Only two weeks left in the Reviewin' & Previewin', and we head to the diamond to tackle the 2009 Softball season for the Mizzou Tigers and Coach Ehren Earleywhine.  The Tigers finished up 2008 on a high, as they won their regional and advanced to the Super Regional before they were dispatched by Alabama.  However, confidence was high in 2009 with a solid core of ladies returning, along with what was considered a good recruiting class coming in.  How good the team would be though would still be a surprise.  In the end, lots of long winning streaks, a little disappointment here and there made for a season for the ages for this program. 

Let's take a look back, starting with the numbers (so we don't lose Bill C's attention right away), but before we do, a couple of notes. I will likely not be able to provide FULL stats for the team because....well...we dont seem to keep them.  These stats will be care of the Big XII Website and anywhere else from which I can piece them together.  Also, with all the press the team received, much of what I would normally do in this post has been done already, and by me nonetheless.  So, no sense in rehashing what I have already eloquently typed, so here are two pieces certainly worth reading:

• Monday Musings from 5/11 (focus on the season almost game by game)
• Know Your Own Team (done before the Regional Round)

2009 - By the Numbers

2009 Record: 50-12  (home 17-6, road 15-3, neutral 18-3, conference 12-6, out of conference 31-3)
Team BA: .313 (.196 opponent) (led league in both categories)
On-Base Percentage: .403  (led league)
Slugging Percentage: .490 (led league)
Hits: 510 (288 opponent) (led league in both categories)
Runs: 363 (111 opponent, 85 earned) (led league in both categories)
HR's: 60 (19 opponent) (led league in both categories)
RBI's: 333 (lead league)
Stolen Bases: 130 (in 152 attempts) (led league)

Team ERA: 1.47 (led league)
Innings Pitched: 406
Walks allowed: 106 (2nd in league)
Strikeouts: 343 (2nd in league)
Shutouts: 24 (led league)

Seniors Lost: 4 (out of 22)
Positional Starters Lost: 3
Hits Lost: 159 (of 510) - 31%
Runs Lost: 102 (of 363) - 28%
HR's Lost: 25 (of 60) - 42%
RBI's Lost: 120 (of 333) - 36%
Innings Pitched Lost: 133 (of 406) - 33%
Wins Lost: 16 (of 50) - 32%
2010 Roster Breakdown by Year: 6 seniors, 8 juniors, 4 sophomores, 5 freshmen

All you can really say is....wow

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The Reviewin' & Previewin' heads down the home stretch, as there are only three installments remaining.  This week, the Musings turn their eye to Audrey Walton Stadium to look at Doc McGuire's outdoor track program.  I'll be honest...this is a tough one to recap and look forward just because of the size of this team.  But, let's take a look back at the successes and see what perhaps is ahead for one of the great programs and coaches at Ol' Mizzou.  And we'll start with the men.  But before that, let's review one pretty important fact when it comes to the track programs here at Mizzou.  Both programs are EXTREMELY focussed on middle and long distance events, as well as the field events, especially the throws.  Other events and recruiting of said athletes tend to take a backseats to the above disciplines.  With that, let's get to it.

Men's Outdoor Track - The 2009 Season

Final Conference Standing: 5th

Seniors Lost: 7 (of 45)
Impact'ers Lost:  4 placed at Big XII's.
2010 Remaining Roster Breakdown by Year: 7 seniors, 11 juniors, 19 sophomores


In the great tradition of Mizzou throwers, 2009 belonged to senior Chris Rohr.  Rohr finishes as a multi-time All-American and All-Big XII achiever, as well as a Big XII Champion.  He also departs as the school record holder in the weight throw and hammer throw.  But for the season on the men's side, he really was the major player for the squad.  Other seniors who contributed at the Big XII's included pole vaulter Steve Shimkus, distance runner Brian Graybill and steeplechaser Michael Barrow.

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In the interest of full disclosure, I suppose I am glad to get a quicker set of teams to review and preview, as packing to move at the end of August is already in full swing...get it?  Golf...full swing?  Eh....I've been packing the last six hours...sue me.

