No. 15/16 Softball Hosts No. 2/3 LSU in Weekend SEC Series

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 15/16 University of Missouri softball team (23-6, 2-4 SEC) welcomes No. 2/3 LSU (24-2, 4-2 SEC) to Columbia for a three-game weekend SEC series. 

Mizzou will take on No. 2/3 LSU Friday (5 p.m., CT), Saturday (2 p.m., CT) and Sunday (1 p.m., CT) at the 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 23-6 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 in both the Softball America and D1Softball polls.

Mizzou most recently picked up a Border Showdown rivalry win at Kansas on March 20, topping the Jayhawks, 3-2.

Friday is Game Show Night and fans can win prizes throughout the game. Saturday is Bark in the Park, where fans can bring their dogs to sit in the Berm. Saturday’s giveaway is collapsible dog bowls, while supplies. The Tigers wrap the series with Sunday Funday that features postgame autographs and an Egg Hunt. Patrons in attendance Sunday can also receive mini helmets and Andy’s Ice Cream while supplies last. 

SCHEDULE

• #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

VS. #2/3 LSU

Location: Columbia, Mo. (Mizzou Softball Stadium)

Live Stats: StatBroadcast – Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Live Video: SEC Network+ – Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Tickets

Notes: Missouri | LSU 

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball  

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. 

KANSAS RECAP

• The No. 15/16 University of Missouri softball team (23-6, 2-4 SEC) secured a Border Showdown victory over rival Kansas (19-8-1, 4-2 Big 12), 3-2, Wednesday at Arrocha Ballpark.
• Right fielder Kayley Lenger scored a run and went 2-for-3. It marked her third career-best two-hit game of the season. 
• Cierra Harrison, a Lee’s Summit, Missouri, native, improved to 9-1 in 2024 after holding Kansas to no runs on three hits and recording two strikeouts. 
• Madison Walker, a native of Olathe, Kansas, drove in a run, her 13th RBI on the year, and improved her on base streak to four straight games. 
• Laurin Krings notched a trio of strikeouts over two innings of relief work. She surrendered zero runs on two hits out of the pen. 
• Closer Taylor Pannell posted her fourth save in 2024, allowing two runs on two hits with a strikeout. She has now notched a save in each of the last two midweeks with Kansas. 

QUICK HITTERS 

• The Tigers head into the third week of SEC play with a 23-6 record (2-4 SEC). 
• The Tigers 23-6 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 in both the Softball America and D1Softball polls.
• 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 21-5 road/neutral record.  
• Alex Honnold (.674 slugging percentage, .486 on-base percentage) paces the Tigers at the plate (.404) and is one of four Tigers batting over .300. Jenna Laird (.372 batting average, 31 runs, 14 RBI) is second on the team while Maddie Gallagher is third (.314 with seven doubles, 17 RBI, 18 runs). Katie Chester is also hitting .302 with 19 RBI, three home runs and four doubles (.508 slugging percentage). 
• Alex Honnold is first in the SEC (fourth in the NCAA) with 13 doubles (0.45 doubles/game). Her 42 career doubles rank tied for seventh in Mizzou program history. 
• Alex Honnold paces the Tigers with a .404 batting average in the two-hole to go with 26 runs, 36 hits, 20 RBI, 13 doubles (first in SEC) and a .674 slugging percentage. 
• Kara Daly is currently on a six-game reached base streak. Madison Walker has reached base in each of the last four games.
• Alex Honnold and Jenna Laird each pushed their reached base streaks to three games after Wednesday’s midweek at Kansas. 
• Kara Daly paces Mizzou with four home runs in 2024. She has notched four hits over the last six 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 four saves in 2024.
• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 17 wins in the circle with 8-4 and 9-1 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. 
• Jenna Laird and Alex Honnold each recorded their 100th career RBI in the opener with Illinois on March 13. 

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.

HEY HONNOLD!!    

• Alex Honnold is leading the way for Mizzou at the plate so far this season, posting a .404 average (11th in the SEC), with 13 doubles (.45 doubles per game, first in SEC), 36 hits (sixth in SEC), 26 runs and three home runs. Honnold has recorded a .674 slugging percentage, as well as a .486 on-base percentage (14th in the SEC) so far during 2024. 
• She most recently notched an RBI double, her 20th RBI of the season, in the midweek at Kansas on Wednesday. 
• The double was her SEC-best 13th double of the season. With the double, she now ranks tied for seventh in Mizzou program history with 42 career doubles.
• 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 .372 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). 

• She most recently recorded an RBI, her 14th of the year, and a walk in three at-bats.
• 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 .481 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 (.356), ninth for at bats (669), sixth for hits (238), seventh for doubles (42), 11th for triples (8), sixth for runs (173) and ninth for stolen bases (76).

OUR PITCHING STAFF 

• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 17 wins in the circle with 8-4 and 9-1 records, respectively. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 11 times (seven and four complete games, respectively).
• Harrison picked up her team-high ninth win of the campaign Wednesday over Kansas. She has notched 52 strikeouts in 2024. 
• Harrison has pitched 63.2 innings in 2024, including 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.
• Krings did not allow a hit to the first 12 Auburn batters she faced, recording four strikeouts in that span during the SEC opener on March 8.
• She notched her 500th strikeout in her career over the victory.
• With the win, she notched her eighth win of the season (8-4) with her seventh complete game.
• She paces Mizzou with 64 strikeouts over 71.1 innings. 
• Lilly Whitten (3-0), Marissa McCann (2-1) and Taylor Pannell (1-0) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024. 
• Pannell, a lefthander from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has picked up four saves (second in the SEC, 18th in the NCAA) in the closer role for Mizzou.

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).