Mizzou Baseball Drops Midweek Contest Against UCF

Missouri Tigers baseball was plagued by a strong start from the UCF Knights and weren't able to figure out a way back.

The Tigers were handed their third loss of the season from the Knights in a continued offensive tear that has been experienced in all of UCF's games this season. Missouri just barely avoided a shutout with just one run in the 7-1 game.

After having to watch the 2024 season go by from the bench due to Tommy John surgery, redshirt freshman left-hand pitcher Wil Libbert earned his first action in the Tigers' win over UConn. He struck out one batter in one inning pitched.

Just under a week later, he saw his first collegiate start come against UConn. It certainly didn't go how he would have wished, though. In three innings, he gave up four runs on three hits and three walks.

With the combination of the Tigers not being able to string anything together on the offensive front, Missouri quickly found themselves in a 4-0 hole to dig out of. They were able to get a man on base in nearly every inning, but their offensive drought was too strong to overcome.

The only highlight came in the top of the sixth with a lead-off solo homer to right field from sophomore centerfielder Kaden Peer.

Yet another Tiger transfer showed what help they could provide for the Missouri. The pitchers have been a complex bunch when it comes to their outings on the mound. In many of the cases, they have a great first inning, but then fall apart on the mound after that.

This was the case for junior right-hand reliever Josh Kirchhoff. After only walking one batter in the fourth inning, he came back out for the fifth and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. He had to be saved by junior left-hand reliever Nic Smith with one out in the bottom of the fifth. Smith got two quick outs and left the bases loaded.

The Tigers got to try out a freshman pitcher in a low-leverage situation. With a score of 7-1 in the sixth inning, reliever PJ Green took the mound. He did quite well in his first collegiate inning, inducing two flyouts, a groundout and just one hit.

Like many of the other Mizzou pitchers, he also ran into trouble in his second inning. He seemingly lost a bit on control, hitting a batter and walking another, but a quick chat with head coach Kerrick Jackson seemed to right him. He got the next three batters to fly out.

Missouri moves to 1-3 on the season and will cross the state for the Andre Dawson Classic in Vero Beach, Florida for their next series. The Tigers will take on Florida A&M, Alabama State and Southern this weekend. Their game against Florida A&M will be on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m.

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