The 2022 Missouri softball season begins Friday, Feb. 11 in Leesburg, Florida, where the Tigers will play in the Northern Lights Invitational.
Missouri softball is coming off of an impressive season; last year the Tigers finished no. 4 in the SEC with an overall record of 42-17.
After earning the No. 8 overall seed in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the Tigers hosted and swept the Columbia Regional before they fell to James Madison in a three-game series in the Columbia Super Regional.
Missouri has high expectations once again and is on the quest for a berth in the Women’s College World Series, a tournament the Tigers have been to a total of six times, the most recent in 2011.
The SEC Preseason Softball Poll picked Missouri to finish No. 5 in the SEC with 97 votes, while the Alabama Crimson Tide were picked to finish first with 138 votes. The Tide is followed by Tennessee, Arkansas and Florida at the No. 2, 3 and 4 spots.
Missouri had three players selected to the preseason All-SEC team. Graduate outfielder Brooke Wilmes finished with a .373 batting average, 13 home runs and 55 RBI’s, Sophomore shortstop Jenna Laird finished with a .369 batting average, eight home runs and 38 RBI’s, and graduate catcher Hatti Moore finished with a .320 batting average, 17 home runs and 50 RBI’s.
Missouri will have games against Penn State at 9 a.m and then against Connecticut at 11:30 a.m on Friday.
Edited by Brandon Haynes | bhaynes@themaneater.com