When Missouri softball coach Ehren Earleywine first walked out to his spot by third base during the game against South Carolina on Sunday, he received a standing ovation with almost all of the fans in the bleachers holding signs that read “I <3 E.”
The signs came in support of Earleywine after Saturday’s game, when players released a statement claiming that the athletic department has been conducting an investigation on the Missouri head coach. The statement said that the team would play in protest of the athletic administration and specifically Missouri athletics director Mack Rhoades.
“It’s touching,” Earleywine said. “You never know how people are feeling about things, so it’s awesome to see that support.”
Amid the protest and coming off a loss Saturday, No. 14 Missouri (39–13, 14–10) was able to sneak by Sunday with a 2–0 victory over South Carolina (35–20, 7–17), taking the last series before heading to the Southeastern Conference tournament Wednesday.
Sophomore pitcher Paige Lowary was in the circle for Mizzou and shut out the Gamecock offense, helping the Tigers have a little breathing room when they couldn’t get their bats rolling.
The only runs came from a solo home run by junior Amanda Sanchez in the fourth inning and an RBI single from senior Emily Crane in the fifth inning. Other than that, Missouri offense seemed to struggle. Lowary and the rest of the defense picked up the slack, though.
“I just wanted to step up because we weren’t scoring runs these past couple of days, and they usually have my butt a lot when I give up runs,” Lowary said. “We weren’t scoring much, so I said I need to step up and not give up any hits.”
Earleywine said taking the series means a lot to him when he doesn’t know if he will be coaching at Missouri next year, and he’s grateful for his players’ hard work on the field.
Earleywine also said that the investigation the players mentioned in their statement has been going on for three to four weeks.
“Gratitude is the only word I can come up with in regards to my players and my team,” he said. “I don’t know how they’ve been as resilient as they are, with so much on their minds and their hearts, but they continue to go out there and play well.”
Earleywine was not able to go into detail about why his coaching style has been questioned, but he did say it had something to do with some players on the team, and some who have been dismissed, including sophomore Sara Harvey.
“I think there’s a couple of kids on the team that probably have things, exchanges between myself and them or different scenarios, they would like to see handled differently,” he said.
Earleywine acknowledged that his coaching style was different than what some of his players were used to, and he doesn’t mean for it to have an effect on them emotionally. He stressed that he is tough on kids because he wants to make them accountable.
“My take on it is that I’m trying to build resiliency and toughness,” Earleywine said. “My hope is they’re going to be better people when they graduate from here because they’ve been through tough stuff. Have I used inappropriate language? Yes. Is that grounds for firing a coach? I think if you set that precedent, there won’t be a coach left in America.”
Earleywine led his team to an NCAA tournament in 2007 during his first year as the Missouri coach. Since then, he and the team have been back every year, and they are on the verge of their 10th appearance this year.
He said in all his years as a coach, this season has been the most difficult for him.
“If I survive, then it will be my best coaching job to date,” he said. “If I survive.”
Earleywine said he does not know if Rhoades is going to fire him after this season or not. He described their relationship as strictly business.
Although players declined to comment about the protest, they stressed their support for Earleywine and their desire to see him back coaching next year.
“He means a lot to this team,” Sanchez said. “He’s one of the best coaches I’ve ever played for, and he’s a father figure to me and other girls on the team.”
Rhoades and the athletics department have not commented on the softball protest.
Missouri will be heading to Starkville, Mississippi, this week to compete in the SEC tournament. They are set to play at 11 a.m. Wednesday in a rematch against South Carolina.
_Edited by Peter Baugh | pbaugh@themaneater.com_
