Coming off a slow start to the 2021 season in which it opened the year with a series loss to Grand Canyon University, Missouri baseball needed a better start to its 2022 campaign. Despite not coming away with a series sweep, the Tigers got off to a more encouraging start, winning their opening series against Nicholls State three games to one.
Expectations were not high entering the season for Missouri. Last season, the Tigers finished at the bottom of the SEC, posting a 15-36 overall record and an 8-22 record in the SEC, which marked Missouri’s worst conference record since 2014 when it went 6-24.
This season, the Tigers look to bounce back. They have a core group of veteran contributors returning in senior infielder Josh Day, senior catcher Tre Morris, junior infielder Torin Montgomery and redshirt junior infielder Luke Mann, who head coach Steve Bieser expects to lead the way. Missouri lost a big chunk of last year’s production, including infielder Andrew Keefer and pitcher Seth Halvorsen, meaning new players will need to step up.
The good news for Missouri is that its incoming talent looked solid in their first series. Thirteen newcomers played in at least one game during the Tigers’ four-game stay at Nicholls State, including six freshman and seven transfers.
Freshman outfielder Carlos Peña, the prize possession of Steve Bieser’s recruiting class, played in all four games against the Colonels and started in three of them. During his recruitment, Peña ranked No. 70 in the 2021 class and was named the No. 1 outfielder in New York.
Through his first four games, Peña led the team in RBIs with six, including a big RBI triple in the seventh inning of Monday’s game which tied the ballgame at 4 apiece.
Another young contributor was Tony Neubeck, who was the only freshman pitcher to see action in the Tigers’ first series. Despite being counted with Missouri’s lone loss, Neubeck pitched well in relief. He worked for 1.2 innings with three strikeouts, two hits allowed and one unearned run allowed.
Junior infielder Nander De Sedas, a transfer from Florida State, played in two games, starting in one of them. He hit a two-run home run in the second game of the series and fielded well in both games he appeared in. He started in 131 games for the Seminoles over his first three seasons and has been on some of the best teams in the country, so the experience he will bring is invaluable.
Senior pitcher Austin Cheeley, a transfer from Middle Tennessee, closed out the series on Monday. He earned the win after allowing two hits and zero runs, while striking out two batters over three innings.
In the same game, sophomore pitcher Kyle Brown, a transfer from Parkland College, did some nice relief work himself. Over 4.1 innings, Brown struck out one batter, and allowed two hits in zero runs before Cheeley came in as the closer.
Fox Leum, a graduate transfer infielder from Coastal Carolina, played in all four games and started in three of them. He played in just 12 games for the Chanticleers last season due to injury but looks to contribute in a fresh start with the Tigers.
These were just a few of the new names that helped Missouri win on opening weekend. Missouri has fresh faces across the board. Bieser retooled the coaching staff and brought in talented players to bring the program back to relevance.
The Tigers have a mix of key veteran presence and young, new talent. The combination gives Missouri an opportunity to make big strides after last year’s disappointing effort.
Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com
