No. 13/13 Softball Takes on SIUE in Final Midweek Wednesday

96.9 The Jock April 16, 2024 College Sports, Mizzou Tigers News

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 13/13 University of Missouri softball team (33-11, 7-8 SEC) continues its homestand, hosting SIUE (14-26, 6-12 OVC) in the Tigers’ final midweek contest of the season Wednesday at Mizzou Softball Stadium. The Tigers then resume SEC play, heading to Athens, Georgia, to face the No. 9/9 Bulldogs (33-10, 8-7 SEC) in a top-15 showdown.

Wednesday’s contest (5 p.m., CT) will be broadcasted on SEC Network+. Graham Doty (play-by-play) will be on the broadcast with former Tiger All-American Brooke Wilmes (analyst) and Shay Person (sideline reporter).

This weekend’s three-game series with Georgia will be on SEC Network+ Friday and Sunday along with SEC Network on Saturday. Kaleb Frady and Megan Wiggins will be on the call Friday and Sunday while Mike Couzens and Natasha Watley will be on the linear broadcast.

Mizzou was ranked in all four of Week 10’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #13 in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also ##10 in D1Softball and #9 in Softball America polls, respectively.

The Tigers head into their midweek matchup with SIUE after a successful weekend of SEC play, as they secured their first series win over Florida since 2014. Mizzou also picked up a midweek win over Drake in Des Moines, Iowa, on April 10.

Wednesday is Student Organization Night and Mental Health Awareness Night at the ballpark. Fans in attendance will receive bucket hats, while supplies last.

Fans are also encouraged to bring non-perishable items including boxed meals, canned chicken/tuna, beans (black beans, chickpeas, etc.), oatmeal, snacks, and hygiene products to donate to the Tiger Pantry. Cash donations will also be accepted.

SCHEDULE

#13/13 Missouri vs. SIUE, Wednesday, April 17 at 5 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium
#13/13 Missouri vs. #9/9 Georgia, Friday, April 19 at 5 p.m., CT | Jack Turner Softball Stadium
#13/13 Missouri vs. #9/9 Georgia, Saturday, April 20 at 1 p.m., CT | Jack Turner Softball Stadium
#13/13 Missouri vs. #9/9 Georgia, Sunday, April 21 at 1 p.m., CT | Jack Turner Softball Stadium

VS. SIUE

Location: Columbia, Missouri (Mizzou Softball Stadium)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Live Video: SEC Network+

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

Game Notes: Mizzou

Tickets

VS. GEORGIA

Location: Athens, Georgia (Jack Turner Softball Stadium)

Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

Live Video: SEC Network+ | Friday | Sunday

SEC Network | Saturday

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

SIUE SERIES HISTORY

Mizzou leads the all-time series with SIUE, 6-1.
Head coach Larissa Anderson is undefeated against SIUE in her career, boasting a perfect 3-0 record.
The last time the Cougars traveled to Columbia was during the 2023 campaign, the Tigers picked up an 8-1 win (April 25).
Missouri also claimed a victory over SIUE in 2021, as Missouri defeated the Cougars 6-1 in Mobile, Alabama, (Feb. 27) at the South Alabama Invitational.

GEORGIA SERIES HISTORY

Mizzou trails the all-time series with Georgia, 10-14.
Head coach Larissa Anderson is 4-5 against the Bulldogs in her career.
The two teams last faced off in the 2022 campaign, as the Tigers fell to the Bulldogs, 4-3, to open the series (April 14), before coming back to claim a win in Game 2 (6-2 win, April 15). Mizzou wrapped the weekend, falling to Georgia 3-1 (April 16).
Missouri last traveled to Athens, Georgia in 2021. The Tigers took a game off the Bulldogs, 6-1 (March 19), before dropping the next two games of the series (14-10 loss March 20, 8-7 loss March 21).

ABRUSCATO NAMED SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK

Stefania Abruscato was named the SEC Freshman of the Week, the league announced Tuesday.
Abruscato paced Mizzou this past week, batting .417 with three RBI, three runs and one home run as the Tigers went 3-1 including a series win over No. 9 Florida.
Abruscato led Mizzou at Drake on April 10, going a career-best 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to go with two runs. She launched her second career home run in the top of the fourth. It marked her second career multi-RBI game and second career multi-hit game.
The designated player/catcher from Smithtown, New York, also notched a pair of hits over the No. 9 Florida series and hit in three-straight games over this past week.
Abruscato started in all four games last week and is batting .250 in her first collegiate season.
The weekly SEC honor marks the first for Abruscato in her Mizzou career.

