COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 12 Mizzou Softball continues its early 2016 schedule on Thursday, Feb. 25, at the Mary Nutter Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. The Tigers are set to play five games in three days at the Big League Dreams sports complex.
 
Mizzou begins play on Thursday against North Carolina State at 3 p.m. (CT). Later that evening, the Tigers square off against Stanford at5:30 p.m. (CT). Saturday brings only one game with a matchup against Colorado State at 10 p.m. (CT).
 
The Tigers close out their weekend on Saturday with games against No. 7 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. (CT) and BYU at 10 p.m. (CT).


 

Fans can follow each game online at StatBroadcast.com and on Twitter (@MizzouSoftball). All five games will also be streamed online at FloSoftball.com.
 
MIZZOU STARTS SEASON 6-0 AT CITRUS CLASSIC

•  The Tigers were impressive in their opening weekend, producing six wins in three days at the Citrus Classic (Feb. 19-21). Mizzou outscored its opponents to the tune of 55-10, including scoring eight or more runs in five of its games.
• At the Citrus Classic, the Tigers’ offense was sensational, tallying a .375 average (63-for-168) with 55 runs scored, 12 doubles, nine home runs, 50 RBI and 26-for-26 in stolen base attempts.
• Collectively, Mizzou hitters recorded a .468 OBP and .607 SLG%, marking an incredible 1.075 team OPS.
• Five Tigers finished the opening weekend with an average over .400, highlighted by an outstanding .667 average from freshman OF Regan Nash. The first-year Tiger started in all six games between DP and OF positions and utilized her game-changing speed with 12 hits in 18 at bats and seven stolen bases.
• Also stepping up early for Mizzou’s offense was junior UT Chloe Rathburn (.533 AVG, two home runs, eight RBI), sophomore 3B Amanda Sanchez (.500 AVG, one home run, team-leading 11 RBI) and redshirt senior CF Taylor Gadbois (.444 AVG, two RBI, tied for team-lead with seven stolen bases).
• The Tigers’ pitching staff made a great first impression as well, totaling a 6-0 record with a 1.14 ERA, 20 K and .219 BAA in 37.0 innings pitched. Leading the way were freshman RHP Danielle Baumgartner and sophomore LHP Paige Lowary. Both Tiger hurlers were a perfect 3-0 in the circle with sub-1.00 ERAs.

 
PIERCE OPENS CAREER WITH SEC PLAYER OF WEEK HONORS
 

• Freshman 1B Rylee Pierce was named Southeastern Conference Softball Player of the Week, as announced on Monday, Feb. 22, by the SEC office. The award marked Pierce’s first career honor from the SEC office.
• Pierce tallied a .476 average with 10 runs scored, 10 hits, two doubles, two stolen bases, three home runs and eight RBI in her NCAA debut as a Tiger. Her outstanding weekend at the plate paced Mizzou hitters in runs, home runs and total bases (21).
• The hard-hitting freshman was a force in the middle of the lineup in her first six games. Pierce posted an astounding 1.522 OPS (1.000 SLG% and .522 OBP) and was a model of consistency throughout the weekend, recording at least one run, hit and RBI in each game.
• In a three-game stretch, Pierce recorded multi-hit games each time out and finished with four total multi-hit efforts at the Citrus Classic.

 
BAUMGARTNER SHINES IN TIGER DEBUT
 

• A huge part into Mizzou’s opening weekend success was because of its outstanding contributions from its freshmen class. In the circle, Baumgartner was outstanding in her three appearances (two starts), posting a 3-0 record in 18.0 innings pitched with a miniscule 0.39 ERA.
• In her two starts (Feb. 19 vs. Elon and Feb. 20 vs. College of Charleston), Baumgartner tossed two complete game victories, while allowing only two runs (one earned). After giving up two runs in the first inning against Elon, the Mexico, Mo., native reeled off 17.0 consecutive scoreless innings to wrap up her outstanding Citrus Classic.

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


Watch New Mexico State at the Mary Nutter Classic ll LIVE on FloSoftball