No. 13/15 Softball Wraps Regular Season with Weekend Road Series at South Carolina

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 13/15 University of Missouri softball team (37-14, 10-11 SEC) hits the road for its final regular-season SEC series this weekend against RV/RV South Carolina (33-18, 8-13 SEC).

The Tigers open their final conference series ahead of the 2024 SEC Tournament, Friday afternoon at 5 p.m., CT at the Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field.

Games two and three, respectively, are set for 5 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.

Friday and Sunday’s games will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Brad Muller (Play-by-Play) and Megan Matthews Buning (Analyst) on the call.

Saturday’s game two will be featured on SEC Network with Mike Couzens (Play-by-Play) and Monica Abbott (Analyst) on the linear broadcast.

Mizzou was ranked in all four of Week 12’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #13 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #15 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #15 in D1Softball and #10 in Softball America polls, respectively.

Senior second baseman Maddie Gallagher returns to South Carolina this weekend where she started her collegiate softball career. The Port Washington, New York, native, competed in 97 games (82 starts) over two seasons at South Carolina before transferring to Missouri in December 2022 ahead of the 2023 campaign. She hit .292 as the Gamecocks starting second baseman in 2022.

SCHEDULE

• #13/15 Missouri vs. RV/RV South Carolina, Friday, May 3 at 5 p.m., CT | Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
• #13/15 Missouri vs. RV/RV South Carolina, Saturday, May 4 at 5 p.m., CT | Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field
• #13/15 Missouri vs. RV/RV South Carolina, Sunday, May 5 at 2 p.m., CT | Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field

AT SOUTH CAROLINA

Location: Columbia, South Carolina (Carolina Softball Stadium at Beckham Field)

Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

Live Video: SEC Network+ | Friday | Sunday

SEC Network | Saturday

Game Notes: Missouri

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

SOUTH CAROLINA SERIES HISTORY

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with South Carolina, 14-9.
• The two teams last faced off in the 2022 campaign, as the Tigers swept the Gamecocks in a three-game series at home (April 1-3, 4-2, 7-3, 2-1 wins).
• In the pair’s last meeting in Columbia, South Carolina, in 2021, Missouri pulled off another perfect weekend, besting the Gamecocks in three-straight games to take the series April 1-3, 2021 (13-4, six innings, 7-3, 10-6).
• South Carolina last took a game off the Tigers in 2019. Missouri secured the series, winning the first two games (4-3, 7-6, eight innings), before falling to South Carolina, 5-2, in the finale (May 3-5).
• Head coach Larissa Anderson is 8-4 against the Gamecocks in her career.

MISSISSIPPI STATE RECAP

• Mizzou secured the series victory over No. 18/18 Mississippi State, 2-1, this past weekend in Columbia, Missouri. Missouri won its fourth SEC series of the 2024 campaign.
• Maddie Gallagher paced Mizzou at the plate, batting .600 (.800 slugging percentage, .625 on-base percentage). Gallagher notched a hit in each of the three games and is currently on a four-game hitting streak. She notched her career best 11th double of the season in game two of the SEC series.
• Jenna Laird finished .500 hitting (.700 slugging percentage) followed by Alex Honnold (.375) and Katie Chester (.333).
• Laurin Krings earned the complete-game shutout victory in the circle in game one, fanning five and not allowing an extra-base hit. Krings went 1-0 this past week, registering a 1.02 ERA and 11 strikeouts over two appearances (13.2 innings).
• Freshman Abby Hay set the pace for Missouri offensively in game one, finishing the day 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI. Senior Jenna Laird went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and came around to score.
• Abby Hay tallied her fourth multi-hit game in a row and third multi-RBI performance in game one.
• Mizzou picked up its ninth shutout of the season and second in SEC play after last earning the feat against Auburn on March 8.
• Jenna Laird picked up her team-leading 18th multi-hit game in game two. She finished 2-for-3 with one run, and an RBI.
• Cierra Harrison moved to 13-3 on the season with the win, pitching five innings in game two, allowing one run (zero earned runs), and allowing three hits with two strikeouts and a walk.
• Taylor Pannell picked up her NCAA-leading 11th save of the season in game two. She pitched the final inning Sunday, notching two strikeouts to go with a pair of hits (zero runs).
• Marissa McCann made her 21st appearance in the circle, allowing just a hit over 0.2 innings of work.
• Jenna Laird recorded three-straight games (five hits over MSU series) with a hit over the series and her second double in her last three games in game three.
• Alex Honnold logged her fifth home run of the season in the bottom of the sixth inning of game three, extending her hitting streak to seven straight games. She has recorded a hit in eight of her last nine games.

