No. 7 Seeded Softball to Host 2024 NCAA Columbia Regional this Weekend

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The No. 7 seed University of Missouri softball team (43-15) will host the 2024 NCAA Columbia Regional this weekend at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.

After making a run to the championship game of the 2024 SEC Tournament, the Tigers earned the No. 7 overall national seed and will welcome Washington, Indiana, and Omaha.

Mizzou will open the Regional Friday against Omaha at 4:30 p.m., CT, after Indiana and Washington face off at 2 p.m., CT.

This weekend’s Regional will be broadcasted on ESPN+ with Chuckie Kempf and Monica Abbott on the call.

Mizzou will host a Regional for the third time in four seasons as the Tigers last hosted in 2022. Overall, Missouri will compete in its 17th-straight NCAA Tournament (27 total regional appearances) this season.

The Tigers will look to reach the Women’s College World Series for the seventh time in program history. Mizzou’s last appearance came in 2011 when the Tigers were No. 9 overall seed.

Mizzou was ranked 10th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and ninth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll this week. Mizzou first appeared in the National Polls following week one on Feb. 13. The Tigers are also sixth in RPI and 11th for toughest schedule.

Missouri ranked fourth in the NCAA in 2024 with an average attendance of 2,520. Mizzou has sent the single-game attendance record and single-weekend attendance record twice this season including most recently against Florida (9,565 weekend attendance, April 12-14, 3,607 single game, April 13).

COLUMBIA REGIONAL SCHEDULE

• Friday, May 17 – Game 1: 2 p.m., CT – Washington vs. Indiana | ESPN+
• Friday, May 17 – Game 2: 4:30 p.m., CT – Missouri vs. Omaha | ESPN+
• Saturday, May 18 – Game 3: 2 p.m., CT – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
• Saturday, May 18 – Game 4: 4:30 p.m., CT – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
• Saturday, May 18 – Game 5: 7 p.m., CT – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
• Sunday, May 19 – Game 6: TBD – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
• Sunday, May 19 – Game 7: TBD – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (if necessary)

2024 NCAA COLUMBIA REGIONAL

Location: Columbia, Mo. (Mizzou Softball Stadium)

Live Stats: NCAA

Live Video: ESPN+

Radio: KTGR

Tickets

Game Notes: Mizzou | Omaha | Washington | Indiana

Twitter: @MizzouSoftball

OMAHA SERIES HISTORY

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with Omaha, 2-0.
• The Tigers last faced Omaha April 11, 2018, earning a 6-0 win.
• In the meeting prior, Mizzou overcame the Mavericks, 7-4, on April 19, 2017.
• Former Mizzou first baseman Emma Raabe (2019-22) is an assistant coach for Omaha. Raabe appeared in 167 games (138 starts) with Mizzou. She posted a career year with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 33 RBI while batting .269 with 28 walks for an OBP of .400 as a junior in 2021.

REST OF COLUMBIA REGIONAL SERIES HISTORY

• Washington leads the all-time series against Mizzou 8-6.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson 1-1 in her career against the Huskies.
• The two teams last faced off in 2022, with Mizzou run-ruling the No. 5 ranked Huskies, 10-0, at the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California.
• Mizzou Hall of Famer Teresa Wilson coached Washington from 1993-2003 (532-198-1 (.728).
• Mizzou holds a 10-5 lead in the all-time series with Indiana.
• Missouri last faced the Hoosiers, March 18, 2001, a 4-2 Tigers win.

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY

• Mizzou will host a Regional for the third time in four seasons as the Tigers last hosted in 2022. It will mark the 13th Regional in Columbia for Missouri.
• Overall, Missouri will compete in its 17th-straight NCAA Tournament (27 total regional appearances) this season. The Tigers are 54-32 in Regionals.
• Mizzou went to the 2023 NCAA Norman Regional, going 1-2 with a win over California.
• Mizzou last hosted Regionals in 2022, going 2-2 in a field against Missouri State and Arizona.
• The Tigers last advanced through their home Regionals in 2021, going 3-0. That season the Tigers fell to James Madison in Super Regionals.
• The Tigers will look to reach the Women’s College World Series for the seventh time in program history. Mizzou’s last appearance came in 2011 when the Tigers were No. 9 overall seed.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson will appear in her fifth Regional at Mizzou (third time hosting at MU). She is 9-6 in Regionals with the Tigers. Overall, it will be Anderson’s seventh career Regional.

ALL-SEC TIGERS

All-Tournament Team

• Seniors Maddie Gallagher, Laurin Krings, and Jenna Laird were named to the 2024 SEC All-Tournament Team.
• For Laird and Krings, it marked their second career appearance on the All-Tournament Team as the duo also appeared on the list in 2022. The honor marked the first career postseason SEC (playing) honor for Gallagher.
• Laird has now earned eight SEC postseason honors (four-time All-SEC player) while it was the second career postseason SEC honor for Krings who was also named to the 2024 SEC All-Defensive Team.
• Laird led Mizzou at the 2024 SEC Tournament, batting .429 with four runs, two doubles, two stolen bases and a .571 slugging percentage.
• Gallagher chipped in three RBI with two runs, a double and a homer while slugging .583. She was also named to the 2024 SEC Community Service Team.
• Krings went 1-1 over three starts (12.2 innings), striking out three with a 1.66 ERA.

