Mizzou softball is hosting NCAA Regionals. (Photo/courtesy Mizzou Athletics)

8th ranked Mizzou softball plays host to the Columbia Regional for the fifth-straight season as it begins its quest for an NCAA Division I Softball Championship. The sixth-seeded Tigers are joined in the regional by Hofstra (43-11), Oregon State (33-22) and Stony Brook (35-23).

SCOUTING STONY BROOK

Stony Brook enters the NCAA postseason with a 35-23 overall record and 10-8 mark in the American East Conference. The Seawolves are led offensively by sophomore infielder Bria Green, who has batted .355 this season with 18 doubles and seven home runs. The team leader in RBI is sophomore Shayla Giosia, who has driven in 35. Green trails her with 32 RBI.  Stony Brook has three pitchers who have logged at least 100.0 innings in the circle, with sophomore Allison Cukrov leading the staff with 186.2 innings pitched for a 15-14 record and 2.74 ERA. For the year, Cukrov has struck out 147 batters and issued 82 walks. Junior Christine Lucido (117.0 IP) has compiled a 2.08 ERA with a 12-2 record, while freshman Jane Salen (100.0 IP) has pitched to an 8-7 record with a 3.08 ERA.

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Mizzou’s Chelsea Thomas delivers a pitch during last year’s regional final against Illinois State. (Courtesy, Mizzou Athletics)

The Mizzou softball team will host NCAA Regional hosts this weekend, as the Tigers received the No. 6 overall seed in the national bracket and are the top-seeded squad in the Columbia Regional with a 35-11 overall record.

This is the fifth-straight year, and seventh year overall, that the Tigers have hosted the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Ehren Earleywine led the Tigers to a third-place finish (15-8) in the program’s first season in the Southeastern Conference, also taking the team to a runner-up finish this weekend at the SEC Tournament.

Joining the bracket are Hofstra (43-11, 18-2 CAA), Oregon State (33-22, 8-16 Pac-12) and Stony Brook (35-23, 10-8 American East). Mizzou will open play on Friday, May 17, against Stony Brook at 6:30 p.m. at University Field.

Mizzou has won an NCAA Regional title each of the last five seasons and have won seven overall. Last year, the Tigers went 3-0 in their regional to advance to the program’s fifth-straight NCAA Super Regional.

COLUMBIA REGIONAL SCHEDULE (CT)

Friday, May 17

4 p.m. – Game One: Oregon State vs. Hofstra
6:30 p.m. – Game Two: Mizzou vs. Stony Brook

Saturday, May 18

Noon – Game Three: Winner G1 vs. Winner G2
2:30 p.m. – Game Four: Loser G1 vs. Loser G2 (loser eliminated)
5 p.m. – Game Five: Loser G3 vs. Winner G4 (loser eliminated)

Sunday, May 19

1 p.m. – Game Six: Winner G3 vs. Winner G5
3:30 p.m. – Game Seven (if necessary)

No. 7 Mizzou finished its exciting run in the Southeastern Conference Softball Tournament with a runner-up finish, dropping a 10-4 result to No. 3 Florida on Saturday. The third-seeded Tigers wrapped up their first SEC tournament with three team members on the all-tournament team: senior pitcher Chelsea Thomas (Pleasantville, Iowa), senior catcher Jenna Marston (St. Louis, Mo.) and sophomore 1B Kelsea Roth (Yorba Linda, Calif.).

Senior Nicole Hudson (Webb City, Mo.) put Mizzou on top of the No. 1-seeded Gators in the initial frame of the game with an RBI double to left center field that scored freshman 2B Emily Crane (Troy, Mo.) from first base. Crane led off with an infield single for the second-straight game.

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