Time to Chomp Some Gator Tail!

For the first time since 2015, Mizzou won a game in the SEC Softball Tournament, and it wasn’t really that close. From the get go, the Tigers (OUR Tigers) set the tone, hitting hard line drives. The Tigers got on the board in the first inning on an infield single by Casidy Chaumont that led to Hatti Moore scoring on an error. The Tigers didn’t score again until the 4th inning, when Cayla Kessinger hit a solo homer and Brooke Wilmes, who was 3-4 on the day from the lead off spot, hit an RBI single.

From Langston Newsome’s recap, Kessinger said, “We came out in attack mode, and that’s our mindset for the rest of this postseason and going forward.”

Jordan Weber, who pitched a complete game and allowed only two hits, was phenomenal. As referenced throughout the broadcast, Weber had really good movement on her pitches and really good spin. The other thing that might have worked in her favor? LSU didn’t get to see Weber the first time in the series.

From Dave Matter’s recap, here’s what Head Coach Larissa Anderson had to say about her pitcher’s performance:

“She threw outstanding. The biggest thing from the very beginning is (their hitters) weren’t on time. They were so out in front and she was spinning the ball like crazy. I was just going to stay with her until they made adjustments and they got on time.”

To the highlights, courtesy of the SEC.

You can watch the Tigers take on the Gators today in the Semifinals on ESPN2 at 3pm CST. It should be a good game, and one thing we know for certain— Casidy Chaumont (pronounced Show MO, fittingly enough) ain’t scared of no gators. She said in the postgame that being from Louisiana, she has swam with actual gators, but knows when it’s time to get outta there for feeding time... Smart girl.

As a reminder, Missouri hosted Florida just two weeks ago and the Gators came back to win twice after trailing in both games in the sixth inning or later. Missouri’s lone victory of the series came in dominant fashion — 10-2 in five innings — so that’s obviously what we’re hoping for today.

Let’s check in with scores from around the SEC.

Quarterfinal Scores (#’s are tourney seeds, not national rankings):

No. Missouri 4, No. 5 LSU 1

No. 1 Florida 6, No. 9 Mississippi State 2

No. 7 Tennessee 1, No. 2 Arkansas 0

No. 3 Alabama 5, No. 6 Kentucky 1

On to the Links!

Let’s go, Tigers! #Ownit

-Love, Your Number 1 Softball Fan Site, Rock M Nation

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Yesterday at Rock M

• Aaron took a look at who’s going to be visiting CoMo for official visits, when we can expect them, and what the Tigers’ chances may be. Worth a read, for sure.
• The BTBS podcast returned, and Nate and BK were back to talk home ownership — congrats, BK — which draftees are in ideal spots in the NFL, and Barry Odom.
• Kortay previewed the Mississippi State series on the baseball diamond.
• COMING UP: BK’s replacement series continues. Next up? Damon Hazelton, Jr.

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More Links:

Football

• Welcome, Coach! Mizzou has officially added former NFL coach Scott Linehan, which some of you may (not so) fondly remember from his time with the St. Louis Rams to serve as an Offensive Analyst. You can read all about his hiring from any number of sites: MUTigers.com, Dave Matter (St. Louis Post-Dispatch), Staff Reports (Columbia Tribune), or Blair Kerkhoff (KC Star).

• Big congrats goes out to Mizzou commit Mekhi Wingo, who was awarded Missouri’s Gatorade Player of the Year.

• Coach Luper played a fun game of This or That for football’s social media.

• Matter was back with a new chat for STL Today, full of A LOT of football talk!

Hoops

• Interested in hearing more about new Mizzou signee Amari Davis? Check out this YouTube video with Zach “Schuz” Schumacher. Don’t forget to read Matt’s piece on Amari while you’re at it!

• Okay, Sean... [insert heart eyes emoji]

Diamond Sports

• Blair Kerkhoff wrote about the unique relationship of Larissa Anderson and her husband, longtime minor league coach/manager, Patrick. It’s a really great story and I highly suggest checking it out.
• Read the Mizzou-LSU game recap from MUTigers.com, complete with stats.
• Hot damn, ladies! Stellar on the field and in the classroom. Mizzou fans couldn’t have been more proud.

• Jenna Laird made the Top 15 cut for the National Fastpitch Coaches Association/Schutt Sports Freshman of the Year, according to MUTigers.com.
• Baseball did something that we unfortunately have seen from them a lot this season— lose. After being up after the 6th inning, they gave up three runs in the 7th, all with two outs. SIGH. I thought we were finally going to win one, guys.

Mizzou in the Pros

• Jordan Clarkson was much more efficient in his 30 minutes of play in the Jazz’s 105-98 loss to the Blazers on Wednesday, scoring 30 points on 11-17 shooting (3-8 from three), and was 4-5 from the line. JC also had four rebounds and three assists.
• Michael Porter Jr rested in the Nuggets win over Minnesota, and Jontay got a DNP in the Grizzlies’ win over the Kings.
• Sophie Cunningham officially made the final Mercury roster. Congrats to the forever Mayor of Columbia!

• Joshuah Bledsoe signed his guaranteed contract with the Pats, according to Myles Simmons of NBC’s Pro Football Talk. Congrats to Josh. Get that money!

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