All-SEC Second Team

• Jenna Laird, Alex Honnold and Abby Hay were named to the All-SEC Second Team.
• Laird was named to her third-straight All-SEC Second Team (four-time All-SEC player). The Tigers leadoff hitter from East Meadow, New York, hit .282 during the SEC season, with 22 hits, 14 runs, eight RBI, four doubles and five stolen bases.
• Honnold was selected to her second-straight All-SEC Second Team. She was second on Mizzou during conference play, hitting .288 with 21 hits, 13 runs, 11 RBI, five doubles and two homers. She also compiled a .438 slugging percentage (.376 on-base percentage) with six stolen bases.
• Hay, a freshman from Columbia, Missouri, was named to her first career All-SEC Team. She paced the Tigers in SEC play, batting .318 with 14 hits, nine RBI, six runs and three home runs. Hay also slugged .591 (.423 on-base percentage).
• Hay is the third member of her family to receive all-conference honors at Mizzou as her father, John Hay, was an All-Big Eight catcher on the baseball team, and her mother, Amy (Smethers) Hay, was a three-time All-Big Eight golfer.

SEC All-Defensive Team

• Pitcher Laurin Krings and right fielder Kayley Lenger nabbed spots on the SEC All-Defensive Team. It marked their first career SEC All-Defensive Teams.
• Krings, a senior pitcher from Loveland, Colorado, registered a 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play (22 assists, three putouts, zero errors).
• Lenger, a sophomore right fielder from Liberty, Missouri, posted a fielding percentage of 1.000 during SEC play this season (45 putouts, zero errors).

• With the trio of All-SEC Second Team performers, Missouri’s five selections are the most All-SEC selections (Second Team and All-Defensive) since eight in 2021 (also had three All-SEC selections and two SEC All-Defensive Team picks that season).

1500 PROGRAM WINS

• Mizzou is three wins away from 1,500 in program history (1497-815, 42 seasons).
• The Tigers will become the 15th program in NCAA history to reach 1,500 wins.
• Missouri will also become the second SEC school to reach 1,500 wins after Texas A&M (1,890 wins).

2024 SEC TOURNAMENT RECAP

• Mizzou went 3-1 at the 2024 SEC Tournament, advancing to the Championship Final.
• The Tigers opened their stay at Auburn, Alabama, with a 3-1 win over Ole Miss on Wednesday. Laurin Krings was efficient in the circle, allowing just one earned run on three hits to go with a walk on 79 pitches.
• Leadoff batter Jenna Laird paced the Tigers at the dish, going 2-for-3 with a run, a walk, and a stolen base against Ole Miss.
• Alex Honnold notched with a two-run double to right center before an RBI base hit from Abby Hay. The double marked Honnold’s 21st of the season as she continues to improve on the Mizzou single-season record.
• Mizzou secured a spot in the 2024 SEC Tournament Semifinals Friday, edging fourth seeded No. 16/13 Arkansas, 3-1.
• Jenna Laird paced Mizzou at the plate with a 2-for-4 outing with two runs, a double and an RBI.
• Cierra Harrison pitched five innings for the win, allowing just one earned run on four hits with a pair of strikeouts. She improved to 14-3 in 2024.
• Harrison was relieved for Marissa McCann in the bottom of the sixth with two on and no outs. After letting up a single to load the bases, McCann retired the Razorbacks with an infield fly before consecutive strikeouts to deny the threat.
• Closer Taylor Pannell finished the job, picking up her NCAA-leading 14th save of the season. She is one save away from tying the NCAA single-season record.
• Maddie Gallagher knocked a walk-off sacrifice fly in the eighth inning to propel the fifth seeded Tigers to the 2024 SEC Tournament Championship game, as Mizzou overcame eighth seeded No. 10/9 LSU, 2-1, in extra innings.
• Gallagher was responsible for both of Mizzou’s runs Friday, blasted a deep fly to right field to score Laird. Gallagher tallied her team-leading ninth multi-RBI game to help the Tigers walk-off LSU. She blasted her career-best third round tripper of the campaign (five career home runs).
• Taylor Pannell, the NCAA saves leader, closed out the final 1.1 innings for the victory. She improved to 3-1 in 2024 and picked up her second win in her last four appearances.
• Mizzou then fell to second seeded No. 8/7 Florida, 6-1, Saturday afternoon at Jane B. Moore Field in the 2024 SEC Tournament Championship game.
• Julia Crenshaw paced Mizzou Saturday, going 2-for-3 with a double.
• Mizzou made its third SEC Tournament Championship appearance in program history (2024, 2022, 2013) Saturday and second appearance in three seasons.
• Missouri is now 11-10 overall at the SEC Tournament (7-3 in the past three tournaments).

