No. 14/15 Softball Hosts No. 9 Florida in Home Weekend Series

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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 14/15 University of Missouri softball team (31-10, 5-7 SEC) welcomes No. 9 Florida (34-7, 9-3 SEC) to the Mizzou Softball Stadium for a home weekend SEC series.

Friday (5 p.m., CT) and Sunday’s (2 p.m., CT) games will be broadcasted 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 the 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 Tigers head into their weekend series with Florida after a 6-3 midweek victory over Drake Wednesday afternoon in Des Moines, Iowa.

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. Fans in attendance will receive belt bags, while supplies last. 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.

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

SCHEDULE

#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

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

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

Game Notes: Mizzou

Tickets

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).

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. Currently in her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson has registered a career record of 330-180-1.
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.
Catcher Stefania Abruscato made her 15th start of the season Wednesday.
Alex Honnold chipped in a 2-for-4 outing in her home state of Iowa. She also posted a run and an RBI.
Alex Honnold belted her SEC-leading 17th double of the campaign. She now has 46 in her career at Mizzou which ranks seventh in program history.
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.
Jenna Laird extended her reached base streak to 15 games (seven-game hitting streak).
Kayley Lenger picked up a pair of walks and now has a reached base streak of nine games.
Abby Hay is currently on an eight-game reached base streak.
Freshman Abby Hay logged her sixth start in a row and her eighth of the season.
Cierra Harrison improved to 11-2 in 2024, surrendering just one run on four hits over 4.2 innings in the start. The sophomore notched five strikeouts and has now tallied three or more punch outs in each of her last four appearances.
Lilly Whitten allowed just one hit and one walk over one relief inning of work.
Taylor Pannell picked up her seventh save of the campaign. She paces the SEC and is now tied for first in the NCAA.
Taylor Pannell pitched the final 1.1 innings (two runs on two hits) Wednesday with a strikeout.

QUICK HITTERS

The Tigers head into the weekend with a 31-10 record and 5-7 SEC mark.
The Tigers 31-10 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 entered 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.
Alex Honnold (.375, 35 runs, 30 RBI, 17 doubles and 4 homers) paces the Tigers at the plate.
Jenna Laird (.374 batting average, 41 runs and 22 RBI) is one of five Tigers batting over .300. Abby Hay is third (.348 with two doubles, 7 RBI, 6 runs) while Maddie Gallagher has added 26 runs, 33 hits and 27 RBI (.311 batting average).
Kayley Lenger is hitting .311 in the nine-hole (24 runs, 22 hits),
Alex Honnold is first in the SEC (seventh in the NCAA) with 17 doubles (0.40 doubles/game). Her 46 career doubles rank seventh in Mizzou program history. She also ranks sixth in the SEC for hits (48).
Jenna Laird has reached base in each of the last 15 games (seven-game hitting streak).
Kayley Lenger has reached base in nine-straight games while Abby Hay has reached base in each of the last eight.
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 tied for first in the nation with seven saves in 2024.
The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 20 wins in the circle with 9-6 and 11-2 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.
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 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 (second in SEC) with 13 HBP in 2024. Lenger is also eighth in the SEC with a .495 on-base percentage.
Head coach Larissa Anderson registered her 200th win at the helm of Mizzou during Wednesday’s midweek at Drake. In her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson holds a career record of 330-180-1.

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.

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 wrapped the series, 1-for-3 on Sunday and is currently on an eight-game reached base streak after Wednesday’s midweek at Drake (1-for-2).
She has started in each of the last six games (eight total starts in 2024) at first.

HEY HONNOLD!!!

Alex Honnold hit .300 over the weekend at Arkansas, 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.
On Sunday, the senior went 1-for-2 at the plate with an RBI, a walk, and a stolen base.
Honnold is officially just three doubles away from surpassing the single-season (19) Mizzou record. She currently ranks tied for fourth with 17.
Honnold currently leads the SEC in doubles this season (seventh in NCAA). So far, she has recorded 46 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 .375, with a career-best 17 doubles, 48 hits, 35 runs, 30 RBI and four home runs. Honnold has also recorded a .633 slugging percentage and a .447 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.
On the season, Laird is second on Mizzou with a .374 batting average so far in 2024.
The leadoff hitter from East Meadow, New York, paces the Tigers with 12 stolen bases and 41 runs.
She has reached base in 15 straight games.

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 11 wins (11-2) 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 20 wins in the circle with 9-6 and 11-2 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, seven saves) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024.
Pannell, a left-hander from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has picked up seven saves in the closer role for Mizzou, which paces the SEC and is tied for first in the NCAA.

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 330-180-1.
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 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).

This article is provided by University of Missouri Athletics