Some people, when they're playing in front of their hometown crowd for the first time since leaving for college/pros, tend to try too hard and struggle a bit. And then there's Aaron Senne. You know how I said Senne was the anchor of the Mizzou offense? Well, that was before he went 4-for-5 with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs in a 17-8 win over Minnesota in the Metrodome last night. Good GOD.
Starting pitcher Greg Folgia struggled mightily, giving up 5 runs in 1st, but the Tiger offense responded immediately, tying the game in the top of the 2nd, then scoring a whopping NINE runs in the 6th to break the game open. Ryan Gargano, Tyler Clark, Scooter Hicks, and Kelly Fick combined to give up just 2 ER in 7.2 IP to close out the win. This is where the bullpen only having to pitch two innings over the weekend comes in handy--everybody's fresh and ready for the mid-week games.
The accolades keep pouring in for Mizzou Baseball, as Aaron Crow followed up his Big 12 Pitcher of the Week award with a NCBWA Pro-Line National Pitcher of the Week award.
In more disappointing news, Mizzou began its Spring Break schedule of games with a 4-1 loss at UTSA. They play UTSA again today before heading to College Station for a pair of weekend games.
This is why you've got to love Dave Matter: with Mizzou on Spring Break and not practicing, he went out and looked for news on other Big 12 teams. Here's the best blurb:
On a side note, here’s something that reminds me to appreciate Gary Pinkel: [Bo] Pelini has closed practices to the media this spring. As any loyal reader knows, Pinkel keeps his shop open for business during the spring and preseason and makes all players and assistants available for comment after practices. That’s a benefit to you, the curious reader, as much as it is to me, the curious blogger, but Pelini doesn’t see the value in opening practices to reporters.
"I just don’t want distractions," Pelini told the Lincoln Journal Star. "I don’t like the media making their determinations based on who’s doing what. That’s the part I don’t like. I want the message to get out, but I want to make sure the correct things are getting out there. ... I don’t want some guy making his determination of where our football team is and what we’re doing or not doing, and who’s playing well and who’s not playing well, based on his perception of what a guy might or might not be being asked to do. I just want to make sure the information getting out is correct."
To which I respond, thank goodness Pinkel realizes that the three or four writers covering his practices aren’t going to throw off the planet’s space-time continuum by sharing with readers a few observations on spring workouts.
Pretty sure Pinkel knows all about what it's like to go through life with an adversarial relationship with the media. At least his turned adversarial because Mizzou was losing--Pelini's going out of his way to get the media to hate him, but I guess he'll probably get away with it since a) the Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star aren't the StL Post-Dispatch and KC Star, and b) he hasn't lost yet. After the first loss, look out.
A couple PowerMizzou recruiting articles for you: Ray-Pec LB Andrew Wilson is happy with his commitment to Mizzou, and Junction City OL Justin Aumen came away from his weekend visit to MU impressed. Also, in basketball recruiting, apparently Mizzou's in on another 2008 kid, 6'11 Jordan Henriquez from Port Chester, NY. It says he has a Mizzou offer, but I assume that's contingent on a scholarship actually opening up (i.e. Leo Lyons stupidly going pro).
I missed this last week: Texas Tech and Oklahoma State are joining the parade and moving future football matchups to Dallas.
Finally...it's Wiffle Ball Wednesday!