No. 14/15 Softball Heads to Iowa for Wednesday Midweek at Drake

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 14/15 University of Missouri softball team (30-10, 5-7 SEC) heads to Des Moines, Iowa, Wednesday to face Drake (16-15) in midweek action at Buel Field.

First pitch Wednesday is set for 4 p.m., CT. The game will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with Larry Morgan on the call. 

Mizzou then closes the week with a three-game home series against No. 9 Florida (34-6, 9-3 SEC). 

Friday (5 p.m., CT) and Sunday’s (2 p.m., CT) games will be on SEC Network+ while Saturday (12:30 p.m., CT) will be featured on SEC Network. Nate Gatter (play-by-play) will be on the broadcast all weekend while former Tiger Madi Norman Gerlach (Friday/Sunday) and Erin Miller (Saturday) will be analysts. 

Mizzou was ranked in all four of Week 9’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #14 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #15 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #16 in D1Softball and #18 in Softball America polls, respectively. 

The 2024 Mizzou roster features two players from The Hawkeye State in junior Mya Dodge and senior Alex Honnold. Honnold is a native of West Des Moines, while Dodge hails from Hiawatha. Dodge transferred to Mizzou after two standout seasons with Northern Iowa. 

Assistant coach Molly Jacobsen McCargar is from Adel, Iowa, and started her softball collegiate career at Des Moines Area Community College before playing at Ole Miss and Texas. 

This weekend’s home SEC series with Florida features a multitude of promotions. Friday is Breast Cancer Awareness night at the ballpark sponsored by MU Health Care. Fans are encouraged to wear pink and the Tigers will be wearing specialty Pink uniforms.

Saturday is All For Alex and Alumni Day. The Tigers will wear specialty teal jerseys to honor the legacy of Mississippi State’s Alex Wilcox who inspired the nation with her courageous fight against ovarian cancer. That fight ultimately took her life in the summer of 2018. Fans in attendance will receive belt bags, while supplies last. 

Sunday is Superhero Day. Fans in attendance can receive beverage bats, while supplies last, along with a specialty Mizzou Softball Superhero poster. Following the game, fans can get autographs from the 2024 team and run the bases, sponsored by Missouri Farm Bureau Insurance. 

WEEK SCHEDULE

• #14/15 Missouri at Drake, Wednesday, April 10 at 4 p.m., CT | Buel Field

• #14/15 Missouri vs. #9 Florida, Friday, April 12 at 5 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium

• #14/15 Missouri vs. #9 Florida, Saturday, April 13 at 12:30 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium

• #14/15 Missouri vs. #9 Florida, Sunday, April 14 at 2 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium

AT DRAKE 

Location: Des Moines, Iowa (Buel Field)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast 

Live Video: ESPN+

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

Game Notes:

VS. FLORIDA 

Location: Columbia, Missouri (Mizzou Softball Stadium)

Live Stats: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3

Live Video: SEC Network+ | Friday | Sunday

SEC Network | Saturday

Tickets

DRAKE SERIES HISTORY

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Drake, 27-4.

• Head coach Larissa Anderson is 3-0 against the Bulldogs in her career.

• The pair last met during a midweek matchup in the 2023 campaign. The Tigers bested the Bulldogs, 7-1, at home in Columbia, Missouri, on March 22.

• The Tigers also took a pair of games off Drake in 2021 at the Mizzou Tournament. Missouri claimed a 5-0 victory (March 13), followed by a 10-2 win (March 14). 

FLORIDA SERIES HISTORY

• Mizzou trails the all-time series with Florida, 6-17.

• Head coach Larissa Anderson is 2-6 against the Gators in her career.

• The two faced off in the 2023 campaign, as the Tigers claimed a 7-3 victory (March 17), before dropping a pair of games (4-3 loss March 17, 4-3 loss March 19). 

• Missouri last hosted Florida at Mizzou Softball Stadium in 2021. The Tigers took a game off the then No. 3 Gators, 10-2 (May 1), before dropping the series (5-2 loss April 30, 3-2 loss May 2). 

ARKANSAS RECAP

• No. 11 Mizzou dropped its series with No. 19 Arkansas, 2-1, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this past weekend. 

• After falling in the opener Friday (5-2), the Tigers turned around to claim a run-rule victory over the Razorbacks on Saturday (12-3 in 5 innings). Missouri dropped the finale Sunday, 4-1.

