabs&amp;amp;width=340&amp;amp;height=214&amp;amp;small_header=false&amp;amp;adapt_container_width=true&amp;amp;hide_cover=false&amp;amp;show_facepile=true&amp;amp;appId" width="340" height="214" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"&gt;&lt;/iframe&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;
  635. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="8wNBjj"&gt;
  636. &lt;h1 id="QvdtMQ"&gt;Yesterday at Rock M and Rock M+&lt;/h1&gt;
  637. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="xCrz0V"&gt;
  638. &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/16/24156094/spring-ball-check-in-mizzous-2024-opponents-part-2"&gt;Spring Ball Check-In with Mizzou’s 2024 Opponents (Part 2)&lt;/a&gt; by Dan Keegan&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  639. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="1cqgLY"&gt;Re: &lt;strong&gt;Murray State&lt;/strong&gt;— Ja Morant is not walking through that door. The Racers are a bad football program at the FCS level, going 2-9 last season and firing head coach Dean Hood. They were not competitive in either FBS game, losing 59-0 to Louisville and 35-14 to common opponent Middle Tennessee State. Their best player was tight end Cole Rusk, an FCS all-American and their leading receiver, who is now playing for Illinois. They will replace starting quarterback DJ Williams, who also hit the portal.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  640. &lt;p id="j1ViIs"&gt;Dan’s checking in with Tiger opponents Murray State, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas A&amp;amp;M, UMass and Vandy. And while you’re at it, &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/13/24150793/missouri-football-spring-ball-check-in-with-mizzous-2024-opponents-part-1"&gt;read Part One&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  641. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="QI9Cqa"&gt;
  642. &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-baseball-2/2024/5/16/24157965/mizzou-baseball-concludes-season-mississippi-state"&gt;Mizzou baseball concludes season needing miracle weekend in Starkville&lt;/a&gt; by now-MIZZOU J-SCHOOL ALUM, Kortay Vincent&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  643. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  644. &lt;p id="Bk1rGt"&gt;Sweeping its own series and needing a sweep in another series isn’t exactly good odds to begin with, but things get worse when you dig a bit deeper.&lt;/p&gt;
  645. &lt;p id="MBdvOL"&gt;Warren Nolan gives Mizzou just a 30% chance to win Thursday, 36% chance Friday, and 27% chance Saturday. If we crunch some numbers, that means MU has a 2.9% chance to sweep, per Warren Nolan’s numbers.&lt;/p&gt;
  646. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  647. &lt;p id="tBuXV2"&gt;Narrator: They did not get that miracle, and lost the series opener on Thursday. &lt;/p&gt;
  648. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="ibSiU8"&gt;
  649. &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/16/24157261/missouri-mizzou-tigers-football-rock-m-nation-morning-commute-hc-eli-drinkwitz-high-expectations-sec"&gt;Mizzou’s Eli Drinkwitz is Rising Up the Coaching Ranks&lt;/a&gt; by Sammy Stava&lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  650. &lt;blockquote&gt;
  651. &lt;p id="oTvZ1m"&gt;There’s plenty more to prove for Drinkwitz, however. The next step is sustaining success. And Mizzou is well positioned to sustain that success heading into an upcoming season that’s filled with high expectations.&lt;/p&gt;
  652. &lt;p id="prBl8A"&gt;With those high expectations come pressure, and there’s some pressure on Drinkwitz to take Mizzou Football to an even higher level with their sights set on the 12-team College Football Playoff.&lt;/p&gt;
  653. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  654. &lt;p id="6uRWEw"&gt;Some notable publications have listed Eli Drinkwitz in their top 25 college coaches, which is quite a step up from previous years.&lt;/p&gt;
  655. &lt;h2 id="tmnHDk"&gt;&lt;/h2&gt;
  656. &lt;h2 id="NAI0cL"&gt;What I’m Reading:&lt;/h2&gt;
  657. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="JnlnRa"&gt;Rock M’s own Quentin Corpuel previewed the &lt;a href="https://www.si.com/college/missouri/columbia-regional-preview-how-missouri-stacks-up-against-its-opening-round-competition-01hxqjn9q9sp"&gt;Columbia Regional Preview: How Missouri Stacks Up Against Its Opening-Round Competition&lt;/a&gt;
  658. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  659. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="0cpTda"&gt;With Omaha, Indiana and Washington visiting mid-Missouri, Mizzou Softball Stadium should feature high-quality softball this upcoming weekend.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  660. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="g843eZ"&gt;From MU Tigers, &lt;a href="https://mutigers.com/news/2024/5/16/no-18-mississippi-state-claims-series-opener-from-baseball-4-3.aspx"&gt;no. 18 Mississippi State claims series opener, 4-3&lt;/a&gt;
  661. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  662. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="U2VRSp"&gt;With the score knotted at 3-3 in the bottom of the sixth, Joe Powell’s tow-out double brought in Bryce Chance with the go-ahead run. The relief duo of Tyson Hardin and Tyler Davis made the slim margin stand, combining to strike out seven hitters over three scoreless innings to close out the win.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  663. &lt;p id="QkWAxe"&gt;Womp-Womp.&lt;/p&gt;
  664. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="yli3XB"&gt;From MU Tigers, &lt;a href="https://mutigers.com/news/2024/5/15/mens-golf-mens-golf-finishes-season-at-ncaa-regional.aspx"&gt;Men’s Golf finishes season at NCAA Regional, playing 10th&lt;/a&gt;
  665. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  666. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="JAvO9U"&gt;Competing in their third-straight NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history, the Tigers carded an eight-over 848 on the par 70 course, which is the third-best score for Mizzou in 17 years of competing at the NCAA Regional, and its highest since 2018.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  667. &lt;p id="YL50zf"&gt;Charlie Crockett was 26th and Jack Lundin was 36th.&lt;/p&gt;
  668. &lt;ul&gt;&lt;li id="bl6bRY"&gt;From MU Tigers, &lt;a href="https://mutigers.com/news/2024/5/15/tennis-inks-maryland-transfer-mary-brumfield.aspx"&gt;Mizzou Tennis inks Maryland transfer Mary Brumfield&lt;/a&gt;
  669. &lt;/li&gt;&lt;/ul&gt;
  670. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="i2NIqa"&gt;While at College Park, Brumfield totaled a 43-30 record in doubles competition and a 21-24 mark in singles. Ranking as high as no. 40 in the ITA doubles in February, the transfer qualified for the ITA Fall Nationals. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  671. &lt;p id="oIGtwi"&gt;Love to see an addition of a high level tennis player. Now they just need a facility on campus!&lt;/p&gt;
  672. &lt;p id="mYzusV"&gt;&lt;small&gt;(** &lt;/small&gt;&lt;small&gt;&lt;em&gt;RockMNation has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though RockMNation may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links.**)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/small&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  673.  
