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COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri softball program (23-18, 3-12 SEC) opens a nine-game homestand Wednesday, April 12 when the Tigers face in-state foe Lindenwood (13-20, 5-6 OVC) in midweek action. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m., CT at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.
The game will be broadcast on SEC Network+ with Randy Moehlman and Brooke Wilmes on the call.
Missouri ranks first in the SEC for fielding percentage (.980, ninth in the NCAA) and second for stolen bases (81, 1.98 stolen/game) in 2023. Additionally, the Tigers are third in triples (0.24).
Missouri is 5-0 in home midweek matchups (6-0 in 2023) this season, most recently beating Northern Iowa, 4-1, on March 29. Mizzou is also 4-0 in midweeks played on Wednesdays in 2023.
Missouri (23-18, 3-12 SEC)
vs. Lindenwood (13-20, 5-6 OVC)
Date: Wednesday, April 12, 2023
Venue: Mizzou Softball Stadium
Location: Columbia, Mo.
Game Time: 5:30 p.m., CT
All-Time Series: First meeting between the two institutions
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
Live Video: SEC Network+
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Twitter: @MizzouSoftball
Notes:
Series History
- Missouri and Lindenwood meet for the first time in program history Wednesday as the Lions transitioned from Division II to Division I during the 2022-23 academic year.
LSU Series
Missouri most recently went 1-2 this past weekend in its road SEC series at No. 12/11 LSU April 6-8.
The Tigers opened the series with an 8-6 win over LSU in the opener after a three-run sixth.
Alex Honnold (2-for-2, three walks, two runs and a double) and Chantice Phillips (2-for-3, run, walk, and two stolen bases) each registered a pair of hits, while Maddie Gallagher pitched in a season-high (Missouri career-best) three RBI outing.
Kara Daly notched a pair of RBI with a run. She now leads the team with eight multi-RBI games in 2023.
Emma Nichols notched her first win of the season (11th in her career at Missouri). She pitched a scoreless inning, allowing just one hit in her fourth appearance in 2023.
Freshman Taylor Pannell grabbed the save, allowing just one hit in the seventh. She leads the SEC with five saves this season (fourth in the NCAA).
Katie Chester belted her first career SEC home run in game two of the series. She paced the Tigers at the plate, going 2-for-3 which matched a personal best two hits for her third multi-hit game of the campaign.
Kara Daly registered her ninth double of the season (11 in her career) in the middle game of the series.
Alex Honnold posted her ninth home run of the season (third in SEC play) Saturday in the series finale. It marked her 13th multi-hit game of the season.
AL PAL
Alex Honnold is second in the SEC (22nd in the NCAA) this season with a .439 batting average and third in the conference with a .573 on base percentage (ninth in the NCAA). She is also fifth in the SEC with a .837 slugging percentage (14th in the NCAA).
On the basepaths, Honnold has snagged 16 bags (0.43 stolen bases/game).
The junior from West Des Moines, Iowa, is currently on a five-game reached base streak. She had a pair of hits in both the opener and the finale of the LSU road series and led Mizzou with a .571 batting average over the series.
Honnold connected on her ninth dinger of the season in the finale on April 8. It marked her third home run in SEC play. She leads the Tigers in 2023 for homers followed by Julia Crenshaw and Kara Daly who each have seven.
Honnold has registered 13 multi-hit games in 2023 and is second on the Tigers with 32 RBI (seven multi-RBI games).
She was named the SEC Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 20, batting .643 with a 1.357 slugging percentage and a .762 on-base percentage as the Tigers went 6-0 over their non-conference Florida trip. Honnold was 9-for-14 at the dish, compiling 10 RBI, nine runs, four doubles and two home runs over the six games.
Gally
Second base Maddie Gallagher batted .571 this past week at LSU, good for first on the team with Alex Honnold.
She notched a hit in all three games of the road series and is currently on a five-game hit streak (.461, six hits during that span).
Gallagher notched a season-high (Missouri career-best) three RBI outing in the series opener on April 6. It marked her second multi-RBI game of the season.
The junior from Port Washington, N.Y., also notched a pair of hits (2-for-2) in the finale on April 8 for her fourth multi-hit game in 2023 (third two-hit game of the season).
Overall, Gallagher is fourth on the team with a .271 batting average.
The Adventures of Channy P
Junior left fielder Chantice Phillips led the Tigers with two hits (2-for-3, run, walk) in the series opener at LSU on April 6. She also stole a career-high two bases.
Phillips, a Kansas City, Mo, native is third on the team with a .276 batting average (second in SEC play with a .279). She has posted four multi-hit games and two multi-RBI games (four RBI twice) in 2023.
In the Circle
Four Tigers pitchers have earned two or more wins this season.
Laurin Krings leads the Tigers with an 8-9 mark, throwing six complete games over 99.2 innings. She has registered 81 strikeouts and has an ERA of 2.53.
Krings recently pitched a career-high 8.2 innings in the second game of the Alabama series on March 31, finishing with six strikeouts.
Krings was dominant in a complete-game victory over No. 8/8 Northwestern on Feb. 11 (three strikeouts, one run on four hits in the complete-game win). She also registered a season-high 11 strikeouts in a complete-game shutout of Illinois on March 14.
Krings has notched five-or-more strikeouts nine times in 2023 including nine of her last 10 starts.
Krings is 12 strikeouts away from 400 in her career as a Tiger. She ranks 10th all-time in program history with 388.
Freshman Cierra Harrison has 53 strikeouts and is second for Tiger starters with a 2.81 ERA. She is 6-1 in 2023 with a complete-game win over Maine on March 3 and career-best eight strikeouts against Butler on Feb. 18. Opposing batters are hitting .205 against Harrison this season.
Harrison has registered seven-or-more strikeouts five times and matched her career-high eight punch outs against Drake on March 22.
Jordan Weber is 6-7 this season with a 4.30 ERA to go with 45 strikeouts. Weber threw a no-hitter (third career no-hitter, second individual no-hitter) at FIU on Feb. 18 with a season-high four strikeouts. She also pitched a complete-game, allowing just two runs on three hits with a season-high five strikeouts against Illinois on March 14.
Weber 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 4.54 ERA over 24.2 innings (13 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.
Freshman Taylor Pannell paces the conference with five saves (fourth in the NCAA). She has made 14 appearances (14.1 innings) in 2023. The Tigers closer from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, has compiled a 2.93 ERA and opposing batters are hitting .200.
Our Leadoff Hitter
Jenna Laird ranks fourth in the SEC with 46 hits. The junior shortstop from East Meadow, New York, is second on Mizzou in 2023 with a .351 mark at the dish.
She has compiled a .860 OPS (.448 OB%) and paces the Tigers with 15 multi-hit games (three hits four times). She also has seven multi-RBI games.
On the basepaths, Laird is second in the conference (14th in the NCAA) with 25 stolen bases (0.61 stolen bases/game, third in the SEC).
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, Missouri hosts Ole Miss in a Saturday through Monday home SEC series. The series will open Saturday at 2 p.m., CT before Sunday (3 p.m.) and Monday (6 p.m.) matchups. Saturday will be on SEC Network+ while the final two games of the series will be on SEC Network. Monday head coach Larissa Anderson will be Mic’d up throughout the broadcast.
Saturday is Pink Out; the Tigers will wear specialty pink jerseys to support Breast Cancer Awareness. Sunday is Family Funday where fans can run the bases and receive postgame autographs. Monday fans in attendance can receive Monday Night Softball shirts, as supplies last.
Monday Missouri Governor Mike Parson will throw out the ceremonial first pitch ahead of Missouri’s finale with Ole Miss.
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.
