With a relatively large crowd of fans on hand, the Missouri softball team began this season’s campaign to return to the College World Series with its annual Black and Gold exhibition game Saturday at the Daniel Devine Indoor Pavilion.
The Black squad scored four runs in the first four innings on the way to a decisive 6-2 victory. Sophomore shortstop Jenna Marston led the Black Team with three hits and a run batted in, and senior infielder Abby Vock went 3 for 5 with a home run and two RBIs while sharing time playing for both sides. Coach Ehren Earleywine said he was impressed by Saturday’s outing.
“It resembled softball, and that’s good in February,” Earleywine said. “A lot of times at this point in the year you’re like ‘Man, we have so many things we have to do to be ready to compete.’ But this team is ready to go to San Diego and play their first games.”
Fresh off a Women’s College World Series berth and record 51-win season, the Tigers enter the season ranked No. 7 in the preseason USA Today Poll. Missouri returns all but five players from last season, including two former All-Americans and four 2010 All-Big 12 selections.
A focal point of Saturday’s game was the progress of sophomore pitcher Chelsea Thomas, who missed all of last season to a stress fracture. She took the loss, giving up five runs, two earned, in five innings while striking out four. Even so, she said after the game she felt good being back on the mound.
“I’ve been really working hard to get in good physical shape since I’ve been out,” Thomas said. “I feel like I’m pretty close now, but of course throughout the beginning of the season I’m going to get stronger and stronger. And of course today hitting 70 again felt really good.”
Earleywine revealed after the game that after eight months, the coaching staff had finally discovered the cause of Thomas’ injury. Thomas felt so sore after throwing a rise ball session on Tuesday that the staff held her from practice on Wednesday. The next day, Thomas threw another session, but mixed up the pitch selection with more off-speed pitches.
“Friday, she had zero pain,” Earleywine said. “So it’s the consecutive rise-balls that contributed to the stress fracture. And once we’ve now identified that, it’s like a ‘wahoo’ moment. Now we know what not to do.”
Earleywine made sure to point out that junior pitcher Kristin Nottelmann had a strong game for the other side, throwing a shutout through five innings with one strikeout. Earleywine said the combination of Nottelmann and Thomas is a luxury not many rotations have.
“Once in a blue moon you’ll see a team with two studs,” Earleywine said. “They’re each others’ best friend, because they’re going to keep each other healthy. It’s a beautiful thing.”
After Thomas’s injury last season, Nottelmann emerged to win 24 games with a 2.09 earned run average. Though Earleywine said he might limit their appearances to keep them healthy early on, Nottlemann said she was eager to have Thomas back at the top of the rotation.
“My partner in crime is back, so I don’t have to do it all by myself this year,” Nottelmann said. “I think it’s going to be a one-two punch this year, and I’m really excited about that.”