• Saturday’s win marked Mizzou’s first SEC run-rule victory since its win over No. 17/13 Alabama, April 2, 2023. 

• Saturday also marked Mizzou’s first SEC road win of the 2024 campaign.

• Abby Hay knocked her first career home run in game one of the series. She finished 2-for-3 on the day and hit .429 over the series with two RBI. 

• Maddie Gallagher knocked her career-best ninth double of the season Saturday. She previously had notched eight in 2022 as a sophomore at South Carolina. Gallagher hit .300 over the series. 

• Alex Honnold went 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. The senior launched her fourth home run of the campaign in the game two run-rule win. She hit .300 over the series. 

• Kayley Lenger has reached base in eight-straight games while Abby Hay has reached base in each of the last seven. Lenger paced the Tigers with a .500 batting average this past weekend, with three runs. 

• Jenna Laird hit .364 over the Arkansas series with two RBI. 

• Laurin Krings picked up a win in the circle, allowing three runs on three hits with a trio of strikeouts in game two against Arkansas. With the win, she improved to 9-6 in 2024.

QUICK HITTERS  

• The Tigers head into the week with a 30-10 record and 5-7 SEC mark. 

• The Tigers 30-10 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 9’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week #14 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #15 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #16 in D1Softball and #18 in Softball America polls, respectively. 

• Jenna Laird paces the Tigers at the plate (.375 batting average, 41 runs and 22 RBI) and is one of five Tigers batting over .300. Alex Honnold (.371, 34 runs, 29 RBI, 16 doubles and 4 homers) is second on the team while Abby Hay is third (.333 with two doubles, 7 RBI, 6 runs). Kayley Lenger is also hitting .319 in the nine-hole (23 runs, 22 hits), while Maddie Gallagher has added 25 runs, 32 hits and 26 RBI (.311 hitting average). 

• Alex Honnold is first in the SEC (third in the NCAA) with 16 doubles (0.44 doubles/game). Her 45 career doubles rank seventh in Mizzou program history. She also ranks sixth in the SEC for hits (43).

• Jenna Laird has reached base in each of the last 14 games (six-game hitting streak).

• Kayley Lenger has reached base in eight-straight games while Abby Hay has reached base in each of the last seven. 

• Kara Daly paces Mizzou with five home runs in 2024. 

• Alex Honnold has registered a team-best hitting streak of 15 games this season.

• Closer Taylor Pannell ranks first in the SEC and is second in the nation with six saves in 2024.

• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 19 wins in the circle with 9-6 and 10-2 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 11 times (seven and four complete games, respectively).
• Mya Dodge is one run away from 100 in her collegiate career.
• Laurin Krings is one win away from 50 in her career (49-30) at Mizzou. With 51 wins, she will enter the program’s top 10. 
• Laurin Krings is the 11th Mizzou player to reach 500 career innings pitched, notching the feat at Hofstra. She ranks 10th in Mizzou history for innings pitched.
• Laurin Krings also ranks seventh in Mizzou history with 532 strikeouts. 
• Kayley Lenger led Mizzou over the Arkansas series, hitting .500 (three runs, two hits, one walk, four HBP). She ranks seventh in the NCAA (third in SEC) with 13 HBP in 2024. Lenger is also seventh in SEC with a .495 on-base percentage. 
• Head coach Larissa Anderson is one victory away from 200 at the helm of Mizzou. In her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson holds a career record of 329-180-1.

THE HAY IS IN THE BARN

• Abby Hay put up three hits, two RBI and two runs, while hitting .429 batting over Missouri’s three-game series with Arkansas. 
• The first baseman went a career best 2-for-3 Friday with two RBI to secure her first career multi-hit performance. Hay’s fifth-inning single marked her first career hit in SEC play.
• Hay also recorded her first career home run as a Tiger, sending a blast over the fence in the seventh inning. 
• Hay extended her reached-base streak to seven games on Sunday, after sending a single to go 1-for-3 at the plate. 
• She has started in each of the last five games (seven total starts in 2024) at first. 

HEY HONNOLD!!!

