A bounceback weekend was just what the doctor ordered for the Tigers
After going 1-3 the previous week, Missouri softball dropped from No. 11 to No. 15 in the USA Softball Collegiate Top 25.
The Tigers proved last week to be a fluke after winning a home series against No. 9 Florida. Missouri won the first two games with scores of 6-3 and 5-2, respectively. They lost the series finale 3-1. Here are three takeaways from the showdown against the Gators.
Runs encouraged, hits optional
One area Missouri has mastered is scoring runs in unorthodox ways. In the series, Florida led Missouri in hits 19-14, while the Tigers led the run battle 12-8.
“It doesn’t matter how you get on (base), it doesn’t matter how you score,” head coach Larissa Anderson said after the first game. “Get on base any way you possibly can, score any way you possibly can.”
Missouri got on base often by hit-by-pitches. The Tigers were hit seven times by Florida pitchers, including four in the first game alone. Four of these hits directly resulted in runs for Missouri.
The leader of the bruise band is sophomore outfielder Kayley Lenger. Currently, Lenger leads the SEC after being hit by 16 pitches so far this season.
“That’s my (batter’s) box,” Lenger said after game one. “I’m gonna stand in my box and on my line … I’m not going to get out of the way.”
Missouri leads the SEC with 62 hit-by-pitches as a team.
The Tigers also score runs without hits by advancing runners on outs. In the three games, Missouri led Florida 6-3 in runners advanced. The only run for the Tigers in the third game occurred on a pair of advancements.
The home run question
While Florida was only limited to eight runs over the weekend, five of them were scored on home runs. Freshman Ava Brown hit a pair, including a two-run homer in game three. Both of these home runs were hit off Missouri’s senior pitcher Laurin Krings in the second inning; one in game one and the other in game three.
“I’d like to be able to cut down on those opportunities and keep the ball off the plate,” Anderson said after game three.
As a team, the Tigers have allowed 34 home runs this season, which ranks them in the bottom three of the SEC. In its 11 losses, Missouri has given up a home run in nine of those games.
By contrast, the Tigers have only hit 30 home runs, which also ranks them in the bottom three of the SEC.
The struggles of the SEC
Entering the weekend, Missouri sat at No. 9 in the SEC, with a conference record of 5-7. After a series win against No. 9 Florida and moving to 7-8, the Tigers were still in the nine-hole.
There is still plenty of hope to move up. There are only two games separating Missouri from No. 3 Arkansas with nine conference games remaining for the Tigers. These games include series against No. 8 Georgia and No. 17 Mississippi State. Both sit above Missouri in the SEC.
A top four seed in the SEC Tournament guarantees the Tigers a place in the quarterfinals. This means Missouri would only have to win three games instead of four to win the conference championship. The Tigers have never won the SEC Tournament Championship. Their last tournament win came in the Big 12 in 2009.
Missouri looks to improve its SEC record during its games against Georgia from April 19-21.
Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com
Copy Edited by Briana Iordan | biordan@themaneater.com
Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com