COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball has added veteran coach Fred Corral to its coaching staff, announced Tuesday by head coach Steve Bieser. One of the nation’s most experienced and sought-after pitching coaches in the country, Corral brings with him nearly a quarter century of coaching experience after a successful career in both college and professional baseball. Corral brings a ‘no-limits’ approach to coaching with a tireless work ethic, and stood out to Coach Bieser due to his incredible ability to develop young men, both on and off the baseball diamond.

“Fred is not only a great pitching coach who has a wealth of knowledge and passion, Fred is a developer of men,” Bieser said. “Going through the process and talking to former players and coaches, the one thing that kept standing out to me was his commitment to developing the entire person. Fred personifies the Mizzou baseball motto “commit to excellence. His commitment to academic excellence, athletic excellence, and social development was very evident through the interviewing process. I am excited to welcome the Corral’s to the Mizzou baseball family.”

With 24 years of coaching experience across all levels of baseball, 11 of those years have come in the Southeastern Conference with three coming in professional baseball. He spent the last five seasons at fellow SEC East foe Georgia, coaching 12 pitchers to MLB Draft selections, including 2016 first-round pick Robert Tyler (38th overall to Colorado). He coached Tyler to a 2.68 ERA as a freshman in 2014, the lowest ERA by a UGA pitcher in 10 years. The highlight of his coaching tenure at Georgia came last season when the Bulldog staff limited batters to a .241 average, resetting the program record.

“First, I want to take the time and say how excited I am to be working with Coach Bieser and a guy like Evan Pratte, who I have known for a long time,” Corral said. “I am excited to get to know Lance Rhodes and Dillon Lawson as they are two incredible young coaches and I can’t wait to get after it with those guys. I am so fortunate to be surrounded by such a talented group of guys.”

Before his time at Georgia, Corral helped Memphis to arguably its best four-year stretch on the mound in program history. His 2013 team posted a 3.05 staff ERA, the lowest by a Memphis team since 1976, while striking out more than 400 batters in three of four seasons, including a school-record 462 in 2010. He also mentored a pair of first-time draftees while at Memphis, including 2013 Conference USA Pitcher of the Year Dan Schoenrock.

Corral’s SEC roots run much deeper than his most recent time at Georgia. He coached at Tennessee in two different stints from 2002-04 and 2007-09. During Corral’s first run at Tennessee, the Volunteers’ pitching staff ranked among the best in the SEC. His staffs posted consecutive sub-3.90 ERAs, and UT’s 3.51 ERA in 2004 was the nation’s 13th-best. The 2004 Volunteer staff recorded the fifth-most strikeouts in school history and held opponents to a .243 batting average, which was UT’s lowest mark in nine seasons. Tennessee also had three pitchers in 2004 with ERAs that ranked among the top-12 in the SEC. Four of Corral’s pitchers at Tennessee were selected in the MLB Draft. He signed James Adkins and coached Luke Hochevar, hurlers who rank first and third on UT’s all-time strikeouts list. Hochevar was the No. 1 overall pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2006. Corral’s former pupils who have reached the Major Leagues include Matt Riley, Adam Bernero, Mike Neu, Joe Horgan, Daniel McCutchen, Garrett Richards, Charlie Zink and Hochevar.

Corral is no stranger to professional baseball either, having served as a pitching instructor in both the Los Angeles Dodgers (2000-01) and Montreal Expos (1999) organizations.

As a player, Corral was a first-team All-Pac-10 selection as a LHP at Cal in 1987. The Golden Bears’ eighth 10-game winner, Corral set a school record for single-season win-loss percentage with a perfect 10-0 record as a junior in 1987. The southpaw added five saves and a 3.75 ERA in en route to earning the team’s Most Valuable Pitcher honor. Corral helped lead the Golden Bears to their fourth College World Series appearance in 1988. He finished his two-year Bear career with a 13-5 mark, a 4.50 ERA and six saves. Corral starred at San Joaquin Delta Junior Colleg,e where he garnered All-Camino Notre Conference honors in 1985 and 1986, before transferring to Cal.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) – Missouri announced Wednesday that prep basketball standout Jontay Porter has reclassified and signed as part of first-year coach Cuonzo Martin’s 2017 recruiting class.

