KTGR ESPN 100.5 FM & 1580 AM
COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 25/23 University of Missouri Softball program (15-6) welcomes Kansas City (5-13) to Mid-Missouri Wednesday in the Tigers home opener at Mizzou Softball Stadium. First pitch of the midweek is set for 3 p.m., CT.
The Tigers are currently ranked in three polls including No. 25 by USA Today/NFCA, No. 23 by ESPN/USA Softball and No. 25 by Softball America.
Wednesday’s game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Max Thoma and Brooke Wilmes on the call. The game will also be on ESPN 100.5/105.1 KTGR with Andy Humphrey and Nick “Cosmo” Schudel on the broadcast.
Wednesday is International Women’s Day. Fans in attendance will receive International Women’s Day wristbands, while supplies last.
Kansas City
vs. No. 25/23 Missouri
Game Information
Date: Wednesday, March 8, 2023
Venue: Mizzou Softball Stadium
Location: Columbia, Mo.
First Pitch: 3 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: Missouri leads Kansas City, 53-1
Last Meeting: Missouri 5, Kansas City 1 | April 6, 2022 | Columbia, Mo.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
Video: SEC Network+
Radio: ESPN 100.5/105.1 KTGR
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @MizzouSoftball
Notes: Missouri | Kansas City
Series History
- Missouri leads the all-time series with Kansas City, 53-1.
- Head coach Larissa Anderson is 3-0 against the Roos in her career.
- The Tigers most recently beat Kansas City, 5-1, on April 6, 2022.
- Laurin Krings tossed five innings and struck out nine batters while allowing only one run. She allowed only two baserunners and did not concede a walk.
- Jenna Laird went 2-for-4 on the night with a pair of singles and an RBI.
- In the 2020 meeting (March 4), Megan Schumacher pitched a 5.0 inning run-rule, shutout, complete game, allowing five hits with five strikeouts and two walks as the Tigers beat KC, 11-0.
Last Time Out
The Tigers most recently went 3-2 at the Oklahoma State/Tulsa Invitational with a pair of wins over Maine and a 13-1 victory over tournament co-host Tulsa to wrap the trip to Oklahoma.
At No. 3/3 Oklahoma State, Mizzou limited the Cowgirls to six hits. Julia Crenshaw posted her sixth home run of the campaign along with a double (seventh in 2023) while Alex Honnold added her fifth home run of the season.
Maddie Gallagher led the Tigers with a career-best matching three hits (3-for-3) and season-high two RBI in the win over Maine on March 4.
Cierra Harrison improved to 4-0 in the circle, earning her first career complete-game win over Maine on March 3. After allowing a first inning run, Harrison settled in, allowing just two more hits (one run on three hits) the rest of the way to go with seven total strikeouts. Harrison, a freshman from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has punched out seven or more batters in each of her four wins this season.
Megan Schumacher registered a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit as the Tigers compiled 10 runs on nine hits for the 10-0 run-rule win over Maine March 4. The start was her first of the 2023 campaign, tallying two strikeouts.
Laurin Krings earned the win in the circle for the Tigers in the finale with Tulsa, allowing one run on six hits with five strikeouts and a walk in six innings. With the win, she improved to 6-3 in 2023 (33-15 in her career at Mizzou).
JULIA!!
Julia Crenshaw led Mizzou at the plate, hitting .462 (.769 slugging percentage) with five runs, a double, and a home run to go with three RBI this past weekend in Oklahoma. The sophomore from O’Fallon, Missouri, started at second and at catcher over the five games.
She has compiled eight multi-hit games in 2023 and is currently on a four-game hitting streak (11-game reached base streak). Crenshaw ranks 17th in the nation (third in the SEC) with seven doubles. Her six home runs rank 31st in the NCAA (ninth in the SEC) while her 23 RBI is 21st in the nation (sixth in the SEC).
The Jeff City Kid
Kara Daly batted .333 with a .800 slugging percentage this past weekend at the Oklahoma State/Tulsa Invitational. Daly tallied 10 RBI, two home runs, and a double over the tournament in Oklahoma.
Daly went 2-for-3 with two runs and a RBI in Missouri’s second game against Maine. She then belted a pair of home runs against Tulsa to wrap March 4. For Daly, it was the second time in her career that she had hit two homers in a game. She also tallied three RBI and two hits with a walk in the first meeting with Tulsa.
Daly then concluded the Invitational with a career-best five RBI in the dominating win over Invitational co-host, Tulsa. She compiled a pair of sacrifice flies to go with a two-run double.
Daly ranks second in the SEC with two sacrifice flies and 10th in the conference for home runs (5).
Our CoMo Outfielder
Maddie Snider, a sophomore leftfielder from Columbia, Missouri, has started in each of the last 16 games for Mizzou.
Snider matched a career-best two hits and three RBI to go with her first career home run as a Tiger against Maine on March 3. She then compiled a career-best tying three RBI on her first career triple in the series finale with Maine on March 4.
Snider is batting .364 in 2023 with an on-base plus slugging percentage of 1.027 with 14 RBI. She is 7-for-7 on stolen bases.
Snider is the second member of her family to don the Black and Gold as her grandfather, Ron Shy, played baseball at Mizzou in 1965.
Our Leadoff Hitter
Jenna Laird hit .412 this past weekend in Oklahoma with four runs and six RBI. She leads the Tigers in 2023 with 12 multi-hit games. In the NCAA, Laird ranks 14th (third in the SEC) with 30 hits. On the basepaths, she ranks sixth in the nation (first in the SEC) with 16 stolen bases.
