COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two-time All-Sun Belt honoree Chloe Rathburn is transferring from the South Alabama softball program and will attend and play softball at the University of Missouri, as announced Tuesday by Mizzou Head Softball Coach Ehren Earleywine.
Rathburn, a 5-foot-8 catcher/infielder from Mission Viejo, Calif. (Capistrano Valley High School), was a first-team All-Sun Belt selection at designated player in 2015 after she led South Alabama with a .371 batting average, and a school-record 53 runs batted in. The Jaguars went 40-13 in 2015 and won the Sun Belt Tournament championship before being eliminated in the NCAA Tournament Regionals by Auburn.
Rathburn started all 53 games for South Alabama in 2015, including 27 at DP, to go with 26 starts at catcher. The right-handed batter added 15 doubles and four home runs to her ledger last season, while she had a solid 27-to-17 walks-to-strikeouts ratio and a .461 on-base percentage.
DESTIN, FLA. – CBS Sports has selected a handful of Southeastern Conference football games for early television designation, and the two-time defending SEC Eastern Division champion Missouri Tigers will play on Thanksgiving Friday for the second-straight year against Western Division rival Arkansas.
Mizzou (11-3 overall, 7-1 in SEC play in 2014) will play at Arkansas (7-6, 2-6) on Friday, November 27th, with kickoff in Fayetteville set for 1:30 p.m. (central time) on CBS. Last season, Mizzou clinched the SEC Eastern Division title by knocking off Arkansas, 28-21, in Columbia on the Friday of Thanksgiving week (Nov. 28, 2014).
All other game times for the 2015 schedule are undetermined currently, as further television selections from the SEC will be forthcoming in the near future.
LOS ANGELES – Senior 1B Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.) did not want Mizzou Softball’s 2015 season to be over. Her first of two solo home runs late in the 10th-seeded Tigers’ 10-6 setback to No. 7 UCLA helped extend the game, and her next in the bottom of the seventh kept Mizzou’s dream alive a little bit longer.
Head coach Ehren Earleywine’s squad ultimately bowed out to the higher-seeded Bruins (50-10) to end its campaign at 42-16, an impressive season record for one of Mizzou’s most consistent programs. The Tigers have been to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament in seven of the last eight seasons and have averaged 45.7 wins per season under Earleywine’s watch.
Mizzou jumped out on top of UCLA early with a four-hit first inning to help the Tigers take a 1-0 lead. Junior CF Taylor Gadbois (Maryville, Mo.), junior RF Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.), junior 2B Sami Fagan (Dunnellon, Fla.) and freshman DP Amanda Sanchez (West Covina, Calif.) all singled, with Sanchez’s knock up the middle bringing in Gadbois.
Sanchez’s RBI gave her sole possession of Mizzou’s freshman class single-season RBI record (56), which she previously shared with Micaela Minner’s 55 RBI from 2005.
With the score at 9-1 in UCLA’s favor in the bottom of the fifth inning, sophomore C Kirsten Mack (Riverside, Calif.) kept the game going with an RBI single to center field, scoring Fagan who reached on an earlier fielder’s choice.
Mizzou added three runs in the sixth inning, the first of which was Roth’s solo shot that assured the Tigers a seventh inning and avoided the run-rule. Crane tapped an infield single up the middle with the bases loaded to score senior C Alyssa Cousins (Carrollton, Texas). Two outs later, senior SS Corrin Genovese (East Amherst, N.Y.) earned a bases loaded walk to move in sophomore LF Natalie Fleming (Silex, Mo.) for a run.
Roth’s seventh inning trip to #BombCity set the final score of 10-6 in UCLA’s favor.
Freshman P Paige Lowary (Dallas Center, Iowa) got the start for the Tigers (18-7) and pitched 2.2 innings before giving way to sophomore P Tori Finucane (Germantown, Md.).
A scary situation occurred during the fifth inning when a Bruin line drive struck Finucane in the head, resulting in Finucane exiting the game. Lowary returned and pitched the remainder of the contest.