FLORIDA RECAP

The No. 14/15 Tigers captured its first series win over No. 9 Florida since 2014 this past weekend in Columbia, Missouri.
Missouri opened the series with a 6-3 win (April 12), before also taking Game 2 (5-2 win, April 13). The Tigers fell 3-1 to the Gators on April 14.
A program-best 9,565 fans attended the three-game series, including a single-game record 3,607 fans on Saturday, to notch a new weekend series attendance record.
Stefania Abruscato, Kayley Lenger and Maddie Gallagher led Mizzou Friday, each tallying a hit.
The Tigers were hit by four pitches (second highest total in 2024) in Friday’s contest.
Abby Hay secured her second career multi-hit performance with a pair of singles on Saturday. She finished with a career-best matching two hits (2-for-4).
Mya Dodge notched her fourth home run of the year and her first SEC homer of the 2024 campaign, going 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI, and a walk on Saturday.
Maddie Gallagher led Mizzou over its series with No. 9 Florida, batting .375 with three RBI. She hit .364 this past week (four games). Gallagher has tallied a hit in each of the past six games.
Marissa McCann pitched 7.1 innings over three appearances, limiting No. 9 Florida to no runs on one hit with a walk. She also notched four strikeouts and went 1-0 over the weekend SEC series.
Jenna Laird hit .375 over the Florida series with three RBI and a .545 on-base percentage.
Jenna Laird logged her second game of the season with three hits, ending Saturday 3-for-4 with a double and pair of RBIs. It marked her team-leading 16th multi-hit game.
Alex Honnold is now tied with Micaela Minner (2007) for second all-time for single season doubles at Mizzou with 18. Her 47 career doubles also rank seventh in Mizzou program history. She also ranks first in the SEC (fifth in the NCAA) with 18 doubles in 2024.
Sophomore Cierra Harrison recorded her 12th (2-2 SEC) win of the year Saturday. The Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native went 4.1 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and notching four strikeouts.
She has recorded three or more strikeouts in five consecutive appearances. With the win Harrison secured her 20th win (20-4) in her career at Mizzou.

QUICK HITTERS

The Tigers head into the weekend with a 33-11 record and 7-8 SEC mark.
The Tigers 33-11 record to open the season is the best start for Missouri since the Tigers began the 2013 campaign 23-3 en route to a 38-14 finish. Prior to that, the 2011 Tigers commenced the season 27-3 en route to a 53-10 finish.
Mizzou was ranked in all four of Week 10’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #13 in both the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also ##10 in D1Softball and #9 in Softball America polls, respectively.
Jenna Laird (.371 batting average, 43 runs and 25 RBI) paces the Tigers at the plate.
Alex Honnold (.355, 36 runs, 32 RBI, 18 doubles and 4 homers, .601 slugging percentage) is second on the team and one of five Tigers batting over .300. Maddie Gallagher is third (.316 with 10 doubles, 30 RBI, 26 runs), while Abby Hay has added six runs, 10 hits and seven RBI (.313 batting average).
Stefania Abruscato led Mizzou over the week, posting a .417 batting average, while adding three runs, five hits and a home run.
Kayley Lenger is hitting .303 in the nine-hole (25 runs, 23 hits).
Alex Honnold is first in the SEC (fifth in the NCAA) with 18 doubles (0.41 doubles/game). She is now tied with Micaela Minner (2007) for second all-time for single season doubles at Mizzou.
Her 47 career doubles rank seventh in Mizzou program history. She also ranks sixth in the SEC for hits (49) and is the fifth toughest SEC batter to strike out (17.4).
Jenna Laird reached base in a team-high 17 consecutive games, before snapping this streak on Sunday against the Gators.
Freshman Abby Hay has started in each of the last nine and 11 times in 2024.
Kara Daly paces Mizzou with five home runs in 2024.
Alex Honnold has registered a team-best hitting streak of 12 games this season.
Closer Taylor Pannell ranks first in the SEC and in the nation with eight saves in 2024.
The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 21 wins in the circle with 9-7 and 12-2 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 11 times (seven and four complete games, respectively).
Laurin Krings is one win away from 50 in her career (49-31) at Mizzou. With 51 wins, she will enter the program’s top 10.
Third baseman Kara Daly is three RBI away from 100 in her career at Mizzou.
Laurin Krings is the 11th Mizzou player to reach 500 career innings pitched, notching the feat at Hofstra. She ranks in the top-10 in Mizzou history for innings pitched (517.2 innings).
Laurin Krings also ranks sixth in Mizzou history with 538 strikeouts.
Lilly Whitten (4-0), Marissa McCann (7-2) and Taylor Pannell (1-0, eight saves) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024.
Kayley Lenger ranks first in the SEC (fourth in the NCAA) with 16 HBP (0.40, sixth in NCAA) in 2024.
Head coach Larissa Anderson registered her 200th win at the helm of Mizzou during the midweek at Drake. In her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson holds a career record of 332-181-1.
Mya Dodge recorded her 100th career run Saturday. She scored 91 runs over two seasons at Northern Iowa before transferring to Mizzou.