The 6-11, 240-pound forward joins his older brother and father for what will be one of the most highly anticipated seasons in years in Columbia. Porter, who recently completed his junior season in Seattle, averaged 14.3 points and 13.6 rebounds per game for undefeated Nathan Hale High School.

”We’re very excited about Jontay’s decision, which was a big one for him and his family,” Martin said. ”He has the skill and knowledge of the game to contribute from day one, at both ends of the floor.”

Porter’s father, Michael Porter Sr., was hired by Martin as an assistant in March. His older brother, Michael Porter Jr., then signed with the Tigers after initially committing to Washington. The Porter brothers won a Missouri state high school championship in 2016 before combining to win another state title in Washington this season.

Michael Porter was the nation’s No. 1 recruit this offseason. The 6-foot-10 Porter initially chose Washington last year when his father worked as an assistant for then-coach Lorenzo Romar. But when Romar was fired, Porter’s father was hired by the Tigers, and the talented forward soon made a verbal commitment. He averaged 36.2 points and 13.6 rebounds as a senior at Nathan Hale last season, quickly becoming one of the nation’s most sought-after recruits and a potential NBA lottery pick in 2018.

The Porter family has deep ties to Missouri that extend beyond his father. Older sisters Bri and Cierra play for the women’s basketball program, which is coached by their aunt, Robin Pingeton.

The Tigers went 8-23 last season, leading to the firing of Kim Anderson after three seasons in charge. The once-proud program hasn’t been to the NCAA Tournament since 2013, and hasn’t made it out of the opening weekend since Mike Anderson took Missouri to the Elite Eight during the 2008-09 season.

Martin, who grew up in East St. Louis and began his head coaching career at Missouri State, has brought a renewed energy to the program.

— Associated Press —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Less than 40 days after closing out the best fund-raising year in Mizzou Athletics history, the department kicked off the 2017-18 academic year by receiving an anonymous $1.2M gift to the Tiger Scholarship Fund (TSF) in support of the football and basketball programs, as well as future TSF initiatives.

“The generosity and passion that our donors have for Mizzou Athletics continues to amaze me, and our coaches and staff deeply appreciate the generosity of those who are stepping forward to help us enhance our programs” said Mizzou Director of Athletics Jim Sterk. “These transformational gifts allow us to provide the best possible academic and athletic experience for our more than 550 student-athletes who represent this great University.”

Mizzou Athletics received a school-record 11, seven-figure gifts during the recently-completed fiscal year which allowed TSF to generate a school-record $50.7 million in support of the institution’s 20-sport intercollegiate athletics program. TSF’s record-breaking 2016-17 tally shattered the previous record of $45.7 million raised in 2011-12, which marked Mizzou’s maiden voyage in the Southeastern Conference. It also marked just the second time in school history that the TSF surpassed the $40 million threshold in philanthropic support and just the fifth time it topped the $30 million plateau.

Thanks in part to outstanding support from over 7,000 TSF members, Mizzou student-athletes continued to thrive academically and athletically during the recently completed academic year.

In the classroom, 269 Mizzou student-athletes received SEC Honor Roll recognition, 303 garnered University Dean’s List status for at least one semester and 14 teams registered a 3.00 grade-point average for the Spring 2017 term. In addition, Mizzou student-athletes spent over 4,800 hours volunteering with more than 50 organizations in Columbia and surrounding Mid-Missouri communities.
Mizzou, which registered its highest finish ever in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings with its 33rd-place showing in the final 2016-17 rankings (highest previous final ranking was 36th in 2008-09), won a pair of conference team championships (volleyball and wrestling), had 16 of 20 teams represented in NCAA postseason play, and saw 10 squads finish their respective season ranked among the nation’s Top 25, including Top 10 NCAA championship placings in wrestling (fifth), women’s indoor track & field (eighth) and men’s swimming and diving (ninth).