Mizzou finished the season batting .320 as a team, a new single-season program record, besting the .318 mark posted by the Tigers’ 1997 squad. Earleywine’s group also set program all-time highs in RBI (355) and walks (264).
Mizzou also blasted 79 home runs this past season for the second-best total in program history, trailing only 2005’s 82 long balls.
HOOVER, Ala. – Alabama catcher Will Haynie hit a go-ahead solo homer in the bottom of the seventh inning as Mizzou baseball was eliminated from the SEC Tournament with a 4-3 loss on Thursday morning (May 21) at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. The loss drops the Tigers to 30-28 on the season while Alabama improves to 32-27.
Freshman starter Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) was good through eight innings of work. The difference in the game came in a two-run sixth inning after he retired the first two batters. A walk, an infield hit and a fielder’s choice led to a two-out single by Cody Henry to tie the game at 3-3 and Haynie’s homer came on the first pitch of the seventh inning to give the Tide the lead for good. Houck allowed four runs on six hits (three infield hits) with eight strikeouts against just one walk.
Alabama used a two-out infield hit by Mikey White and a double by Casey Hughston to take an early 1-0 lead despite some good pitching by Houck. Mizzou got on the board in the fifth as Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) roped a two-out double off the glove of Casey Hughtston in right field to score a pair of runs. It was Peel’s third double in the last 10 games.
The Tigers added a run on a two-out RBI single by freshman Trey Harris (Powder Spring, Ga.) in the sixth inning as Mizzou scored its first three runs with all with two outs. Alabama followed that script in the bottom of the sixth inning after Houck got the first two outs of the inning. A two-out walk, an infield hit and a fielder’s choice grounder to the left side loaded the bases. Cody Henry then bounced a two-run single back up the middle to tie the game at 3-3 headed to the seventh inning. Mizzou stranded a pair in the seventh inning and Alabama the catcher Haynie led off the Tide’s half of the seventh with a solo shot to left field to give Alabama 4-3 lead.
Mizzou got no offense off of the Alabama bullpen in the eighth and the ninth inning as the Tide closed the game put for the win.
Missouri will await its NCAA Tournament fate as the field of 64 is announced Monday.
HOOVER, Ala. – Vanderbilt scored four runs over the final four innings as it completed a 7-6 comeback win over Mizzou baseball in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon (May 20) in game six of the 2015 SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. Mizzou junior righty Peter Fairbanks (St. Louis, Mo.) struck out 10 batters over 5.2 innings and left the game with a 6-2 lead. After Fairbanks left the game, Vanderbilt clubbed three homers and scored four times, including a Rhett Wiseman walk-off homer in the 10th to complete the comeback.
The loss drops the Tigers to the elimination portion of the bracket and they will play Alabama tomorrow morning at 9:30 p.m. on SEC Network. Mizzou falls to 30-27 on the season while Vanderbilt improves to 40-17.
Mizzou got on the board in the first as Brett Peel (St. Charles, Mo.) and Jake Ring (Ingleside, Ill.) drew back-to-back walks off of Vandy starter Tyler Ferguson to open the game. They then pulled off the double steal in front of a Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) single through the right side. That scored Peel, but Ring was gunned at the plate.
Freshman catcher Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) then delivered a big two-out hit to plate Howard, giving Mizzou a 2-0 lead after the top of the first. It was Bond’s seventh two-out RBI this season, the fifth-most on the team. Vanderbilt got those runs back on a two-run homer by SS Dansby Swanson.
Fairbanks settled in following the Swanson homer, striking out the side in the second and third innings while mowing through the Vandy lineup. Mizzou’s offense responded to Fairbanks’ phenomenal pitching in the top of the fifth inning. Peel led off the frame with a single to get things going. Ring and Howard then singled to give Mizzou three straight hits and a run. Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) then hit a sacrifice fly to center to give Mizzou a 4-2 lead. Bond delivered another RBI single to put Mizzou on top 5-2 and Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) hit into an RBI fielder’s choice to give Mizzou a 6-2 lead. In all, Mizzou scored four runs on five hits in the frame, sending eight men to the plate.
