Calum McAndrewColumbia Daily Tribune
The No. 7 national seed helps. The comforts of home that come with it do, too.
But they won’t make Missouri softball’s regional plain sailing.
The Tigers are set to host the NCAA Columbia Regional, which begins Friday at Mizzou Softball Stadium. If MU advances, it would also be the host of a super regional, which would bring the winner of the NCAA Durham Regional, headlined by No. 10 national seed and ACC champion Duke, to Columbia, Missouri.
First, Mizzou (43-15) must oust a conference champion, a power-conference runner-up and one of the eight qualifying teams at last year’s Women’s College World Series.
Summit League champion Omaha (41-13) is the four-seed and Missouri’s first opponent in the regional round. Washington (31-13), which made it to the WCWS last season but was ousted in the opening round of the Pac-12 Tournament this season, and Big Ten runner-up Indiana (40-18) will face off as the No. 2 and 3 seeds, respectively, in Friday’s other game.
Here is who the Tigers are set to face this weekend, and a prediction for how Larissa Anderson’s team will fare at home:
More: What to know about the Columbia NCAA softball regional: Schedule, parking, TV
Washington’s hitters could be Missouri softball’s main rival at NCAA Columbia Regional
Missouri boasts the nation’s 14th-best team earned run average, which stands at 2.07 entering the tournament.
That’ll be put to the test against Washington, which has the country’s 16th-best batting average, hitting .322. The only team Missouri has played with a better mark: Florida (.342), which just beat MU in the SEC Softball Tournament championship behind a pair of multi-run home runs.
The Huskies are led by Brooke Nelson at the plate, as the pitcher/first baseman has 41 hits and 12 home runs in 119 plate appearances. Eight regular starters for Washington are hitting at a +.300 clip.
Washington is no slouch in the circle, either.
The Huskies rotate through four pitchers, who together have a combined 2.71 ERA, which ranks No. 45 in the nation.
Last season, Washington made it to the Women’s College World Series for the eighth time in coach Heather Tarr’s 20-year tenure. The Huskies were run-ruled in six innings by Arizona in the Pac-12 Tournament this season.
No. 3-seed Indiana
To hold the Hoosiers, you have to stop two-way star Brianna Copeland and sluggers Aly VanBrandt and Taylor Minnick.
VanBrandt has batted .370 in her freshman season. Minnick, a junior outfielder, has driven in 53 runs in 58 games this season, which is good for tied for 38th in the country, and has a .465 on-base percentage.
Copeland is Indiana’s ace, with more than 180 innings of work under her belt this season with a 2.81 ERA. She pairs that with a .332 batting average, third best in IU’s lineup.
Depth in the circle is where the Hoosiers could struggle. Copeland and Sophie Kleimann (2.54, 14-4) have each pitched more than 120 innings this season. The Hoosiers’ next most oft-used pitcher is Macy Montgomery, who has 36.2 innings with a 3.25 ERA.
Indiana fell against Michigan, 3-1, in the Big Ten title game Saturday.
No. 4-seed Omaha
Think the four-seed will be a pushover? Think again.
Omaha is likely to start ace Kamryn Meyer in the circle against Missouri in their game at 4:30 p.m. Friday. She currently ranks tied for fifth in the country with 239 strikeouts this season. Meyer has made 36 appearances and has a 1.51 ERA.
Yes, that’s 6.6 Ks per game. She’s averaging 8.8 Ks per seven innings.
If Omaha is going to make noise in Columbia, it’ll likely come from the players in the circle. The Mavericks have three players in their lineup with a +.300 average.
Omaha, which defeated South Dakota State in consecutive games to win the Summit League last weekend, ranks No. 97 in the country with its .282 average. Junior infielder Maggie O’Brien leads the offense with a .376 clip at the plate.
Score predictions for NCAA Columbia Regional
Missouri has the talent to take care of Omaha, and that could very well set up a series against Washington to take the title. The Huskies should have the firepower to knock off Indiana.
If it works out that way, it will be No. 1 seed against No. 2 seed in the bracket Saturday and Sunday for the title.
Pitching versus hitting.
Washington’s big bats won’t make it easy, but other than a careless SEC Tournament championship against Florida, Missouri’s work in the circle and on defense has been near-flawless lately.
That might not be enough to sweep the weekend, but it should carry the Tigers to a super regional. Here is the Tribune’s full list of score predictions for the week:
Friday
Game 1: Washington 8, Indiana 3 (2 p.m.)
Game 2: Missouri 7, Omaha 1 (4:30 p.m.)
Saturday
Game 3: Missouri 4, Washington 2 (2 p.m.)
Game 4: Indiana 6, Omaha 1 (4:30 p.m.)
Game 5: Washington 7, Indiana 6 (7 p.m.)
Sunday
Game 6: Washington 5, Missouri 2 (TBD)
Game 7: Missouri 6, Washington 4 (TBD, if necessary)
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