Anyway, let's get to the gettin', as we make the final turn and start down the home stretch of the 2008-2009 season.  This week, we take a look at the links, reviewin' and previewin' the Mizzou Golf Teams.  Can't say it was the most successful of seasons for either programs, but the off-season has already given fans something to look forward to next season.  How much can we look forward to exactly?  Let's see...but first, a little something about golf.

Golf is contested over three rounds, with six golfers competing at a time.  The high round for the day is dropped and the low five scores make up the team score.  Golf is contested a bit in the fall, and then picked up again in February, and somehow is really considered a spring sport through all of that.

Women's Golf - The 2008-2009 Season

Final Conference Standing: tied for 11th

Seniors Lost: 1 (of 14)
"Starters" Lost: 1 (Chelsea Schreiwer - competed in 10 of 12 tournamants)
2010 Roster Breakdown by Year: 3 seniors, 5 juniors (one JUCO transfer), 2 sophomores, 3 freshmen

Looking back to 2007-2008, the team had a very solid year with a pretty young group.  They took home fourth at the Big XII Championships, and moved on to the Regionals where their season would end.  They were bringing a lot back to the table this past season, but finishing tied for 11th had to be seen as a disappointment, especially as it led to them being left out of the NCAA's for the first time in six seasons  Where did it all go wrong?

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After back to back weeks of nationally recognized programs being featured in the Musings, we are bringing it back a bit and covering a couple of the programs which have not been as successful of late.  We are already almost running out of sports, as women's basketball will be our last true winter sport before moving to the winter/spring programs.  So let's close out the winter sports with the Lady Tigers of the court before moving over to the Green Tennis Center to talk about the Tiger Tennis program.  Let the reviewin' and previewin' commence!

Women's Basketball - The 2008-2009 Season

Final Record: 13-17
Conference Record: 4-12
Final Conference Standing: 11th
Home Record: 9-7 (3-5 in conference)
Road Record: 4-8 (1-7)
Neutral Record: 0-2

Scoring Offense: 60.6 (12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.8 (6th)
Scoring Margin: +0.8 (10th)
Field Goal % -  38.5% (12th)
3-Point Shooting % -  28.3% (12th)
Free Throw Shooting % - 62.5% (12th)

Rebounds/Game: 37.5 (6th in conference)
Offensive Rebounds/Game: 14.7 (stat not kept at conference level)
Rebounding Margin: -0.2 (9th)

Assists/Game: 12.3 (8th in conference)
Turnovers/Game: 15.5 (6th)
A/TO Ratio: 0.79 (7th)
Steals/Game: 9.53 (2nd)
Blocks/Game: 3.93 (5th)

Seniors Lost: 1 (of 13)
Starters Lost: 1 (Alyssa Hollins - guard)
% of Starts Lost: 20%
% of Scoring Lost: 21.6%
% of 3-Point Shots Made Lost: 44.4%
% of Rebounding Lost: 9.1%
% of Assists Lost: 14.1 %

2009 Roster Breakdown by Year: 4 seniors, 3 juniors, 5 sophomores, 2 freshmen

Looks about how you remember the season going last year?  Let's see if we can't find a silver lining somewhere.

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The Musings trudges through another summer week (and changes names for the summer time) and brings us to another program high in the national rankings.  July is my least favorite month of the entire year, and the only positive thing I have to say about it at this juncture is I am glad it is almost half over.  We will get to some Random Thoughts in a bit, but let's get immediately to the matter at hand, which is going to be an extensive look at the Mizzou Tiger wrestling program.

The 2008-2009 wrestling squad, like gymnastics from the week before, saw a great number of personal and team achievements.  First and foremost, it saw the crowning of the second NCAA Champion ever in junior Heavyweight Mark Ellis.  The Tigers placed half of their squad as All-Americans (top 8 national).  It also saw a 7th place overall finish, one of the best in school history.  However, as our gaze turns toward 2009-2010, it will see a number of key seniors departing the ranks.  How good has recruiting been since the program has become a perennial top-10 program?  Will it be good enough to fill in the possibly large holes in the lineup?  Before we take a look ahead, let us cue the soft music and fairy dust as we take a look back...

