Just how much do Missouri Tigers fans support softball coach Ehren Earleywine? One flew a hot air balloon across University Stadium on Thursday to show love for the embattled coach.
You may recall that two weeks ago, Missouri’s players announced they were playing in protest of the athletic department’s investigation into Coach Earleywine. The athletic department cited complaints inside and out of the program that led to the investigation (we went into detail about it here).
During Mizzou’s NCAA Tournament regional game against BYU on Thursday, a fan was seen cruising across the stadium in a hot air balloon with a banner that had a message saying “<3 E."
Hot air balloon carrying Coach E banner over University Field pic.twitter.com/NhLxSLEUYN
— Dave Matter (@Dave_Matter) May 20, 2016
Here's a photo of the hot air balloon with the "<3 E" banner. pic.twitter.com/W1WCPjY1Aw
— Blake Toppmeyer (@btoppmeyer) May 20, 2016
@AustinKKim almost simultaneously as a hot air balloon flies over supporting coach E pic.twitter.com/c0fCmxvqRC
— Daniel Brenner (@danieljbrenner) May 20, 2016
Wouldn’t you know it? Just as the hot air balloon went across the stadium, third baseman Amanda Sanchez hit a grand slam.
"It just symbolized a lot, like just how much Coach E means to us. It was awesome to hit that during that moment."
— Blake Toppmeyer (@btoppmeyer) May 20, 2016
Missouri won the game 9-0 in five innings thanks to the mercy rule.
Earleywine has said he is not sure if he will be back next season despite making it known he would like to coach at Mizzou for the rest of his career. It’s pretty clear where the fans stand on the matter.
