Missouri puts up 17 runs to rout Lindenwood

The Missouri Tigers (6-2, Southeastern Conference) came out roaring and won their first home game of the 2023 season with a dominant 17-2 win over the Lindenwood Lions (2-6, Ohio Valley Conference) in seven innings at Taylor Stadium in Columbia, Mo. on Tuesday afternoon. 

Nic Smith recorded the win in his Missouri debut.

Offense Lights Up the Scoresheet

While the Tigers had a very quiet first inning, they put up a seven-spot in the second, making it the most runs Missouri has scored in an inning this season. 

The entire roster saw success at the plate as they piled on run after run. 

Tyler Mann helped start the rout for Missouri when he hit a deep home run to left field in the bottom of the second inning. He now has a five-game hit streak and needs only one more homer to catch Chris Wyrick for ninth place on the Tigers’ career home run list. 

With Mann's homer, Missouri has now out-homered the opposition 11-1 through the first eight games of the season. 

Helping Mann was Ty Wilmsmeyer, who also had an electric night. With a single in the fourth, Wilmsmeyer recorded a hit in his 11th straight game and holds a team-leading .500 batting average. He also swiped another bag, moving him into second place in the SEC with six steals. 

Also adding support for Missouri, Trevor Austin and Hank Zeisler added two RBIs each. A total of eight players supplied a run for the Tigers, who left 14 players on the base. 

One of Missouri’s goals for the game was to get various pitchers some experience on the mound and the offense provided that insurance, allowing five different Tiger pitchers to throw. 

The Tigers were also helped by the consistent struggles of Lindenwood’s pitchers. The visitors shuffled through six pitchers, none who could really provide a solution to Missouri’s scorching offense. The Lindenwood staff allowed 13 walks, hit seven batters, and gave up 14 hits. 

Meanwhile, the Lions only produced five hits. 

Nic Smith

In Smith's debut, he pitched three scoreless innings, giving up one hit and one walk while throwing just 33 pitches. 

He looked solid on the bump and retired the first six batters in a row before allowing a double to Bradley Chesterton. Smith showed his composure and eventually worked his way out of the inning thanks to a double play and a nice Hank Zeisler diving catch to end the inning. 

Missouri coach Steve Beiser credited Smith for his ability to show veteran qualities even though he is a freshman. 

“We had a quick first inning and then he has to sit for a long time and then has to do it again," Beiser said. "You kind of get out of rhythm as a pitcher when you have to sit through 15–20-minute innings and then get back on the mound. I thought him getting through 3 was pretty special due to those circumstances.”

In the Future

Missouri has officially started a 13-game homestand and will look to continue their winning streak as they open a series against Texas Southern University this weekend.

Thinking well into the future, Beiser was asked for an update on pitcher Sam Horn. 

The dual athlete has a spring football game nearing, but recently suffered an arm strain. 

“He’s trying to be QB1 as well," Beiser said. "We’re looking at a couple weeks before he gets back and starts throwing a football and it’s going to take longer to throw a baseball. Sam can do a lot of things for us. He can be a shutdown guy out of the bullpen or he could actually be a starter before the year’s up.”