In addition, two Tigers combined to win four 2016-17 NCAA individual championships as wrestler J’den Cox won his third national title at 197 lbs., and Karissa Schweizer became just the fourth female in NCAA history to win the distance triple crown (cross country, indoor 5,000m and outdoor 5,000m national titles), and first since 2008. Mizzou also produced 13 individual conference champions and saw 31 student-athletes earn 69 All-America certificates in 11 different sports.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball head coach Robin Pingeton announced the signing of French native Emmanuelle Tahane on Monday. Tahane, a 6-foot-1 small forward from Bondy, France, will join the Tigers for the 2017-18 campaign alongside freshmen Elle Brown (Columbia, Mo.), Nadia Green (Chicago, Ill.) and Kelsey Winfrey (Lebanon, Mo.).

“I love the environment and the family atmosphere at Mizzou,” Tahane said. “I’m excited to play in a high-level conference and attend a university where my academic goals can be achieved.”

Tahane comes to Mizzou after years of experience playing with French national teams in high-level international competitions. Following back-to-back appearances in the U16 European Championship, Tahane competed for Team France in the FIBA U17 Women’s World Championship in 2016. She led that squad with 11.3 points per game, including a personal-best 17-point outburst against Czech Republic. Tahane added 5.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals per contest during the tournament.

A year later, Tahane earned a spot on France’s FIBA U18 Women’s European Championship roster and helped her squad win the European Title. France rattled off seven consecutive victories to finish the tournament undefeated as Tahane chipped in 6.0 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 assists per game.

Tahane attended Marcelin Berthelot High School in Saint Maur Des Fosses, France, where she averaged 10 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists per contest. She chose Mizzou over offers from Ohio State, Wisconsin and Arizona, among others.

Mizzou Women’s Basketball opens the 2017-18 campaign Nov. 10 against Western Kentucky at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Tigers’ home opener is set for Nov. 16 vs. Wright State.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri sophomore running back Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) has been named to the 2017 Doak Walker Award Watch List. The Doak Walker Award is administered by the PwC SMU Athletic Forum, and goes annually to the nation’s top collegiate running back.

Crockett burst onto the scene in 2016 as one of the nation’s top rookie tailbacks. He set Mizzou freshman rushing records with 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns, including a 225-yard outing at Tennessee, which also broke a school single-game freshman rushing mark. He finished the regular season ranked sixth in the Southeastern Conference in rushing yards per game (105.8), which was tops among league freshmen prior to bowl games. His per-game average of 96.5 yards for the season was most in the nation through the regular season among all freshmen. This summer, Crockett represented Mizzou in a leadership fashion, as he was selected by Head Coach Barry Odom to attend SEC summer meetings as the team’s Football Leadership Council member.

This is the second pre-season award watch list that includes Crockett, adding to his prior Maxwell Award list mention. Three other Mizzou standouts have previously been named to five different watch lists heading into the season, including senior defensive end Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.), who is on the Bednarik and Nagurski watch lists, and senior wide receiver J’Mon Moore (Missouri City, Texas), who is on the Biletnikoff Award watch list, while junior punter Corey Fatony (Franklin, Tenn.) has made the Ray Guy and Wuerffel Trophy watch lists.

The Tiger program is winding down summer school and off-season workouts, and is preparing for the start of fall camp, which begins Aug. 1 in Columbia. Mizzou opens its 2017 season on Sept. 2 against Missouri State. Kickoff time for that contest has not yet been finalized.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Women’s Basketball released its 13-game 2017 non-conference schedule on Wednesday, which features a pair of exhibition matchups, six home contests and a trio of tournaments.

Mizzou will potentially face eight opponents that advanced to the postseason in 2016-17 with four of those teams reaching the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers’ challenging slate includes seven matchups with programs that racked up at least 20 victories a season ago and five opponents that finished in the Top 70 of the final 2016-17 RPI.

