No. 15/16 Softball Headed to Kansas for Wednesday Border Showdown

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 15/16 University of Missouri softball team (22-6, 2-4 SEC) travels to Lawrence, Kansas, for a midweek Border Showdown against the rival Jayhawks (19-7-1, 4-2 Big 12) Wednesday, before returning home to close out the week with a three-game weekend series against No. 2/3 LSU (24-2, 4-2 SEC). 

The Tigers will face Kansas Wednesday (5 p.m., CT) at Arrocha Ballpark. Leif Lisec and Jill Dorsey-Hall will be the talent on the Big 12 Now | ESPN+ broadcast. 

Mizzou then is set to host No. 2/3 LSU Friday (5 p.m., CT), Saturday (2 p.m., CT) and Sunday (1 p.m., CT) at Mizzou Softball Stadium. 

The matchup will be available on SEC Network+ with Noah Reed (play-by-play) and former Mizzou All-Region pitcher Madi Norman Gerlach (analyst) on the broadcast.

Missouri began the 2024 campaign 10-0 and notched perfect preseason tournament weekends three out of the four times.

The Tigers 22-6 record is the best start for Missouri since the Tigers opened 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 6’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week ##15 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #16 and #16 in the Softball America and D1Softball polls, respectively.

WEEK SCHEDULE

•  #15/16 Missouri at Kansas, Wednesday, March 20 at 5 p.m., CT | Arrocha Ballpark
• #15/16 Missouri vs. #2/3 LSU, Friday, March 22 at 5 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium 
• #15/16 Missouri vs. #2/3 LSU, Saturday, March 23 at 2 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium
• #15/16 Missouri vs. #2/3 LSU, Sunday, March 24 at 1 p.m., CT | Mizzou Softball Stadium

AT KANSAS

Location: Lawrence, Kansas (Arrocha Ballpark)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast

Live Video: Big 12 Now | ESPN+

Notes: Missouri | Kansas

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

KANSAS SERIES HISTORY

• Missouri leads the all-time series record with Kansas, 71-45. Head coach Larissa Anderson is 4-2 in her career against the Jayhawks. 
• In the pair’s most recent matchup, Mizzou defeated Kansas, 4-3, at Mizzou Softball Stadium on April 19, 2023.
• The last time the Tigers made the trip to Lawrence, Kansas, they dropped their matchup to the Jayhawks at Arrocha Ballpark on March 30, 2022, 11-7.  

LSU SERIES HISTORY

• Missouri trails the all-time series record with LSU, 11-18. Head coach Larissa Anderson has posted a 3-6 career-record against LSU. 
• In the pair’s most recent matchup in 2023, Mizzou took a game off LSU, 8-6, on April 6 before dropping the next two games in the series (April 7 and 8) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
• The last time the Tigers hosted LSU, they opened the series with a 9-1 run-rule win on April 9, 2021. Mizzou then fell 4-2 (April 10, 2021) and 12-5 (April 11, 2021) to conclude the series. 

TENNESSEE RECAP

• The Tigers fell to No. 8/9 Tennessee (22-4, 3-0 SEC), dropping the series to the Volunteers, 3-0, March 15-17.
• Friday’s (March 15) game marked Mizzou’s first run-rule loss of the 2024 campaign, as the Tigers fell 9-0 in five innings. 
• Mizzou then dropped its matchup with Tennessee on March 16, 8-2, before wrapping the weekend with a 4-0 loss on March 17.
• Alex Honnold paced Mizzou at the plate over last week’s five games with the Illinois midweek doubleheader, batting .462. 
• Jenna Laird chipped in a .333 mark while Kara Daly finished .308 over the five-game week. 
• Freshman Nathalie Touchet saw her first career SEC action, making her second career appearance in the circle on March 15. Touchet allowed no base runners in 1.2 innings of work. She retired all five Volunteer batters she faced.
• Nathalie Touchet followed up that performance on March 16, coaxing a flyout over a third of an inning of work.
• Maddie Gallagher recorded her fourth multi-hit game of the season and fifth multi-RBI game (second on team in 2024) on March 16, while launching her first career home run in SEC play (fourth career homer run, career-best second in 2024). 
• Junior outfielder Mya Dodge made her first career SEC start, earning the nod in left field on March 16. 
• Lilly Whitten allowed just one earned run on two hits over two innings of work out of the pen on March 16. She also notched three strikeouts in her SEC debut.
• Stefania Abruscato earned her first career SEC start, starting March 17 at designated player.
• Taylor Pannell made her ninth appearance of the season, tallying two strikeouts in March 17’s matchup, marking her fifth game in 2024 with two or more punch outs.
• Pitcher Marissa McCann made her first career SEC start on March 17. She has thrown a punch out in seven of her eight appearances this season. She allowed four runs on six hits to go with a pair of strikeouts over 5.0 innings. 