  674. </content>
  675.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24158709/the-road-to-the-wcws-starts-now-missouri-tigers-softball"/>
  676.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-softball/2024/5/17/24158709/the-road-to-the-wcws-starts-now-missouri-tigers-softball</id>
  677.    <author>
  678.      <name>Karen Steger</name>
  679.    </author>
  680.  </entry>
  681.  <entry>
  682.    <published>2024-05-16T09:00:00-05:00</published>
  683.    <updated>2024-05-16T09:00:00-05:00</updated>
  684.    <title>Spring Ball Check-In with Mizzou’s 2024 Opponents (Part 2) </title>
  685.    <content type="html">  
  686.  
  687.    &lt;figure&gt;
  688.      &lt;img alt="NCAA Football: Clemson at South Carolina" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/tdwBWUtD2Nz-ORJkYUlsvVM-yFo=/0x0:4304x2869/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73351220/usa_today_21975301.0.jpg" /&gt;
  689.        &lt;figcaption&gt;David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  690.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  691.  
  692.  &lt;p&gt;With spring ball and the transfer portal mostly wrapped up across the country, let’s check in on the status of six of Mizzou’s fall opponents.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="gqy6ti"&gt;College football’s long haul of an offseason is turning the corner, as we are beginning to talk actual ball on these pages, and not just boardroom drama, and roster construction. Missouri has a football schedule to play this fall, and we are going to check in with all 12 teams on it. We started with the first six yesterday, and wrap up with the next six today, going in alphabetical order instead of schedule order. What? I needed more time to research Murray State and UMass. Alabama is easy. &lt;/p&gt;
  693. &lt;p id="1cqgLY"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Murray State&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  694. &lt;p id="ouBs7A"&gt;Ja Morant is not walking through that door. The Racers are a bad football program at the FCS level, going 2-9 last season and firing head coach Dean Hood. They were not competitive in either FBS game, losing 59-0 to Louisville and 35-14 to common opponent Middle Tennessee State. Their best player was tight end Cole Rusk, an FCS all-American and their leading receiver, who is now playing for Illinois. They will replace starting quarterback DJ Williams, who also hit the portal. &lt;/p&gt;
  695. &lt;p id="w3gzSL"&gt;New head coach Jody Wright was coaching tight ends on Shane Beamer’s South Carolina staff when he was tabbed to lead this program. He has an impressive resume, working in the NFL and on Nick Saban ‘Bama staffs, mostly as TE coach, run game coordinator, and recruiting coordinator roles. He has received praise for his recruiting organization and hard work; most of the press around this Murray State team is focused on his energy and charisma. He carried an open mic during the spring game, for instance. His career doesn’t point to any schematic overhaul; just competent ground games. If he can bring that to his Racers, that will be a step up from recent campaigns. &lt;/p&gt;
  696. &lt;p id="InJtTw"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Oklahoma&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  697. &lt;p id="Mg1cUV"&gt;The Sooners visit Columbia for the first time since 2010, and what a party that was for the home team. While this isn’t much of a rivalry on Winsipedia, it’s got some juice to it in online recruiting and message board circles. A win over an old Big 8 bully would be massive for the program’s bona fides.&lt;/p&gt;
  698. &lt;p id="JYisjw"&gt;How likely is that? The Oklahoma defensive line whipped their counterparts in the spring game; that’s good news for their defense but bad news for an offensive line that is replacing all five starters from last year. Blue chip quarterback Jackson Arnold will be driving the bus this year, but he will actually need to have time to get the ball to an excellent wide receiver corps. Oklahoma quietly won ten games last year, mostly with an excellent, efficient offense. It’s possible they step back this year on that side of the ball while improving on defense, as Brent Venables continues to re-install what was lost during the Lincoln Riley era. &lt;/p&gt;
  699. &lt;p id="u1zP5U"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  700. &lt;p id="IlVr2A"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;South Carolina&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  701. &lt;p id="5RsG1A"&gt;It is getting close to put up or shut up time for Shane Beamer. Unfortunately, I don’t think he has a good enough roster for “put up,” and he has no desire to ever “shut up.” Coach Skits n Bits has so far failed to capitalize on the promise of his high school recruiting efforts, and his program has became somewhat of a transfer portal turnstile. Once again, it is a parade of talent out, and a parade of talent in.&lt;/p&gt;
  702. &lt;p id="MScRCZ"&gt;The keys to the car are going to be given to redshirt freshman Lanoris Sellers, a talented runner but inexperienced passer. The offensive line again looks shaky. Arkansas’s Rocket Sanders is the new lead back and Nyck Harbor is back at receiver, but these groups are thin. Perhaps this is the year it all comes together, but if it doesn’t, how many more of these seasons does Beamer get?&lt;/p&gt;
  703. &lt;p id="yQVTFr"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  704. &lt;p id="hGj1ey"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Texas A&amp;amp;M&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  705. &lt;p id="PL1Id3"&gt;For years the college football world got off their jokes about Jimbo Fisher doing “less with more,” building elite rosters at Texas A&amp;amp;M and letting them go to waste. New head coach Mike Elko proved his ball-coach chops at Duke and has a chance to properly capitalize on all this assembled talent. &lt;/p&gt;
