Former @MizzouSoftball All-American Emily Crane to serve as Volunteer Coach
8/1/2018 11:30:00 AM | Softball
Crane rounds out Coach Anderson’s new staff for upcoming 2019 season
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Softball will be bringing back one of its all-time greats for this upcoming season, as head coach Larissa Anderson has tabbed former All-American outfielder Emily Crane as the volunteer coach for the 2019 campaign. Crane joins assistant coaches Chris Malveaux and Sara Michalowski on Anderson's staff.
"Emily is a Mizzou Tiger to the core," Anderson said. "The pride and passion she has for Mizzou Softball is contagious and engulfs everyone around her. Being one of the most successful players to graduate from this program, she can relate to our players and what it means to be a Tiger. Not only am I excited to have Emily complete our staff, but I know our fans will be excited to see her back in our dugout as well."
Crane will focus on the outfield in 2019, where she played for Mizzou during her illustrious four-year career with the Tigers. During her time in the Black & Gold as a player, Crane racked up numerous awards. In her senior season alone, Crane was selected First-Team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team, First-Team NFCA All-American and First-Team CoSIDA Academic All-American. During that 2016 campaign, Crane produced one of the best single seasons in Mizzou Softball's history, hitting .404 to go along with 17 home runs, 61 RBI, and 25 stolen bases.
Her senior season may have been the pinnacle, but her consistency over her four-year career left her name all over Mizzou Softball's record books. Crane finished her career second all-time in batting average (.383), fourth in runs (186) seventh in RBI (150) fifth in stolen bases (83) and in the top-ten in both home runs (27) and walks (109). Crane also holds the single-season record for runs, with 64 during the 2016 campaign.
Crane will be returning to Mizzou after a three-year career in the professional National Pro Fastpitch League. Crane was drafted seventh overall in the second round of the 2016 NPF Draft by the Scrap Yard Dawgs. Crane would only play for the Dawgs for a year though, as she was traded to the Chicago Bandits in January 2017. Over her three year professional career, Crane has hit .280 with 76 total hits and 56 runs scored. Crane will finish out this season with Chicago in the National Pro Fastpitch Championship Series (Aug. 16-20) in Rosemont, Illinois, as the Bandits will take on the USSSA Pride.
Born in Lake St. Louis, Missouri, and raised in Troy, Missouri, this will be a homecoming for Crane on multiple levels. She is one of seven kids in her family, and followed in her mother's footsteps, as she also was a Mizzou Tiger. Crane studied fine arts with an emphasis in graphic design while attending the University of Missouri.
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