Mizzou Morning Matters
5/8/2024 9:30:00 AM | General
Larissa Anderson's softball teams hits postseason in stride.
COLUMBIA, Mo. — Mizzou softball is the bounce-back team of the year in the Southeastern Conference, and on the surface, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Until you dig a little deeper.
If you compare the No. 11 Tigers' hitting numbers to the team's production from a year ago, there's no logical reason to explain the program's revitalization this spring. The Tigers (40-14, 13-11 SEC), finished last in the conference in 2023 at 7-17 and made a quick exit in the NCAA postseason. SEC coaches picked Mizzou 11th out of 13 teams in the 2024 preseason poll.
Well, it's May, and here's where things stand: The Tigers earned the No. 5 seed in this week's SEC Tournament, finishing two games back of third place — in a league that features four of the nation's top 10 teams in the national coaches' poll.
Those last-place days are faded memories in the Tigers' rearview mirror. Larissa Anderson has brought her program back to the elite national class, reaching 40 victories last weekend heading into Wednesday's appearance in the SEC Tournament. Mizzou faces No. 13 seed Ole Miss at 1 p.m. at Auburn's Jane B. Moore Field.
How do we explain this year's improvement? The Tigers' offensive statistics won't exactly blow you away. Mizzou's team OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) is down from .799 last year to .784 this year. The team's slugging percentage (.413) ranks just 120th in Division I. The Tigers don't hit home runs as often as last year nor steal as many bases. The pitching is better with a staff ERA of 2.13, remarkably better than last year (3.33). But when Anderson measures the true progress this year, it's less about numbers and far more about qualities you won't find on a spreadsheet.
"I'm not exaggerating. I'm being brutally honest and if I didn't feel this way, I wouldn't say it: This is the most fun I've ever had coaching a team in my entire 25-year career," Anderson said this week. "It's remarkable. One, because I completely trust the players. I love them to death. And a lot of it comes from the whole recruiting base, that I know their families. Their families are so invested. They've been coming to camps since I first got on campus. And there's such a belief system between the two of us, that I can just sit back I don't have to try to motivate. I don't have to entice them and give them rewards. It's like they want to be successful. They trust one another; they respect one another. … It just makes me so much more relaxed to be able to sit back and know I'm getting the best out of them every single time."
Anderson points to two cornerstone players for the Tigers' consistent play this season: Senior shortstop Jenna Laird and senior centerfielder Alex Honnold. Laird will go down as one of the most integral players in the program's modern history — an elite fielder, reliable leadoff hitter and model teammate. Honnold has strung together some of the program's most prolific seasons in years, already breaking the team's single-season record for doubles with 20. Together, those two set the tone for this comeback season.
"I've said this many times," Anderson said, "and I'll say it to the end of the year and I'll say it 10 years from now when I'm reflecting back on the season: Julia Crenshaw said it in our first meeting. 'There's a reason why Jenna Laird is as good as Jenna is. It's because she has trusted her coaches (and) her preparation from day one. So why wouldn't we want to be like Jenna? So let's follow her. Let's follow Alex Honnold. They believe in everything that they've done and been told and how to train, so why not follow their lead?'
"That's really what this team has done."
This season is far from over — the Tigers are a safe bet to host an NCAA regional next week and, depending on how this week goes, be in a position to host an NCAA Super Regional — thanks to an impressive list of credentials. The Tigers have a dozen wins over nationally ranked teams and 20 wins over teams in the top 50 of the NCAA's RPI. In addition to their wins over the SEC, the Tigers are 10-1 against Power Five teams outside of the SEC, going 5-0 against the Big Ten, 2-0 against the ACC, 1-0 against the Pac-12 and 2-1 against the Big 12.
And perhaps most impressive, away from Mizzou Softball Stadium, the Tigers are 31-9, including four road wins against nationally ranked teams. All but one of those road losses came to a ranked opponent.
"It's our program," Anderson said. "It's being disciplined, and we're disciplined in every single aspect from our home-game routine to how we practice, to how we line up equipment, to our rules to what we do on the road. We have a curfew. We have bed checks. We're very, very structured and very disciplined."
'MIZZOU STORYTELLERS'
On the latest episode of "Mizzou Storytellers," Nikki Barry and I were joined by Senior Associate AD Greg Hulen, the department's chief revenue officer. Greg shares stories about his childhood in Florida – with a pitstop in Missouri at Fort Leonard Wood – and his college days at Florida State, where he was first drawn to the world of college athletics. Greg details his industry stops at Texas Tech, Ohio, Bowling Green, Tennessee and UNLV – where, naturally, he lived in a casino during his short time there – and all the mentors he met along the way who helped shape his career. Greg is a family man — and we learn how he's discovered the secret to thriving in the world of college athletics while still devoting time to his wife and three children.
