5/15/2023 football Edit

Ten Thoughts for Monday Morning presented by Will Garrett

Gabe DeArmond • PowerMizzou

Publisher

Gabe has covered the Tigers for PowerMizzou.com since August of 2003 and been the site's publisher since 2006.

1) Missouri softball is in the NCAA Tournament for the 16th consecutive time. The Tigers will open tournament play against Cal on Friday around 6:30. But the elephant in the regional is Oklahoma. The Sooners are 51-1 this year. They have a chance to put together the best season in D1 softball history (UCLA went 54-2 in winning the 1992 title). Over the last three years, OU is 166-8. If you're looking for the bright side, Mizzou enters with no pressure. This is a program that has hosted regionals more often than not over the last 15 years. They're usually expected to advance. Nobody will expect that this weekend. Larissa Anderson has instilled in her team the idea of being "party crashers" over the last few weeks. "No better party to crash than theirs," Anderson said. "Why not us?" Sure, it's unlikely. But the Tigers will take their shot this weekend.

2) Missouri baseball took a major step toward a shot at the NCAA Tournament as well. The Tigers swept Georgia this weekend, winning by run-rule on Friday night and then winning both weekend games by walk-off. It was the biggest series victory perhaps of the Steve Bieser era. Mizzou entered the series three games behind the Bulldogs in the SEC standings. The TIgers have now caught them and own the tiebreaker. Missouri needs just one win next weekend against Auburn to lock up an SEC Tournament bid. Here are the relevant standings:

Mizzou 10-17

Georgia 10-17

Mississippi State 8-19

Two of those three teams are going to get in. Mississippi State hosts Texas A&M (12-15) while Georgia hosts LSU. The Tigers win the tiebreaker with the Bulldogs, so if they simply win the same number of games as Georgia this weekend (even if it's none, they're in). They did not play Mississippi State. I'm not sure how the tiebreakers will work with the Bulldogs. The highest-seeded team both of them played was Vanderbilt. Mississippi State was 0-3, Missouri was 1-2, so that win over Vandy, I think, should give the Tigers the tiebreaker. In other words, it's possible Missouri misses the SEC Tournament, but it is highly unlikely.

3) The bigger picture for the baseball team is the NCAA Tournament.

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