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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri softball program (20-14, 1-8 SEC) opens a four-game homestand Wednesday when the Tigers host Northern Iowa (17-9, 6-0 Missouri Valley) in midweek action. First pitch is set for 3 p.m., CT at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
Wednesday’s game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Randy Moehlman and Brooke Wilmes on the call.
Missouri ranks second in the SEC with a .980 fielding percentage (ninth in the NCAA). The Tigers are also second for stolen bases (68, 18th in the NCAA) and triples (0.29 triples/game).
Missouri is 4-0 in home midweek matchups (5-0 in 2023) this season, most recently dropping Drake, 7-1, on March 22.
Missouri
vs. Northern Iowa
Date: Wednesday, March 29, 2023
Venue: Mizzou Softball Stadium
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Game Time: 3 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: Missouri leads UNI, 27-5
Last Meeting: 4-0 Missouri Win | May 22, 2021 | NCAA Columbia Regional
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
Live Video: SEC Network+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @MizzouSoftball
Notes: Missouri
Series History
- Missouri leads UNI, 27-5, in the all-time series.
- Head coach Larissa Anderson is 1-0 in her career against Northern Iowa.
- Missouri beat UNI, 4-0, in the most recent meeting at the 2021 NCAA Columbia Regional on May 22, 2021.
- Laurin Krings allowed just one hit in the complete-game shutout with three strikeouts.
Last Time Out
Missouri most recently dropped its weekend SEC series at Auburn March 25-27.
Jordan Weber registered a season high seven strikeouts. She allowed four runs on four hits in the opener on March 25.
Laurin Krings registered a 1.08 ERA over her two appearances in Auburn. Krings notched 12 strikeouts including seven in the series finale. She has now tallied five or more strikeouts eight times in 2023 including eight of her last nine starts.
Right fielder Payton Jackson and second base Maddie Gallagher led the Tigers with .333 marks over the series. Gallagher has reached safely in each of the last two games and hit her first career double as a Tiger.
Jackson, a junior from Missouri City, Texas, belted her first career home run at Mizzou in the finale and is on a two-game hitting streak.
Chantice Phillips also added a pair of hits including a double in the series.
Last Midweek
Missouri continued its undefeated midweek run with a 7-1 victory over Drake March 22 at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
The Tigers were powered by a dominant effort in the circle from Cierra Harrison, who tied a career-high eight strikeouts while allowing just a single run in five innings of work to improve to 6-1 in her freshman campaign.
On offense, Harrison received a wealth of support from Kara Daly, who drove in four runs, two of which came via home run.
The Tigers stole eight bases, the team’s second-most this season and just the second time in 15 seasons (eight vs. Villanova on March 9, 2008) that the Tigers have swiped that many bases.
Chantice Phillips, Payton Jackson (double), and Riley Frizell also all had hits along with Daly (2-for-3) and Alex Honnold (3-for-4).
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s PJ
Payton Jackson led the Tigers this past week, batting .375 with a double, home run and two RBI. She also notched a .875 slugging percentage.
Jackson, a Texas Tech transfer, has made 19 starts in 2023 including each of the last four games.
She is currently on a two-game hitting streak and reached base streak.
On the Daly
Kara Daly has reached base in each of the last six games for Mizzou.
Daly drove in four runs for her seventh multi-RBI contest of the campaign March 22 against Drake. She is tied with Jenna Laird for the most on the team. It also was her fourth game with at least four RBI, tops among Tigers. Daly notched a pair of hits (double and home run), marking her seventh multi-hit game of 2023.
Daly, a sophomore third baseman from Jefferson City, Missouri, is first on the Tigers with seven home runs, 30 RBI and is slugging .588 (second on Missouri).
AL PAL
Alex Honnold is second in the SEC this season with a .457 batting average.
She notched three hits, matching a season high (fifth game in 2023) against Drake on March 22. She also swiped a career-best four bases.
The junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, leads the Tigers in 2023 with Julia Crenshaw and Kara Daly with seven home runs. In the SEC, Honnold is second for on base percentage (.575, ninth in the NCAA) and sixth for slugging percentage (.852, 17th in the NCAA).
Honnold has registered 11 multi-hit games in 2023 and registered six multi-RBI games (29 total RBI).
In the Circle
Four Tigers pitchers have earned two or more wins this season.
