The Missouri Tigers are playing their best baseball of the season, and the timing couldn’t be any better.
After a disappointing 4-9 start to the 2011 season, the Tigers have rattled off six wins in their last seven games, evening their record at 10-10. The team has won three of four games a in back-to-back series, earning vital series wins against both Lemoyne and Central Michigan. Missouri seems to have found its confidence, and junior third baseman Connor Mach says that’s exactly what the team will need when Big 12 play starts on Friday.
“It’s really big, we built our confidence up a bit, and our staff’s been throwing really well,” Mach said. “We’ll need that. Our pitching’s going to need to stay where they are and keep throwing strikes.”
While Missouri’s pitching has improved, anchored by reliever Phil McCormick and starters Rob Zastryzny and Zack Hardoin, McCormick said he thinks the team’s success is also due to better chemistry.
“I think we’re just coming together,” McCormick said. “At first it seemed like two different squads between the pitchers and the hitters, but I think we’ve conglomerated into a much better team. I think we’re starting to hit a roll, and I’m pretty excited about it.”
They’ll need to keep rolling to have success in the Big 12 season, which kicks off Friday night with a home game against Oklahoma. Before the season, the Big 12 Preseason Coaches’ Poll predicted the Tigers to finish dead last in the conference, and Missouri’s players and coaches have taken notice.
Early in the year Missouri’s coaches hung a sign in the locker room displaying the Big 12’s preseason rankings, highlighting the league’s low expectations for them. Coach Tim Jamieson said he did so to motivate his team.
“One of the greatest motivators is people telling you what you can’t do, and if you believe that then they’re right,” Jamieson said. “If you respond to it in a competitive way then you’re proving them wrong.”
The sign seems to have served its purpose, as the Tigers have used that bulletin board material to bounce back from a shaky start. Senior catcher Ryan Ampleman said he is especially excited to prove the doubters wrong.
“It’s something that can light a fire under you,” Ampleman said. “All these people supposedly know everything about baseball, and they say you’re picked last, you’re not going to be good and you can’t do anything about it. When it comes down to it, it’s just a prediction.”
In the end, nobody will know how good Missouri is until they face stiff Big 12 competition. Ampleman says that while the Tigers’ play has improved lately, the team is never satisfied.
“We’re happy but we’re not content,” Ampleman said. “I hate to sound cliché, but nothing’s ever good enough. We can always do more.”