COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball sophomore righty Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was named one of Louisville Slugger’s National Players of the Week, as announced by Collegiate Baseball on Monday.  He was also named the SEC Pitcher of the Week, which is the second time in his career that Houck has earned the honor.

The honors come after a flat out dominant start against No. 4 Vanderbilt last Saturday. He tossed 9.0 shutout innings, allowing just two hits with a career-high 14 strikeouts and only two walks against a Commodore team that leads the SEC in runs scored. He earned a no-decision after Mizzou lost, 2-0, after 11 innings.

Houck, a preseason All-SEC Second Team selection, tossed an absolute gem in a no-decision that earned a 95 in game score. To put that mark into perspective there were only nine games in Major League Baseball with higher than a 95 last season (three by former Mizzou pitcher Max Scherzer). Houck’s 95 game score was the best in the nation last weekend and the next-best mark in the SEC was 72 by Vanderbilt’s Kyle Wright (who squared off against Houck Saturday). Houck’s career-high 14 strikeouts on Saturday were the most by any SEC pitcher this season and he allowed just two hits (one was an infield hit – his no-hitter was broken up in the sixth inning).

Houck allowed just two fly balls over the entire nine innings that he pitched Saturday and only one of those fly balls left the infield (the other was a pop-up to shallow second base). In all, just one ball hit by Vanderbilt in the air or on the ground reached the outfield safely. The Preseason All-American retired the first 12 Vanderbilt batters he faced before a leadoff walk in the fifth and did not allow a fly ball until a shallow bloop to center field that was caught for out No. 2 in the sixth inning. In all, he had 14 strikeouts, 10 groundouts, two pop outs and another out on the base paths for the 27 outs.

Houck’s 14 strikeouts are the most by a Tiger since former Mizzou first round draft pick and current Minnesota Twin Kyle Gibson struck out 15 on April 3, 2009, vs. Oklahoma. He earned tough-luck no-decision as his team went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position while he was on the mound while likely needing just one run to earn the win.

Mizzou will be back in action Tuesday at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., home of the World Series Champion Royals, as it hosts St. Louis at 6:30 p.m.

— Mizzou Athletics —