In the next 20 days, the Missouri softball team will play 16 games. The Tigers have three series and seven games to redeem their 8-7 conference record, good for eighth in the Southeastern Conference.
Two series, though, test their fortitude to emerge victorious. The Tigers will face No. 3 Louisiana State in a little over a week and No. 2 Florida at the start of May.
As the Tigers enter the homestretch of the season, they received a boost of confidence this past weekend by winning their first series (2-1) in five weeks against Mississippi State, much to the relief of the players.
“It felt really good to get out here and get a win and get that series win,” sophomore catcher Kirsten Mack said. “We have Arkansas next weekend and that’ll be a good series. It felt good because we were so close in those other series. It was one play, one out, and even one pitch that decided the series. The way that it’s been going lately, it’s good that something finally broke our way.”
This series was important for Mizzou, as MSU was ranked No. 23 in RPI. The Bulldogs also defeated LSU by a score of 9-4 the only time they played them this season and had not been swept by any team this season.
Taking a series from them was “awesome,” sophomore pitcher Tori Finucane said. “It was exactly what this team needed.”
The Tigers have been preparing for this run for the past few weeks. In recent series against No. 11 Georgia and No. 7 Auburn, the Tigers won a game in each. The players found value in the way that they played and learned from those situations. Overall, they said they were content with taking home one and having a chance in the other two games of the Georgia series.
Having played against other top teams, Mizzou has hope it will be able to take on top-ranked squads coming up on its schedule including LSU and Florida.
“We’ve just gotta keep grinding,” junior outfielder Emily Crane said. “It’s starting to be the downhill side and this is when it is most important to be your best.”
Crane added that the team needs to use its next couple of games to prepare for Florida and Georgia.
Freshman producers are figuring out the mental toughness and preparation it takes to play in the SEC as well. Despite having played some of the best teams in the country early on in the season during invitationals, the team has struggled in conference play.
“We have to take everything game by game and pitch by pitch,” freshman third basewoman Amanda Sanchez said.
If they do this, she says that the Tigers will be fine.
The schedule is packed full of games in the last three weeks of the regular season, particularly due to a rescheduled doubleheader April 29 against Northern Iowa.
With a busy schedule in the next three weeks, the team will be playing more than they have all season. Missouri’s opponents should see a motivated team over this pivotal stretch.
“If we can use these next few series to sharpen up, we can end our home series and see what we can do in the postseason,” Crane said.