  706. &lt;p id="QArZa4"&gt;A few big names are gone, like Ainais Smith, Evan Stewart, Walter Nolen, and Edgerrin Cooper. But a lot of really talented players remain. The Conor Weigman breakout is long overdue, and Reuben Owens and Le’Veon Moss will be an elite backfield. Missouri will be facing the Collin Klein offense for the third season in a row, as the former Kansas State coordinator is now calling the plays for these Aggies. Defensive end Nic Scourton, a Purdue transfer, is a pass-rushing nightmare and has a chance to be one of the best defensive players in the league.&lt;/p&gt;
  707. &lt;p id="3XiPWL"&gt;One day this program will put it all together — will it be when they appear on the Tigers’ schedule? &lt;/p&gt;
  708. &lt;p id="EsTfB2"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UMass &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  709. &lt;p id="SLlN6v"&gt;UMass might field the worst program overall in FBS. Their final season as an independent will be cruel, as they face three SEC opponents. Longtime defensive coordinator Don Brown leads this program, which projects to be 118th in the country in preseason SP+. Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh is back, but thousand-yard rusher Kayron Lynch-Adams transferred to Michigan State. The Minutemen are in for another long year, even if the fiery Brown is slowly bringing a little more fight to the defense. &lt;/p&gt;
  710. &lt;p id="2FUnvL"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Vanderbilt&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  711. &lt;p id="bter4H"&gt;Clark Lea is entering year four at the toughest power conference job in the country. After a promising 5-7 step forward in 2022, the ‘Dores regressed to 2-10 last season — then lost a wave of contributors. It’s hard to run a good portal program at an academics-first school, but Lea did go shopping in that store in earnest this off-season. The biggest name is new quarterback Diego Pavia, a fearless gunslinger who you might remember from our game against New Mexico State in 2022. But a good wide receiver room has completely emptied out, and it’s hard to see a path to competitiveness in the SEC. &lt;/p&gt;
  712.  
  713. </content>
  714.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/16/24156094/spring-ball-check-in-mizzous-2024-opponents-part-2"/>
  715.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/2024/5/16/24156094/spring-ball-check-in-mizzous-2024-opponents-part-2</id>
  716.    <author>
  717.      <name>Dan Keegan</name>
  718.    </author>
  719.  </entry>
  720.  <entry>
  721.    <published>2024-05-16T08:31:23-05:00</published>
  722.    <updated>2024-05-16T08:31:23-05:00</updated>
  723.    <title>Mizzou Basketball 2024 Transfer Tracker</title>
  724.    <content type="html">  
  725.  
  726.    &lt;figure&gt;
  727.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/u7vCPRC3txlaOPhjj1mff407bkA=/0x0:4254x2836/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73212807/CAL_1210.0.jpg" /&gt;
  728.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  729.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  730.  
  731.  &lt;p&gt;It’s transfer portal season already, and while we don’t expect a ton of movement we do expect Mizzou to be very active. &lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="dNGlW8"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — May 16: &lt;/strong&gt;And then there was only one... Mizzou’s board is done to just one name after &lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1791097315593249150"&gt;Kentucky landed Farleigh Dickinson transfer forward Ansley Almonor&lt;/a&gt;. That name? Oh hey it’s Josh Gray!&lt;/p&gt;
  732. &lt;p id="E8XIhO"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — May 14:&lt;/strong&gt; Things keep getting whittled down. Kasean Pryor committed to Louisville today. Wright State’s AJ Braun picked Cal Baptist. Yesterday &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/"&gt;Matt Harris was able to confirm&lt;/a&gt; South Carolina transfer post Josh Gray is visiting Mizzou. &lt;/p&gt;
  733. &lt;p id="nrnwSA"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — May 6-12:&lt;/strong&gt; It’s a waiting game now. But at a stop for the Come Home tour, coach Dennis Gates dropped a not-so-subtle hint at imminent movement, saying he &lt;a href="https://x.com/byelihoff/status/1788698735851003919?s=46&amp;amp;t=hWcQM-qPZlYcTDbp0bWblA"&gt;expected a bat signal&lt;/a&gt; in the coming week. For our part, we’re betting on one, and it’s not hard to deduce a leading contender: South Carolina center Josh Gray. &lt;/p&gt;
  734. &lt;p id="JXcT0o"&gt;Could a dark horse emerge? Sure. But among the top 50 options in On3 Sports’ composite only two centers are still truly available — Gray and FAMU’s Shannon Grant. So, if you were to place a wager, odds are strong on the former. &lt;/p&gt;
  735. &lt;p id="q6SZWe"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — April 29-May 5: &lt;/strong&gt;The transfer portal closed this week, and Missouri suffered no last-minute defections. The Tigers’ task became simpler, too. It has one opening in its transfer class and one need — a traditional big man. &lt;/p&gt;
  736. &lt;p id="fmxDfw"&gt;However, that search got a bit trickier.&lt;/p&gt;
