Feb. 9, 2012

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 5 Missouri softball team hosts their annual Black and Gold intersquad exhibition this Saturday, Feb. 11, at 3 p.m. CT. The nine inning game will take place inside Devine Pavilion and admission is free for fans.

The Tigers are coming off their third consecutive trip to the Women's College World Series and a Big 12 Championship last season. They also won a program-record 53 games last year, marking the third straight season they won at least 50 games. They enter the season ranked No. 5 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Division I Top 25 and sixth in the NFCA/USA Today preseason poll.

Missouri returns 10 players from last season's team and welcomes 10 highly-touted freshmen to this year's team. Included in the 10 returners are National Player of the Year Finalist Chelsea Thomas, All-American Ashley Fleming and All-Big 12 selections Nicole Hudson and Jenna Marston.

Mizzou opens the regular season next Friday, Feb. 17 at the Quality Inn Classic in Troy, Ala. Over the course of the weekend, the Tigers will face Ball State, Troy, Eastern Kentucky, East Tennessee State and Nicholls State. The Tigers will open their home schedule on March 9, as they host Alcorn State, Boise State and Northern Illinois at the DeMarini Invitational.