QUICK HITTERS

• The Tigers head into the weekend with a 37-14 record and 10-11 SEC mark.
• The Tigers 37-14 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.
• Missouri has surpassed both its overall win (35) total and SEC win total (7) from 2023.
• Missouri has now registered 35 or more wins in five of the last six seasons (2020 COVID-19 shortened season was the only time the Tigers didn’t meet the threshold in that span).
• Mizzou was ranked in all four of Week 12’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #13 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #15 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #15 in D1Softball and #10 in Softball America polls, respectively.
• Alex Honnold paces Mizzou hitting (.371) with an SEC-leading, Mizzou-record 20 doubles (third in NCAA) in 2024. She also has notched 59 hits (third in NCAA), 33 RBI, five homers, two triples for a .616 slugging percentage.
• Freshman Abby Hay is second on Mizzou with a .365 batting average (19 hits, three doubles, two homers, 11 RBI, .577 SLG%).
• Jenna Laird (.350, 55 hits, 47 runs, nine doubles, 14 stolen bases) and Maddie Gallagher (.315, 41 hits, 32 RBI, 11 doubles) round out the four Tigers hitting over .300 in 2024. Laird paces Mizzou with 18 multi-hit games while Gallagher and Katie Chester top the team with eight multi-RBI games.
• Alex Honnold‘s total career-doubles sits at 49, which is sixth in Mizzou program history.
• Alex Honnold extended her hitting streak to seven games, ranking second on the Tigers with 17 multi-hit games. She ranks third in the SEC for hits (59).
• Maddie Gallagher has hit safely in each of the last four games while Jenna Laird is on a three-game hitting streak. Freshman Stefania Abruscato is on a three-game reached base streak.
• Laurin Krings secured her 51st career win as a Tiger against Mississippi (11th victory of her 2024 campaign), allowing three hits with no runs (0 earned runs), five strikeouts and a walk over 7.0 innings. With the win, she officially breaks into the Mizzou program top-10 list for wins.
• Laurin Krings has recorded a punchout in each of her last 53 appearances as she surpassed 100 strikeouts this season (105, 13th in the SEC). She became the first pitcher on Mizzou’s staff to reach 100 strikeouts in 2024.
• Laurin Krings ranks in the top-10 in Mizzou program history for appearances (124, eighth), innings pitched (540.2, ninth), strikeouts (557, sixth) and wins (51, 10th).
• Freshman pitcher Marissa McCann ranks eighth in the SEC with a 1.80 ERA followed by Cierra Harrison (2.13, 12th). Harrison is also 10th in the league with three shutouts and 11th for wins (13).
• Kayley Lenger is first in the SEC with 16 HBP (ninth).
• Closer Taylor Pannell ranks first in both the SEC and in the nation with 11 saves in 2024. She is also the NCAA active leader in the category with 17.
• Kara Daly paces Mizzou with six home runs in 2024. The junior third baseman is one RBI away from 100 in her career at Mizzou.
• Jenna Laird ranks in the top 10 in Mizzou program history for career batting average (.353, fifth), at bats (740, fourth), hits (261, fifth), doubles (45, eighth), runs (189, fifth) and stolen bases (78, ninth).
• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 24 wins in the circle with 11-7 and 13-3 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 12 times (eight and four complete games, respectively).
• Lilly Whitten (5-0, 1.24 ERA), Marissa McCann (7-3, 1.80 ERA) and Taylor Pannell (1-1, 11 saves, 1.02 ERA) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024.
• Jenna Laird is 11 runs away from 200 in her career. Alex Honnold is five hits away from 200 at Mizzou.
• Katie Chester is batting .375 (3-for-8) as a pinch hitter in 2024.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson registered her 200th win at the helm of Mizzou (206-111) during the midweek at Drake. In her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson holds a career record of 336-184-1 over 10 career seasons.

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

• The Tigers next look to postseason play, beginning with the 2024 SEC Tournament, which is slated for May 7-11 in Auburn, Alabama.
• Mizzou will practice in South Carolina on Monday, May 6 before traveling to Auburn.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

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