But wait!  Don't know much about wrestling you say?  Well, let's cure that problem first.  Take a look at the Wrestling Primer which I wrote back in November.  You will only need to read the first half, though the second half does provide some predictions on the season we are about to review, so you are welcome to hold my feet to the fire if you care to.  Now, back to the fairy dust...

The 2008-2009 Season

Final National Ranking: 7th
Final Conference Ranking: 3rd
Final Record: 18-4 (most dual wins in program history)
Big XII Champions: 2 (Marcus Hoehn at 141, Nick Marable at 165)
NCAA Participants: 8 (133, 141, 157, 165, 174, 184, 197 and HWY)
NCAA All-American Honors: 5 (Michael Chandler (5th) at 157, Nick Marable (7th) at 165, Raymond Jordan (3rd) at 174, Max Askren (5th) at 197 and Mark Ellis (NCAA CHAMPION) at HWY) 

Seniors Lost: 6 (out of 30)
Starters Lost: 4 (out of 10)
2009 Roster Breakdown by Year: 3 seniors, 6 juniors, 15 sophomores, 4 freshmen

I am guessing the easiest way to go about doing this is to just look at each of the weight classes and circle back from there.  Let's start with the lightweights.  Any rankings are quoted from TheMat.com (I used to use intermat, but their year-end rankings are just the top 8 and in order of finish at the NCAA's, so not enough help.  However, their site is newly expanded and will be a nice resource once the season gets going.  For instance, here are there recruiting rankings for the coming season.  A macro look shows a lot of Big XII schools in the top 15.  A micro look shows a good number of MO kids going to other schools...)

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Here's hoping everyone had a great (long) holiday weekend and is back to work safely.  This week, the previewin' and reviewin' continues the winter season and turns to the friendly confines of the Hearnes Center.  Coach Rob Drass starts his 10th season as the head coach of the Tigers, who have had only two in the last coaches in the program's history.  How did the 2008-2009 version of the squad measure up?  Could they finally make it to the NCAA's?  Would they crown in All-American?  What can they expect in 2009-2010?  All of this...and mo...well...probably all of this will be answered this week.  I'll also see about peppering in some random thoughts and that is how we will kick off July.  But first, a little bit about each event.

• Floor Exercise - About how it sounds.  The gymnast competes in tumbling passes in a choreographed routine
• Balance Beam - 4 inches wide and you cannot fall off...'nuff said
• Vault - Gymnasts run full speed, then launch off a trampoline and further propel off a stationary appartus
• Unever parallel bars - Two bars of different heights which gymnasts will spin around and release from before dismounting
• All-Around - A gymnast competing in all four events during a meet

The 2008-2009 Season

Final National Ranking: 17th
Final Conference Ranking: 3rd
Final Record: 16-2 (best winning percentage in program history)
Big XII Champions: 4 (Sarah Shire - All-Around, Vault and Beam, Adrianne Perry - floor)
NCAA Participants: 2
NCAA All-American Honors: 3 (Adrianne Perry - 1st team All-Around and 2nd team on floor exercise.  Sarah Shire - 1st team on vault)

Seniors Lost: 2 (out of 14)
2009 Roster Breakdown by Year: 5 seniors, 3 juniors, 4 sophomores, 3 freshmen

The Tigers had a ton of both personal and team achievements in 2008-2009.  They ascended as high as 10th during the season before settling at 17th, with not one, but two All-Americans, including the first ever as an All-Around gymnast.  They also had the dominant gymnast of the Big XII, as evidence by SIX weekly awards.  They won at the best percentage in the programs pretty illustrious 30 year history, including a senior night win against the #9 squad in the country.  So let's break it down...

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Sorry about the lateness this morning, but the previewin' and reviewin' party continues on Rock M this week as we take a look at two programs which continue to make the slow climb to national prominence.  Coach Brian Hoffer has been with the Tigers for 17 seasons coming into 2009-2010, and thanks to some good faith and effort from the Athletic Department, has been allowed to grow and expand the program, especially over the past couple of years thanks to the amazing Missouri Aquatic Center, which has become quite the recruiting tool.  We will cover what the 08-09 version of the squads did, what we think the 09-10 squads may do, as well as a quick look at the USA Track and Field Championships, which had a solid Mizzou flavor of participation this past weekend.  Let's rock and roll, but first, some helpful terms for the knowledge needy.