QUICK HITTERS

• The Tigers head into the SEC Tournament with a 43-15 record (13-11 SEC).
• Missouri has surpassed both its overall win (35) total and SEC win total (7) from 2023.
• Mizzou’s current winning percentage (.741) currently stands as the program’s best in the SEC era. The Tigers’ previous best season winning percentage in their SEC era was in 2021 (42-17, .712).
• Overall, Mizzou is one win away from breaking into the top-10 in program history for single-season wins (44, 1988 and 2005). The .741 winning percentage in 2024 ranks 10th overall in the Mizzou record books.
• The Tigers 43 wins in 2024 are the most for head coach Larissa Anderson at Mizzou. Anderson has registered 40-plus wins twice, previously posting a 42-17 record in 2021.
• Missouri’s 13 SEC wins in the 2024 campaign are the most since 15 in 2021.
• Mizzou was ranked 10th in the USA Today/NFCA Coaches Poll and ninth in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Poll this week. Mizzou first appeared in the National Polls following week one on Feb. 13.
• Jenna Laird (64 hits, 52 runs, 12 doubles, 18 stolen bases) paces Mizzou with a .350 batting average in the leadoff slot. Laird and Alex Honnold rank sixth in the SEC with 64 hits in 2024. Laird’s 18 stolen bases ranks fifth in the SEC.
• Alex Honnold is second on Mizzou, hitting .348 with an SEC-leading, Mizzou-record 21 doubles (sixth in NCAA) in 2024. She also has notched 64 hits, 35 RBI, five homers, two triples for a .565 slugging percentage.
• Freshman Abby Hay is third on Mizzou with a .310 batting average (22 hits, three doubles, three homers, 15 RBI, .507 SLG%).
• Maddie Gallagher (.301, 46 hits, 36 RBI, 13 doubles) rounds out the four Tigers hitting over .300 in 2024. She ranks seventh in the SEC with 13 doubles.
• Jenna Laird paces Mizzou with 21 multi-hit games while Maddie Gallagher tops the team with nine multi-RBI games.
• Jenna Laird has appeared in 238 consecutive games (all starts) which is a Mizzou program record (Hatti Moore, 236 games, 2018-22).
• Alex Honnold‘s total career-doubles sits at 50, which is tied for fifth in Mizzou program history with Emily Crane (2013-16).
• Alex Honnold ranks second on the Tigers with 17 multi-hit games. She ranks sixth in the SEC for hits (64).
• Kayley Lenger, Abby Hay, and Julia Crenshaw have reached base in seven-straight games. Maddie Gallagher has reached base in five straight while Jenna Laird is on a four-game hitting streak.
• Laurin Krings has 53 career wins which ranks tenth in Mizzou program history for wins.
• Laurin Krings ranks in the top-10 in Mizzou program history for appearances (129, eighth), innings pitched (562.1, ninth), strikeouts (567, sixth) and wins (53, 10th).
• In 2024, Laurin Krings ranks 10th in the SEC with 146.0 innings pitched. She is also 11th with a strikeout to walk ratio of 3.11 and 13th for strikeouts (115).
• Freshman pitcher Marissa McCann ranks eighth in the SEC with a 1.84 ERA followed by Cierra Harrison (2.06, 13th). Harrison is also 10th in the league with three shutouts and 11th for wins (14).
• Kayley Lenger is first in the SEC with 19 HBP (fifth in the NCAA).
• Closer Taylor Pannell ranks first in both the SEC and in the nation with 14 saves in 2024. She is also the NCAA active leader in the category with 20. Pannell is one save away from matching the NCAA single season record of 15 (Taylor Bauman, FGCU, and Mallory Aldred, Canisius) after surpassing Kacey Marshall’s Mizzou record (12 saves in 1994) and the SEC record (Kellie Wilkerson, MSU, 14, 2002).
• Kara Daly paces Mizzou with seven home runs in 2024. The junior third baseman surpassed 100 career RBI (103) over the South Carolina series.
• Jenna Laird ranks in the top 10 in Mizzou program history for career batting average (.352, fifth), at bats (766, third), hits (270, fourth), doubles (48, sixth), runs (194, fourth) and stolen bases (82, sixth).
• The one-two punch of Laurin Krings and Cierra Harrison have combined for 27 wins in the circle with 13-8 and 14-3 records, respectively. They rank 11th and 14th, respectively in the SEC for wins. The duo has also gone the distance in the circle 12 times (eight and four complete games, respectively).
• Lilly Whitten (5-0, 1.18 ERA), Marissa McCann (8-3, two saves, 1.84 ERA) and Taylor Pannell (3-1, 14 saves, 0.72 ERA) have also picked up wins for Mizzou in 2024.
• Jenna Laird is six runs away from 200 in her career.
• Alex Honnold surpassed 200 career hits at Mizzou over the 2024 SEC Tournament.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson registered her 200th win at the helm of Mizzou (212-112) during the midweek at Drake (4/10). In her sixth season at Missouri, Anderson holds a career record of 342-185-1 over 10 career seasons.

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.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

• For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).

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