Missouri softball’s Regan Nash was an all-state track performer in her four years of high school. She rounded out her career with two consecutive state titles in the 100-meter dash her junior and senior years.
Yet the freshman from Camden Point, Missouri, chose to use her speed on the softball field instead of the track, and it seems to be working out quite well. The young outfielder secured her a starting spot immediately and has started all 46 games for the Tigers.
“Track was always just a hobby for me, but softball stole my heart,” Nash said. “I love it.”
The Missouri softball team uses speed not just through Nash, but through almost every player in the lineup. It has become a staple of the Mizzou offense, and when there are Tigers on base, it’s hard to catch them stealing.
Mizzou ranks third in NCAA for stolen bases with 132 total. The team averages 2.93 stolen bases per game.
The No. 19 Tigers swept their April 23–25 series with No. 16 Texas A&M, winning all three games 7–6, 2–1 and 7–1, respectively. The power of their speed helped Missouri win in walk-off fashion during the second game.
In the bottom of the seventh inning, junior designated hitter Chloe Rathburn hit a quick grounder to the shortstop, who threw it to the catcher. She reached out to tag senior Emily Crane for the out, but Crane beat the tag and won the game for Mizzou.
“My first reaction was ‘oh no,’ but then I saw Emily had a chance on it, so I was like ‘let’s go,’” senior shortstop Sami Fagan, who was on base at the time, said. “I mean, with Emily on the bases, with anyone on the bases really, we just have so much speed in our lineup, little hits like that are fine because we can score on them.”
The lineup is made with that speed in mind. Senior centerfielder Taylor Gadbois is the leadoff hitter for the Tigers, a role that she has developed throughout her five years on the team. Currently, she ranks ninth nationally in stolen bases with 46 stolen bases.
The strategy is for Gadbois to reach base, usually with a single, then steal second base on the first two pitches for the next batter and get in scoring position. Crane is usually that next batter and the plan has worked well throughout the season. The second-hole hitter is among the Southeastern Conference’s top hitters this season with an .869 slugging percentage, 15 home runs, 51 runs scored and 53 hits.
“I know my role on this team and that’s stealing bases and get in scoring position for the people behind me,” Gadbois said. “It’s honestly just fun to run, and I love that role. I don’t care where they hit it, I’m trying to score for whoever is behind me. Not just for them to get an RBI, but for us to be up on the scoreboard.”
Having speed in their offensive lineup is helpful for Missouri as they take on some of the toughest teams in the nation. however they also can use it defensively. Throughout the three game series with Texas A&M, the Tigers had no errors and hardly let runners score, unless the hits were home runs.
“A lot of people interpret speed as an offensive weapon,” coach Ehren Earleywine said. “But when you have kids that can run, you can track down a lot of balls too. It’s a difference maker.”
Earleywine has looked to speed in recruitment for certain players in recent years. It was one of the reasons he wanted Nash in his lineup. Looking forward, the Tigers are bringing in an impressive recruiting class with speed as a top priority.
Lexi Rampetsreiter, currently a senior at Lee’s Summit North High School, holds the school record for single-season stolen bases and has a 100 percent stolen base success rate in her career. She also possesses the single-season school record for runs scored. She currently plays outfield on her high school and club team and will no doubt help Missouri next year offensively and defensively.
In two years, current junior and Columbia native Delaney McDannold will join the Tiger squad. She plays outfield for Rock Bridge High School, and also runs sprints on the track team. McDannold led her team in steals last season and was one of Rock Bridge’s top hitters.
Having speed on base and in the outfield is what makes Missouri such a tough team to play. When the team is allowed to run their offense once they start hitting off tough SEC pitchers, it tends to rack up runs. And when the defense can read the ball and get to it quickly, it can shut down the opposing team early on in the game.
That’s what the team hopes to continue as it approaches post-season. Missouri currently ranks ninth in the SEC and 19th in the country, but has hopes of moving up in rankings.
“If we can keep this energy up we have really high hopes going into postseason,” Crane said. “I think we’re in a really good spot with our emotions and where we stand with each other, so that’s going to be really good for us.”
_Edited by Theo DeRosa | tderosa@themaneater.com_
