Tanner Houck (photo/Mizzou Athletics)
Mizzou freshman Tanner Houck was named SEC Pitcher of the Week after his dominating performance over 4th ranked Florida. Houck retired 21 of the first 22 batters he faced and took a one-hit shutout into the eighth inning, as the Tigers beat the Gators 10-1. It was the first time the Tigers won a series over a top-five team since 2008.
Houck went eight innings allowing just four hits while walking none and striking out six. He gave up just one run in his team-leading fifth win of the season. Houck lowered his ERA to 2.70, which ranks him 14th in the SEC this season. He is also 11th in the SEC in strikeouts and is second in innings pitched with 56.2 as a freshman. He has allowed the second-fewest walks in the SEC (five) and has allowed one or fewer walks in seven of his eight starts this season.
Mizzou baseball is ranked in four of the major five top-25 polls on Monday. The Tigers rank as high as No. 16 nationally by Collegiate Baseball and are in the top 20 in three of the four polls in which they are ranked. The Tigers are No. 23 in the Coaches Poll, No. 20 by Baseball America and No. 19 by D1Baseball.com.
Houck and the Tigers return to the road this weekend to take on Tennessee in a three-game series which begins Thursday