Missouri baseball’s trip through Boca Raton and Fort Myers mostly followed the status quo, in the sense that the best team came out on top. Across its last four games before the Tigers’ return to Columbia, the continuous high performance of the starting pitching continued, with what has been a real offensive punch to begin. On the mound, showing that just maybe, a pitching staff that isn’t facing an injury bug every other week is beginning to take shape. Who’s continued to settle in, who’s heating
up, and what this group has shown right before the calendar turns to March and the Tigers’ opening games at Taylor Stadium.
The promising debut of Dohrmann
The lone loss of the four‑game stretch came in a 4–2 loss at Florida Atlantic, but even that night offered more positives than the scoreboard suggested. Freshman JD Dohrmann showed flashes of his command in the team scrimmage and handled his collegiate debut with high poise, working five innings and allowing just one earned run while striking out five.
Through four games, Missouri’s rotation had already established a pattern: Javyn Pimental, Josh McDevitt, Brady Kehlenbrink, and now Dohrmann had each gone at least five innings in their respective pitching outings. Together, they’d allowed only five earned runs in 20 innings, giving the Tigers a real backbone, one that wasn’t often there last season.
Missouri, similar to its loss to Mount Saint Mary’s had its chances against Florida Atlantic. Jase Woita tied the game in the sixth with his second home run in as many days, continuing a scorching start that pushed his average near .400 with double‑digit RBI. Tyler Macon added a hit and a run from his strong position in the leadoff spot, and Pierre Seals made one of the defensive plays of the night with a diving grab in right. The bullpen couldn’t hold on to keep the Tigers ahead, Kadden Drew in his appearance chipped in 0.2 scoreless innings in the 4-2 defeat.
Macon’s hot start continues in his personal playground
Is it Terry Park, or is it an established leadoff hitter for Missouri? I’d go with the latter based on the in-game evidence. In the first game against New Haven, Macon continued his absurd run of reaching base in Fort Myers, going 3‑for‑4 with four runs, two RBI, a double, and two stolen bases. Did I mention he now has reached base 21-out of his last-27 at bats according to MU Athletics?
Behind him, Pimentel delivered his part of the young season: five innings, one run, three hits, and a career‑high 10 strikeouts. Missouri didn’t need a massive offensive outburst — though they got contributions from Seals, Maisonet, and Frost — because their starter set the pace and the bullpen, including freshman Luke Sullivan, handled the rest. Sullivan’s 1.2 scoreless innings, complete with three strikeouts and a bases‑loaded escape, were one of the weekend’s quieter but still interesting pitching developments.
A 17‑run reminder
The second game against New Haven was the kind of afternoon where Missouri’s lineup looked like it had been waiting to tee off like a golfer on Pebble Beach. The Tigers scored 17 runs on 15 hits, spreading the damage across nearly everyone in the order.
Serna doubled home a run, Humbert added two more, Frost reached base four times, and Maisonet kept his steady start to the season rolling with two hits and an RBI. Macon of course drove in four more, and McDevitt gave Missouri another five‑inning start with seven strikeouts. It was the type of game that makes a lineup feel deeper than it did the week before.
Closing with authority
Missouri wrapped the weekend with a 16–2 run‑rule win, and the first inning alone told the story: eight runs and once again a lineup that didn’t let up.
Macon’s red-hot bat led to his triple, driving in three. Seals collected three hits, Maisonet homered, and Sam Parker added three RBI of his own. Kehlenbrink punched out seven in five innings, continuing the rotation’s early‑season consistency, and the bullpen finished the job, this time not playing down to competition and finishing the game without drama.
Missouri’s last four games were another pad the win column; and showcasing the pitching rotation which has been stacking five‑inning starts like clockwork thus gar and giving the batters in the lineup a claustrophobic’s favorite thing. Room to breathe.
The offense in this portion of the non-conference schedule is capable of blowing a game wide open, depending on the day, and, importantly for the Tigers, players like Tyler Macon and Jase Woita are continuing to shape their places in the batting order.
At the risk of beating a dead horse, it’ it’s the early stretch of the season. The four-game stint showed the early signs of a team that’s beginning to mold itself together— to make its display on the theatre field that is the baseball diamond more fun to watch.
