MU's Broshuis looks for another 'surprise' season

After leading the Tigers in three pitching categories as a redshirt freshman last season, Missouri starter Garrett Broshuis had a rocky start to his follow-up season.

"You envision a certain start, but it hasn't exactly come as I expected," Broshuis said.

Broshuis, an Advance High School graduate, led the Tigers in wins (five) and innings pitched (80), and he tied for the lead in strikeouts (58) last year.

After Broshuis' first two starts this season, he was 0-2 with an earned-run average of more than eight. However, Broshuis has righted himself since then and is now 2-2 with a 6.39 ERA.

The Tigers, now 13-8, are coming off of a 24-29 season and expect Broshuis to be a big part of their rotation.

While Broshuis' first season with the Tigers may have been a surprise, especially since he was initially tagged for the bullpen, he said he always had confidence.

"I wasn't really surprised," he said. "I'm sure I surprised some people though."

Those solid numbers have put Broshuis near the top of the Tigers' rotation. He knows he'll have to perform well every time out to compete in the Big 12 Conference and against a schedule that includes four teams in the Baseball America top 25, including defending national champion Texas.

"Every week you're going to have to face a high-level team," Broshuis said of competition in the Big 12. "Even the teams that are not top 25 teams are good teams."

After a slow start, Broshuis finally got on track March 6, pitching seven scoreless innings in a record-tying 30-0 win over Truman State. Broshuis then went on to win his next start against Southeast Missouri State.

Broshuis hopes his early-season struggles are behind him and said he needs to quit trying to go for strikeouts and let his fielders do their jobs.

"When you have the good defensive infield like we have, it's easy to trust them," he said.

Getting away from his strike-'em-out days has been a difficult transition, Broshuis said.

"I've just become a lot different pitcher," he said. "In college you go against guys that have the swing that can hit a fastball."

As Broshuis retools his repertoire, playing in a conference with the defending national champions has advantages.

"You definitely get seen by a lot of scouts every weekend," he said.

And that helps Broshuis continue to hold on to his boyhood dream of playing professionally.

"It's something you definitely keep your eye on," Broshuis said. "Whether it's realistic or not is to be decided. To be able to live it out would be a great thing."

Noteworthy

Marisa Uzoaru, a Florida A&M senior from Central High School, finished seventh Friday in the women's high jump during the NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. Uzoaru finished with a jump of 6 feet, a personal best. The winning jump by Nevenda Lendel of Southern Methodist was 6 feet 2 1/4 inches.

Jon Beck, a Scott City graduate, finished his Arkansas State basketball career with an 82-76 loss to the University of Denver in the first round of the Sun Belt Conference tournament March 7. Beck hit two 3-pointers and finished with eight points in that game. Beck finished his career with 137 3-pointers, third on the school's all-time list.