Laurin Krings leads the Tigers with a 7-7 mark, throwing six complete games over 83.2 innings. She has registered 70 strikeouts (12th in the SEC) and has an ERA of 2.34.
Krings was dominant in a complete-game victory over No. 8/8 Northwestern. She also registered a season-high 11 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout of Illinois on March 14. Krings has notched five or more strikeouts eight times in 2023 including eight of her last nine starts.
Freshman Cierra Harrison has 53 strikeouts and is second for Tiger starters with a 2.81 ERA. She is 6-1 in 2023 with a complete-game win over Maine and career-best eight strikeouts against Butler. Opposing batters are hitting .205 against Harrison this season.
Harrison has registered seven or more strikeouts five times and most recently matched her career-high eight punchouts against Drake on March 22.
Jordan Weber is 5-5 this season with a 3.83 ERA to go with 37 strikeouts. Weber threw a no-hitter at FIU with a season-high four strikeouts. She also pitched a complete-game, allowing just two runs on three hits with a season-high five strikeouts against Illinois on March 14.
Weber also picked up her first SEC win of the season on March 17 at Florida, letting up just three runs on five hits with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Megan Schumacher is 2-1 thus far in 2023 with a 3.79 ERA over 20.1 innings (11 strikeouts). Schumacher registered a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit as the Tigers notched a 10-0 run-rule win over Maine March 4. The start was her first of the 2023 campaign, tallying two strikeouts.
Our Leadoff Hitter
Jenna Laird has reached base in all but two games this season (32 of 34).
The junior shortstop is second on Mizzou in 2023 with a .391 (13th in the SEC) mark at the dish. The East Meadow, New York, native, is also second in the SEC (17th in the NCAA) with 43 hits this season.
She has compiled a .949 OPS and paces the Tigers with 15 multi-hit games (three hits four times) and seven multi-RBI games.
On the basepaths, Laird is first in the conference (ninth in the NCAA) with 22 stolen bases (0.65 stolen bases/game, second in the SEC).
In the SEC, Laird paces the Tigers with a .370 batting average and a .485 on-base percentage.
Gallagher Honored on SportsCenter Top 10 Plays
Maddie Gallagher was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on March 15 for her diving catch in foul territory in game two of the doubleheader with Illinois. Her catch was selected No. 4 in the compilation of Top 10 plays.
Addie Lange’s Journey to Missouri
Redshirt junior catcher Addie Lange has had quite the journey to Mizzou. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native, dreamt of playing for the Tigers and transferred to Missouri after earning 2021 NJCAA First Team All-American honors at Vol State.
Read her full journey in the Gallatin News article.
2023 Preseason SEC Poll
Missouri Softball was selected to finish eighth in the Southeastern Conference in 2023, the league announced Jan. 26. The Tigers received 63 points in the annual preseason poll voted on by the conference’s 13 head coaches.
Jenna Laird Preseason Accolades
Missouri Softball junior shortstop Jenna Laird has been named to five 2023 preseason lists ahead of the season. She was named to the 2023 Preseason All-SEC Team on Feb. 2, to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Jan. 25 and has also been named to D1Softball’s Preseason D100 Players, Extra Inning Softball’s Extra Elite 100 College Player Rankings and Softball America’s 2023 Preseason Top 100.
Laird led the Tigers in 2022 for batting average (.338), doubles (11), triples (3), runs scored (44) and stolen bases (22) as she garnered 2022 NFCA Third Team All-Region honors.
Laird was named to the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team after she led the Tigers to the Championship Final, batting .500 over the four games. She was also selected to the 2022 All-SEC Second Team after posting a hitting line of .291/.519/.341 in conference play.
In the field, Laird was tabbed a 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove recipient for her play at shortstop. She posted a .975 fielding percentage, turning 10 double plays in total over 163 chances.
Looking Ahead
Missouri next hosts No. 17/13 Alabama Friday through Sunday on Alumni Weekend.
Missouri will recognize its 1983 Women’s College World Series Team on Friday followed by recognition of all Mizzou Softball Alumni prior to Saturday’s game.
Friday of the Alabama series, fans will receive Girl Power t-shirts and claw clips, while supplies last. Saturday, fans can receive a fanny pack, while supplies last, and Sunday is Family Funday Sunday with a postgame egg hunt, autographs and running of the bases.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
- Single-game and limited season tickets are currently on sale. Tickets can be purchased online, in-person at the Mizzou ticket office, or by calling 1 (800) CAT-PAWS.