Fairbanks then came back out in the bottom of the fifth and retired the side in order, picking up two more strikeouts to push his total to 10 through five innings. He ran into some trouble in the sixth inning, as Vandy put runners on the corners with two out. That gave way to reliever Andrew Schwaab (St. Charles, Mo.) and he promptly struck out Bryan Reynolds on a 2-2 slider.
Schwaab then gave up a two-run homer to Jeren Kendall in the seventh as Vandy cut the lead to 6-4. He then retired the next three batters he faced to send the game to the eighth inning. Swanson homered off of Scwaab in the eighth to cut it to 6-5. Breckin Williams (Oronogo, Mo.) came on in the ninth inning and after getting the first two batters, he walked pinch hitter Nolan Rogers. Penn Murfee then pinch hit and fell behind Williams, 0-2, but lined a single into centerfield and Ring misplayed the ball, allowing Rogers to score and tie the game.
Wiseman then homered with one out in the 10th, just over the outstretch glove of Ring in CF to seal the win.
Mizzou will play Alabama in an elimination game Wednesday at 9:30 a.m.
COLUMBIA, MO. – Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades has recruited Wren Baker to join his leadership team at Mizzou, as announced Wednesday. Baker – one-time Athletic Director at Northwest Missouri State – has agreed to become Rhoades’ Deputy Director of Athletics (for External Relations), starting officially on Monday, June 8. At Mizzou, Baker will oversee all external relations units, and serve as the sport administrator for the men’s basketball program.
Baker, 36, comes to Mizzou from the University of Memphis, where he served as Deputy Director of Athletics/External Affairs from February 2013 to the present. At Memphis, Baker provided an immediate impact as the department secured the single largest gift in its history under his watch, while launching a $40 million capital campaign. In addition, suite sales and multi-media rights revenues set a new record and Memphis’ Tiger Scholarship Fund grew in membership and donations all in his first year.
Prior to joining Memphis, Baker was Director of Athletics at Northwest Missouri State, where he directed one of the nation’s top Division II athletic programs from February 2011-February 2013. Prior to his time at Northwest, he was the first-ever Director of Athletics at Rogers State University in Claremore, Okla., spending five years overseeing the growth of a start-up department into a very successful comprehensive program.
“We are very excited Wren is becoming a member of our team,” said Rhoades. He is regarded as one of the up-and-coming administrators in the nation and has established an impressive track record of success at every stop of his career path. Throughout his career, Wren has demonstrated terrific work ethic, the ability to genuinely connect with people and uncompromising integrity. He is a high-energy person who will provide great passion and leadership for our student-athletes, coaches and staff. We are thrilled Wren, his wife Heather and two daughters, Addisyn and Reagan are joining the Mizzou Athletics family,” said Rhoades.
“I am honored to be joining the Mizzou family and am grateful to Mack Rhoades for the opportunity,” said Baker. “The University of Missouri has a tremendous reputation and Mack is considered one of the best and brightest leaders in collegiate athletics. Our family is looking forward to returning to the “Show-Me State” and joining Mack’s team as we build on a proud and prestigious athletic tradition,” he said.
At Northwest Missouri State, Baker led the department to greater operational efficiencies and improved customer service. During his tenure at Northwest, his team secured the largest gift in department history, and increased revenues by an impressive 60 percent during his time there.
From 2006-11, Baker was Director of Athletics at Rogers State, where he was the youngest A.D. in the nation at any four-year university. While at RSU, he was also the first men’s basketball coach in school history, and promptly led the Hillcats to a 20-11 record in their first year of competition during the 2006-07 season. After one year as basketball coach, he relinquished those duties to focus on his administrative duties and continue the growth of RSU’s overall athletics operation.
