Missouri softball is still itching to punch its ticket to the Women’s College World Series, where the Tigers have not been since 2011.
The Tigers fell short of the same goal last year after two losses to Arizona at home in an NCAA Regional abruptly ended their season. Despite last year’s outcome, coach Larissa Anderson says her team’s ambition hasn’t wavered.
“Their No. 1 goal is to hold up a championship trophy on Arkansas’ field,” Anderson said during a press conference Monday. “That’s something that this group has not experienced, I have not experienced, and it’s putting yourselves in a position to have that opportunity.”
Anderson said high morale and additions to the Tigers’ staff — most notably hitting and assistant coach Jeff Cottrill — have kept the team motivated in the offseason.
During his seven years at Oklahoma State, Cottrill helped the Cowgirls secure three consecutive trips to the Women’s College World Series and a Big 12 championship. The team hopes his valuable offensive experience will help Missouri string some hits together this season, adding to the Tigers’ recent ability to hit home runs.
Missouri hit the second-most and the most home runs during a single season in program history in its past two seasons with 86 in 2022 and 91 in 2021, respectively.
“He’s been there,” Anderson said in reference to Cottrill and the Women’s College World Series, “so he knows what needs to be done.”
Anderson said Cottrill’s ability to develop personal relationships with athletes sets him apart from other hitting coaches.
She also said he prioritizes personalizing each player’s swing, is mindful of their individual physical capabilities and works to maximize “what they physically can do.”
Tigers return entire pitching staff
Among other changes to the program, the Tigers graduated eight seniors last year, leaving gaping holes on the field and in the batter’s box for younger players to fill.
Anderson said “tradition never graduates,” and the legacy last season’s seniors left has been handed to players like junior Riley Frizell, sophomore Kara Daly and senior Megan Moll. She said expectations remain high because of those athletes.
Despite graduating talent on and off the field, Missouri will return its entire pitching staff, including seniors Jordan Weber and Megan Schumacher and junior Laurin Krings. Weber and Krings pitched the majority of the games in 2022 and came away with earned run averages of 2.51 and 2.78, respectively. The Tigers pitched to a season ERA of 2.81 and a postseason ERA of only 1.00.
Missouri has more experience in the circle than it did last season and, after losing so many starters, Anderson said she’s focused on maximizing opportunities. She said the team will be relying on the pitching staff to keep the Tigers’ ERA under 2.00 to complement an offense that can score three or four runs in order to win games.
“Those three pitchers — Weber, Krings and Schumacher — know what’s expected of them, and they want to go out on a very, very high note,” Anderson said. “They’ve committed to their craft in the weight room, which has carried over to their pitches.”
All eyes on Jenna Laird
Junior shortstop Jenna Laird is, by most preseason predictions, the player to watch ahead of Missouri’s season opener.
Laird has earned five preseason accolades including a selection to the 2023 Preseason All-SEC team for the second straight season, being named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List as well as earning spots on numerous top 100 lists.
Laird, in an interview after the annual Black & Gold scrimmage Saturday, said she’s thankful for the recognition, but isn’t letting the awards get to her head.
“I’m so grateful for them, but that’s not me,” she said. “But it is me, essentially, obviously. You can expect that from me, but you can expect even more from me as well.”
She said she’s hoping to exceed last year’s accomplishments — which earned her a 2022 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for shortstop — and, as a team, hopes to bring home an SEC championship. Laird said the team is looking forward to being back on the field and playing the game they love “as a family.”
Laird led the Tigers last season in batting average (.388), runs (44) and hits (67). In the field, she posted a .975 fielding percentage.
Missouri enters the season at No. 23 nationally, according to ESPN/USA Softball’s Top 25, and eighth in the SEC, according to the Southeastern Conference’s Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
The Tigers will hit the road to face defending national runner-up Texas at 3 p.m. Friday in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Florida. Missouri will play five games over the weekend, including two games against ranked opponents, No. 6 Texas and No. 8 Northwestern. They’ll be competing out of town and escaping Missouri’s winter weather for the majority of February but will return to Columbia in early March.
Anderson said opening the softball season by taking on such a tough opponent is going to show the Tigers exactly where they are in terms of practice and what they need to improve going forward.
At home, she said she just wants to keep energy high.
“We have unbelievably loyal and dedicated fans,” Anderson said. “My goal coming in here was to make Mizzou Softball Stadium one of the toughest places to play in the country, and it is.”