  737. &lt;p id="XErL5c"&gt;Around mid-week, we felt confident that MU’s &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/5/1/24142607/where-can-mizzou-hoops-find-a-center"&gt;list of options&lt;/a&gt; was only a couple of names long. Then, UTSA’s Carlton Linguard &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/jeffborzello/status/1786440596019626433"&gt;came off the board&lt;/a&gt;, while South Florida’s Kasean Pryor remains focused on the NBA draft. If Pryor returns to college, it’s likely he’ll be looking to play more on the wing or as a stretch four at his next spot. &lt;/p&gt;
  738. &lt;p id="Z6YCMq"&gt;Process of elimination left South Carolina’s &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/forums/viewtopic.php?t=217"&gt;Josh Gray&lt;/a&gt; and UC Irivine’s &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/forums/viewtopic.php?t=236"&gt;Bent Leuchten&lt;/a&gt;, both of whom Matt Harris profiled extensively at RockM.plus. But late Saturday, Leuchten &lt;a href="https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1786920151469752472"&gt;backed out of the portal&lt;/a&gt;, opting to stick with the Anteaters. We’ll see when the Tigers get Gray on campus, but he’s likely the last big man that ticks major boxes: high-major experience, interior defense, reliable rebounding, and rim protection. &lt;/p&gt;
  739. &lt;p id="tctxCp"&gt;The list of alternatives is also lean at this point in the calendar. Almost 80 percent of the top-50 bigs in On3 Sports composite rankings are off the board. On Sunday, Harris&lt;a href="https://x.com/MattJHarris85/status/1787117924043399283"&gt; outlined why&lt;/a&gt; in a Twitter thread. &lt;/p&gt;
  740. &lt;p id="4NQgqS"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — April 22-28: &lt;/strong&gt;The week began with Jevon Porter &lt;a href="https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1782473099176206697"&gt;signing with Loyola Marymount&lt;/a&gt;, ending the possibility of a homecoming to Missouri. Meanwhile, the Tigers started reconfiguring their recruiting board and assessing new options in the post. They reportedly touched base with UTSA’s &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ThePortalReport/status/1782509951128354879"&gt;Carlton Linguard&lt;/a&gt;, Wright State’s AJ Braun, UC Irvine’s &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/JamieShaw5/status/1783135699769716928"&gt;Bent Leuchten&lt;/a&gt;, and South Carolina’s &lt;a href="https://x.com/ThePortalReport/status/1783664399787385018"&gt;Josh Gray&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  741. &lt;p id="yj9vVb"&gt;It’s our understanding that Braun won’t be an option moving forward, meaning it might be best to monitor Leuchten and Gray. If you’ve checked the &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/"&gt;forums at RockM.plus&lt;/a&gt;, you’d know that the demand for post players remains robust, and the shelves have been emptying quickly over the past 10 days or so. At the moment, it appears MU is eyeing players we might classify as depth pieces. Matt Harris has also posted an in-depth scouting report of what Gray might bring to the table. &lt;/p&gt;
  742. &lt;p id="P0JJ3i"&gt;Looking ahead, the transfer portal closes on Wednesday. We’ll be keeping watch to see if what kind of talent jumps in late. &lt;/p&gt;
  743. &lt;p id="u02bFJ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — April 15-21: &lt;/strong&gt;It’s an understatement to call this week productive. Mizzou closed three recruitments, landing &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/15/24127943/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-commitment-tony-perkins-iowa"&gt;Tony Perkins&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/17/24129096/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-marques-warrick-commitment"&gt;Marques Warrick&lt;/a&gt;, and &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/19/24128841/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-mark-mitchell-duke-commitment"&gt;Mark Mitchell&lt;/a&gt;. Meanwhile, big man Tarris Reed &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1780627293016109187"&gt;spurned a homecoming&lt;/a&gt; to play for the reigning national champions. Those roster moves required some departures from Columbia. John Tonje, who missed the bulk of last season with a foot injury, entered the portal early in the week. On Friday, Jordan Butler decided to leave and swiftly opted to return home to play at South Carolina.&lt;/p&gt;
  744. &lt;p id="j0D8vS"&gt;Butler’s exit puts more pressure on MU to close this portal season with a quality addition along the front line. If you’ve checked the &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/"&gt;RockM.plus forums&lt;/a&gt;, you’d know that South Florida transfer Kasean Pryor is a name to monitor, and MU&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RockMNation/status/1781683591962824904"&gt; is in contact&lt;/a&gt;. Some other names to monitor include UC Irvine’s Bent Leuchten and Ohio State’s Felix Okpara. Meanwhile, the odds of Pepperdine transfer Jevon Porter coming back to Columbia got murkier as his recruitment stretched past 40 days — unusually long when it comes to transfers.&lt;/p&gt;
  745. &lt;p id="4bPkJ8"&gt;On paper, coach Dennis Gates and his staff have built—for now—a top-10 transfer class to complement a top-10 prep group. Now, we’ll see what kind of big man they bring in to round it out.&lt;/p&gt;
  746. &lt;p id="6t0wuu"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — April 8-April 14: &lt;/strong&gt;The biggest news recently is likely surrounding Mark Mitchell, Mizzou has made contact and &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/forums/viewtopic.php?t=138&amp;amp;sid=8f995eef323a9300562defa813e8da2d"&gt;we have full details on the RockM+ Forums&lt;/a&gt; (link for subscribers). With Marques Warrick on campus, things have been a little quiet this weekend as we wait to hear if Warrick liked things enough to commit. Matt Harris dropped a deep dive into Warrick on the Forums this week. &lt;/p&gt;
