Missouri Tigers baseball (9-15, 0-7) remains winless in conference play, getting crushed by the No. 7 Texas Longhorns 15-4 in their first game in Columbia since 2012. As a team, Mizzou pitching allowed five home runs to Longhorn hitters.
“Pitching was something that I knew was going to be a little bit of a challenge, specifically coming into it,” head coach Kerrick Jackson said about his team heading into the season. “You get some of those things that get thrown in there, and then you rely on some guys, like freshmen, that we didn’t necessarily think we were going to have to rely on.”
The offense got started right away for the Longhorns, with solo shots in the first and second innings, aided by winds blowing over 30 MPH. They then unloaded for a four-hit, seven-run third inning.
After a leadoff walk to start the third, Texas unloaded with their third homer of the game. Back-to-back walks followed, prompting starter Ian Lohse to be taken out alongside a trainer after allowing six runs on just three hits over two innings on 60 pitches.
Junior Seth McCartney entered the game to replace him but was unable to find success on the mound. After loading the bases with a walk to the first batter he faced, McCartney allowed five Longhorns to cross on just three hits, putting Texas up 9-0 after the third inning.
McCartney continued into the fourth and was not pulled until after giving up another three runs on three hits. He was taken out with no outs in the fourth, handing the ball over to reliever Ben Smith with two men on. Smith was able to get the Tigers out of the inning and minimize the damage, but not before the Longhorns took a 12-0 lead over Missouri.
While this was happening, the usually reliable Tigers offense was being shut down by Texas starter Jared Spencer, who no-hit Mizzou until a two-out single from Keegan Knutson to shortstop gave the Tigers their first hit of the game.
Texas added three more runs after the fourth, courtesy of their fifth homer of the day, a three-run shot, bringing the score to 15-0 in the fifth inning.
It wasn’t until the sixth inning that the Mizzou bats came alive to help out their pitchers. The rally started with a leadoff double from Isaiah Frost, who came around to score the first Tigers run of the game on an RBI groundout from first baseman/catcher Mateo Serna, finally putting Mizzou on the board.
After back-to-back walks, the Tigers scored another run from bench bat Brady Picarelli before the Longhorns pulled Spencer after 88 pitches. The next two runs came from Kaden Peer, who smacked a bases-clearing double to center, giving the Tigers their third and fourth runs of the game.
An interesting move by Jackson in the sixth inning saw usual Mizzou position player Cayden Nicoletto take the mound for the first time this season. Nicoletto produced one of the two scoreless innings of the game for the Tigers.
Nicoletto transferred to Mizzou as an outfielder and left-handed pitcher after making three appearances in 2024 for Columbia College, finishing with an 0-2 record and a 9.00 ERA.
“He threw for us in the fall. He threw for us early in the spring, but he's been in the lineup,” Jackson said postgame about Nico finally getting to pitch. “We knew he was somebody we wanted to use, but it just became a tough situation with him being in the lineup every day.”
One other position player waiting for a chance on the mound is freshman shortstop Trey Lawrence. According to Jackson, Lawrence came into Mizzou sitting 92-94 on the mound, but after an injury to Gehrig Goldbeck left him unable to play in the field, there was nothing they could do.
“We didn't expect Trey Lawrence to be on the field,” Jackson said after the game. “Goldbeck goes down, and now you all of a sudden get thrown into the mix. So we're still in a position, depending on what happens with the pitching and what we get back from some of these other guys.”
The biggest thorn in the Tigers' side throughout the game was Texas sophomore Will Gasparino. Accounting for two of the Longhorns' five home runs, he finished the game with three hits and eight RBIs.
Lohse (0-4) was charged with the loss in the game, while Texas’ starter Spencer (3-1) earned the win.
The Tigers and Longhorns, originally slated for a three-game series with games on Saturday and Sunday, have had their schedule altered due to inclement weather. The series will now be a doubleheader on Saturday, starting at 2 p.m.