Fifth-seeded Missouri softball enters the Southeastern Conference Tournament with one goal — to win it all.
Facing a daunting path that will require four wins in as many days against a quartet of teams in the undisputed best conference in softball, the Tigers have the cards stacked against them. However, MU has its eyes set on making history.
“Everyone’s goal is to win,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “You don’t play at this level not to win. You know, holding up that trophy would be an experience that Mizzou would love, our program would love. It’d be (our) first SEC Championship, so we’re going out to try to win a title.”
Entering their 12th season in the SEC, the Tigers have yet to capture an SEC Tournament championship. They have advanced to championship games twice (2013 and 2022) but have yet to reach the mountaintop of conference excellence.
Missouri will embark on its journey to reach that peak when it faces 13th-seeded Ole Miss at around 1 p.m. Wednesday in Auburn, Alabama. The start time of the contest will be approximately 35 minutes following the conclusion of the day’s first game between eighth-seeded LSU and ninth-seeded Alabama which will begin at 10 a.m. CT.
“It’s going to be an amazing atmosphere,” Anderson said. “I think what’s really interesting is our first game is going to be against someone that we haven’t played against, so we have to do a lot of preparation. ... We got to make sure to take care of what we need to do tonight after we know who we’re playing.”
The Rebels advanced to play the Tigers with a 7-2 victory over 12th-seeded Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday evening. Ole Miss slugged two home runs in the effort and benefitted from efficient pitching performances from Grace Sparks and Brianna Lopez, the latter of whom throws 60 percent change ups, per the broadcast.
After winning just four of their first 20 SEC games this season, the Rebels have found their footing as of late with victories in five of their past six conference matchups.
Ole Miss is just 7-16 against teams in the top 25 of RPI, but it does boast a 7-1 record in neutral-site games. The Rebels own series wins over LSU and Arkansas but were swept by Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama. They also lost in non-conference play to Western Kentucky, UT Martin, UAB and Southeast Louisiana.
Ole Miss’ recent success comes down to its pitching staff, which gave up three or fewer runs in each of its victories. Sparks and Lopez, the team’s lone lefty, headline a pitching rotation that runs five deep; Blair Oaks alum Makenna Kliethermes, Catelyn Riley and Aynslie Furbush have all totaled at least 60 innings this season.
Kliethermes, who pitched to a 10-6 record with a 2.91 earned run average and 88 strikeouts, is the likely starter for the Rebels against Missouri. The Wardsville product had a 4.59 ERA in conference play, ranking fourth behind Sparks (2.36), Lopez (3.18) and Riley (4.25).
The Tigers withheld from announcing a starter for the game, opting to wait until closer to game-time to show their cards.
“I’ve been watching a lot of film on Kentucky and Ole Miss,” Anderson said. “I know who is a better matchup for both ... So, yes, I think about (the pitching plans). No, I’m not going to give (an) answer.”
Missouri’s pitching staff will be tasked with slowing an Ole Miss offense that has scored at least four runs in six of its past eight games but batted just .216 in SEC play this season. Jalia Lassiter, Jaden Pone and Furbush anchor the Rebels offensively.
Ole Miss’ leadoff hitter, Lassiter, has hit .323 this season with four home runs, 29 RBI and a team-leading 18 stolen bases. Pone is the two-hole hitter, and she leads the Rebels with a .349 batting average. A two-way player, Furbush has recorded 11 home runs and a team-best 43 RBI this season.
In SEC play, however, the story of these three standouts looks quite different. Furbush leads the trio with a .310 average, seven home runs and 21 RBI. Pone (,291 average) and Lassiter (.271) have combined for just one home run and 13 RBI.
Lexie Brady, who holds the team lead with 13 home runs, is a name that could potentially provide a game-changing swing with her power potential, although she has hit just two of those homers in SEC play.
As a whole, Ole Miss ranks among the bottom five in most SEC offensive statistics. And when you look at conference-only statistics, they are even closer to the bottom.
All of these statistics point toward a relatively smooth path for Missouri to advance, but as a team built around its pitching, it could very well come down to each team’s rotation to determine who moves on to face Arkansas on Thursday.
A key for the Tigers will be reaching the four-run plateau. When Missouri has scored at least four runs in an SEC game, it is 11-0. In games where the Tigers have failed to reach that mark, they are a lowly 2-11.
Luckily for Missouri, it will have its whole assortment of pitchers ready to go against the Rebels. Laurin Krings, Cierra Harrison, Marissa McCann and Taylor Pannell all will enter on at least two full days of rest, and they each boast a sub-3.00 ERA.
The Tigers’ offense is also starting to string together consistent performances, a weakness for them early in the conference season. Missouri has scored at least four runs in four of its past six games, including a five-run performance in the regular-season finale Sunday.
“I do see us having better at-bats and making better adjustments,” Anderson said. “I think the more at-bats we have, the more comfortable we’re going to get (and) the more quality of at-bats we’re going to have. I have complete faith in them.”
Entering the SEC Tournament with the most combined road and neutral-site victories of any team in the nation, the Tigers are rich with experience. Veteran impact players Jenna Laird, Alex Honnold and Krings all bring in past postseason experience as well.
Carrying that experience, its recent momentum and a chip on its shoulder after being picked to finish 11th in the conference this season, Missouri hopes to kickstart its run to the SEC Tournament championship with a win against a determined Ole Miss squad.
