Mizzou notebook: Softball receives seven-figure gift, signs huge recruiting class

Missouri announced another major anonymous donation Tuesday as fundraising continues to pick up momentum under new athletic director Jim Sterk.

The Tigers have received a $3.1 million planned estate gift, which is directed equally toward the softball program and the Tiger Scholarship Fund.

“We are very grateful to receive such generous gift,” Sterk, who was hired in August, said in a statement from Mizzou athletics. “There are numerous ways our supporters can make a lasting impact, and planned giving is a very important aspect of giving for our future.”

MU established the John and Dolly Kadlec Society in 2009 to “recognize and honor” donors who direct gifts toward the athletic department through wills, bequests, trusts, annuities, life insurance and real estate, according to the release.

The Tigers previously announced three other seven-figure donations since Sept. 8.

The Kansas City Sports Trust donated $10 million on Sept. 8 for the planned football facility project in the south end zone at Memorial Stadium.

Three weeks later, Mizzou announced a $1.675 million gift, including $1 million for the $75 million football project.

Another $8 million donation for the football facility was received Oct. 19.

Mizzou softball announces huge signing class

Once-embattled Mizzou softball coach Ehren Earleywine, who endured a six-month investigation in his conduct that started last spring and spawned a separate Title IX inquiry, received more good news Tuesday, announcing an 11-player signing class.

The group, which is comprised of five in-state players and represents seven states, includes Grain Valley infielder Kendyll Bailey and Raymore-Peculiar outfielder Callie Martin.

The Tigers’ 2017 recruiting class ranks ninth in the country, according to FloSoftball.com.

“This is a great recruiting class by anyone’s standards,” Earleywine said in a release. “Every position on the field is accounted for and they all bring different tool sets to the table. When you see 11 commits for one class, the general response is ‘Wow, why so many?’ My answer is that I never set out to get 11 total players. It just happened.”

This story was originally published November 15, 2016 at 12:13 PM with the headline "Mizzou notebook: Softball receives seven-figure gift, signs huge recruiting class."