• Freestyle (free) - Classic, overhand stroke
• Backstroke (back) - should be self-explanatory
• Breaststroke (breast) - huh huh...huh huh
• Butterfly (fly) - crazy-ass dolphin kicking thing
• Individual Medley (IM) - competiting in all four strokes in the same race

Men's Swimming: 2008-2009 Season

Final National Ranking: 27th
Final Conference Ranking: 2nd (first time ever)
Seniors Lost: 7 (out of 32)
2009 Roster Breakdown by Year: 4 seniors, 6 juniors, 14 sophomores, ? freshmen (the mens team does not seem to release recruiting info, though the women do...strange)
All-time Records broken in 2009: 17 (of 25 which are kept)
Big XII Champions: 0
NCAA Participants: 0

The sport of men's swimming is certainly a funny one.  How else can you explain how the Tigers would have ZERO conference champions and still come in 2nd in the conference for the first time ever?  Well, winning an individual event against anyone from Texas is very tough for one, but the Tigers are starting to build the depth needed to compete with Texas A&M.  And yes, there are only three schools which swimming on the men's side in the Big XII.

Anyway, the Tigers are slowly progressing as a national program.  They held a ranking as high as 20th this season before settling for the season at 29th.  They are swimming a tougher and tougher schedule, including duals against multiple top-10 teams this past season.  And hey, you have to love a sport where you finish 2-5 in duals and are a top-30 team.  It should be noted that academically, the Tigers lead the Big XII in APR for both men's and women's swimming and diving.

The Tigers have just said goodbye to some very solid contributors to the program.  Seniors Gilad Kaufman and Bryan Difford are leaving with their names littering the all-time swim list for Mizzou.  Kaufman, who specialized in the butterfly owns the 100 and 200 (and is on a number of all-time relays), while Difford broke the record of all-time great Matt Ferarelli in the 200 IM this past season.  Other notables leaving will be backstroke specialist Jake Hoffmann and medium-distance freestyler Matt Dahlke

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This week, the previewin' and reviewin' is going to be a little different, as I am going to tackle four different teams.  First off, did you know the fall season only has five sports? (Football, soccer, volleyball, men's and women's Cross Country).  Interesting that the other 15 sports Mizzou has participate in the other two seasons.  Anyway, Cross Country brings an end to the fall season, while Indoor Track opens the winter season.  This one will have a little bit of a different feel as it is tough to attach any sort of numbers to these sports (breaking the heart of The Boy I realize), but let's get to it and see how things stack up for the Tigers in 2009.  We will get it going with Cross Country.

2008 - In Review

For the men, it was a pretty solid season out on the terrain.  They were lead early by some of their senior runners, but saw a lot of younger talent come on at the end of the season.  Departing senior Michael Barrows led the group to start the campaign, and received some help from another graduating senior in Brian Graybill.  However, by the end of the season, the group was led by departing senior Garrett Jeffries who continued the streak of the men's team sending someone to the NCAA Championships. Once Jeffries was healthy and in the lineup, he led the Tigers in their last five meets, including the Big XII's and NCAA Regional Meet, where he placed high enough to earn All-Region.  The team itself would win the Missouri Cross Country Challenge, while placing a pretty solid 5th in both the Big XII Championships and NCAA Regional.  We will have more on the returners in a bit, but the Tigers and coach Jared Wilmes used a lot of different runners on the season, with 16 seeing time. (Tim Cornell is the last of the four seniors who will be graduating)

For the ladies, 2008 was a bit of a transitioning time, as they only had one senior seeing action in Angela Potrykus.  Of the 12 harriers on the team, only eight saw action, with one of those only being used sparingly.  The team would be led by youth all season long, as their top four runners at the Big XII's (12th) and five runners at the NCAA Regional (10th of 27) were underclassmen.  The team did win two competitions on the season (SIU Early Bird and Missouri Cross Country Challenge), and did have one individual winner in junior-to-be Kinsey Farren, who led the Tigers for much of the season.

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