Softball Set for Wednesday Border Showdown with Kansas

COLUMBIA, Mo. – University of Missouri softball (18-15) welcomes Kansas (14-12) to Columbia for a prime-time Wednesday night Border War showdown. First pitch is 8 p.m., CT at Mizzou Softball Stadium.

The game will be featured on ESPNU with Chucky Kempf and Monica Abbott on the broadcast.

Wednesday’s game concludes a 10-game homestand for Mizzou. Promotions for the midweek include Military Appreciation Night and fans in attendance will receive Beat kU t-shirts, while supplies last.

New concession food items for the 2025 softball season at Mizzou Softball Stadium include Funnel Cake, Popcorn Shrimp Basket and MIZ DOG which will be sold on the third base side. Draft cocktails will also be available on the berm.

PROMOTION SCHEDULE

• Wednesday vs. Kansas – Military Appreciation Night | Beat kU T-Shirt Giveaway

WEEK SCHEDULE

• Missouri vs. Kansas – Wednesday, March 26, 8 p.m., CT | ESPNU
• Missouri at No. 19/21 Ole Miss – Saturday, March 29, 2 p.m., CT | SEC Network+
• Missouri at No. 19/21 Ole Miss – Sunday, March 30, 2 p.m., CT | SEC Network+
• Missouri at No. 19/21 Ole Miss – Monday, March 31, 6 p.m., CT | SEC Network

Live Stats: Kansas

Live Video: Kansas

Tickets

X: @MizzouSoftball

Notes: Mizzou | Kansas

SERIES HISTORY – KANSAS

• Mizzou leads the all-time series with border rival Kansas, 72-45. The Tiger have won each of the last two meetings with the Jayhawks.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson is 5-2 in her career against KU.
• The two teams last squared off on March 6, 2024, at Arrocha Ballpark in Lawrence, Kansas, with the Tigers securing a 3-2 victory in the Border Showdown.
• Mizzou struck first in the second inning after Maddie Gallagher reached on an error, and Madison Walker drove in the run with a single.
• Cierra Harrison held Kansas scoreless over four innings, allowing just three hits while striking out two to earn the win. Senior Laurin Krings and closer Taylor Pannell combined to hold off a late Kansas rally with Pannell sealing the win with a strikeout.

NO. 1 OKLAHOMA RECAP

• Mizzou took one of three games against No. 1 Oklahoma over its first SEC home series of the season.
• In game two with the Sooners, the Tigers handed OU, the four-time defending national champion, its first loss of the season and the Sooners first-ever SEC loss. It also halted Oklahoma’s win streak at 31 games, dating back to last season.
• MU picked up the historic win in front of a program-best 4,146 fans which surpassed the Tigers’ previous attendance record of 4,021 set at the 2024 NCAA Super Regionals against Duke (May 26, 2024).
• Saturday’s win marked Missouri’s first over a No. 1 ranked opponent since the Tigers defeated top-ranked Florida, 3-2, on May 3, 2015, at University Field.
• MU also beat Oklahoma for the first time since April 21, 2012, a 4-2 extra-inning (8) victory over the Sooners in Norman, Oklahoma.
• Taylor Ebbs paced Mizzou over the series, hitting .400 while Julia Crenshaw and Adi Koller followed with .375 and .333 weekends, respectively.
• Koller made her first two career starts at Mizzou, appearing in the outfield.
• Sophomore Madison Walker belted her team-leading 13th homer of the season in game two. Walker is now three home runs away from breaking into the MU top-10 record books for a single season. The homer was her first career blast in SEC play.
• Taylor Ebbs added a solo shot to left field in the third frame for her fourth home run in 2025 (30th career homer). Ebbs paced the Tigers in game two, going 2-for-2 with two runs, a homer and a walk.
• Cierra Harrison improved to 7-4 in the circle with her first SEC victory of the season. She pitched four scoreless innings, allowing just three hits to go with three strikeouts and three walks.
• Taylor Pannell, the NCAA’s Division I active career saves leader, picked up her first save of the season to increase her total to 22. She pitched the final three innings, surrendering just one earned run on two hits to go with three strikeouts. Pannell has totaled 93 strikeouts and 91.1 innings pitched over her career at Mizzou.
• Missouri set a new regular-season weekend attendance record, welcoming 10,229 fans to Mizzou Softball Stadium for the SEC series against No. 1 Oklahoma. This weekend’s total surpassed the previous record of 9,565 fans set against Florida in 2024 (April 12-14, 2024). Overall, this weekend’s series attendance of 10,229, ranks second all-time in MU program history behind the 2024 NCAA Super Regionals with Duke (11,608, May 24-26, 2024).
• Crenshaw wrapped the weekend with her ninth homer of the season (third in SEC play in 2025), which matches her personal-best set in 2023. She now has 22 homers in her career at Mizzou and increased her career totals to 99 RBI and 95 runs.
• Sophie Smith connected on her first career double in the finale.