Prior to joining Rogers State, Baker became the youngest principal in the state of Oklahoma. At 26, he was named principal and athletic director for Valliant Public Schools in his hometown of Valliant, Oklahoma.
Before entering administration Baker served as a basketball operations assistant in the Oklahoma State University athletic department from 2001 to 2005, coordinating a variety of initiatives under the direction of former head men’s basketball coach Eddie Sutton. During his four-year tenure at OSU, the men’s basketball team recorded a 102-30 record that included a trip to the Final Four during the 2004 season.
Baker received his bachelor’s degree in education from Southeastern Oklahoma State University in 2001 and his master’s degree in education leadership from Oklahoma State University in 2003.
HOOVER, Ala. – Junior righty Reggie McClain (Duluth, Ga.) was brilliant as seventh-seeded Mizzou baseball topped 10th-seeded South Carolina, 5-1, on Tuesday afternoon (May 19) in game two of the SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. McClain earned his seventh win of the season, allowing just one unearned run on six hits with four strikeouts and no walks. The win advances Mizzou to tomorrow’s second-round game against second-seeded Vanderbilt at approximately 12:30 p.m. The Tigers are now in the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
Junior closer Breckin Williams (Oronogo, Mo.) was outstanding after McClain allowed the first two Gamecock batters to reach in the eighth inning. With runners on second and third with no one out, Williams came in and earned the six-out save, his school record-breaking 13th of the season. In the eighth, he got a pair of strikeouts and a flyout against the middle of the order to leave the tying runs on base and pitched a perfect ninth. His 13 saves put him alone in first place at Mizzou, passing Ryan Stegall who had 12 in 2000. His 13 saves are the most of any reliever in the SEC as well.
Mizzou’s 3-7 hitters were a combined 9-for-19 with five runs and two RBIs, highlighted by freshman Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Ga.), who tallied three hits in the game. Freshman Shane Benes (Town & Country, Mo.) and Ryan Howard (St. Charles, Mo.) each finished with multi-hit games as well. Junior Zach Lavy (Auxvasse, Mo.) drove in a team-high two runs as well.
In the first inning, McClain fell behind leadoff hitter Gene Cone, who roped a leadoff single through the right side for a leadoff single. But McClain got the next three batters to strand Cone and send the game to the bottom of the first.
Mizzou then got McClain some run support in the bottom of the second inning. Brett Bond (St. Louis, Mo.) was hit by a pitch to open the frame and his high school teammate Benes then doubled to put runners on second and third with no outs. Harris then singled through the left side to score Bond and Jake Ivory (St. Charles, Mo.) hit a sacrifice fly to CF to plate Benes. That gave Mizzou a 2-0 lead after two innings.
South Carolina got a run back in the third, thanks in large part to an error to open the frame. Mizzou nearly turned a double play to get out of the jam, but the Gamecocks ended up scoring a run on a sacrifice fly to left by DC Arendas.
McClain continued to deal, needing just 44 pitches to get through four innings. Harris led off the bottom of the fourth with a double, his second hit of the day. Lavy then put together a great at-bat, fouling off five 0-2 pitches before singling up the middle to plate Harris, giving Mizzou a 3-1 lead.
South Carolina continued to struggle to put pressure on McClain as he needed just 73 pitches to get through six innings. He came back out for the seventh inning and sat down the Gamecocks in order and kept his pitch count low. Tim Jamieson sent him back out for the eighth inning and he gave up a leadoff single to nine-hole hitter Clark Scolamiero and a double to Cone, putting runners on second and third with no outs.
Closer Breckin Williams (Onorogo, Mo.) then came on in relief. He promptly struck out Arendas and Kyle Martin and got Elliott Caldwell to fly out to left to strand the runners, all against the middle of the Gamecock order. It is the second time this season that the Tiger closer has had runners on second and third with no outs and did not allow a run.