She wrapped the Oklahoma State/Tulsa Invitational with five hits over the final two games with tournament co-host, Tulsa. Laird went 3-for-4 in the finale with three runs, two RBI and a walk.
Laird is second on the Tigers for batting average (.417) behind center fielder Alex Honnold (.511, second in the SEC).
Let’s Go CHUCK!!
Freshman Katie Chester went 4-for-11 (.364) this past weekend in Oklahoma with three doubles, three RBI, two runs and a homer. She slugged .909 in Tulsa and Stillwater.
Chester hit her second career home run in the win over Maine on March 4 with a personal-best two runs scored.
She wrapped the Invitational, 2-for-3 with a pair of doubles (career best) to go with two RBI and a walk against Tulsa on March 5.
Chester has started in each of the last four games (15 in 2023) for the Tigers.
Wilmes Signs Professional Contract with Smash It Sports Vipers
Former Missouri standout Brooke Wilmes signed a professional contract with the Smash It Sports Vipers of Women’s Professional Fastpitch.
Wilmes, a centerfielder from Johnston, Iowa, earned 2021 NFCA Third Team All-American honors and led the Tigers at the dish in 2019 and 2022. She was named to four All-SEC teams and was awarded three NFCA All-Region laurels over her career as a Tiger.
Over five seasons with Missouri, Wilmes appeared in 263 games with 259 starts. She registered a .345 career batting average with a .314 on-base percentage and a .575 slugging percentage (10th all-time at Missouri).
Wilmes ranks first all-time in Mizzou program history with 828 at bats and 59 doubles, and second overall with 286 hits and 206 runs.
2023 Preseason SEC Poll
Missouri Softball was selected to finish eighth in the Southeastern Conference in 2023, the league announced Jan. 26. The Tigers received 63 points in the annual preseason poll voted on by the conference’s 13 head coaches.
Jenna Laird Preseason Accolades
Missouri Softball junior shortstop Jenna Laird has been named to five 2023 preseason lists ahead of the season. She was named to the 2023 Preseason All-SEC Team on Feb. 2, to the Top 50 Watch List for the 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year on Jan. 25 and has also been named to D1Softball’s Preseason D100 Players, Extra Inning Softball’s Extra Elite 100 College Player Rankings and Softball America’s 2023 Preseason Top 100.
Laird led the Tigers in 2022 for batting average (.338), doubles (11), triples (3), runs scored (44) and stolen bases (22) as she garnered 2022 NFCA Third Team All-Region honors.
The East Meadow, New York, native, was named to the 2022 SEC All-Tournament Team after she led the Tigers to the Championship Final, batting .500 over the four games. She was also selected to the 2022 All-SEC Second Team after posting a hitting line of .291/.519/.341 in conference play.
In the field, Laird was tabbed a 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove recipient for her play at shortstop. She posted a .975 fielding percentage, turning 10 double plays in total over 163 chances.
Newcomers
The 2023 roster features five freshmen in infielder Katie Chester, righthanded pitcher Cierra Harrison, righthanded pitcher Lilly Whitten, lefthanded pitcher Taylor Pannell and first baseman/utility player Kayley Lenger.
Junior outfielder Payton Jackson and junior infielder Maddie Gallagher both transferred to Mizzou ahead of the 2023 campaign.
Jackson, a Missouri City, Texas, native, started in all 46 games at Texas Tech in 2022 and led the Red Raiders in batting average (.336), OPS (1.032), triples (3), extra base hits (19), total bases (73), walks (22) and slugging percentage (.598).
Gallagher, a Port Washington, New York, native, competed in 97 games (82 starts) over two seasons at South Carolina. In 2022, she started and played in all 56 games, mostly at second base for the Gamecocks. Gallagher hit .292 and was tied for second on the team with 47 hits. She led the team with four triples.
2022 Recap
Mizzou enters the 2023 season after they hosted an NCAA Regional for the second-consecutive year and made the SEC Tournament Championship game for the second time in program history. In 2023, the Tigers look to stretch their run of 15-straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
Missouri posted a 38-22 mark in 2022 including a 12-11 record in the SEC. The Tigers concluded the season seventh in the SEC during the regular season.
In SEC play, the Tigers posted three-game sweeps of South Carolina (4/1-4/3), No. 9/12 Kentucky (4/23-25) and Texas A&M (4/29-5/1). The Tigers have taken each of the last six games and eight of the last nine meetings against South Carolina. Missouri’s sweep of Kentucky in 2022 was the Tigers first since 2019 when Mizzou won all three games in Lexington, Kentucky, during Larissa Anderson‘s first season at the helm.
The Tigers totaled 86 home runs in 2022 which ranks second all-time in program history behind 91 homers, set in 2021.In the field, Missouri recorded a .976 fielding percentage which ranks tied for second behind 2021’s .979 clip.
Looking Ahead
Following the midweek, Mizzou will host Kentucky in its 2023 SEC opening weekend series Friday through Sunday. Game times for the weekend series are set for 4 p.m., CT Friday and 1 p.m. Saturday-Sunday.
Friday fans will receive a Mizzou beanie, while supplies last. Saturday is Military Appreciation Day and fans will receive a t-shirt, while supplies last. Sunday is Family Funday Sunday. Postgame, fans can run the bases and get autographs from the 2023 team.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
- Single game and limited season tickets are currently on sale. Tickets can be purchased online, in-person at the Mizzou ticket office, or by calling 1 (800) CAT-PAWS.