COME HOME TOUR 2024
The 2024 Come Home Tour is saving the biggest show for last. An enormous crowd is expected to greet our Mizzou contingent Thursday night at Chicken N Pickle in St. Charles, where new Director of Athletics Laird Veatch will make his Come Home Tour debut. Also expected to attend: football coach Eliah Drinkwitz, men's basketball coach Dennis Gates, volleyball coach Dawn Sullivan, baseball coach Kerrick Jackson and wrestling coach Brian Smith, along with several student-athletes across multiple sports. The program runs from 6 to 8 p.m. It's free to attend, but we ask that fans please register here for Thursday's event. For $30, fans can purchase a membership to the Tiger Scholarship Fund and receive a Come Home Tour t-shirt and drink ticket for Thursday's event.
ANOTHER HALL OF FAMER
Former Mizzou gymnastics coach Jake Jacobson became the latest Mizzou coach selected for hall of fame induction. He'll officially join the latest class of the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Hall of Fame. Here's the full list of Mizzou Hall of Fame coaches:
U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame: Robert I. Simpson (1920-26), Tom Botts (1947-72)
American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame: John "Hi" Simmons (1938-43, 1946-73), Gene McArtor (1974-94)
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame: Dr. Walter Meanwell (1918, 1920)
National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame: Norm Stewart (1967-99)
National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame: William R. Roper (1909), James Phelan (1919-21), Don Faurot (1935-42, 1946-56), Frank Broyles (1957), Dan Devine (1958-70), Gary Pinkel (2001-15).
Golf Coaches Association of America Hall of Fame: Richard Poe (1978-98)
National Wrestling Hall of Fame: Vernon "Hap" Whitney (1965-73), Bob Kopnisky (1974-86), Wes Roper (1987-98).
National Fastpitch Coaches Association Hall of Fame: Joyce Compton (1983-86), Jay Miller (1987-2002)
Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association Hall of Fame: Charles "Jake" Jacobson (1979-99).
Save room for a few more names in future induction classes: Track and field's Dr. Rick McGuire and wrestling's Brian Smith.
ON THE MARK
Coach Gates added a major piece to his frontcourt with the addition of former Duke forward Mark Mitchell, a 6-8 two-year starter for the Blue Devils. Here are five numbers to know for the newest Tiger:
67: Mitchell's career starts in two seasons at Duke. He started all but one game that he played for the Blue Devils.
54.9: Mitchell's career 2-point shooting percentage. He shot 59.0% from inside the arc last season, 10th-best in the ACC.
9.5: Mitchell's offensive rebound percentage last season. Mizzou's team leader was Aidan Shaw at 9.0. Mizzou's last full-time starter with a better offensive rebound rate was Jeremiah Tilmon (12.1) in 2020-21.
159: Mitchell's free throw attempts last season. Only seven players across the ACC got to the stripe more often. (Mizzou had only one player with more than 95 free throw attempts: leading scorer Sean East II with 139.)
2: The number of ACC players who ranked in the conference's top 12 for both offensive rating and defensive rating. That would be Mitchell and North Carolina All-ACC forward Armando Bacot.
LOOKING AHEAD
WEDNESDAY, May 8
No. 5 seed Softball vs. No. 13 seed Ole Miss, SEC Tournament, SEC Network, 1 p.m. (approximate; Auburn, Alabama)
THURSDAY, May 9
Track & Field at SEC Outdoor Championships (Gainesville, Florida)
No. 5 seed Softball vs. No. 4 seed Arkansas (if Mizzou advances), SEC Tournament, SEC Network, 1 p.m. (approximate; Auburn, Alabama)
FRIDAY, May 10
Track & Field at SEC Outdoor Championships (Gainesville, Florida)
No. 5 seed Softball vs. TBA (if Mizzou advances), SEC Tournament Semifinals, ESPN2, 3 p.m. (Auburn, Alabama)
Baseball vs Auburn, 6 p.m., SEC Network+
SATURDAY, May 11
Track & Field at SEC Outdoor Championships (Gainesville, Florida)
Baseball vs Auburn, 3 p.m., SEC Network+
No. 5 seed Softball vs. TBA (if Mizzou advances), SEC Tournament Championship, ESPN2, 4 p.m. (Auburn, Alabama)
SUNDAY, May 12
Baseball vs. Auburn, 1 p.m., SEC Network+
GET YOUR 2024 SEASON TICKETS NOW
Mizzou opens the 2024 football season Aug. 29 against Murray State at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers also host home games against Southeastern Conference opponents Vanderbilt, Auburn, Oklahoma and Arkansas, plus nonconference contests against Buffalo and Boston College. Purchase your 2024 season tickets now by calling 1-800-CAT-PAWS or buying online.
Those interested in learning how to support Mizzou Athletics can contact the Tiger Scholarship Fund Office at 573-882-0704 and visit www.tsfmizzou.com.
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