|
COLUMBIA - The Missouri baseball team made it to an NCAA Regional Championship last season, but Louisville's Lumber knocked Mizzou out.
The heart of Kansas is about the last place you'd expect a Missouri star athlete to come from, but Aaron Crow is the ace of the Tiger baseball pitching staff. After last season's trickle of success, this year he plans on seeing it flow force this year.
The last time Aaron Crow pitched at Taylor Stadium, he lived a nightmare. Lit up by Louisville for 7 runs, Crow was yanked from the Regional Championship before getting out of the first inning.
Baseball coach Tim Jamieson remembered, " He was obviously not very happy, frustrated, disappointed."
"I went into the bathroom so I wouldn't have to deal with anybody else and I kicked the sink and it just all broke and came down," said Crow.
"Well, I know that the sinks no longer there, but I don't know how it got to be,"explained Jamieson.
"I got water sprayed all over me and stuff," stated Crow.
Call it a baseball baptism. New life for Crow after the season slipped away. He played the summer in the cape cod league where he made the All-Star team and had a league best point-67 era.
"Obviously didn't bother him in the summer time, The summer that he had in the cape cod. If anything it's probably fuel for him to motivate him to get better," explained Jamieson.
Crow said, "I never doubted that I would do well, but it was surprising to me to do better than everybody else out there, so that was fun."
Fun isn't how you'd describe Crow on the mound. He spits fire and throws flames.
Missouri sophomore Trevor Coleman explained, "Lightning stuff, Good slider, good change up. All three pitches he can throw for strikes any count, any situation he wants."
"He just goes out and does his business. He's serious every pitch. Takes it like it's his last. I love watching him pitch," stated Missouri junior pitcher Rick Zagone.
Crow is Pre-Season All-American and is projected as a Top Ten prospect for the 2008 draft. He's catching comparisons to former Tiger first round pick, Max Scherzer.
"Actually has better off speed stuff than Max had at this point in his career. Both great competitors. I think he's on a mission this year and it's about the team,"said Jamieson.
Coleman explained, "That's what makes him so special. Fastball is one thing, but you have to have the other half of it and he's got it."
Crow agreed, "I think I'm a different person when I'm on the field. Off the field I'm a laid back guy. But when I'm on there I'm ready to go and more intense. It's kind of like I'm two different people really."
Crow hopes his alter-ego and All-American praise bother the batter. "Hopefully the other team sees that and is intimidated a little bit. I will try to use that to my advantage a little bit."
This season Crow plans to throw everything at opponents. Just not the bathroom sink.
"I heard they finally got another one in there. I'm going to try to stay out of the bathroom from here on out," stated Crow.
Crow plans on making opponents eat Crow this season. He says he chose Missouri instead of Kansas out of high school because it's simply a better program.
So far this season Crow is 2-0 With a 3.60 earned run average.
Reported by: Eric Blumberg
Posted by: Beth Hoag
Edited by: Nathan Hurst
Published: Sunday, March 2, 2008 at 6:13 PM
Last Updated: Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 7:29 PM |
Share on Newsvine