  747. &lt;p id="f1gyiW"&gt;This morning Kylen Milton from Arkansas Pine Bluff committed to Murray State. He was seeking a larger role than many high majors would be willing to provide. Several other prospects came off with the board this week with J.P. Pegues committing to Auburn, Bashir Jihad going to Arizona State, and Christ Essandoko joining Kim English and Providence. &lt;/p&gt;
  748. &lt;p id="O26xS7"&gt;We’ve also reported on the Forums and &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/13/24129014/re-playing-the-recruiting-misses-greatest-hits"&gt;I wrote about it Saturday&lt;/a&gt; that interest in Tarris Reed seems to have waned a bit while both Mizzou and Reed explore options. Things aren’t completely shut off, but I would be surprised if Reed ended up at Missouri at this point. &lt;/p&gt;
  749. &lt;p id="1S2Skj"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — April 1-April 7: &lt;/strong&gt;The week was pretty quiet with coaches spending some time around the Final Four and it being a recruiting dead period. However there was some movement amongst a few players the Tigers had made contact with. &lt;/p&gt;
  750. &lt;p id="InzGx3"&gt;Mizzou was named as a finalist for Iowa transfer guard Tony Perkins fresh off his visit, as well as Northern Kentucky guard Marques Warrick. They made contact with FAU guard Nick Boyd, Albany guard Sebastian Thomas, St. Joe’s big Chris Essandoko, and Kentucky wing Adou Thiero. They were eliminated from contention by J.P. Pegues, Sam Alexi, Amari Williams, and Zeke Mayo. &lt;/p&gt;
  751. &lt;p id="D72QE0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — March 25-March 31: &lt;/strong&gt;Missouri turned its attention to the backcourt this week as higher-quality wings and ball-handlers started hitting the portal. One of those targets also made his way to Columbia. Iowa transfer Tony Perkins ventured south for an official visit. The Tigers touched base with South Dakota State transfer Zeke Mayo, but a quick process saw them trimmed over the weekend. Furman’s JP Pegues has yet to release a list of finalists, but the point guard is taking visits. MU is not on the itinerary. Meanwhile, his backcourt partner, Marcus Foster, committed to Xavier. MU is also out of the mix for Chattanooga big man Sam Alexis. &lt;/p&gt;
  752. &lt;p id="WcYKgA"&gt;The coaching staff also reportedly contacted the following players: Milwaukee wing BJ Freeman, Oklahoma wing Otega Oweh, George Mason wing Keyshawn Hall, Butler combo guard DJ Davis, and Northern Kentucky combo guard Marques Warrick. And while there haven’t been reported interactions, MU is interested in Green Bay’s Noah Reynolds and Washington State’s Myles Rice. It seems increasingly likely that the Tigers will target two ball-handlers this spring. &lt;/p&gt;
  753. &lt;p id="cu14YF"&gt;At this point, it’s evident that Tarris Reed and Jevon Porter are atop the Tigers’ wish list. However, Reed visited Kansas State, where his former grassroots and high school coach is on the Wildcats staff. Porter may visit town early next week, but we’ll see. Perkins also left Columbia without committing. &lt;/p&gt;
  754. &lt;p id="0vAk1r"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Update — March 18-24: &lt;/strong&gt;Missouri struck quickly during the first week of the portal season by &lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/3/19/24106137/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-jacob-crews-commits"&gt;adding Jacob Crews&lt;/a&gt;, a jumbo wing from UT-Martin, to space out the floor. Taking Crews probably renders moot any contact with UAPB’s Kylen Milton and Iona’s Greg Gordon. The Tigers also nosed around a couple of big men and combo guards. It’s worth putting a pin in that Michigan’s Tarris Reed and Pepperdine’s Jevon Porter are seeking new homes. Both are Show-Me State natives with some upside, and we expect them to have first dibs on spots. As for point guard, that stall at the market hasn’t put out its best wares, but Furman’s JP Pegues is a genuine PNR operator that can shoot off the bounce. &lt;/p&gt;
  755. &lt;hr class="p-entry-hr" id="hQG3Md"&gt;
  756. &lt;p id="PWWPmO"&gt;The transfer portal is all the rage these days. It’s the hottest place to be in all of college basketball. &lt;/p&gt;
  757. &lt;p id="f0iOKz"&gt;This post is strictly about which prospects Missouri has made contact with. We will have a Roster primer coming as well. I will link it here once it’s published. We’ll be frequently updating this post with the most recent contacts. &lt;/p&gt;
  758. &lt;p id="54WrK0"&gt;So this will only contain who has reported interest from Mizzou, and then updates with where those prospects have committed when they do. For additional intel on which prospects we expect Missouri to be targeting and pursuing, we will host that in our new &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus"&gt;RockM+&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://rockm.plus/forums"&gt;Forums&lt;/a&gt; There you’ll also find a full list of players Matt Watkins and Matt Harris have scouted.&lt;/p&gt;
  759. &lt;p id="pilgnC"&gt;The portal officially opens for everyone on Monday, March 18th. We expect Mizzou to be primarily seeking point guards, combo guards, and some interior size. Each prospect will be listed with the most recent publicly reported level of interest which could include initial contact, hosted on a visit, final schools, or committed. &lt;/p&gt;
  760. &lt;h2 id="Ie3koj"&gt;POINT GUARDS&lt;/h2&gt;
  761. &lt;ul&gt;
  762. &lt;li id="sJtmkb"&gt;
