Mizzou baseball embraces underdog mentality ahead of 2026 campaign

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

In college baseball, there is no league tougher than the Southeastern Conference and if you don't believe it, you can just look at the statistics.

Out of the last 10 national championships, seven were one by an SEC squad. Teams are facing some of the top talent in the nation, week-in and week-out, as a total of 107 conference players were drafted in the 2025 MLB Draft, including 13 first-round selections.

From top to bottom, there is no 'easy' weekend in the Southeastern Conference.

That's what makes it so difficult to rebuild a program in the SEC. But, that's the very task that Mizzou baseball coach Kerrick Jackson was given when Tiger Athletics brought him onboard in June of 2023.

"I liken this many times to the idea of a build," Jackson said. "We are different than a lot of teams in our league. A lot of teams in our league reload. We have to build and so because we're building, nobody likes the build except the builder, right. I use the north end zone project as an example. Nobody likes what it looks like right now, absolutely nobody. It's traffic and dirt and everything else, but that first football game, when everybody goes and that thing is unveiled, everybody's going to love that process. So, for me, it's being able to love and enjoy that process and not get frustrated that things aren't going the way that everybody else wants them to go. The timeline is the timeline, but when we reached that timeline, we're never going to go backwards."

You can watch the full press conference with Jackson in the video player below.

Heading into year three in Columbia, Coach Jackson is looking to bounce back from a 16-39 overall finish in 2025, including a 3-27 mark in SEC play.

However, the excitement and anticipation is higher than ever inside of the Mizzou clubhouse, as players and coaches alike believe that they have the talent on the roster to take Tiger baseball to the next level. Even with all that confidence in hand, they are keenly aware of the fact that they'll head into a lot of conference meetings as an underdog. That's natural for a program that's won a combined 12 SEC clashes in two seasons.

But, Mizzou isn't looking at that underdog mentality as a disadvantage. They see it as how this team is built.

"You come out every day kind of with the nothing to lose mentality," South Carolina transfer Jase Woita said. "Like none of us feel sorry for ourself and I mean, I wasn't here last year, so I can't speak too much on that, but I know this group of guys that we have in the locker room and now they're ready to go out and they're ready to win."

You can watch the full press conference with Woita in the video player below.

Former Camdenton star Kam Durnin said he knows that underdog kind of mentality well, growing up near the Lake of the Ozarks.

"For me, it feels comfortable. You know, growing up where I did kind of in the middle of nowhere, the closest facility I had to do baseball was Columbia, which was an hour and a half away. So, like, I'm used to the to the underdog mentality, to having to work more to get the same amount done as everybody else. So for me, it's comfortable. I feel like we're playing on house money. We have no expectations. We're supposed to lose, so with that we can go play free," he said.

You can watch the full press conference with Durnin in the video player below.

Durnin returned to Mid-Missouri after a couple of seasons at Wichita State, where he emerged as one of the American Conference's most exciting young talents. He hit .258 overall over the course of his two seasons with the Shockers, amassing 68 runs, 30 doubles, a pair of triples, nine home runs and 60 RBI.

On Friday, he told local media members that being home is a dream come true, as he gets to spend a lot more time with his former coach: his dad.

"I think I think [my dad] actually maybe coming up tonight to have dinner with me, so it's been great for them to be able to come back and forth. Just, honestly, to have more family time than I have before since I've been in college," Durnin said.

Overall, Mizzou made quite a few new additions for the 2026, including more than 20 transfer portal additions and 11 freshmen. With that many new faces on the roster, that makes the roles of Coach Jackson's returners all the more important.

Catcher Mateo Serna is returning for his third season, in Columbia, one where he'll take on even more of a leadership role than he has in years past. The Florida native has been in the black and gold for all the ups and downs of the past two seasons, but said that it's all about being able to learn from those trials.

"It's mostly like staying hungry. You got to stay hungry, you got to stay grounded and, of course, like you gotta learn how to lose to know how to win," Serna said. "So, it's just learning from last year and the adjustments we've made in the fall and in the early spring have been incredible. Of course, looking past the things from last year and how I said staying hungry."

You can watch the full press conference with Serna in the video player below.

One important piece of MU's success in 2026 will come down to pitching, an area they really struggled in in 2025. However, those struggles came at the hands of the injury bug, as Jackson's team had multiple starters down, last season.

But, in 2026, the Tigers have health on their side to start the season. In fact, veteran pitcher Javyn Pimental is set to make his long-awaited return to the bump, this year. That comes after he sat out the entire 2025 season due to Tommy John surgery.

Although it was not easy to have to sit and watch for a year and a half, Pimental said he learned a lot about himself in that time.

"It was it was unreal, to be honest with you. I learned a lot about myself, personally and, you know, kind of just took the time to just try to be the best leader and just kind of teammate I could be, you know, obviously, I couldn't really make an impact on the field where I wanted to, but, you know, in the locker room, in the clubhouse and, you know, in the dugout that I could still make an impact," he said. "Like, you know, that year and a half where I've kind of just on the sideline, you know, really, I guess took things for granted, you know, and when things get kind of taken away from you, you kind of have a little different level of gratitude for it."

You can watch the full press conference with Pimental in the video player below.

Pimental is a part of a pitching staff has a new leader in 2026, as Jackson brought on pitching coach Drew Dickinson in the offseason. His first season in Columbia wil come after a successful six-year tenure at the University of Virginia, as he helped lead the Cavaliers to three College World Series appearances.

Players have said that he's made an immediate impact, as the 'vibe' of the pitching staff has completely changed.

"I was one of the people that was kind of in that interview process of, you know, trying to see if we can get a new pitching coach. Fom the first day, when you saw the fire, you know, you saw the will the win, you know, you saw just how much this guy loves the game and understands the game," Pimental said. "He's, in my opinion, one of the best people I've seen manage a baseball game just from, like, that side of things. You know, every day I'm trying to pick that guy's brain, so super excited for him."

As Mizzou prepares for its season opener in Florida, on Friday, Feb. 13, Jackson was asked what would define success in a new year, for him.

"Playing clean baseball, right? Like, I'm not going to say making a regional because those are things that are out of our control. I think with this club and the talent level that they have, if we're playing clean, consistent baseball, as I've told them, they determine what success looks like," Jackson said. "If you want to put yourselves in a position to go to Omaha, you're talented enough to be able to do that. But at the end of the day, you have to go out and do the things that are necessary to put us in that position."

Mizzou will start the 2026 season against Mount Saint Mary's on Feb. 13. First pitch is slated for 5 p.m. CT.