Columbia Regional: Preview

University Field

Teams: Missouri, Indiana, DePaul, Illinois State
Location: University Field (Columbia, MO)

Players to watch:
Chelsea Thomas, Missouri
Rhea Taylor, Missouri
Morgan Melloh, Indiana
Alex Morocco, DePaul
Kara Nelson, Illinois State

Interesting storyline: Morgan Melloh is one of the best pitchers in the nation and she has been for the past four years and this year she has finally been placed into a regional without a Pac 10 team. This is Melloh's best and last chance to win a regional and she is going to leave it all on the field. Assuming things go as planned, she will go toe to toe with Chelsea Thomas, in what could be an epic pitcher's duel for the ages. Indiana will go as far as Melloh can take them and it will be interesting to see if she can lead the Hoosiers past Missouri.

Illinois State sputtered into regionals losing the first game at the Missouri Valley Tournament and the Redbirds barely squeaked into the tournament as an at-large bid. The Redbirds are led by a pair of talented seniors in Abby Olson and Kara Nelson. Nelson is the leadoff hitter for the Redbirds and she does a great job of setting the table, hitting .407 with 74 hits, 5 HR, and 26 RBI. Olson hits in the three hole for Illinois State and her bat packs a punch, hitting .303 with 14 HR and 36 RBI. The Redbirds have a few other hitters that can hit as well and they will all have to hit for Illinois State to score against Missouri and Chelsea Thomas. Jordan Birch and Megan Warner are Illinois State's two pitchers in the circle and they will need to be sharp at this regional. Illinois State has played a tough schedule this year, but they will need to take their game to another level to do some damage at this regional.

Alex Morocco

DePaul has had an interesting end to its 2011 season, after USF Coach Ken Eriksen took his team off the field at DePaul in the final game of their series. The Blue Devils did manage to go 1-1 at the Big East Tournament, but they just don't have that same magic that some past DePaul teams had. The Blue Devils have a deep pitching staff with three pitchers that Coach Eugene Lenti could turn to. Lindsey Dean got both starts in the Big East Tournament and she may get the start in the first game at this regional. Kirsten Verdun gives DePaul a lefty arm and she could be crucial. Bree Brown is the third DePaul pitcher who could see work and Coach Lenti has some options this weekend. At the plate, DePaul is solid offensive squad hitting .290 and they are one of the top bunting teams in the nation with 48 sacrifices on the year. DePaul has eight players in the lineup hitting over .300, including Sean Plese and Alex Morocco who are both around the .400 mark this season. The Blue Devils may have a balanced approach that could be successful against teams at this regional.

Morgan Melloh

Indiana has one of the top pitchers in the nation in Morgan Melloh and the Hoosiers are going to go as far as they can take her. Melloh transferred to Indiana from Fresno State this year and she has been as good as advertised. Melloh has once again carried an enormous load in the circle, but this season she has gotten sharper as the season has gone on. If she can pitch well, the Hoosiers have a shot at upsetting Missouri. Indiana doesn't have a very powerful offense, but they don't need much to support Melloh in the circle. Sara Olson leads the charge for Indiana, hitting .338 with 8 HR and 34 RBI. Breanna Saucedo, Melloh, and Ashley Warrum are also hitting over .300 and they will need to score runs in this brutal regional. The Hoosiers need to play solid softball this weekend and if they do it could make for some unhappy fans in Columbia.


Missouri have made it to two straight WCWS and this year's team may be even better. Missouri is a solid fundamental softball team and they can hit for average, power, while also being a threat in the short game. Rhea Taylor really gets things going for the Tigers at the leadoff spot. Taylor got off to a slow start this year, but she has really turned it on as of late and she is currently hitting .357 and she is 33-35 in steals. Behind Taylor at the top of the order, Ashley Fleming and Nicole Hudson provide the most power in Missouri's lineup and the Tigers will try to get runners on base in front of them. As good as Missouri is on offense and defense, they are even better in circle. Chelsea Thomas went down with an injury during the middle of last season and she this year she is back and she looks better than ever. Thomas throws the ball as hard as anyone in the nation, but the most impressive thing may be her control. Thomas is a prolific strikeout pitcher, who features pinpoint control and she is a big reason why Missouri is a national title contender.