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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri Softball program (19-11, 1-5 SEC) will take on Drake (6-16, 0-3 Missouri Valley) Wednesday in midweek action at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m., CT.
Wednesday’s game will be broadcasted on SEC Network+ with Randy Moehlman and Brooke Wilmes on the call.
Missouri is 3-0 in midweek matchups this season, mostly recently edging Illinois in a doubleheader on March 14. The Tigers also topped Kansas City, 11-5, on March 8.
Missouri
vs. Drake
Date: Wednesday, March 22, 2022
Venue: Mizzou Softball Complex
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Game Time: 5:30 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: Missouri leads Drake, 26-4
Last Meetings: Missouri 10, Drake 2 (Five Innings) | March 14, 2021 | Columbia, Mo.
Missouri 5, Drake 0 | March 13, 2021 | Columbia, Mo.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
Live Video: SEC Network+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @MizzouSoftball
Notes: Missouri
Series History
- Missouri leads the all-time series with Drake, 26-4.
- The Tigers and Bulldogs last met in 2021 at the Mizzou Tournament with Missouri winning both matchups over the two-day tourney.
- The Tigers shutout Drake, 5-0, on March 13, 2021, before run ruling the Bulldogs, 10-2, on March 14, 2021.
- Jenna Laird went 5-for-6 over the two games including 3-for-3 with two runs in the run-rule victory. She had a pair of RBI and a stolen base on March 13, 2021.
- Chantice Phillips knocked a double in the run rule win.
- Laurin Krings and Jordan Weber (5.0 inning shutout with four strikeouts) both registered wins over the two games.
- Head coach Larissa Anderson is 2-0 against Drake in her career.
Last Timeout
Mizzou most recently went 1-2 in the Tigers first SEC road series of the season at Florida. The Tigers upset No. 8/11 Florida, 7-3, on March 17 before dropping a pair of 4-3 games to close the series.
AL PAL
Alex Honnold batted .500 with a 1.071 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage this past week. Honnold opened the week with a pair of doubles in the midweek doubleheader against Illinois. She finished game one of the doubleheader with the Illini, 2-for-3 hitting.
Honnold then hammered a career-high two home runs and was responsible for a personal-best five Tiger runs (5 RBI) as Mizzou opened the Florida series with a 7-3 upset victory. She finished the contest 3-for-4 at the plate with two runs.
Honnold added a hit and a RBI in game two with the Gators.
The junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, leads the Tigers in 2023 with seven home runs. In the SEC, she ranks first for batting average (.478, 12th in the NCAA), second for OBPs (.598, sixth in the NCAA) and fourth for slugging percentage (.928, ninth in the NCAA).
Honnold has registered 10 multi-hit games in 2023 and registered six multi-RBI games (29 total RBI, 30th in the NCAA).
In SEC play, Honnold is hitting at a .350 clip with a .650 slugging percentage.
Luck No. 7
Sophomore Julia Crenshaw belted her career-best seventh home run in the finale at Florida on March 19. She is tied with Alex Honnold for the team lead for dingers.
Both Crenshaw and Honnold compiled their first career SEC home runs this past weekend in Gainesville.
The home run snapped Crenshaw’s hitting slump at seven games. She is third on the team with a .299 batting average with 28 RBI and a .621 slugging percentage.
The O’Fallon, Missouri, native, had tallied nine multi-hit games this season and posted five multi-RBI games.
On the Daly
Kara Daly was third on the Tigers this past week with a .333 batting average (.867 slugging percentage) on three doubles, a triple, a homer and five RBI.
Daly registered a double and triple to go along with four RBI in the Tigers’ 7-0 finale win over Illinois on March 14.
She added a personal best two doubles, going a career-high 3-for-4 with a run and a RBI in game one of the road series at Florida.
Daly, a sophomore from Jefferson City, Missouri, has compiled six multi-hit games this season (six multi-RBI games). She is third on the Tigers with six home runs and is slugging .581.
Let’s Go Chuck
Freshman first baseman Katie Chester hit .300 in four starts this past week. She registered three hits over the Florida series including a career-best matching 2-for-3 day at the plate in the Friday afternoon win.
Chester also reached base in all three games in Gainesville.
The Liberty, Missouri, native has made 21 starts in 27 appearances this season. In SEC play, Chester is hitting .333 with a .538 slugging percentage.
