Tuesday, February 11
Orlando, Fla.
5 p.m. CT
University of Missouri
at
UCF
No. 15 Softball Heads to Orlando for Tuesday Midweek against UCF
2/10/2025 3:57:00 PM | Softball
COLUMBIA, Mo. – No. 15 ranked University of Missouri softball (4-1) continues its stay in the Sunshine State with a Tuesday evening midweek matchup against Central Florida (5-1) in Orlando.
First pitch is set for 5 p.m., CT at the UCF Softball Complex. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ with Eric Lopez and Alex Powers on the call.
Following the midweek against the Knights, Mizzou will compete in the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield Thursday through Saturday, marking MU's second-straight Florida tournament to commence the 2025 campaign.
Mizzou is ranked #15 in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball and the NFCA/GoRout Coaches Polls.
UCF Midweek
Location: UCF Softball Complex | Orlando, Fla.
Twitter: @MizzouSoftball
Notes: Missouri
SERIES HISTORY
- Missouri leads the all-time series with UCF, 3-1.
- MU has won the last three meeting dating back to 2021, all three wins with Larissa Anderson leading the Tigers.
- MU beat the Knights, 5-1, at the 2024 Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California, Feb. 23.
- Mizzou last faced UCF in Orlando in 2023, an 11-8 victory over then No. 20 UCF on Feb. 15.
- In 2021, Mizzou edged out UCF 6-5 in Orlando on Feb. 24.
- The only loss for Missouri in the series came in the first-ever meeting between the two teams, when the Knights took a 1-0 victory in 2015.
LAST MEETING
- The Tigers and Knights last faced off on Feb. 23, 2024, with MU prevailing 5-1.
- Laurin Krings pitched a complete game, allowing just one run on six hits with five strikeouts.
- Kara Daly opened the scoring with a two-run single in the first inning.
- Alex Honnold added an RBI double in the second.
- Missouri tacked on two more runs late, with Mya Dodge and Julia Crenshaw each recording RBI hits.
STEFANIA ABRUSCATO
- Sophomore Stefania Abruscato was named to the 2025 NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic All-Tournament Team after she paced Mizzou at the plate, batting .438 with four runs, two doubles, a homer and four RBI.
- She is currently on a five-game hitting streak to start the 2025 campaign.
- Abruscato notched an RBI single in Mizzou's top-25 win over No. 21/20 Northwestern.
- She then led the Tigers at the dish, going a career-best tying 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI in MU's win over No. 7/8 Duke. She notched a double and a homer in the victory.
2025 NFCA DIVISION I LEADOFF CLASSIC
- Missouri went 4-1 over its season-opening NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. The Tigers picked up top-25 wins over No. 20/21 Northwestern (3-0 win) and No. 7/8 Duke (10-3 win).
- Sophomore Abby Hay drove in a personal-best matching four runs on a career-best two doubles to propel Mizzou to the a 9-1 run-rule victory over Marshall.
- A solo home run in the bottom of the fifth by senior Julia Crenshaw sealed the run-rule victory. The catcher from O'Fallon, Missouri, finished 2-for-2 with three runs, two walks and an RBI as MU's leadoff hitter.
- Sophomore pitcher Marissa McCann (1-0) was credited with the complete-game win for the Tigers, pitching five innings only giving up one run on five hits with three strikeouts.
- Cierra Harrison tossed a three-hit complete-game shutout of No. 20/21 Northwestern (3-0 win). She threw a career-best 7.0 innings for the fourth time as a Tiger. Harrison notched six strikeouts while allowing just three hits and a walk.
- MU utilized a nine-run sixth inning to power its way past No. 7/8 Duke (10-3 win) for the Tigers' first top-10 win of the season. Madison Walker's two-run shot to left capped the inning as MU scored it highest run total of the campaign.
- Harrison picked up her second win in the circle (2-0 in 2025), going 5.0 innings, allowing three runs on nine hits with a strikeout vs. Duke.
- Claire Cahalan knocked her second-straight triple in the win over Duke.
- Taylor Pannell (1-1) earned her first win of the season, pitching the final two outs of the seventh against Iowa (3-2 win), allowing just a hit with a strikeout.
- Nathalie Touchet made her first appearance of the season against Iowa, pitching a career-high 2.1 innings in relief of McCann. Touchet, a sophomore from Aledo, Texas, notched her first career strikeout at Mizzou while allowing just two hits (one run, zero earned runs) and two walks.
- Hay has reached base safely in all five games this season while Cahalan has reached based in four-straight games.
- Both freshman Sophie Smith and Madison Uptegrove made their first career starts over the opening weekend in Clearwater and also notched their first career hits at Mizzou.
LARISSA ANDERSON
- 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.
- She led the Tigers to a top-10 (#7) finish in 2024, an NCAA Super Regional appearance and the team's second Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship appearance in three seasons.
- Anderson is currently in her seventh season at Mizzou, holding a 221-116 record.
- Mizzou's 48 wins in 2024 are the most for Anderson at the helm of Missouri.
- She signed an extension with Mizzou through 2028 over the fall.
PRESEASON ACCOLADES
- MU is ranked #15 in both the ESPN.com/USA Softball and the NFCA/GoRout Coaches Polls.
- Mizzou is the only NCAA Division I institution competing in the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic, Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational Presented by EvoShield and Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in 2025.
- Mizzou heads into the 2025 campaign, 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 also returns 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.
FOLLOW THE TIGERS
- For all the latest on Mizzou Softball, stay tuned to MUTigers.com and follow the team @MizzouSoftball (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook).
Players Mentioned
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UT
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/ SoftballGeorgia Recap
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Mya Dodge Senior Video
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