The offense seemed to gather momentum after Williams’ heroics, plating a pair of runs in the eighth inning on an RBI groundout by Benes and a sacrifice fly from Lavy. Williams came back out for the ninth and was perfect to seal the win and his record-breaking save.
Mizzou will play Vanderbilt Wednesday as it begins the double-elimination portion of the tournament. The game will begin at approximately 12:30 p.m.
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Men’s Basketball head coach Kim Anderson has announced the signing of 6-3 guard K.J. Walton, a shooting guard who starred for Brownsburg High School outside of Indianapolis, Ind.
Capable of contributing from around the floor, Walton averaged 19.7 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game during his standout senior season in 2014-15. Walton helped lead Brownsburg head coach Steve Lynch’s squad to back-to-back sectional titles, along with a 21-7 record and regional championship game appearance as a senior.
“We are excited to add K.J. to our Mizzou Basketball family,” Anderson said. “He is an outstanding athlete who has the ability to score from multiple guard positions. In addition, he has the potential to be an elite wing defender. Playing for Coach Steve Lynch at Brownsburg High School, he comes from a winning program. We look forward to having him in a Tiger uniform next season.”
Walton was named to the IndyStar Indiana All-Star Team after the conclusion of his final Brownsburg campaign. He shot 44.0-percent from the field for the Bulldogs this last season.
“Coach Anderson and his coaching staff really stood out to me,” Walton said. “They were great during the recruiting process and helped show me what Mizzou will offer for a college experience. The atmosphere at the school is one-of-a-kind and has me really excited to get there.”
Walton joins Mizzou’s stout 2015 recruiting class, currently consisting of: 6-2 guard Martavian Payne (St. Louis, Mo.), 5-11 guard Terrence Phillips (Orange County, Calif.), 6-7 forward Kevin Puryear (Blue Springs, Mo.), 6-4 guard Cullen VanLeer (Pacific, Mo.) and 6-8 forward Russell Woods (Chicago, Ill.).
HOOVER, Ala. – Mizzou baseball had three players honored by the Southeastern Conference on Monday (May 18) as the league announced its All-Conference selections for 2015. Highlighting the honorees was junior reliever Breckin Williams (Oronogo, Mo.), who earned Second-Team All-SEC. Freshmen Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) and Trey Harris (Powder Springs, Mo.) each earned a spot on the All-SEC Freshman Team as well. The All-SEC honorees were chosen by the league’s 14 coaches.
Williams is Mizzou’s first All-SEC honoree since Keaton Steele took home first team honors in 2013 as a utility player. The Tiger closer finished the regular season with 12 saves, tied for the most ever in a single season at Mizzou (Ryan Stegall had 12 in 2000 as well). Williams was named to the Stopper of the Year Award Midseason Watch List and has a win or save in all nine of Mizzou’s one-run wins this season. His 15 career saves are the fourth-most in program history as well. He finished the season with a 4-3 record and 12 saves with a 1.89 ERA in 23 appearances. He tossed 33.1 innings, striking out 35 and walking just eight. He allowed just five extra-base hits all season.
Harris and Houck are the first Tiger freshmen to take home All-SEC Freshman Team honors since current junior Josh Lester (Columbus, Ga.) did so in 2013. Harris earns a spot as one of three outfielders while Houck made the team as one of two starting pitchers. Harris hit .249 with 24 runs and 20 RBI, 16 of which came in SEC games. He tallied a walk-off hit over South Carolina earlier this season and hit his first career homer; a three-run, go-ahead homer at Georgia, just an hour from where he grew up. He earned the Tigers’ starting right field job in his first year with the program.
Houck has put together one of the best freshman seasons in Mizzou baseball history. His eight wins are the most by a Tiger freshman since Kyle Gibson (a former first-round draft pick) in 2007 and his 92.2 innings are the most ever by a Tiger freshman under Tim Jamieson. He also leads all freshman nationally in innings pitched. He compiled a 3.40 ERA on the season, striking out 83 batters over 92.2 innings while walking just 11 in 14 starts as a freshman. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List earlier this season.
