This year’s Missouri squad has their sights set on something different than their opponents.

Due to the program’s NCAA postseason ban, Omaha isn’t in the picture this season. Instead, head coach Steve Bieser and his players are aiming, instead, for a pile of victories and an SEC Tournament run.

Watch Missouri at the Kleberg Bank College Classic LIVE on FloBaseball

When asked if this hurdle would conflict with his player’s motivation, Bieser said his team is driven by their career aspirations as professional ballplayers and not by the usual NCAA title.

Last season was a strong one for the Tigers. They finished 34-22 overall, going 13-16 in conference. Bieser is in his fourth season as head coach and has helped produce 16 draft picks since the start of his reign in ‘17.

Recent draft picks include 35th overall outfielder Kameron Misner to the Marlins and 38th overall ace TJ Sikkema to the Yankees. Other draft picks include pitchers Jacob Cantleberry and Cameron Dulle, along with shortstop Chris Cornelius. With a big chunk of their rotation gone, Bieser is looking to see who can step up and fill that hole. 

On the mound, it looks like junior Ian Bedell will stand at the forefront of this year’s rotation. Bedell was named D1 Preseason Third-Team All-American and is coming into 2020 as one of the SEC and NCAA’s top arms. 

Despite working mostly out of the bullpen in 2019, Bedell is transitioning to the weekend rotation this year. He picked up the victory on opening day against Jacksonville State, going six innings with a career high 11 strikeouts. 

Other key arms include Spencer Juergens, Trey Dillard, Konnor Ash, and Ben Pederson. Dillard picked up the W in the second game of the series. 

Chad McDaniel, Mark Vierling and Peter Zimmermann have started this year off right with a combined 11 runs between the three of them since their season opener last Friday. 

Defensively, the infield seems steady with Vierling at second, Austin James at short, Pepperdine transfer Brandt Belk at first, and McDaniel behind the plate. The outfield corners have some different rotations, but Seth Halvorsen has consistently covered down the middle. Halvorsen also looks to be a jack-of-all-trades with the option to be used on the mound if need be. 

Coach Bieser and his team are only focusing on the things they can control. This group of guys won’t let the reality of postseason limitations stump what they can do in the regular season. 

The Tigers will be returning to the Kleberg Classic on Feb. 21-23, where they swept their opponents back in 2017. Watch Mizzou take on Utah, Kansas State and Texas A&M - Corpus Christi LIVE on FloBaseball.