After hosting exhibition games on Nov. 2 and Nov. 6, Mizzou officially opens the 2017-18 campaign Nov. 10 against Western Kentucky at the Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hilltoppers won 27 games in 2016-17 and claimed Conference USA regular season and tournament titles on their way to an appearance in the Big Dance. Reigning SEC Coach of the Year Robin Pingeton’s squad will face either Iowa or 2017 MAAC champion Quinnipiac the following day.

The Tigers’ home opener is set for Nov. 16 when Mizzou takes on Wright State. The Raiders are coming off a 25-win season and a trip to the WNIT. Three days later, Mizzou travels to Missouri State to face the Bears for the 28th time in program history.

Thanksgiving weekend, Mizzou heads to Berkeley, California, to compete in the Cal Classic. After a Nov. 24 matchup with Coppin State, the Tigers play California or Manhattan on Nov. 25.

Mizzou returns to Columbia on Nov. 30 to make its first appearance in the Big 12/SEC Challenge in program history and renew its rivalry with Kansas State. Both Mizzou and Kansas State clinched a No. 6 seed in the 2017 NCAA Tournament and advanced to the Second Round. It will be the 83rd meeting between the two programs.

The showdown with Kansas State launches a four-game homestand for the Tigers that also features matchups against New Orleans (Dec. 2), Saint Louis (Dec. 8) and SIUE (Dec. 10). Mizzou is a combined 24-2 all-time against those three opponents.

The Tigers then travel to their third of three nonconference tournaments on Dec. 17 and Dec. 18, the West Palm Invitational in West Palm Beach, Florida. Mizzou opens the invite against Big 10 foe Indiana at 11 a.m. CT and takes on Xavier the following day at 4 p.m. CT.

The Tigers wrap up their nonconference schedule by squaring off against border rival Illinois at Mizzou Arena on Friday, Dec. 22. It will be the first meeting between the two programs since 2008.

SCHEDULE
Nov. 2 vs. Southwest Baptist (exh.)
Nov. 6 vs. McKendree (exh.)
Nov. 10 vs. Western Kentucky*
Nov. 11 vs. Iowa OR Quinnipiac*
Nov. 16 vs. Wright State
Nov. 19 at Missouri State
Nov. 24 vs. Coppin State^
Nov. 25 vs. California OR Manhattan^
Nov. 30 vs. Kansas State
Dec. 2 vs. New Orleans
Dec. 8 vs. Saint Louis
Dec. 10 vs. SIU-Edwardsville
Dec. 17 vs. Indiana#
Dec. 18 vs. Xavier#
Dec. 22 vs. Illinois

Bold denotes home
* Hawkeye Challenge
^ Cal Classic
# West Palm Invitational

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Summer is winding down, and it is pre-season watch list time for college football award organizations. Front and center for Mizzou is a pair of prominent players in the first batch of lists released today, as sophomore RB Damarea Crockett (Little Rock, Ark.) and senior DE Marcell Frazier (Portland, Ore.) have been named to the 2017 pre-season watch lists for the Maxwell and Bednarik awards, respectively.

The Maxwell Award, named in honor of Robert W. “Tiny” Maxwell, has been given to America’s College Player of the Year since 1937. Maxwell’s contributions to the game of football were extensive, including time as a player, a sportswriter and an official. The Bednarik Award has been presented to the College Defensive Player of the Year since 1995. Chuck Bednarik, former standout at Penn and with the Philadelphia Eagles, is a member of both the College Football Hall of Fame’s Class of ’69 and the NFL Hall of Fame’s Class of ’67.

Crockett burst onto the scene in 2016 as a true freshman and developed into one of the top ball carriers in the vaunted Southeastern Conference, as he rushed for an MU freshman-record 1,062 yards and 10 touchdowns. Crockett finished the regular season with a per-game rushing average of 96.5 yards, which was the nation’s top mark among freshmen. His signature game was a 225-yard, one-touchdown game at Tennessee where he broke the program’s freshman single-game rushing record. He also had 100-yard outings four other times, including games against Middle Tennessee (156 yards, 4 TDs), Vanderbilt (154 yards, 1 TD), at Florida (145 yards) and against Delaware State (115 yards, 2 TDs). His four-score game against Middle Tennessee tied Mizzou’s single-game scoring record.

