COLUMBIA, Mo. -- One Sunday morning this past spring -- in the midst of a spectacular sophomore season -- Kameron Misner woke up to a prickling sensation permeating his foot.
As an integral cog in the Missouri Tigers baseball machine he's produced a 2017 freshman All-American campaign and was named to the preseason Second Team All-SEC in 2018. Among the nation's leaders in walks and performing at an incredibly high level, Misner, along with the team's training staff, decided to play through the discomfort.
Nevertheless, his condition worsened. What Misner and the training staff previously gauged as a minor annoyance, revealed itself to be a serious stress fracture in his left foot. Each drive into the dirt and grass, every sudden cutting motion, unknowingly placed his foot under more duress. A month of continued pressure and stress caused the small cracks along the surface of the bone to give way to a full break.
Misner's season ended with a whimper. He was shut down for its remainder following back-to-back losses in a doubleheader against Florida on April 14.
He amassed a .360 average and .497 on-base percentage up until that point, but suddenly his efforts felt futile and left him frustrated. He simply wanted to "ball out" -- something he's become accustomed to over the course of his two years at Mizzou.
"I wasn't very happy," Misner said reflecting on the diagnosis. "It sucked. You play all fall, then work during all of Christmas break, then you get to season and play all of the games that aren't very important just to get hurt before conference play."
Instead of preparing for conference play, the Poplar Bluff alum prepped for crutches. Through early July, Misner remains on crutches. A July 17 CAT scan will reveal whether or not he can shed them as he enters a rehab process that will slowly rebuild his calf muscles and overall leg strength.
Misner's absence presented a significant defect in the middle of the Tigers' batting order. Mizzou never truly recovered from his injury -- closing out the remainder of the season with a 10-9 record and floundering in the SEC tournament; losing 4-2 to South Carolina.
Modesty isn't lost on the 6-foot-4 outfielder, however, despite noting the difficulty of idly watching on the side, he disagrees with this notion. "They didn't need me, they did alright. It just didn't work out in our favor."
Coming out of Poplar Bluff as the third overall prospect -- and highest rated outfielder -- in Missouri, Misner's crucial impact on a team isn't anything new. His .422 average with eight homers, 35 RBIs and 29 stolen bases earned him the SEMO Conference Player of the Year as a senior. His performance with the Mules also garnered him a First Team All-State honoree and 2016 Rawlings Perfect Game All-Central Region Second Team.
One final accolade from his stellar season arrived a few months later. In June 2016, Misner heard his phone ring. The Kansas City Royals were on the other line. They called to notify him that he would be selected by the team in the 33rd round.
"It was something that I didn't think would ever happen," he gleefully recalled. "I was just so excited."
Instead of pursuing a professional career out of high school, Misner honored his 2015 commitment to play for Mizzou.
At the same summer ball tournament where Misner verbally committed to the Tigers, the lefty said he realized he possessed the ability to play at a high level on the collegiate stage. His knack for stealing bases and reading pitchers sold Mizzou on his potential.
"From there they sent me workouts and different videos and I got to the point where I was confident enough and from that moment I just knew I could make it."
Any anxiety Misner initially felt on Mizzou's campus in fall 2016 diminished as he settled into his routine with the team. He shifted his focus to cracking the starting lineup in the spring. In doing so, he would need to adjust to the collegiate level.
The first adjustment? Catch up to the accelerated speeds of collegiate play.
"The tempo of the game is very different," he said. "Everyone throws so much harder and faster. Guys run faster, make way more plays. You just need to be a step ahead of everyone to be successful."
Second? Watch film, study film and when that's finished -- consume some more.
"It makes such a big difference," he insisted. "You get to where in high school and summer ball you just show up to games, face the pitcher and play. But now, here at Mizzou, you know what pitches he's throwing, how tall he is, how much he weighs and all of that before you even see him. You know the pitches he uses, what their counts are and things like that."
The diligence paid off. Misner broke into the lineup and finished the season elated with his performance.
"I think stealing bags really helped me. I played disciplined, even though I struck out a lot," he said. "I was able to get on base quite a lot. Then when I would get on first, I was able to steal second and put myself in scoring position."
"Overall I'm happy with what I did coming from a smaller town like Poplar Bluff. The competition in Poplar Bluff isn't as good, and when you come to college the pitchers throw a lot harder, so I feel like I adapted pretty well."
Two seasons amassed, Misner is much more comfortable in his abilities.
"I feel like I can go out on the field and compete with the best of them."
Yet, his increased production hasn't blinded him from his weaknesses. The 20-year-old conceded that he still needs to improve his arm strength and speed, along with expanding the range of pitches he can hit.
Now entering his junior season, Misner is adding a new role with the squad: leader. But he won't be a jumping ball of energy as much as he won't be cold or cross. It's just not who he is.
"I'm not a yeller," he chuckled. "I'm more of a lead by example type guy and be someone they can look at to follow."
As he heals, he's simply counting down the days until spring -- where he'll be the silent leader, once again making an impact on the field.