Pitching against No. 4 Florida is no cakewalk.
The Gators’ .296 team batting average ranks fourth in the Southeastern Conference. Their three-hole hitter, Harrison Bader, is third in the conference with eight home runs, while Josh Tobias’ .394 batting average is good for second.
Freshman Tanner Houck took a one-hitter into the eighth inning against the Gators on Saturday, befuddling batters throughout. He held Bader hitless and struck out Tobias. Houck was named SEC Pitcher of the Week for his efforts.
“The coach from Florida told me that’s the best stuff they’ve seen all year from anybody,” Missouri coach Tim Jamieson said. “He’s just that special. Poise, confidence, he just fills up the strike zone.”
After the final out of Saturday’s game, Houck visited team trainers and had his arm wrapped in ice packs to reduce soreness. He then stepped out onto the concourse to meet his high school coaches. They had made the trek from Collinsville, Illinois, to see their homegrown phenom pitch. Houck said he was grateful to have had them there.
“I love them,” he said. “They’re like a second family to me. They had my back all four years in high school, so having them follow me to college is a great feeling. Luckily, they made it down for a great outing.”
Houck has had plenty of great outings in his first year with the Tigers. Saturday’s lowered his ERA to 2.70, which ranks 14th in the SEC this season. His teammate Zach Lavy said Houck’s been putting on a clinic with his performances on the mound this season.
“(Houck’s) unreal,” Lavy said. “Days like this, it’s pretty fun to be out there on defense and watch him do his thing. It’s a lot of fun to watch.”
Houck has only allowed five walks this season, the second-fewest in the SEC, while pitching the second-most innings in the conference with 56.2. He is also 11th in the SEC in strikeouts. Jamieson lauded Houck’s arsenal, noting the variety of pitches the freshman can call upon in pressure situations.
“He just throws strikes and he’s got plus-plus stuff,” Jamieson said. “You’re talking about a guy who throws low to mid 90s and has tremendous movement on all his pitches.”
With the series win over now-No. 10 Florida this past weekend, the 22-11 (8-4 SEC) Tigers have pushed themselves into four of the major five top-25 rankings. Collegiate Baseball has them at No. 16 in the nation, while the Coaches Poll has them at No. 23, Baseball America at No. 20 and D1Baseball.com at No. 19.
Mizzou is currently second in the SEC East and has five wins over top-10 teams, including three over top-five teams, this year.
The Tigers surpassed both their overall win total (20) and SEC win total (six) from last season.
Jamieson said he isn’t taking anything for granted, though, pointing out the fact that the team still has challenging series against reigning national champion Vanderbilt and perennial contender Louisiana State to look forward to.
“There are no breaks in our league,” Jamieson said. “We still have to play two teams that have been ranked No. 1.”
Mizzou will travel to Knoxville this week for a three-game series with the Tennessee Volunteers. Game one will start at 6 p.m. Thursday.
