From Michael Natelli
Missouri softball coach Ehren Earleywine tried Sami Fagan at catcher early this season as a means of working more offensive into the lineup. But with crucial SEC games coming up, the team will go with experience over offensive potential behind the plate.
Assistant coach Pete D'Amour said after Sunday's win over Mississippi State that the team plans to stop using Fagan behind the plate going forward, opting to go with experienced catchers Kirsten Mack and Alyssa Cousins instead. Fagan will move back into being a full-time middle infielder.
Mack has proved to be an offensive threat in her own right in recent games, so the Tigers shouldn't feel too much of an impact offensively. Cousins also proved she could handle the pitching staff after taking over as an injury replacement for Mack on Saturday, and D'Amour voiced confidence in Cousins as an option in the event that Mack can't play.
Fagan will likely continue to serve as an emergency catcher for the Tigers, but the experiment appears to be over for the time being. She'll continue to rotate around the middle infield with Corrin Genovese and Natalie Fleming.
Missouri softball coach Ehren Earleywine tried Sami Fagan at catcher early this season as a means of working more offensive into the lineup. But with crucial SEC games coming up, the team will go with experience over offensive potential behind the plate.
Assistant coach Pete D'Amour said after Sunday's win over Mississippi State that the team plans to stop using Fagan behind the plate going forward, opting to go with experienced catchers Kirsten Mack and Alyssa Cousins instead. Fagan will move back into being a full-time middle infielder.
Mack has proved to be an offensive threat in her own right in recent games, so the Tigers shouldn't feel too much of an impact offensively. Cousins also proved she could handle the pitching staff after taking over as an injury replacement for Mack on Saturday, and D'Amour voiced confidence in Cousins as an option in the event that Mack can't play.
Fagan will likely continue to serve as an emergency catcher for the Tigers, but the experiment appears to be over for the time being. She'll continue to rotate around the middle infield with Corrin Genovese and Natalie Fleming.
