The Tigers are replacing 3/4 of last year’s rotation
Welcome to the Mizzou Baseball Roster Preview series. In this series we’ll walk you through what happened last year at these positions, this year’s expected major contributors and depth, and our projections for this season.
Today we begin with Starting Pitchers.
2024 in Review
Mizzou returned Logan Lunceford and Javyn Pimental from its 2023 rotation, losing starts leader Chandler Murphy to graduation and the draft. The Tigers added Bryce Mayer and Carter Rustad to the group to replace his production.
The results were mixed, with Lunceford, Mayer, and Rustad all recording ERAs above 6.00. But this offseason’s developments indicated their performance was more impressive than the stats showed: Mayer and Rustad were both drafted (Astros and Orioles, respectively) after graduating, while Lunceford transferred to ACC powerhouse Wake Forest.
The team’s best starter last season, Javyn Pimental, was supposed to return and lead the rotation. But Kerrick Jackson announced Wednesday that the Tigers’ ace will miss 2025 after undergoing Tommy John surgery. A fairly clear rotation picture has become far murkier just a week away from Opening Day.
Mizzou will need breakout seasons from a few returning relievers and stretch starters, alongside some possible returns to form, to fill out their rotation this year. The potential is still there, but so are the question marks.
The Incumbent
Daniel Wissler – Wissler is looking to breakout into not just a weekend starting role, but possibly the coveted Friday night slot, after a strong 2024 performance. In 37 innings over 13 appearances, Wissler recorded a 3-1 record and notched a 4.38 ERA – good enough for fourth best on the team. He also was tied for fourth on the team with 37 strikeouts. He reached the top of the leaderboard with the fewest number of walks allowed (7) amongst pitchers who worked at least 20 innings.
After losing a couple starters over the last year, Wissler will need to fill the void. After entering his freshman season as a reliever, he’s made steady progress. Now – it’s time for the junior to establish himself as a starter. He had a taste of the starter role (and wins) last season, and he should be hungry for more.
The Favorite
Brock Lucas – In 2024, Lucas made 18 appearances and boasted a 4-0 record. Over 39.2 innings he struck out 32 batters, holding his opponents to a .215 batting average and recording a 3.63 ERA. Lucas was the most used pitcher out of those who never started.
Between 2023 and 2024, Lucas was able to slash his ERA almost in half, improving from a 6.26 mark to 3.63. In his freshman campaign he had one start and posted a 4-1 record. Perhaps one of the most compelling cases for Lucas to be ‘the favorite’ is due to his consistent improvement.
Lucas’s strength will be the key to the Tigers success this season. In the Fall World Series, Lucas had his first go as a starter where he displayed his raw talent. He recorded a high percentage of strikeouts while only allowing a few runs.
To put it simply: his command is nasty.
In a brand-new role this season, Lucas has the potential to lead the Tigers to a more fortunate year.
The Wildcards
Kadden Drew – Drew redshirted in his first season with the Tigers after playing two years at Paradise Valley Community College, throwing over 40 innings both seasons and finishing with a career 5.35 ERA in 25 appearances and 99.1 innings pitched. He recorded nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings with the Pumas but also struggled with commanded, walking batters at a clip of over 5.5 per nine innings.
Drew was one of four pitchers directly listed by head coach Kerrick Jackson as some of the options to make the starting rotation in a preseason press conference Wednesday. His resume doesn’t immediately stand out among the other pitchers at Mizzou, but the staff has had two years to work with him now and must like what they’ve seen.
Sam Horn – The famous dual sport athlete is looking to make a return in the 2025 season. Before the start of the 2024 season, Horn tore his UCL and Tommy John surgery kept him out of football and baseball for an entire year. In 2023, Horn also dealt with a season-ending injury after just two appearances.
In early December it was reported Horn had worked out a plan with both Coach Drinkwitz and Coach Jackson that allows him to be fully involved in baseball and spring football this year.
Getting Horn back on the mound in full health could be a big boost to the Tigers. While Horn doesn’t have too much experience on the big stage, his two appearances in 2023 were successful. The pitcher recorded a win, while striking out six over a total of 4.1 innings. Additionally, Horn was the No. 17 overall prospect of Georgia’s 2022 class and No. 162 overall by Perfect Game.
The question mark about Horn lies in his ability post-UCL surgery. While he has the potential to be a starter, it is still to be shown whether the old success can make a return.
Ian Lohse – Lohse looked like a future rotation regular as recently as 2023 before getting derailed by injuries and making his return in the bullpen last season. The 6-0, 199lb. left hander recorded sub-4.00 ERAs in his first two seasons at Mizzou and broke through to the rotation as a junior, making six starts with a 4.38 ERA before missing the rest of the season with his second major injury in college (Tommy John surgery midway through his freshman year).
He got back on the mound in 2024 and was frequently used as a reliever, making 16 appearances with two starts for a 5.22 ERA in 29.1 innings pitched, his worst season as a Tiger. But Lohse has shown plenty of potential with limited, but strong, production throughout his career when not injured.
The Breakout Candidates
Wil Libbert – Libbert is a lefty with plenty of potential and questions heading into this season after missing last year following Tommy John surgery. But the Blair Oaks grad oozes potential, ranked as the 101st overall prospect in the nation by Perfect Game in the class of 2023, third in the state of Missouri, and as the 15th-ranked left handed pitcher.
The redshirt freshman signed with the Tigers after an absurd senior year in high school, recording a 0.37 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 38 innings, and was a three time all-state honoree. Early signs from the summer were also encouraging as he had a 1.29 ERA with 12 strikeouts in seven innings pitched (beware: small sample size) for the MINK League’s Jefferson City Renegades.
Josh McDevitt – McDevitt showed a knack for making batters whiff at his pitches as a freshman last year, striking out 13 batters in 11.1 innings of work. But the 6-2, 195 right hander struggled with just about everything else, recording an 11.12 ERA and walking 6.4 batters per nine innings.
He looked much better in summer ball with the Appalachian League’s Tri-State Coal Cats, making seven starts and throwing for a 4.50 ERA while striking out 24 and walking 14 in 24 innings pitched. The sophomore also showed out in the Fall World Series, using a high-80s fastball and nasty slider to throw three scoreless innings in the event’s first game. McDevitt is an intriguing dark horse candidate to start this year and looks like he has a bright future ahead.
Outlook
The outlook for MIzzou’s starting rotation went from bright to unclear with the loss of Pimental, who was a proven top option in the rotation. There are far more questions now than there were a week ago, but plenty of promise remains.
Wissler thrived in a midweek role and looks ready for more. Brock Lucas took a big step forward in 2024 and showed the potential to reach the next level this season with his dominant performance in the Fall World Series.
The Tigers’ options for the final weekend spot and at midweek starter have more question marks, including injury-sidetracked former starter Ian Lohse and the immensely talented but oft-injured (and also outside competitor for football’s QB job) Sam Horn. Wil Libbert and Josh McDevitt flashed starting potential in summer ball and fall ball, respectively, but might need to wait one more year before landing a rotation job.
Though several of the team’s starting candidates have caveats to their resumes, there are also seven established or promising players competing for four spots. The rotation has a lower floor this season, but the ceiling might be higher with a number of talented young pitchers in the mix.