  763. &lt;strong&gt;Tony Perkins, Iowa: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/theportalreport/status/1772750071563784549?s=46&amp;amp;t=kOawWaKexlPmtLCuZv-7ZQ"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;contact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/247HSHoops/status/1774212003554382066"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;visited&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/C5TXjB_sfai/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&amp;amp;igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA=="&gt;&lt;strong&gt;finalist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/15/24127943/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-commitment-tony-perkins-iowa"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMITTED to Missouri&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  764. &lt;/li&gt;
  765. &lt;li id="YhuOI5"&gt;Sebastian Thomas, Albany: &lt;a href="https://x.com/bassyyyyy4/status/1781736742359277859"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Rhode Island&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  766. &lt;/li&gt;
  767. &lt;li id="0Aoaw6"&gt;
  768. &lt;em&gt;Myles Rice, Washington State: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1779254970493075649"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Committed to Indiana&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  769. &lt;/li&gt;
  770. &lt;li id="DiIIvf"&gt;
  771. &lt;em&gt;JP Pegues, Furman: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1778815358310268946"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Committed to Auburn&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  772. &lt;/li&gt;
  773. &lt;li id="xIUJIV"&gt;
  774. &lt;em&gt;Zeke Mayo, South Dakota State: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/zekexmayo/status/1775296779279298714?s=20"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Committed to Kansas&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  775. &lt;/li&gt;
  776. &lt;/ul&gt;
  777. &lt;h2 id="Ll94ir"&gt;COMBO GUARDS&lt;/h2&gt;
  778. &lt;ul&gt;
  779. &lt;li id="Etuax8"&gt;
  780. &lt;strong&gt;Marques Warrick, Northern Kentucky: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ThePortalReport/status/1772689917392392408?s=20"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;contact&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1777050779704304007"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;finalist&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ThePortalReport/status/1778160376032473413"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;visit&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;strong&gt;, &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/17/24129096/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-marques-warrick-commitment"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMITTED to Missouri &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  781. &lt;/li&gt;
  782. &lt;li id="JbVFz2"&gt;Camren Hunter, Central Arkansas: &lt;a href="https://x.com/BadgerMBB/status/1784662016507994397"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Wisconsin&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  783. &lt;/li&gt;
  784. &lt;li id="zlRDv1"&gt;
  785. &lt;em&gt;D.J. Davis, Butler: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1783201769775833403"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Washington&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  786. &lt;/li&gt;
  787. &lt;li id="x0SRdi"&gt;
  788. &lt;em&gt;Nick Boyd, Florida Atlantic: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.zagsblog.com/2024/04/20/san-diego-state-adds-fau-transfer-nick-boyd/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to San Diego State&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  789. &lt;/li&gt;
  790. &lt;li id="ARKItP"&gt;
  791. &lt;em&gt;Marcus Foster, Furman: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1773058481811014020"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Xavier&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  792. &lt;/li&gt;
  793. &lt;/ul&gt;
  794. &lt;h2 id="ZmgUd4"&gt;WINGS&lt;/h2&gt;
  795. &lt;ul&gt;
  796. &lt;li id="xz3HXS"&gt;
  797. &lt;strong&gt;Jacob Crews, UT-Martin: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RockMNation/status/1770169058446467444"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMITTED to Missouri&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  798. &lt;/li&gt;
  799. &lt;li id="aFaFyf"&gt;
  800. &lt;em&gt;Adou Thiero, Kentucky: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/DraftExpress/status/1787542848012993011"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Arkansas&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  801. &lt;/li&gt;
  802. &lt;li id="MJtFZh"&gt;
  803. &lt;em&gt;Kylen Milton, Arkansas Pine Bluff: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/portal_updates/status/1779536561123598716"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Murray State&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  804. &lt;/li&gt;
  805. &lt;li id="8XtxD6"&gt;
  806. &lt;em&gt;Greg Gordon, Iona: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/portal_updates/status/1779568054344531986"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Committed to UAB&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  807. &lt;/li&gt;
  808. &lt;li id="WY9K6X"&gt;
  809. &lt;em&gt;Keyshawn Hall, George Mason: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1781442872408944999"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to UCF&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  810. &lt;/li&gt;
  811. &lt;li id="3uvkfp"&gt;
  812. &lt;em&gt;B.J. Freeman, Milwaukee:&lt;/em&gt; &lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1784256007411056794"&gt;committed to Arizona State&lt;/a&gt;
  813. &lt;/li&gt;
