New Season Brings Fresh Start for Mizzou

Missouri softball’s home opener on March 3 is going to be a little strange for senior catcher Kirsten Mack.

She had gotten used to playing at University Field over the past three years; she made memories there, and the facility had a peaceful, calming effect on her. The Tigers’ new home is in progress and slated to be finished just ahead of the Mizzou Tournament, March 3-5, when the Tigers will host Oregon, Maryland, Stephen F. Austin and Butler.

But Mack has made peace with the old. It’s time to bring in the new. “We’re just really looking forward to starting fresh,” she says.

Missouri’s new field will have a seating capacity of 1,700, with outfield berm seating that can fit around 1,000 additional fans. Right off of Stadium Boulevard, anyone driving on the main drag can see when the lights are on and the Tigers are taking the field.

It’s a $17 million project spurred by former athletic director Mike Alden and necessitated by the consistent success coach Ehren Earleywine and the Missouri softball team have experienced over four years in the SEC — plus the sizable fanbase they’ve cultivated.

Until now, the Tigers have flourished despite lacking the resources of their conference brethren. That shouldn’t be a problem anymore.

“Did we need a new stadium to win? No, and in fact, there was a part of me that enjoyed winning at a lesser facility than our opponents,” Earleywine says. “However, it won’t hurt recruiting or functionality for practice, and most importantly the players and the fans deserve it. After all, they are the ones who built it.”

 

Regan Nash greets her teammates at the plate.

 

This spring is a season of change for Missouri, even beyond the new digs, as the 17th-ranked Tigers headed into their season opening tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, this weekend. Their lineup is still taking shape after losing Taylor Gadbois, Emily Crane and Sami Fagan, the top three hitters in the order, to graduation. And they’re still searching for an ace in the circle, after pitchers Paige Lowary and Tori Finucane left.

After the off-field uncertainty that accompanied the Tigers’ 42-16 finish last year lingered into the offseason, Earleywine gave the players 20 minutes to ask any questions they wanted at their first team meeting for this season.

The Q-and-A session lasted two minutes. The past is in the past.

“The people who are on the team now are the people who want to be there,” senior utility player Chloe Rathburn says. “There’s a clear atmosphere here that we can just relax, be ourselves and enjoy the game we have played since we were little, with the coach that we want to be coaching us. It’s a big relief.”

Rathburn and Mack are rarities on this year’s Tigers squad. They’re two of only four seniors and seven upperclassmen on the roster.

They, along with other returners in the lineup such as junior Amanda Sanchez and sophomores Regan Nash and Rylee Pierce, will shoulder the brunt of the responsibility for replacing Gadbois, Crane and Fagan.

Last year, the progression was so clear. Gadbois got on base, Crane moved her up, and Fagan brought them both home. This year, the Tigers may have to get a little creative.

“It’s honestly weird playing without Taylor now. I just learned so much from her style,” Nash says. “I feel like we fed off of each other. She learned from me, and I learned from her.”

Nash, who hit .336 and stole 22 bases as a freshman, can step into Gadbois’ leadoff role. Sanchez, coming off a season during which she hit .354, can keep things moving along. Rathburn, with her 15 home runs and 60 RBI in her first year after transferring over from South Alabama can provide some pop.

Earleywine is confident this year’s lineup can score like last year’s, if all the returners step up and freshmen such as shortstop Braxton Burnside and outfielder Cayla Kessinger fit in.

“You can’t replace those players in exact amounts, but the hope is that your team is better in other areas to make up for the difference,” Earleywine says. “There are always surprises that we can’t predict. Let’s just hope they are pleasant.”

Ehren Earleywine. Photo by Clayton Hotze

The other part of the equation is a dominant starting pitcher. After some strong performances during Fall Ball, Missouri’s picture in the circle is unclear.

Sophomores Madi Norman and Danielle Baumgartner, who posted a 14-4 record and a 1.98 ERA last year, are drop-ball artists. Senior Cheyenne Baxter and freshman Parker Conrad rely on their riseballs. Earleywine says he wants one to differentiate herself as the team’s ace.

“We’re all very close but, at the same time, we push each other,” Baumgartner says. “If there’s a time period where one person’s succeeding, we’re happy for them, but that pushes us to try to do better. Then it’s one day to the next, you never know. I think that’s good for us.”

Missouri’s pitchers are also getting used to new pitching coach Adam LaLonde. Baumgartner says that LaLonde and the staff are off to a good start learning each other’s personalities.

Mack’s wealth of experience behind the plate has been invaluable in making the transition easier for all involved.

“My role is just to be that person that they can look to and be confident in knowing they can throw any pitch in any count and know I’ll catch it, I’ll block it, I’ll be there to reinforce that,” Mack says. “(LaLonde) has been great, just asking questions and coming to me like, ‘How should I go to them about this? What do you think about this?’ Just bouncing ideas off each other and continuing to build relationships in practice and outside of softball. So when they step on the mound, they can 100-percent commit to that pitch because they trust what we’re calling. When we have that kind of trust, we’re going to go a long way.”

The early season will be about the Tigers finding their new identity, carving out a style that incorporates the things that made them successful in the past while also being flexible enough to cater to the strengths of this particular group.

It’s a new set of leaders, a new outlook, a fresh take on Tiger softball as it prepares for its first games in its new home.

One that, hopefully, will host at least the same level of excellence as the old one.

“We’re big-time underdogs and will most likely be an afterthought in all of the preseason rankings,” Earleywine says. “I’m comfortable in that role. I’ve been an underdog all my life. However, that’s not as important as how the players feel about it. If they take being forgotten about personally and channel that energy into their preparation, teamwork and performance, we can be very good once again.”