JULIA CRENSHAW

• Senior catcher Julia Crenshaw has led by example at the top of the Mizzou lineup card.
• The O’Fallon, Missouri, native, paces the Tigers with a .374 batting average to go with 10 doubles, nine homers and 24 RBI. Her 10 doubles are seventh in the SEC with teammate Stefania Abruscato, and she is averaging 0.30 per game (10th in SEC).
• Crenshaw has scored 33 times (10th in SEC).
• She had a team-best 15-game reached base streak earlier this season and has reached safely in each of the last six (five-game hitting streak).
• Defensively, she ranks second in the SEC with five batters caught stealing.
• Crenshaw is one RBI away from 100 in her collegiate career. She also has 95 career runs.

MADISON WALKER

• Sophomore third baseman Madison Walker has been on a tear this season, blasting 13 home runs. She ranks second in the SEC for the category and is averaging 0.39 home runs per game.
• With 16 homers, she will break into Mizzou’s single-season record books. The single-season record is 20 set by Amanda Renth in 2008.
• Walker launched home runs in consecutive games against South Dakota State and Princeton and has hit round trippers in back-to-back games three times this season.
• She has also notched two, two-homer games this season including most recently against Nebraska (March 2).
• Walker is batting .261 (.649 slugging percentage) with four doubles and 34 RBI this season. She ranks 11th in the SEC for RBI.

KARA DALY

• Kara Daly blasted her 37th career home run in the midweek against Illinois (March 18). She homered in the bottom of the fifth to overtake Cayla Kessinger (2017-21, 36 home runs) for 10th all-time in Mizzou program history.
• Daly will move into tied for ninth for career homers at Mizzou with 40 (Micaela Minner, 2005-09).
• Daly, a Jefferson City, Missouri, native, has seven homers this season which matches her total from 2024.
• She is three runs away from 100 in her collegiate career. She surpassed 600 career plate appearances (603, 21st in NCAA) at Mizzou in the series against Oklahoma.
• Daly ranks sixth amongst the NCAA Division I career leaders with 219 games played.
• She was the featured cover story in this month’s issue of Rod Smith’s Show-Me Sports Magazine.

QUICK HITTERS

• Mizzou is 18-15 overall (1-5 SEC) in 2025 and 7-2 to start its home slate.
• Mizzou has four ranked wins in 2025, defeating No. 20/21 Northwestern, No. 7/8 Duke, No. 16/18 Nebraska and most recently No. 1/1 Oklahoma this past weekend.
• Madison Walker leads Mizzou with 13 home runs and 34 RBI. She is slugging .649 this season. Walker is second in the SEC for home runs (13, sixth in NCAA, 0.39 homers/game). She leads Mizzou with eight multi-RBI games this season.
• Julia Crenshaw paces the Tigers’ offense, hitting .374 with a team-high 37 hits, 10 doubles, nine homers and five stolen bases. Crenshaw has a team-high 11 multiple hit games in 2025. She has scored 33 times (10th in SEC).
• Defensively, the senior catcher from O’Fallon, Missouri, is second in the league with five runners caught stealing.
• Crenshaw is on a six-game reached base streak (five-game hitting streak) while Adi Koller has hit safely in four-straight games.
• Crenshaw and Stefania Abruscato are seventh in the SEC with 10 doubles each.
• Crenshaw and Walker are ninth and 11th, respectively, in the SEC with 74 and 72 total bases each.
• Marissa McCann and Cierra Harrison rank second and fifth in the SEC, respectively, with 15 and 14 starts. McCann is also eighth for complete games (six) and fifth for innings pitched (87.1). McCann is 7-6 while Harrison is 7-4 this season.
• Missouri sits second for sacrifice bunts in the SEC with 22. Freshman Madison Uptegrove is first in the SEC with 0.20 sacrifice bunts per game.
• Claire Cahalan has knocked three triples and is averaging 0.09 per game (fourth in SEC) this season. She went on a team-best 15-game reached base streak this season.
• Taylor Ebbs is on a 12-game reached base streak.
• NCAA Division I saves leader Taylor Pannell has 22 in her career. She has also pitched 91.1 career innings with 93 career strikeouts.
• Head coach Larissa Anderson picked up her 350th career win with a 10-3 victory over Duke on Feb. 8. Anderson was also inducted into the Gannon University (Erie, Pennsylvania) Athletics Hall of Fame that same day.
• Anderson signed an extension with Mizzou through 2028 over the fall.
• Mizzou is coming off an impressive 2024 that saw the Tigers earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the 17th consecutive year (27 total regional appearances). MU made its 10th Supers appearance in program history in 2024.
• The Tigers totaled 48 wins (48-14, 13-11 SEC) in 2024, their highest total in the program’s SEC era and fourth most in program history. Missouri’s 13 SEC wins in the 2024 campaign are the most since 15 in 2021.
• The Tigers return six starters from the 2024 NCAA Super Regional team including SEC All-Defensive right fielder Kayley Lenger, NFCA All-Region first baseman Abby Hay along with catcher Julia Crenshaw and third baseman Kara Daly.
• Mizzou added 10 newcomers including seven freshmen and three transfers for the 2025 season.
• Missouri returned the 11th best team ERA (2.03) in 2024 led by starters Cierra Harrison and Marissa McCann along with NCAA saves leader Taylor Pannell.
• Missouri ranked fourth in the NCAA in 2024 with an average attendance of 2,784. In the postseason, MU had the highest home attendance of Regionals (10,016) and Super Regionals (11,608, MU record). Mizzou set single-game (4,021, vs. Duke, May 26, 2024) and single-series attendance records over the postseason weekends.