  814. &lt;li id="kt0f0R"&gt;Otega Oweh, Oklahoma: &lt;a href="https://x.com/JackPilgrimKSR/status/1784282131092435271"&gt;committed to Kentucky&lt;/a&gt;
  815. &lt;/li&gt;
  816. &lt;/ul&gt;
  817. &lt;h2 id="jZcBtm"&gt;COMBO FORWARDS&lt;/h2&gt;
  818. &lt;ul&gt;
  819. &lt;li id="noA3Om"&gt;
  820. &lt;strong&gt;Mark Mitchell, Duke: &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/4/19/24128841/missouri-tigers-basketball-recruiting-transfer-mark-mitchell-duke-commitment"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;COMMITTED to Missouri&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  821. &lt;/li&gt;
  822. &lt;li id="UdU2oc"&gt;
  823. &lt;em&gt;Ansley Almonor, Fairleigh Dickinson: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1791097315593249150"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Kentucky&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  824. &lt;/li&gt;
  825. &lt;li id="we78BB"&gt;
  826. &lt;em&gt;Jevon Porter, Pepperdine: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1782473099176206697"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Loyola Marymount&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  827. &lt;/li&gt;
  828. &lt;li id="OVswFm"&gt;
  829. &lt;em&gt;Bashir Jihad, Ball State: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1778513363644928108"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Arizona State&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  830. &lt;/li&gt;
  831. &lt;/ul&gt;
  832. &lt;h2 id="qJ7bsC"&gt;POSTS&lt;/h2&gt;
  833. &lt;ul&gt;
  834. &lt;li id="I8uwtl"&gt;Josh Gray, South Carolina: &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/ThePortalReport/status/1783664399787385018"&gt;contact&lt;/a&gt;, &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/RockMplus/status/1790120121735790736"&gt;visiting&lt;/a&gt;
  835. &lt;/li&gt;
  836. &lt;li id="IjQ3Ml"&gt;
  837. &lt;em&gt;Bent Leutchen, UC-Irvine: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1786920151469752472"&gt;&lt;em&gt;withdrew from portal&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  838. &lt;/li&gt;
  839. &lt;li id="0x5CQa"&gt;
  840. &lt;em&gt;Kasean Pryor, South Florida: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1790475200917643309"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Louisville&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  841. &lt;/li&gt;
  842. &lt;li id="g6709M"&gt;
  843. &lt;em&gt;Carlton Linguard, UTSA: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/jeffborzello/status/1786440596019626433"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to San Francisco&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  844. &lt;/li&gt;
  845. &lt;li id="kNRF4l"&gt;
  846. &lt;em&gt;Amari Williams, Drexel: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/TiptonEdits/status/1782153630218355063"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Kentucky&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  847. &lt;/li&gt;
  848. &lt;li id="xiIihN"&gt;
  849. &lt;em&gt;Tarris Reed, Michigan: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1780627293016109187"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Connecticut&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  850. &lt;/li&gt;
  851. &lt;li id="owUIng"&gt;
  852. &lt;em&gt;Sam Alexis, Chattanooga: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://x.com/JonRothstein/status/1779140088670134375"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Florida&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  853. &lt;/li&gt;
  854. &lt;li id="i1bE67"&gt;
  855. &lt;em&gt;A.J. Braun, Wright State: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/braun_aj/status/1790557683189231695?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1790557683189231695%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;amp;ref_url="&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Cal Baptist&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  856. &lt;/li&gt;
  857. &lt;li id="82T82m"&gt;
  858. &lt;em&gt;Christ Essandoko, St. Joseph’s: &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/TiptonEdits/status/1778168581399671167"&gt;&lt;em&gt;committed to Providence&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;
  859. &lt;/li&gt;
  860. &lt;/ul&gt;
  861. &lt;p id="ynb7d9"&gt;This list attempted to note any reported interaction MU had with a transfer target. However, the nature of the portal means there are likely contacts that never become known publicly. We will attempt to keep our accounting updated more information became available.&lt;/p&gt;
  862. &lt;p id="xITRGB"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  863. &lt;p id="d0TuN1"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  864.  
  865. </content>
  866.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/3/17/24103298/mizzou-basketball-2024-transfer-tracker"/>
  867.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-basketball-recruiting/2024/3/17/24103298/mizzou-basketball-2024-transfer-tracker</id>
  868.    <author>
  869.      <name>Sam Snelling</name>
  870.    </author>
  871.  </entry>
  872.  <entry>
  873.    <published>2024-05-16T07:00:00-05:00</published>
  874.    <updated>2024-05-16T07:00:00-05:00</updated>
  875.    <title>Mizzou baseball concludes season needing miracle weekend in Starkville</title>
  876.    <content type="html">  
  877.  
  878.    &lt;figure&gt;
  879.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/nMlAQc8K1p9ISylxGopHSaBZKEY=/0x0:2941x1961/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73350956/0568_04052024_mubb_scar.0.jpeg" /&gt;
  880.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Cal Tobias/Rock M Nation&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  881.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  882.  