DRAKE MIDWEEK RECAP

The No. 14/15 Tigers picked up a 6-3 midweek victory over Drake Wednesday afternoon at Buel Field.
With the win, head coach Larissa Anderson secured her 200th career win at the helm of the Mizzou program.
Stefania Abruscato led Mizzou Wednesday, going a career-best 3-for-4 with 3 RBI to go with two runs. She launched her second career home run in the top of the fourth.
Alex Honnold chipped in a 2-for-4 outing with a double in her home state of Iowa. She also posted a run and an RBI.
Jenna Laird (1-for-3), Maddie Gallagher (1-for-3), and Abby Hay (1-for-2, two walks) each added a hit Wednesday.
Maddie Gallagher notched her career best 10th double in 2024 to go with a run, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
Cierra Harrison surrendered just one run on four hits over 4.2 innings in the start. The sophomore notched five strikeouts.
Lilly Whitten allowed just one hit and one walk over one relief inning of work.
Taylor Pannell pitched the final 1.1 innings (two runs on two hits) Wednesday with a strikeout for the save.

GALLY

Maddie Gallagher led Missouri in its series against No. 9 Florida, tallying a .375 batting average, adding three hits and three RBI. She finished the week, hitting .364.
The senior finished 1-for-3 with two RBI and a walk in Friday’s opener with Florida. She now leads Mizzou in 2024 with eight multi-RBI games.
Gallagher also finished 1-for-3 with an RBI on Saturday, while adding a walk and a 1-for-2 performance on Sunday.
After continuing her tear this weekend, Gallagher has posted a hit in each of Missouri’s last six games.
The Port Washington, New York, second baseman, went 1-for-3 at Drake to commence the week. She notched her career best 10th double in 2024 to go with a run, an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
So far this season, Gallagher has posted a .316 batting average with 10 doubles, 30 RBI, 26 runs.

OUR LEADOFF HITTER

Jenna Laird hit .333 over the weekend series with Florida, adding two runs, three RBIs and a double for the Tigers.
The senior logged her second game of the season with three hits on Saturday, ending the day 3-for-4 with a double and pair of RBI.
The contest marked her team-leading 16th multi-hit game and fifth multi-RBI game.
Laird also moved to fifth in Mizzou program history with 715 career at-bats.
She extended her reached base streak to a team-leading 17 games on Saturday, before seeing the streak snapped on Sunday against the Gators.
The leadoff hitter from East Meadow, New York, paces the Tigers with 12 stolen bases and 43 runs. She also leads Mizzou with a .371 batting average.

FRESHMAN IN THE CIRCLE

Marissa McCann put up an impressive performance in the circle for the Tigers this past weekend, pitching 7.1 innings, only allowing one hit and one walk to the Gators. She finished the series 1-0 with four strikeouts and limited Florida to a 0.43 batting average.
The freshman closed the door on Florida Friday, allowing just one hit over the final three innings. She registered three strikeouts for her seventh win of the season (7-2, third SEC win).
On Saturday, McCann continued her tear, allowing no hits and no runs, retiring every batter she faced in 1.2 innings of work with a strikeout.
McCann capped the weekend pitching 2.2 relief innings, allowing no runs and no hits.
McCann who is originally from Columbia, before moving to Surprise, Arizona when she was 13, has notched a 1.78 ERA with 38 strikeouts and opposing batters are hitting .171.

CIERRA HARRISON

Cierra Harrison recorded her 12th (2-2 SEC) win of the year and her 20th career-win (20-4) in Saturday’s contest against the Gators. The sophomore threw 4.1 innings, allowing just two runs on five hits and notching four strikeouts.
After Saturday’s contest, Harrison has recorded three or more strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
Harrison’s 12 wins (11-2) are a new career best after she notched eight in 2023.
The Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native has notched 73 strikeouts in 2024 over 86.0 innings.
The sophomore picked up her first career SEC series-opening start in Game 1 against Arkansas, pitching 3.2 innings while allowing five runs on seven hits with a trio of strikeouts.
She posted her first career no-hitter over Texas A&M-Commerce on Feb. 16 in Denton, Texas.
Harrison has thrown three complete-game shutouts (four complete games) in 2024. She limited No. 25/25 Auburn to no runs on five hits with nine strikeouts in her 2024 SEC debut on March 9.

200 CAREER WINS AT MIZZOU

Head coach Larissa Anderson picked up her 200th career win at Mizzou Wednesday during midweek action at Drake.
Currently in her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson has registered a career record of 332-181-1.
To commence the 2024 campaign, Anderson recorded her 300th career win in Mizzou’s season opener against No. 13/16 Utah on Feb. 9.

2023 RECAP

Mizzou made its 16th-straight NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.
The Tigers finished the 2023 season with a 35-26 mark, including a 7-17 in SEC play. With its 2023 record, Missouri has registered 35 wins in four of the last five seasons (2020 COVID-19 shortened season was the only time the Tigers didn’t meet the threshold in that span).
During the 2023 campaign, Missouri totaled 51 home runs, while logging 75 doubles to go with 310 runs as a team.
On the dirt, Mizzou tallied a .978 fielding percentage. The clip ranks second in program history, after the Tigers’ surpassed their previous .976 fielding percentage from 2022.

LOOKING AHEAD

Mizzou next returns to SEC play for a three-game series against No. 9/9 Georgia beginning April 19. First pitch is set for 5 p.m., CT.
The Tigers then continue conference action with a weekend home-series against Mississippi State April 27-29.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics