Mizzou Softball Signs Nation's 19th-Ranked Class
11/11/2020 7:17:00 PM | Softball
Tigers ink five prep standouts
COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Softball head coach Larissa Anderson and her staff has signed the nation's 19th-ranked recruiting class, according to Extra Innings Softball, inking five prep standouts on Wednesday.
Four of Mizzou's five signees are ranked in Extra Innings Softball's Top 100, while the fifth is ranked 117th to round out another elite class for Anderson. Her staff has continued to lockdown the Midwest, with all five signees having ties to the region. The Tigers officially add Julia Crenshaw (O'Fallon, Mo.), Kara Daly (Jefferson City, Mo.), Vanessa Hollingsworth (Forney, Texas), Jayci Kruse (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and Maddie Snider (Columbia, Mo.) to the 2021-22 roster.
"We're incredibly excited to have Julia, Kara, Vanessa, Jayci and Maddie join our program," Anderson said. "They all bring tremendous athleticism and upside potential that will continue to elevate our program. We were able to recruit and sign game-changing athletes who will have an immediate impact on the game.
"More importantly, all five of these players are wholly committed to this program and want to be Missouri Tigers. Keeping these individuals in the Midwest at Missouri's flagship university is key to what we're trying to build at Mizzou."
The Tigers signed three student-athletes from the Show-Me State (Crenshaw, Daly and Snider), and one from the State of Texas (Hollingsworth). While Kruse will come to Mizzou from the West Coast, she was born in the St. Louis area and has extensive ties to Missouri.
Julia Crenshaw
- O'Fallon, Mo. | Fort Zumwalt West HS | St. Louis Chaos
- Middle Infielder | 5-9 | No. T-2 Ranked Prospect | No. 1 Ranked Infielder
The second-ranked overall player in the Class of 2021, according to Extra Innings Softball, Crenshaw is a middle infielder who projects to make an immediate impact at Mizzou. A native of O'Fallon, Mo., she played her club ball for the St. Louis Chaos.
A five-tool player, Crenshaw ranked in the top five in Missouri in most offensive categories – whether it be batting average, home runs or stolen bases. This fall she led Fort Zumwalt West HS to the Class 5A state quarterfinals and an 18-5 record. Crenshaw has twice been named to the all-state first team on the prep level.
Crenshaw played shortstop as a prep, and her explosiveness and quick hands make her a likely candidate to see playing time in the middle infield as a freshman. A three-sport athlete, Crenshaw is a four-year letterwinner in basketball. She also took fourth at the MSHSAA 5A state championship in the javelin as a sophomore, and she was in the running for the state championship as a junior before the season was canceled due to COVID-19.
A lifetime Mizzou fan, Crenshaw focused on Mizzou early in the recruiting process.
Coach Anderson on Crenshaw: "Julia Crenshaw is a highly-touted athlete who will compete for playing time right away. She's a five-tool athlete who has all the physical and technical skills to be successful, but what separates her is her competitiveness. Mizzou has been her dream school from an early age, and I'm excited Mizzou fans will get to see her play in the Black and Gold.
Kara Daly
- Jefferson City, Mo. | Jefferson City HS | Aces Fastpitch
- Infielder | 6-0 | No. T-53 Ranked Prospect | No. T-44 Ranked Infielder
A versatile infielder, Daly continues a trend of Mizzou being able land the state's premier prospects. Daly joins the Tigers as the 54th-ranked recruit in the nation, according to Extra Innings Softball. She is able to play either middle infield position, or third base.
While attending Jefferson City High, she received four first-team all-district honors and four first-team all-region honors during her high school career. She received all-state honors all four years of high school, landing on the first team twice, and the second team twice. Daly batted .474, with 144 hits, 38 home runs, and 107 RBI in her four years of high school. As a senior, she struck out only twice while hitting for extra bases more than she hit for singles.
A standout basketball player as well, Daly received plenty of interest to play collegiately. She was thrice named to the all-region team, while also earning all-state honors as a sophomore and junior.
Daly chose Mizzou over Virginia Tech, Texas, Florida, and Stanford
Anderson on Daly: "Kara Daly is going to be a force for us. She's such a great athlete she could have played basketball at this level. With her athleticism she is going to come in and be one of the strongest members of our program. She has great hands and can play anywhere in the infield. When I first saw her play, she reminded me of Kim Wert. She's a Jeff City kid who has a lot of excitement for this program, and I'm thrilled to keep Missouri kids in Missouri.
Vanessa Hollingsworth
- Forney, Texas | Forney HS | Glory Adkins
- Infielder | 5-9 | No. T-83 Ranked Prospect | No. 67 Ranked Infielder
Hailing from the Lone Star State, Hollingsworth brings tremendous power to the plate. During her prep career she amassed a plethora of accolades. As a freshman in 2018, Forney HS won the Texas 5A State Championship. During Forney's title run, Hollingsworth was named Freshman of the Year for District 15-51, the DFW All-Metro and by the Dallas Morning News before being named to the All-Tournament team at third base.
As a sophomore, Hollingsworth was named the District 15-51 Defensive Player of the Year and to the DFW All-Metro team with Forney making it to the state semi-finals. Including the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season, Forney has amassed a 79-12 record during Hollingsworth's prep career.
On the travel circuit, she competed for Glory Adkins, making a run to a Triple Crown National Co-Championship in 2017 on the 16U level. On the 18U circuit the last two seasons, her club reached as high as fourth in the national club rankings.
Hollingsworth chose the Tigers over Ole Miss, Texas, Kansas, Louisiana Tech, Stephen F. Austin, North Texas and Texas Tech.
Coach Anderson on Hollingsworth: "Vanessa is a next-level hitter and she is going to be a force at the plate for us. She has scary power at the plate – the ball just explodes off her bat."
Jayci Kruse
- Coto de Caza, Calif. | Santa Margarita Catholic HS | OC Batbusters
- Right-handed Pitcher | 5-8 | No. T-117 Ranked Prospect | No. T-67 Ranked Pitcher
One of the top 65 pitchers in the country, Kruse was a three-year starter for Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic HS. Over the past two seasons, she helped lead her high school team to a 33-4 record and a 2019 Trinity League championship. Recognized as one of the top pitchers in Orange County, Kruse posted a sub-1.00 ERA in the COVID-19-shortened 2020 season.
Kruse played for the OC Batbusters, one of the nation's premier travel ball clubs. The Batbusters were a mainstay at PGF Nationals during her stay with the club.
A St. Louis kid at heart, Kruse returns to the Show-Me State after having lived in California since she was in the third grade. Her father played basketball at Missouri Baptist, while her mother was a cheerleader at SIUE. She chose Mizzou over Saint Louis, SIUE, San Diego and Santa Clara.
Coach Anderson on Kruse: "Jayci is someone that wanted to come back to her roots – she bleeds Black and Gold. She's a consistent pitcher whose strength is keeping hitters off balanced. Her club team puts out tremendous Division I players which has improved her game.
Maddie Snider
- Columbia, Mo. | Rock Bridge HS | Select Fastpitch
- Outfielder | 5-9 | No. T-19 Ranked Prospect | No. 16 Outfielder
Snider is a big local pick-up for the Tigers. The Columbia, Mo., native led Rock Bridge HS to a MSHSAA 5A state title this fall and a 29-0 record as a senior. She started off the season batting .413 with eight home runs and 11 stolen bases. With the Bruins, Snider tallied up a slew of accolades while there, including a pair of first-team All-State and first-team All-Region honors. In the state title game, Snider scored the game's lone run to give Rock Bridge the win.
On the travel ball circuit, Snider played for Select Fastpitch. During the summer of 2020, she posted a .435 batting average. Against elite pitching on the national stage, she batted in 11 runs while racking up double-digit stolen bases.
Snider has focused solely on Mizzou in the recruiting process since committing as a freshman. Her grandfather, Ron Shy, played for Mizzou Baseball in 1965.
Coach Anderson on Snider: "Maddie is a true, gritty competitor. She played against national competition this past summer which has taken her game to another level, and she proved that this fall leading her high school team to a state championship. She has incredible range in the outfield and has shown exceptional arm strength. I'm excited for her to play in front of her hometown crowd."
For the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned at MUTigers.com or follow the program on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (@MizzouSoftball).
