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It’s been a productive offseason for nan Missouri Tigers. After South Carolina/Charleston Southern reliever Nealy Lamb committed connected June 14 — you tin publication my station astir her here — nan Tigers picked up infield extent pinch nan additions of Middle Tennessee shortstop Jana Want connected June 21 — read Dylan’s station here — and Georgia infielder Tyah Charlton connected June 25— read Dylan’s portion here,
We heard news of a imaginable committedness connected July 1, and connected July 18, it became official. Missouri picked up its last portal summation successful sophomore Mary Peyton Hodge from Arizona State, who entered nan portal connected June 18.
As a freshman, Hodge had a bit of a reliable spell pinch nan maroon & gold, accumulating a 5.88 ERA successful 11 appearances (two starts) for nan 45-18 Sun Devils that spanned nan first 2 months of nan season. In her first collegiate commencement against Pacific connected February 14, nan North Carolina autochthonal sounded 4 innings, allowing 4 hits (one for other bases) and 2 runs (one earned), to spell pinch 2 strikeouts. In her last start, connected February 27 against Eastern Illinois, she lasted conscionable 2 innings, giving up 3 hits and 5 runs (four earned), on pinch a location run, to spell pinch conscionable 1 strikeout. Nine different appearances were successful a alleviation role.
I’d opportunity Hodge’s champion quality was against UC Riverside connected February 26 successful which she threw 3 innings successful relief, allowing 3 hits and 1 tally while moving successful 4 strikeouts. She besides threw a scoreless inning against Portland State connected February 14 and UNLV connected February 27.
After being utilized regularly successful February, Hodge made 2 scattered appearances successful March — March 7 successful her lone Big 12 crippled against Utah and March 28 against Marist — earlier being unopen down for nan season. Why Hodge didn’t play successful immoderate of nan remaining games connected nan schedule (including during ASU’s extended postseason tally to Super Regionals), is chartless astatine this point, but possibly it was difficult for her to carve retired a domiciled down a coagulated 1-2, 1 of whom was first squad All-American.
Coming into her freshman season, nan 5-foot-11 southpaw — I repeat, Mizzou LOVES a gangly pitcher — who throws successful nan debased 70s was named to nan D1 Softball D100 Freshman Watch List. Hodge earned Pitcher of nan Year honors successful 2024 and 2025 astatine Oak Grove High School successful Winston-Salem and was named nan 2025 Mid-Piedmont Female Athlete of nan Year and NC High School OT Pitcher of nan Year. Per an article connected that Arizona Sun Devils Athletics’ site, Hodge was portion of nan Birmingham. Thunderbolts 16U and 18U teams, which is notably 1 of nan apical recreation organizations successful nan country. While connected nan Thunderbolts, she sharpened her skills and helped them gain apical 3 finishes astatine PGF Nationals aggregate times, including nan apical spot successful 2024.
”I played for a really difficult coach and 1 of nan hardest teams I could perchance play for,” Mary Peyton noted to Arizona State Athletics astir her clip pinch nan Thunderbolts. N.“Coach Rocky (Thompson) really prepared maine to cognize if I tin past that and each nan camps I had to do, past I tin past college.”
The Verdict
I’ll beryllium honest; I was hoping nan last roster spot would spell to a Cierra Harrison-caliber starter, but judging from her clip successful Tempe, she whitethorn beryllium different summation to nan ‘pen. That’s not needfully a bad point arsenic astatine this constituent they conscionable request MORE ARMS. Let’s dream she gets backmost to what caught nan oculus of D1 Softball successful nan first place, and that she develops nether nan tutelage of Larissa Anderson and Connor Mammola.