ILLINOIS MIDWEEK RECAP

• Mizzou captured Braggin’ Rights on March 18 with a 5-3 midweek victory over Illinois at Mizzou Softball Stadium.
• Senior Kara Daly and freshman Madison Uptegrove led the Missouri offense, recording two hits apiece and combining for three RBIs. Daly recorded her seventh multi-RBI game of the season.
• Cierra Harrison got the start for the Tigers, recording eight strikeouts through 5.2 innings with only one run given up on her birthday.
• Taylor Pannell was awarded the victory for Missouri, improving her record to 4-3 in 2025. Sophomore Nathalie Touchet followed Pannell in relief, pitching a scoreless frame for her first career save at Mizzou.

HOME-OPENING WEEKEND RECAP

• Missouri swept its Mizzou Invitational (March 13-15), finishing with a 4-0 record before closing out its home opening weekend with a 17-0 victory over Kansas City March 16.
• Kara Daly led Mizzou over the weekend with .545 batting average with three doubles, two homers and 11 RBI. Julia Crenshaw added 5 RBI with two homers and a .455 batting average.
• Abby Hay (.444) and Taylor Ebbs (.400) each also hit .400 or higher over the weekend.
• Madison Walker notched 10 RBI to go with three homers on a .375 batting average.
• Freshman Madison Uptegrove belted her first two career homers including a two-run shot against Princeton.
• Marissa McCann held opposing batters to a .103 batting average, earning three wins on a 1.17 ERA. She threw her sixth complete-game against Michigan. Cierra Harrison went 2-0 with a 1.40 ERA.
• MU scored a season-best seven runs in the first frame before adding another two in the third to secure the run-rule win over South Dakota State.
• Junior Courtney Donahue closed out the final two innings against Quinnipiac with a career-best (NCAA Division I) trio of strikeouts.
• Missouri’s pitchers totaled a season-best 11 strikeouts versus Quinnipiac.
• Jordyn Thurman and Nevaeh Watkins recorded their first career hits, while Sophie Smith registered her first career RBI and run in the win over Kansas City.
• MU’s 17 runs scored against KC marked a season-best and the highest run total for the Tigers since putting up 20 against Fordham on March 26, 2024. Missouri compiled 10 or more hits for the eighth time in 2025.
• The run-rule victory over KC marked the fourth of the season for Mizzou.

ROAD WARRIORS

• The Tigers opened its 2025 campaign as the only NCAA Division I institution that competed in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, Shriners Children’s Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield and Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic.
• MU returned home after spending 19 days in hotels and traveling a total of 6,986 miles across the country to start the 2025 campaign.
• Missouri ranks 29th for RPI.

UP NEXT

• Mizzou next heads to Oxford, Mississippi, for a Saturday through Monday series at No. 19/21 Ole Miss. The first two games of the series will be on SEC Network+ before a Monday night SEC Network finale.
• Game times are set for 2 p.m., CT on both Saturday and Sunday before a 6 p.m., CT Monday matchup.

FOLLOW THE TIGERS

• For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (X, Instagram, Facebook).
• The Diamond Club is accepting new members. Email MAF@missouri.edu or call 573-882-0704 to join.
• Join us in Expanding the Tradition of excellence in Mizzou Softball! This special initiative focuses on building a Rock M at the Mizzou Softball Stadium, a centerpiece of Tiger pride. The Rock M debuted this season at the Mizzou Softball Stadium.

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