It isn’t the magnitude of a football game at Arrowhead Stadium, but Kansas Jayhawk and Missouri Tiger fans are keenly aware of possibly squaring off over the weekend.
Both schools are the NCAA softball regional in Columbia, Mo. For a University of Kansas-University of Missouri showdown to take place Saturday, both schools would need to either win Friday or lose Friday in the double-elimination regional.
It would mean that Kelsey Kessler, a native of Blue Springs, Mo., and sophomore pitcher at KU, would face the Tigers, which concerns Tigers Coach Ehren Earleywine.
“I have a fear of her just because I think she had a desire of potentially coming to Mizzou,” Earleywine said. “That’s always a nightmare as a coach when those kids come back because they do everything they can to haunt you.”
Since MU’s departure to the Southeastern Conference, KU doesn’t schedule the Tigers in any sport during the regular season. But the regional in Columbia is a reunion weekend for former Big 12 schools. The Jayhawks open at 12:30 p.m. Friday against Nebraska, the co-champion this year in the Big 10 Conference.