Frazier closed 2016 in strong fashion, and looks to be next in the long line of game-changing rush ends for the #DLineZou tradition. Frazier was named the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week on Nov. 28 after sparking Mizzou’s defense in a 28-24 comeback win over Arkansas (Nov. 25), as he ended that game with three quarterback sacks (35 yards) and a quarterback pressure, as part of his four-tackle day. For the season, Frazier totaled 33 tackles in 12 games (five starts) and was second on the team with his 8.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 quarterback sacks. He also led the Tiger defense in 2016 with two fumble recoveries.

Up next for Mizzou will be its annual appearance at SEC Media Day, with MU’s visit set for 9 a.m.-Noon (central time) on Wednesday, July 12 in Hoover, Ala.

— Mizzou Athletics —

NEW YORK – Mizzou Baseball junior RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) became the program’s seventh first round draft pick as he was selected 24th overall by the Boston Red Sox in the first round of the 2017 Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft Monday. Houck is the highest-drafted Mizzou player since Kyle Gibson went 22nd overall in 2009.

Of Mizzou’s seven first round draft picks, four have come since 2006 after Houck’s selection Monday. Houck had arguably the most productive three-year career of any pitcher to come through Mizzou’s program. He finishes his career ranked fourth in school history in career strikeouts (292), a mark that ranks second among three-year players. Houck threw 300.2 innings during his three seasons, becoming just the second Mizzou player ever to throw 300+ innings in his first three seasons. He showed tremendous durability over his Mizzou career, pitching through 6.0 innings in 37 of 44 career starts, 7.0 innings in 24 and 8.0 innings in 13 starts.

Houck is coming off a junior season during which he allowed career lows in hits (78), extra-base hits (22), homers (five), triples (one) and earned runs (35). He finishes his Mizzou career with 17 wins, a 3.26 ERA and 292 strikeouts. He limited batters to just .220 hitting throughout his career.

Several other Mizzou players hope to hear their names called as the MLB Draft continues this week. Rounds 3-10 will be Tuesday while rounds 11-40 will be Wednesday.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou will face South Carolina under the lights on Faurot Field in its Southeastern Conference opener on Sept. 9, as announced Wednesday by the league. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. CT kickoff on ESPN2.

Kickoff times and television designations for Mizzou’s remaining September contests will be solidified at a later date. The matchup with South Carolina gives Mizzou two games with television plans designated, including the regular-season finale in Fayetteville against SEC rival Arkansas, which will air at 1:30 p.m. CT on CBS.

Television selections for the games following September will be determined on a 12-day advance notice, with a potential for six-day advance selections made by the league office in conjunction with its television partners.

Mizzou is 4-3 all-time against South Carolina. The Gamecocks prevailed in last season’s meeting with a 31-21 victory, but Mizzou won the last matchup in Columbia, Missouri in 2015, downing South Carolina 24-10.

— Mizzou Athletics —

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The fourth-annual Battle Line Rivalry, presented by Shelter Insurance, between Mizzou and Arkansas has been slated for Friday, Nov. 24, with kickoff set for 1:30 p.m. CT, as announced Tuesday. CBS will bring the Battle Line rivalry to a national audience for the fourth consecutive year on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Mizzou is 2-1 vs. the Razorbacks since the annual rivalry game was established, with both wins coming at Faurot Field. Mizzou prevailed in the most recent meeting with a come-from-behind, 28-24 victory last November. Head coach Barry Odom’s squad ripped off 21 unanswered points to complete a comeback and end the 2016 campaign with a thrilling win.

Mizzou and Arkansas have faced eight times in the programs’ storied histories and three times since the Tigers joined the Southeastern Conference in 2012. Mizzou owns a 5-3 edge in the all-time series. The two programs have met twice in bowl games, with Arkansas winning the 2003 Independence Bowl, 27-14, while Mizzou claimed the 2008 Cotton Bowl title, 38-7.

— Mizzou Athletics —