With the loss of Mackenzie Sykes, the Missouri softball team’s vocal leader last season, junior second baseman Emily Crane said she felt nervous over who would step up and be the leader.
Crane said her fears were cast aside in the fall with the growth of leadership from the new senior class.
“We’ve got Kelsea (Roth) and (Angela Randazzo),” she said. “They do a lot of talking when it comes to vocal leaders.”
Freshmen Paige Lowary, Amanda Sanchez and Morgan Walters have all stepped up and contributed when called upon to help the team to a 10-3 record and a No. 21 ranking. But such early success would not have been without the leadership of the team’s upperclassmen.
Associate head coach Pete D’Amour said the senior leaders are “hard nosed” and “will get in the other girls’ faces when they need to.” He cited the example that they have played in both the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference, two different types of leagues.
Crane said she felt the transition went well in the clubhouse, and that the freshmen respect the team’s leaders.
Despite facing a slew of ranked opponents in the first few weeks of play, Missouri has managed to stay on top of its game. The tough early schedule helps the team out, Randazzo said.
“In the SEC, all of these games will be close,” she said. “It’s good to have these games so that the girls expect that.”
With 10 of the 14 teams in the SEC ranked in the top 25, the team will play even a tougher schedule when league play begins. In building these expectations, the Tigers rely on their core leaders to produce in big spots.
The veteran leaders helped Mizzou prevail against Penn State on Feb. 27. Despite early struggles, including a five-run deficit, Missouri was able to regroup and force extra innings on its way to an 11-7 win over the Nittany Lions.
Randazzo suggested that this early success was made possible because of the veterans’ tendency to push the talented freshman class.
But seniors aren’t the only torchbearers, as Randazzo said Lowary has stepped up as a leader early.
“We have expectations with our girls and (Lowary) doesn’t drag her feet,” she said. “She works hard and really shows the other girls that she is there to play.”
Lowary credited sophomore pitcher Tori Finucane with giving her some of the best advice when she first arrived in the program: “Succeed silently.”
Finucane stepped up last season for the Tigers as a freshman and earned All-SEC recognition. As an experienced big-game pitcher, she has been helping Lowary adjust to life at Mizzou.
“They are role models,” Lowary said. “They know exactly what to do, they’re good players, they’re like sisters and moms. They know exactly what to say and when to say it.”