Columbia Region 2014 Softball World Series Breakdown

Columbia Region 2014 Softball World Series Breakdown

 

#15 Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Bradley

 

Not many teams have had a tougher schedule than Missouri. Winning 41 games is quite the accomplishment, especially considering some of those victories came against some of the best teams in the nation: Florida, Alabama, Missouri and Georgia. The Tigers have speed with Taylor Gadbois and Emily Crane and enough consistent hitting throughout the lineup to drive them in. The ability to play small ball is even more important during the tournament and Mizzou can win those close games. The key will be the play of the young pitchers. Tori Finucane has had an amazing season, totaling a 1.73 ERA and a 21-6 record, but she is just a freshman. The pressure is different now.

Nebraska, Kansas and Bradley will attempt to take advantage of Missouri’s youth. The Cornhuskers are a well-balanced squad, led by the battery of Tatum and Taylor Edwards. Tatum has gone 22-11 with a sub 2.00 ERA and nearly one strike out per inning. She also hit 14 home runs. Taylor hit 17 long balls and drove in 41 runs. With Hailey Decker and MJ Knighten adding even more power to the Gopher lineup, this is a team that will make this one of the more competitive regions. Kansas is back in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their back-to-back trips in 2005 and 2006. Of course the Jayhawks had a good year, but their games against Oklahoma and Baylor were quite telling. KU was swept by both programs and were outscored 44-4 in those six games. Bradley got hot at the right time and snuck past Missouri State, Wichita State and Loyola to win the Missouri Valley tournament. While the Braves will find it difficult to keep up with the rest of the region, they did only lose to Missouri 1-0 in their February meeting.

 

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