Mizzou softball coach Ehren Earleywine spoke at the Tiger Club of KC today. Coach Earleywine, a native of Jefferson City, is entering his 12th year at the helm of the Mizzou softball program. Under his leadership, the Tigers have reached 11 straight NCAA Regionals, and have made eight Super Regionals and three Women’s College World Series.
In September, Earleywine was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Westminster College, where he played baseball and served as an assistant and head baseball coach.
Some notes ...
There are 12 scholarships for the 26 players on the roster. On Missouri high school players: “I want to make sure that If there is a kid in our state who is good enough to play at Mizzou and can help us, that I give them a chance to do that.” On the SEC: “It’s just a little easier to recruit to the SEC.” Thirteen out of thirteen teams made the NCAA tournament last year.
The 11 freshmen on this year’s team mark the largest recruiting class the Tigers have signed under Earleywine. Two of them are from the KC area – Kendyll Bailey from Grain Valley and Callie Martin from Raymore-Peculiar. Both were named 2017 Premier Girls Fastpitch All-Americans, and both have a shot at significant playing time. In fact, five or six freshmen could start, Ehren said.
Another freshman is a five-star, Coach said. A five-star person. Catcher Katherine Kadlec from Father Tolton High School has a special place in EE’s heart. The granddaughter of Coach John Kadlec may not play a lot, but Coach said he would ‘break his back’ to give her a chance. She’s a great human being, a hard worker, ‘yes sir, no sir’ … he ‘loves that kid to death.’ Coach Kadlec lived with Katherine’s family in his final months.
In the circle, it will be ‘pitch by staff.’ Sophomore transfer Eli Daniel was an NFCA NAIA First-Team All-American. At Brenau University, her line was: 43-4 record, 0.56 ERA, 55 GP (49 GS), 39 CG, 16 SHO, 327.0 IP, 141 H, 579 Ks. Freshman Lauren Rice touches over 70 MPH on the radar gun and could one day be an ace as well. Juniors Danielle Baumgartner and Madi Norman round out the committee.
Will start the season in February at the Kajikawa Classic. Hosted by Arizona State, the tournament is one of the season’s premiere softball tournaments. Oregon and Oregon State are two of the teams MU is set to face. They then go to Cathedral City and the Mary Nutter Classic to take on the likes of UCLA and Arizona. (An initial tourney schedule pitted Oklahoma against the Tigers, but that is no longer the case … and not because he requested their removal, Coach said). Next up is Clearwater, Fla. then home in early March for a tourney with Creighton, Drake and Northeastern Louisiana.
Coach likes the new stadium, of course, but would have changed some things had he been given more input from the previous administration. He would have started with spending the first $2 million on an indoor hitting facility, as the Tigers are the only team in the SEC without one. If done properly, he said, the facility can transform into a full indoor infield, and 80% of the drills the team performs in practice can be done with just an infield. The stadium will be showcased this year when the Tigers host the post-season SEC tournament.
Travel and commercial flights take a toll on the team, which plays 70 games per year. In the past, the team has been able to have only two “charter legs” per year … usually used to fly home twice per year on a Sunday so they can be back in Columbia at a reasonable time. So some softball boosters (his ‘steering committee’) is reaching out to donors to try to raise $25,000 to assist with chartering flights for about four away trips for the team.
Coach says his team is undefeated when he gets kicked out of games, but he knows that is frowned upon and he is working on his coaching style. His contract is up at the end of this season. Mizzou is his home and he wants to stay here, and hopes the administration feels the same after this year. Said that his not having a contract beyond the season was a disadvantage with a few recruits this year.
In September, Earleywine was inducted into the Hall of Fame at his alma mater, Westminster College, where he played baseball and served as an assistant and head baseball coach.
Some notes ...
There are 12 scholarships for the 26 players on the roster. On Missouri high school players: “I want to make sure that If there is a kid in our state who is good enough to play at Mizzou and can help us, that I give them a chance to do that.” On the SEC: “It’s just a little easier to recruit to the SEC.” Thirteen out of thirteen teams made the NCAA tournament last year.
The 11 freshmen on this year’s team mark the largest recruiting class the Tigers have signed under Earleywine. Two of them are from the KC area – Kendyll Bailey from Grain Valley and Callie Martin from Raymore-Peculiar. Both were named 2017 Premier Girls Fastpitch All-Americans, and both have a shot at significant playing time. In fact, five or six freshmen could start, Ehren said.
Another freshman is a five-star, Coach said. A five-star person. Catcher Katherine Kadlec from Father Tolton High School has a special place in EE’s heart. The granddaughter of Coach John Kadlec may not play a lot, but Coach said he would ‘break his back’ to give her a chance. She’s a great human being, a hard worker, ‘yes sir, no sir’ … he ‘loves that kid to death.’ Coach Kadlec lived with Katherine’s family in his final months.
In the circle, it will be ‘pitch by staff.’ Sophomore transfer Eli Daniel was an NFCA NAIA First-Team All-American. At Brenau University, her line was: 43-4 record, 0.56 ERA, 55 GP (49 GS), 39 CG, 16 SHO, 327.0 IP, 141 H, 579 Ks. Freshman Lauren Rice touches over 70 MPH on the radar gun and could one day be an ace as well. Juniors Danielle Baumgartner and Madi Norman round out the committee.
Will start the season in February at the Kajikawa Classic. Hosted by Arizona State, the tournament is one of the season’s premiere softball tournaments. Oregon and Oregon State are two of the teams MU is set to face. They then go to Cathedral City and the Mary Nutter Classic to take on the likes of UCLA and Arizona. (An initial tourney schedule pitted Oklahoma against the Tigers, but that is no longer the case … and not because he requested their removal, Coach said). Next up is Clearwater, Fla. then home in early March for a tourney with Creighton, Drake and Northeastern Louisiana.
Coach likes the new stadium, of course, but would have changed some things had he been given more input from the previous administration. He would have started with spending the first $2 million on an indoor hitting facility, as the Tigers are the only team in the SEC without one. If done properly, he said, the facility can transform into a full indoor infield, and 80% of the drills the team performs in practice can be done with just an infield. The stadium will be showcased this year when the Tigers host the post-season SEC tournament.
Travel and commercial flights take a toll on the team, which plays 70 games per year. In the past, the team has been able to have only two “charter legs” per year … usually used to fly home twice per year on a Sunday so they can be back in Columbia at a reasonable time. So some softball boosters (his ‘steering committee’) is reaching out to donors to try to raise $25,000 to assist with chartering flights for about four away trips for the team.
Coach says his team is undefeated when he gets kicked out of games, but he knows that is frowned upon and he is working on his coaching style. His contract is up at the end of this season. Mizzou is his home and he wants to stay here, and hopes the administration feels the same after this year. Said that his not having a contract beyond the season was a disadvantage with a few recruits this year.