• Alex Honnold hit .300 over the weekend at the plate, securing two runs, three RBI and a home run. 
• Honnold launched her fourth home run of the season on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. 
• After the offensive performance, she is second on Mizzou with 13 multi-hit games. Honnold is now tied for first with seven multi-RBI games. 
• On Sunday, the senior went 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
• Honnold is officially just four doubles away from surpassing the single-season (19) Mizzou record. She currently ranks tied for fourth with 16. 
• Honnold currently leads the SEC in doubles this season (seventh in NCAA). So far, she has recorded 45 career doubles which ranks seventh in Mizzou program history.
• The senior from West Des Moines, Iowa, leads Mizzou at the plate so far this season, hitting .368, with a career-best 16 doubles, 46 hits, 34 runs, 28 RBI and four home runs. Honnold has also recorded a .629 slugging percentage and a .445 on-base percentage so far during 2024.

OUR LEADOFF HITTER

• Jenna Laird logged a .364 batting average this past weekend at Arkansas, adding two runs and two RBI to record a .417 on base percentage. 
• The senior finished 2-for-4 for her team-leading 15th multi-hit game in 2024 on Friday. 
• She then went 1-for-3 with two runs, two RBI and a walk on Saturday.  
• Laird wrapped the weekend with a 1-for-4 performance at the plate. The senior’s first-inning single officially extended her reached-base streak to 14 games.
• On the season, Laird leads Mizzou with a .375 batting average so far in 2024.
• The leadoff hitter from East Meadow, New York, paces the Tigers with 12 stolen bases and 41 runs.

OUR PITCHING STAFF 

• Cierra Harrison picked up her first career SEC series-opening start on Friday at Arkansas. 
• The sophomore pitched 3.2 innings in the contest, allowing five runs on seven hits with a trio of strikeouts. 
• Harrison has notched 64 strikeouts in 2024 over 77.0 innings.
• Harrison’s 10 wins (10-2) are a new career best after she notched eight in 2023.
• 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). She limited No. 25/25 Auburn to no runs on five hits with nine strikeouts in her 2024 SEC debut on March 9.
• Laurin Krings picked up the win in the circle on Saturday against Arkansas, allowing three runs on three hits with a trio of strikeouts. After the victory, Krings improved to 9-6 in 2024.
• She is now one win away from 50 in her career, posting a 49-30 mark as a Tiger. With 51 wins, she will enter the program’s top 10. 
• Krings also ranks 10th all-time in Mizzou program history with 509.1 career innings pitched.
• After the three-game series at Arkansas, Krings now stands two strikeouts (532) away from becoming sixth in program history for career strikeouts. Kacey Marshall is currently sixth with 534 from 1991-95.
• Krings has tallied a punch out in every one of her appearances since March 3, 2023, against Tulsa.
• Marissa McCann also stepped in to pitch 1.2 shutout innings on Saturday, not allowing a hit or a run to help secure the win. The back-to-back SEC Freshman of the Week notched 14.2 consecutive scoreless innings before allowing two runs in the finale with Arkansas. 
• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 19 wins in the circle with 9-6 and 10-2 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 11 times (seven and four complete games, respectively).
• Lilly Whitten (4-0), Marissa McCann (6-2) and Taylor Pannell (1-0, six saves) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024.
• Pannell, a left-hander from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has picked up six saves in the closer role for Mizzou, which paces the SEC and is second in the NCAA.

ANDERSON APPROACHING 200 WINS AT MIZZOU 

• Head coach Larissa Anderson added a win to her resume this past week, officially putting her one win away from 200 in her career at Mizzou.
• While at the helm of the Tigers program the past six seasons, Anderson currently boasts a 199-107 record.
• To commence the 2024 campaign, Anderson recorded her 300th career win in Mizzou’s season opener against No. 13/16 Utah on Feb. 9.
• Overall, Anderson has a 329-180-1 career mark.

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 home for an SEC weekend series with No. 9 Florida (34-6, 9-3 SEC) Friday through Sunday.
• Friday (5 p.m., CT) and Sunday’s (2 p.m., CT) games will be on SEC Network+ while Saturday (12:30 p.m., CT) will be featured on SEC Network. Nate Gatter (play-by-play) will be on the broadcast all weekend while former Tiger Madi Norman Gerlach (Friday/Sunday) and Erin Miller (Saturday) will be analysts.
• Missouri then hosts SIUE in a midweek matchup at Mizzou Softball Stadium on April 17. First pitch is set for 5 p.m., CT.
• The Tigers then resume SEC play with a weekend road-series against Georgia April 19-21.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

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