  883.  &lt;p&gt;Mizzou needs to sweep No. 16 Mississippi State and to get help elsewhere if it wants to make the SEC Tournament&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="XdhRwA"&gt;Since sweeping Florida on April 7, Mizzou baseball has been trending the wrong direction. The Tigers are yet to win a series since that sweep, and they’ve played themselves out of a Southeastern Conference Tournament position.&lt;/p&gt;
  884. &lt;p id="fA60sE"&gt;This weekend, MU concludes its season with a trip to Starkville to face No. 16 Mississippi State. To make it back into position for an SEC Tournament bid, the Tigers need to sweep the Bulldogs (34-18, 15-12 SEC) and they need help from elsewhere.&lt;/p&gt;
  885. &lt;h3 id="Jjx1Cb"&gt;How can Mizzou make it to Hoover?&lt;/h3&gt;
  886. &lt;p id="Shb3aC"&gt;Here’s how the SEC standings currently look:&lt;/p&gt;
  887.  &lt;figure class="e-image"&gt;
  888.        &lt;img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lGd_825kXqb9S89a6ds_1J4YBNQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25450584/Screenshot_2024_05_15_at_11.13.02_PM.png"&gt;
  889.  &lt;/figure&gt;
  890. &lt;p id="fO1mIh"&gt;Only the top 12 teams get to make the trip to Hoover for the SEC tournament, and the Tigers currently sit in 13th. They’re only ahead of Auburn, who they dropped a series to at home last weekend.&lt;/p&gt;
  891. &lt;p id="1cNbEQ"&gt;Mizzou must sweep Mississippi State regardless of circumstance. On top of that, Mizzou needs either Georgia to sweep Florida or one of LSU and Ole Miss to sweep the other in their series. &lt;/p&gt;
  892. &lt;p id="Bk1rGt"&gt;Sweeping its own series and needing a sweep in another series isn’t exactly good odds to begin with, but things get worse when you dig a bit deeper.&lt;/p&gt;
  893. &lt;p id="7u8S7n"&gt;Warren Nolan gives Mizzou just a 30% chance to win Thursday, 36% chance Friday, and 27% chance Saturday. If we crunch some numbers, that means MU has a 2.9% chance to sweep, per Warren Nolan’s numbers. &lt;/p&gt;
  894. &lt;p id="jAZX8O"&gt;Warren Nolan also projects a 23% chance for Georgia to sweep Florida and a 26.5% chance for the Ole Miss-LSU series to end in a sweep for either team. (Each of those numbers was calculated using the individual game prediction percentages)&lt;/p&gt;
  895. &lt;p id="4LDJHg"&gt;If we abandon all the numbers, we can put this in layman’s terms and say that Mizzou needs a miracle, but the Tigers aren’t completely out of it yet.&lt;/p&gt;
  896. &lt;h3 id="FJSVlK"&gt;What are the Tigers up against this weekend?&lt;/h3&gt;
  897. &lt;p id="1usNjP"&gt;Mississippi State has bounced back significantly from a year ago when it missed Hoover altogether. The Bulldogs are third in the SEC West and could be a regional host if things go right for them this weekend and in the SEC Tournament.&lt;/p&gt;
  898. &lt;p id="TXszCX"&gt;The three-headed monster of Dakota Jordan, Connor Hujsak, and Hunter Hines lead the Bulldogs at the plate. Jordan has an absurd .370/.448/.708 slashline with 17 homers. Hines has belted 14 homers of his own, and Hujsak owns a 1.022 OPS.&lt;/p&gt;
  899. &lt;div id="ToiUK1"&gt;
  900. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  901. &lt;p lang="eu" dir="ltr"&gt;Dakota  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; » &lt;a href="https://t.co/lYVs4kpaW6"&gt;https://t.co/lYVs4kpaW6&lt;/a&gt;&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HailState?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#HailState&lt;/a&gt;  &lt;a href="https://t.co/X4CzOizXR5"&gt;pic.twitter.com/X4CzOizXR5&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Mississippi State Baseball (@HailStateBB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/HailStateBB/status/1778955430938702316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;April 13, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  902. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  903. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  904.  
  905. &lt;/div&gt;
  906. &lt;p id="kbpjXJ"&gt;On the mound, the Bulldogs are also formidable. Their pitching staff is fourth in the SEC with a team ERA of 4.30. Opponents are hitting just .234 of Mississippi State pitchers. &lt;/p&gt;
  907. &lt;p id="hVj6lj"&gt;Khal Stephen and Jurrangelo Cijntje get the ball in Games 1 and 2 for MSU this weekend, and they’ve formed a dynamic duo all season. Stephen has a 3.16 ERA with 85 strikeouts in 77 innings. Cijntje has a 3.57 ERA in 70.2 innings and 89 strikeouts. Cijntje is also a switch pitcher, making him one of the most unique tests in the SEC on the mound.&lt;/p&gt;
  908. &lt;div id="ARMA2X"&gt;
  909. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"&gt;
  910. &lt;p lang="nl" dir="ltr"&gt;Jurrangelo Cijntje from Mississippi State is a switch-pitcher.  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;( : &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/espn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@ESPN&lt;/a&gt;) &lt;a href="https://t.co/1sf4jBkakI"&gt;pic.twitter.com/1sf4jBkakI&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— MLB (@MLB) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/MLB/status/1771238772975264082?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;March 22, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  911. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  912. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  913.  
  914. &lt;/div&gt;
  915. &lt;h3 id="1tDGzL"&gt;Game Schedule&lt;/h3&gt;
  916. &lt;p id="HYogyG"&gt;Thursday @ 6 p.m. — RHP Kaden Jacobi (MU) vs. RHP Khal Stephen (MSU) — SEC Network+&lt;/p&gt;
  917. &lt;p id="rY1xG0"&gt;Friday @ 6 p.m. — TBD (MU) vs. RHP/LHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (MSU) — SEC Network+&lt;/p&gt;
  918. &lt;p id="v6URzD"&gt;Saturday @ 2 p.m. — TBD (MU) vs. TBD (MSU) — SEC Network+&lt;/p&gt;
  919.  
  920. </content>
  921.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-baseball-2/2024/5/16/24157965/mizzou-baseball-concludes-season-mississippi-state"/>
  922.    <id>https://www.rockmnation.com/mizzou-baseball-2/2024/5/16/24157965/mizzou-baseball-concludes-season-mississippi-state</id>
  923.    <author>
  924.      <name>Kortay Vincent</name>
  925.    </author>
  926.  </entry>
  927. </feed>
  928.  

Home · About · News · Docs · Terms

 
Copyright © 2002-9 Sam Ruby, Mark Pilgrim, Joseph Walton, and Phil Ringnalda