ILLINOIS MIDWEEK RECAP

• The Tigers swept its Braggin’ Rights midweek doubleheader with Illinois March 13 at Eichelberger Field.
• Trailing 4-3 in the seventh, Mizzou pulled off the comeback in game one with a two-run homer from Alex Honnold to take the opener 5-3. 
• Mizzou then secured the midweek sweep with a 10-2 run-rule win over the Illini in game two.
• Jenna Laird (two runs, a stolen base, RBI) and Alex Honnold (two runs, three RBI, triple shy of the cycle) each paced the Tigers in game one, going 3-for-4.
• Jenna Laird and Alex Honnold each recorded their 100th career RBI in the opener with Illinois.
• Lilly Whitten made her third career appearance in the circle, tallying two strikeouts over 1.2 innings. She allowed no runs on three hits to improve to 3-0 in 2024. 
• Taylor Pannell recorded her third save of the season, allowing just one hit over the seventh inning.
• Jenna Laird (2-for-4, RBI, stolen base) and Alex Honnold (2-for-3 with three runs, two stolen bases, double, walk) also both notched two hits in game two. 
• Kara Daly hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season.
• Cierra Harrison notched her fourth complete game of the season, allowing two runs on four hits with a walk and a strikeout. She improved to 8-0 in 2024.

QUICK HITTERS  

• The Tigers head into the third week of SEC play with a 22-6 record (2-4 SEC). 

• The Tigers 22-6 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 6’s polls this week after first appearing following week one (Feb. 13). The Tigers enter the week ##15 in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll, and #16 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll. Mizzou is also #16 and #16 in the Softball America and D1Softball polls, respectively.

• Missouri is ranked ninth (fourth highest SEC school) in this week’s RPI (Ratings Power Index). The Tigers are also seventh for KPI and have a 20-5 road/neutral record.  
• Jenna Laird and Alex Honnold each recorded their 100th career RBI in the opener with Illinois on March 13. 
• Alex Honnold (.682 slugging percentage/.495 on-base percentage) paces the Tigers at the plate (.412) and is one of three Tigers batting over .300. Jenna Laird (386 batting average, 31 runs, 13 RBI) is second on the team while Maddie Gallagher is third (.313 with seven doubles, 17 RBI, 17 runs).
• Alex Honnold is first in the SEC (fourth in the NCAA) with 12 doubles (0.43 doubles/game). Her 41 career doubles rank 11th in Mizzou program history. 
• Alex Honnold paces the Tigers with a .412 batting average in the two-hole to go with 26 runs, 35 hits, 19 RBI, 12 doubles (first in SEC) and a .682 slugging percentage. 
• Kara Daly is currently on a five-game reached base streak. Madison Walker has reached base in each of the last three games.
• Kara Daly paces Mizzou with four home runs in 2024. She has notched four hits over the last five games with two doubles and a homer.
• Alex Honnold has registered a team-best hitting streak of 12 games this season.
• Maddie Gallagher has registered a team-best 15 game reached base streak. 
• Taylor Pannell ranks second in the SEC (18th in the NCAA) with three saves in 2024.
• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 16 wins in the circle with 8-4 and 8-1 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 11 times (seven and four complete games, respectively).

• Mya Dodge is six runs away from 100 in her collegiate career.
• Laurin Krings is two wins away from 50 in her career at Mizzou. With 51 wins, she will enter the program’s top 10. 

HEY HONNOLD!!    

• Alex Honnold is leading the way for Mizzou at the plate so far this season, posting a .412 average (11th in the SEC), with 12 doubles (.43 doubles per game, first in SEC), 35 hits (sixth in SEC), 26 runs and three home runs. Honnold has recorded a .682 slugging percentage, as well as a .495 on-base percentage (14th in the SEC) so far during 2024. 
• Honnold reached a career milestone during last week’s midweek at Illinois, logging her 100th career RBI in the opener on March 13. 
• At Illinois, she tallied a double in each of the games, officially posting 41 (11th in Mizzou history) in her career at Mizzou. Her 12 doubles in 2024 are a team-high and pace the SEC.
• Honnold paced Mizzou this past week, batting .462 over the five-game week with five runs, two doubles, homer and three RBI with a .846 slugging percentage and .588 on-base percentage. 
• She paces the team with Jenna Laird with 11 multi-hit games this season. 
• Honnold has registered a team-best hitting streak of 12 games during 2024. 

OUR LEADOFF HITTER

• Jenna Laird is second on Mizzou with a .386 batting average this season. 
• The leadoff hitter from East Meadow, New York, paces the Tigers with 12 stolen bases (fifth in the SEC, 0.43 stolen bases/game) and 1.11 runs per game (sixth in the SEC, 31 runs). 
• Laird and Alex Honnold each recorded their 100th career RBI in the opener with Illinois on March 13.
• Laird is eighth in the SEC with 32 hits. She also has a .490 on-base percentage, good for 15th in the SEC. 
• She batted .333 over this past week’s five games including five hits and two RBI. 
• Laird is featured heavily over Mizzou’s career record book. She is fifth for batting average (.357), ninth for at bats (666), sixth for hits (238), seventh for doubles (42), 11th for triples (8), sixth for runs (173) and ninth for stolen bases (76).

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 heads to the East Coast for Spring Break, traveling to Hempstead, New York, for a doubleheader against Fordham and host Hofstra on March 26. 
• From there, the Tigers then face George Mason (March 28) in Fairfax, Virginia, before wrapping the weekend at Villanova (March 30) in Pennsylvania. 

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

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