No. 13/13 Softball Treks to No. 9/9 Georgia for Weekend Series

96.9 The Jock April 18, 2024 College Sports, Mizzou Tigers News

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 13/13 University of Missouri softball team (34-11, 7-8 SEC) heads to Athens, Georgia, to face the No. 9/9 Bulldogs (34-10, 8-7 SEC) in a top-15 SEC showdown this weekend at the Jack Turner Softball Stadium.

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.

Game times for this weekend’s series are 5 p.m., CT (Friday), and 1 p.m., CT (Saturday and Sunday).

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.

Missouri heads into the weekend SEC series after downing SIUE, 4-1, in the Tigers final midweek matchup of the season. The Tigers completed midweek action with a 9-1 record in 2024.

SCHEDULE

#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. 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

Game Notes: Mizzou |

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

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).

SIUE MIDWEEK RECAP

Mizzou secured a midweek win over SIUE (14-27), 4-1, Wednesday afternoon at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
With the win, the Tigers completed midweek action with a 9-1 record in 2024.
Sophomore Lilly Whitten made her first career appearance at home, logging 6.0 innings of work, allowing just two hits and one run, while striking out six in the victory.
Lilly Whitten picked up her fifth win (5-0) of the season Wednesday with career-best matching outing. She has now struck out six or more in all three of her starts after notching eight at South Dakota State (Feb. 17) in her debut and six at George Mason (March 28).
Senior Alex Honnold’s third-inning double tied a program record for two-baggers in a single-season, with 19, and sophomore Kayley Lenger finished her day 1-for-2 with a two-run homer (second in 2024).
Maddie Gallagher (1-for-3) extended her hitting streak to seven games with a single in the first inning. She has now driven in a run in four of the last five games (seven RBI in the last seven games).
Stefania Abruscato (1-for-2) increased her reached base streak to five games with a base on balls in the second and a single in the sixth. She has now recorded a hit in four of her last five games (six hits in the last five games).
Alex Honnold has compiled 48 doubles in her career at Mizzou which now ranks tied for sixth with Nicole Hudson (2010-13) in Mizzou program history.
Jenna Laird stole her team-leading 13th stolen base of the season, going 1-for-3 with a run.
Taylor Pannell entered in the seventh to close out the game. The sophomore from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, coaxed three quick outs all via grounders for her NCAA-leading ninth save of the season.

DOUBLES QUEEN

Senior Alex Honnold belted her SEC-leading 19th double of the campaign Wednesday in the Tigers midweek finale with SIUE.
The two-bagger tied for first in Mizzou single-season history with Mary Babb (1995). With 20, Honnold will become the sole single-season leader at Mizzou.
Honnold has compiled 48 doubles in her career at Mizzou which now ranks tied for sixth with Nicole Hudson (2010-13) in Mizzou program history.

QUICK HITTERS

The Tigers head into the weekend with a 34-11 record and 7-8 SEC mark.
The Tigers 34-11 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 (.370 batting average, 44 runs and 25 RBI) paces the Tigers at the plate.
Alex Honnold (.355, 36 runs, 32 RBI, 19 doubles and 4 homers, .603 slugging percentage) is second on the team and one of five Tigers batting over .300. Maddie Gallagher is third (.316 with 10 doubles, 31 RBI, 26 runs), while Abby Hay has added six runs, 11 hits and seven RBI (.314 batting average).
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 19 doubles (0.41 doubles/game). She is now tied with Mary Babb (1995) for first all-time for single season doubles at Mizzou.
Her 48 career doubles ranks tied for sixth with Nicole Hudson (2010-13) in Mizzou program history. Honnold 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 10 and 12 times in 2024.
Jenna Laird moved into tied for fourth with Sami Fagan (2012-16) for career at bats (718) at Mizzou. She also is now tied for fifth for runs (186) with Emily Crane.
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 nine 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 (5-0), Marissa McCann (7-2) and Taylor Pannell (1-0, nine 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 333-181-1.
Mya Dodge recorded her 100th career run Saturday. She scored 91 runs over two seasons at Northern Iowa before transferring to Mizzou.

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 .258 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.
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.

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 seven games after a 1-for-3 outing with an RBI during Wednesday’s midweek.
She has now driven in a run in four of the last five games (seven RBI in the last seven games).
The Port Washington, New York, second baseman, went 1-for-3 at Drake to commence last 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.
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 13 stolen bases and 44 runs. She also leads Mizzou with a .370 batting average.
Jenna Laird moved into tied for fourth with Sami Fagan (2012-16) for career at bats (718) at Mizzou. She also is now tied for fifth for runs (186) with Emily Crane.

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 333-181-1.
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 Columbia for a Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Senior Weekend Series against Mississippi State April 27-29 at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
All three games will be broadcasted on SEC Network.
Saturday, April 27 is Faculty and Staff Appreciation Day and fans in attendance will receive black shirts, while supplies last.
Sunday, April 28 is Senior Day, and the Tigers will recognize its five seniors in Maddie Gallagher, Jenna Laird, Laurin Krings, Alex Honnold, and Chantice Phillips following the game. The giveaway is Gold T-shirts, while supplies last.
April 29 is Mic’d Up Monday with head coach Larissa Anderson. The giveaway for the series finale is a Truman Sliding Bobblehead, while supplies last.

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