The Adventures of ChannyP
Left fielder Chantice Phillips hit .308 this past week with four runs, two doubles, and a RBI. She posted a hit in each of the three games in Florida including back-to-back doubles in the first two games of the series.
Phillips missed 10 games during non-conference play and has started 19 games in the outfield this season including each of the last 14.
In the Circle
Four Tigers pitchers have earned two or more wins this season.
Laurin Krings leads the Tigers with a 7-5 mark, throwing five complete games over 68.2 innings. She has registered 56 strikeouts and has an ERA of 2.65. Krings was dominant in a complete-game victory over No. 8/8 Northwestern. She also registered a season-high 11 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout of Illinois on March 14. Krings has posted five or more strikeouts six times in 2023 including six of her last seven starts.
Freshman Cierra Harrison has 45 strikeouts and is second for Tiger starters with a 2.81 ERA. She is 5-1 in 2023 with a complete-game win over Maine and career-best eight strikeouts against Butler. Opposing batters are hitting .203 against Harrison this season.
Jordan Weber is 5-4 this season with a 3.73 ERA to go with 30 strikeouts. Weber threw a no-hitter at FIU with a season-high four strikeouts. She pitched a complete-game, allowing just two runs on three hits with a season-high five strikeouts against Illinois on March 14.
Weber also picked up her first SEC win of the season on March 17 at Florida, letting up just three runs on five hits with four strikeouts over 6.2 innings.
Megan Schumacher is 2-1 thus far in 2023 with a 3.79 ERA over 20.1 innings (11 strikeouts). Schumacher registered a complete-game shutout, allowing just one hit as the Tigers notched a 10-0 run-rule win over Maine March 4. The start was her first of the 2023 campaign, tallying two strikeouts.
Our Leadoff Hitter
Jenna Laird is second on Mizzou in 2023 with a .423 (ninth in the SEC) mark at the dish. The East Meadow, New York, native, is also first in the SEC (12th in the NCAA) with 41 hits this season.
She has compiled a 1.022 OPS and paces the Tigers with 15 multi-hit games (three hits four times) and seven multi-RBI games.
On the basepaths, Laird is first in the conference (10th in the NCAA) with 20 stolen bases (0.67 stolen bases/game, third in the SEC).
She is currently on an 11-game reached base streak (16 hits). Laird hit .400 this past week and has notched a hit in each of the past four games.
In the SEC, Laird paces the Tigers with a .500 batting average and a .609 on-base percentage.
Last Midweek
Mizzou swept its midweek Braggin’ Rights doubleheader over Illinois March 14 at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. Jordan Weber and Laurin Krings, each compiled complete-game wins as the Tigers topped Illinois, 3-2 and 7-0.
Weber held Illinois hitless through five innings in the opener. She allowed just two runs on three hits over seven innings, her longest outing of the season. Weber punched out five batters in Game 1 — her highest strikeout performance of the season. It marked her second complete game of the season.
Alex Honnold went 2-for-3 in Game 1, notching her ninth multi-hit game of the season. She had a double in each game with the Fighting Illini. Chantice Phillips went 1-for-2 in Game 1, her ninth game of the season with at least one hit.
In the finale, Krings struck out a season-high 11 batters, her fifth game this season with five-plus strikeouts. She let up just three hits to improve to 7-4 in 2023 (34-16 in her career).
Kara Daly had two hits in Game 2, her fifth multi-hit performance of the season, including a three-run triple. It marked her 14th two-hit game as a Tiger. She finished with four RBI and a run.
Gallagher Honored on SportsCenter Top 10 Plays
Maddie Gallagher was featured on SportsCenter’s Top 10 on Wednesday for her diving catch in foul territory in game 2 of the doubleheader with Illinois. Her catch was selected No. 4 in the compilation of Top 10 plays.
Addie Lange’s Journey to Missouri
Redshirt junior catcher Addie Lange has had quite the journey to Mizzou. The Gallatin, Tennessee, native, dreamt of playing for the Tigers and transferred to Missouri after earning 2021 NJCAA First Team All-American honors at Vol State.
Read her full journey in the Gallatin News article.
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.
Laird 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.
Looking Ahead
Following the midweek, Mizzou heads to No. 21/25 Auburn for a weekend series. Game times are 6 p.m., 5 p.m., and 6 p.m., CT in the Saturday-Sunday-Monday series.
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.
