Here at Tiger Talk we usually focus on the money making sports, basketball and football. However, it’s time to give some early love to a couple of spring sports that have started off scalding hot in the 2010 season.

The Missouri softball team is coming off a very successful season where they made an appearance in the Women’s College World Series (final 8 teams), but their hopes are set even high for this year. A 9-2 start to this year, including a 4-2 record against top 5 teams and 6-2 against ranked teams, has earned the Tigers a #3 rank nationally.

The team is led by sophomore pitching sensation Chelsea Thomas, who has recorded a 7-1 record this year with a 2.61 ERA and 66 strikeouts in only 45.2 innings. As a freshman, Thomas carried the girls all the way to the World Series, so you can only imagine what she will do this year with a year of experience under her belt.

At the plate, the Tigers are lead by junior speedster Rhea Taylor (her 36 steals ranked 10th in the country last season) and power threat Marla Schweisberger. Along with these 2 stars, Mizzou features a balanced lineup that can score at any time.

Although the baseball team doesn’t have quite the expectations that the softball team has this year, they have also started off their season quite nicely. The team features a whopping 18 newcomers on a roster that includes only 35 players. While some of them may contribute early and look comfortable right away, it is generally true that these guys will go through an adjustment period this season and thus hurt the chances of the baseball team’s success this season.

With that said, the Tigers are already off to a better start than last season. Coming back from the annual Collegiate Cactus Classic and Auburn Invitational, the Tigers have earned a record of 4-2. Compared to last year’s start of 2-7 during tournament play, it looks like Mizzou baseball is on a better track early on.

The Tigers are led offensively by senior first baseman Aaron Senne, who was recently named Big XII player of the week due to his .462 batting average during last week’s games. Other experienced batters include shortstop Michael Libierto and second baseman Connor Mach.

Nick Tepesch is the key player for the entire team, as he will be counted upon to be the number one starter each weekend. The run of successful #1 pitchers that Mizzou has produced in recent years (Kyle Gibson and Aaron Crow) is well documented, so Tepesch has a lot to live up to. HIs 9.90 ERA to start the year isn’t a good sign, but he has the talent to turn it around.

Overall, these two teams have both started even better than expected, even though the softball team was a preseason top 5 team in the country. Moving forward, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the softball team win it all this season, but a farther advancement in the Women’s College World Series would also be a good season for the ladies. On the baseball diamond, a birth in the postseason would be a solid accomplishment for this very unexperienced bunch.