Williams, Houck and Harris will open the SEC Tournament on Tuesday at approximately 12:30 p.m. against No. 10 seed South Carolina at Hoover Met.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) – When Justin Smith decided that his body wouldn’t let him perform up to his own lofty standards, he knew it was time to stop playing.
Smith announced Monday that he is retiring after 14 seasons as one of the top defensive linemen in the NFL, dealing yet another blow to the San Francisco 49ers in a rough offseason.
“They all want you to keep playing, and I want to keep playing as well, but when you get on the bald tires, you’re on the bald tires,” Smith said.
One of the most durable players at one of the most physically demanding positions, Smith had been hampered the past two seasons by a bum left shoulder that he first hurt in training camp in 2013.
That shoulder absorbed the brunt of the punishment as a right defensive end going up against 300-pound linemen all game and Smith did not feel up to playing another season.
“It doesn’t respond like I want it to respond anymore,” he said. “If you don’t have the tools, you can’t do the job. It’s time to go.”
While Smith could still be an effective player, he could no longer be the dominant one he had been for so long in his career and that’s what led to his decision.
“People are going to compare him to everybody else,” coach Jim Tomsula said. “Justin Smith doesn’t compare himself to anybody else. He compares himself to himself. That’s the bar he sets. … I’ve always known with Justin that if he didn’t feel like health-wise he can play at the level he plays at, he’s not going to do it.”
Smith had just two sacks in the final 14 games last season as his practice time, snap count and effectiveness dwindled toward the end of the season.
Smith is the third defensive star to retire from the 49ers this offseason, joining linebackers Patrick Willis and Chris Borland. Coach Jim Harbaugh is also gone, along with running back Frank Gore, guard Mike Iupati, receiver Michael Crabtree, linebacker Dan Skuta and cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox.
Smith played 14 seasons in the NFL after being drafted in the first round by Cincinnati in 2001. After seven successful seasons with the Bengals, he signed as a free agent in San Francisco and had his best success in seven years with the 49ers.
Smith was the anchor of San Francisco’s 3-4 defense that made three straight trips to the NFC title game from 2011-13 and one Super Bowl appearance. He tied up blockers and broke down protection to help the team’s stellar linebacker corps of Willis, Navorro Bowman and Aldon Smith succeed.
While Smith never recorded double-digit sacks in a season in his career, he was so well-regarded that he was selected as an All Pro first-team defensive tackle and second-team defensive end in 2011. He was the first player ever to make the AP’s first and second team at different positions.
“Justin is the consummate professional whose impact on this organization can never be measured by statistics alone,” 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said. “His durability, competitiveness, work ethic, strength and rare stamina helped set him apart over his 14-year career. Cowboy will go down as one of the best to ever wear a 49ers uniform and his candidness, work ethic and pure passion for the game will be missed.”
Smith also was picked as a second-team All Pro defensive end and defensive tackle in 2012 and made five Pro Bowls in his seven seasons in San Francisco.
During his career, Smith started 217 of 221 games played, including a streak of 185 consecutive starts from his rookie season through December 2012. He finished his career with 1,370 tackles, 87 sacks, 16 forced fumbles, 10 fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 30 passes defensed.
Smith posted at least 5.0 sacks in 12 of his 14 seasons played and is one of 13 players to register 5 or more sacks in at least 12 seasons since sacks became an official statistic in 1982.
“Whether it was chasing down a wide receiver and forcing a fumble to seal a win, or driving a tackle back into the quarterback’s chest, he gave everything he had every play,” 49ers CEO Jed York said. “Justin has earned the respect of the entire NFL community and he will always be remembered as one of the 49ers all-time greats.”
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Two-time All-Sun Belt honoree Chloe Rathburn is transferring from the South Alabama softball program and will attend and play softball at the University of Missouri, as announced Tuesday by Mizzou Head Softball Coach Ehren Earleywine.
