College Softball News

Inside the Diamond: Missouri Softball

Missouri Softball

Inside the Diamond is a weekly feature during the off-season of NCAA Softball. Each week Fastpitch News (FPN) will look at a 2016 USA Today/NFCA (final poll), top 25 teams. FPN will look at the season that was and what 2017 may have to offer. Next up: Missouri Softball.

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It was not the best of seasons for coach Ehren Earleywine off the field. On the field, the Missouri Softball team posted a 42-16 record and run to the NCAA Super regional. In this article, we are focused on the softball aspect of the program for the most part. On the season they ended up 9-12 against top 25 opponents. The Tigers had two NFCA All-Americans in 2016. Sami Fagan earned a spot on the first team while Emily Crane earned a spot on the third team.

Crane also claimed First Team All-SEC and SEC All-Defensive while Fagan and along with Taylor Gadbois grabbed Second Team honors. Regan Nash earned Freshman All-SEC honors.

The Tigers have been known for their speed and ability to hit for contact. Last season was no exception. The finished 14th in the nation in batting average (.327) and second in the country in stolen bases per game  (2.84). Leading Missouri were Fagan and Crane. Fagen led the Tigers in batting average (.434) and Crane lead in home runs (17) and RBI (61). The problem for coach Earleywine is both graduate. They also lose Gadbois and her .396 average. Those will be three big pairs of shoes to fill in 2017.

From the circle the relied a lot on Paige Lowary who ended up throwing 191 innings for a 25-8 record with a 3.25 ERA. She will not be back in 2017 as she has since transferred to Oklahoma. The good news is that the Tigers do return a solid young pitcher in 2017. Danielle Baumgartner was impressive as a freshman posting a 14-4 record and a 1.98 over 109.1 innings. They will add one arm this season as well.

Who they lose

  • Outfielder – Emily Crane
  • Outfielder – Taylor Gadbois
  • Infielder – Sami Fagen
  • Pitcher – Paige Lowary
  • Pitcher – Tori Finucane
  • Outfielder – Erin Gilliland
  • Outfielder – Elizabeth Hagens
  • Infielder – Sara Harvey
  • Infielder – Chase Nelson
  • Infielder – Sydney Sprague
  • Utility – Morgan Walters

Who they get

  • Utility – Bradi Kooyman
  • Outfielder – Lexi Rampetsreiter
  • Outfielder – Taylor Kirby
  • Infielder – Braxton Burnside
  • Outfielder – Gabby Garrison
  • Outfielder – Cayla Kessinger
  • Pitcher – Parker Conrad

The Tigers lose a lot of players, some to graduation and some have transferred. As stated before, they will need to replace some pretty good bats. They do add seven freshmen and hope the can contribute early. It also appears, as is generally the case, coach Earleywine is adding speed.

Bradi Kooyman from Acampo, CA is a top flight recruit that can play both in the infield and outfield. She also will add power for the Tigers and was a Max-Prep All-American as a junior.

Lexi Rampetsreiter is one of the speed players we mentioned. She played her high school ball at Lee’s Summit North, MO. Matter of fact she had a 100-percent stolen base success rate in her career and set the school’s single-season record with 27 stolen bases.

Taylor Kirby is another power hitter from Decatur, IL. During her senior season, she sent 27 balls over the fence and holds a high school career slugging percentage of .945.

Braxton Burnside is a solid contact hitter with power. The Paragould, AR native set a single-season batting record hitting .551 as a junior.

Gabby Garrison hails from Missouri City, TX. She knows how to get on base and possesses some power. As a junior in high school, she has a .500 on-base percentage.

Cayla Kessinger played for the power club So Cal Choppers and comes to the tigers via Saugus, CA. She is a solid all-around player who can hit for both average and power.

Parker Conrad of Winter Park, FL gives coach Earleywine a power pitcher who can top out at 70 MPH. As a junior in hight school, she averaged 15 strikeouts per game.

Overall it is a strong recruiting class. The question mark around this team is their ability to replace their offensive leaders. Also if Conrad can step in and be solid from the circle the Tiger could have a nice one-two punch. They lost a lot will need to rely on numerous young players, but the talent is there. Most likely they will host their ninth straight regional.

 

 

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