After suffering two losses during the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, Missouri softball is back on track. The Tigers finished the Big Red Invitational in Lincoln, Nebraska, with a perfect 4-0 record. Here are the top three takeaways from Missouri’s bounceback weekend:

Big Moment Batters

Missouri rekindled their offensive success, scoring 36 runs over the trip. A large portion of these runs came with two outs, as the Tigers hit .432 with the third out looming. This mark tied or exceeded their overall batting average for three of the games.

This level of clutch hitting extended with runners on base, as Missouri hit .418 with runners in scoring position. 

“We practice situational hitting a lot,” head coach Larissa Anderson said. “Being able to hit pitches we know we can handle hard.”

The Key Players

Freshman infielder Madison Walker had a lackluster appearance in the first two games against Wichita State in the tournament, going 0-6 during at-bats and leaving six runners on base. Her contributions weren’t as necessary, as the Tigers beat the Shockers by an average margin of eight runs. 

The two games against the host team, Nebraska, were tougher, as Missouri won by only four runs each time. Walker made her mark in those matchups, with 3 hits and 4 RBIs against the Cornhuskers. 

Walker’s defense stayed consistent throughout the weekend as well. As the first baseman, Walker made 31 putouts with only one error.

Walker has cemented herself as a consistent starter for Missouri. Of the 19 games played, Walker has started in 18 and came off the bench in the last. 

Another player with a strong weekend despite hitting consistency issues was senior outfielder Chantice Phillips. 

Phillips started off hot, finishing Saturday 4-6 with both a home run and a double. The senior entered the weekend with only two hits on 14 at-bats, struggling to find her rhythm early in the season.

“She didn’t play last weekend when we were down at Mary Nutter,” Anderson said. “She was an unbelievable team player and [supported] everybody on the bench, and [was] just waiting for the opportunity and really took advantage.”

This success slowed on day two, as Phillips was unable to register a hit in her seven at bats. Her season batting average now sits at .222, an identical mark to last season. However, Phillips has increased both her slugging and on-base percentage this season. 

Phillips is primarily known for her defensive capabilities, registering 72 career putouts without a single error to her name.

Senior pitcher Laurin Krings struggled during Mary Nutter, allowing seven runs, four of which were earned. Her performance in the loss to Baylor was notably disappointing, as her individual game ERA of 7.87 was mountains above previous games this season. 

Things started slow in Nebraska too, as Krings allowed two runs in two innings pitched against Wichita State on Saturday. Sophomore Lilly Whitten entered in relief, allowing only one run in her three innings pitched in the Tigers’ 13-3 win. 

Due to great run support from Missouri’s batters, Krings earned her sixth win of the season.

Krings bounced back on day two against Nebraska, allowing only one run and five hits while pitching a full seven innings and notching her seventh win of the year. Over 72% percent of Krings’ pitches were strikes, despite ending with only four strikeouts. 

During the two games this weekend, Krings averaged 0.56 strikeouts per inning. Entering the tournament, she was nearly doubling that number at 0.95.

Edited by Grace Ainger | gainger@themaneater.com 

Copy edited by Grace Knight | gknight@themaneater.com

Edited by Genevieve Smith | gsmith@themaneater.com