For the first time since 2006 (other than 2020), it looks like the Missouri Tigers will send off their senior class without a postseason appearance.
This year’s senior crew led by Julia Crenshaw and Kara Daly, along with Mya Dodge, Jayci Kruse and Taylor Ebbs, will end their Tiger careers early than any other in a non-shortened season in almost two decades as Missouri enters the final series of the regular season today against Georgia.
“Senior weekend is always extremely emotional,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “We have five unbelievable seniors, three that have been here all four years of their career, which I’m extremely proud of. … I can’t say enough about them, in particular, with Crenshaw and Daly being Missouri kids born and raised in Jeff City (and) St. Louis. I mean, they’ve always wanted to be a Tiger and for them to go through the adversity that they faced this year with some injuries and being able to finish their career on our own home field, in their uniform is something I’m extremely proud of and proud of them.”
The Tigers entered their final series with a record of 23-29, and even with a sweep of the Bulldogs, would need to at least reach the SEC Tournament championship to end the year with a record better than .500 and qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
They opened the final series with 4-2, late comeback win on Thursday, marking the first series-opening win of the season and giving senior Mya Dodge a moment to remember with a pinch-hit, go-ahead home run in the bottom of the sixth.
“It would be nice to be able to leave your mark on your own field on senior day, to be able to go out with a win,” Anderson said. “I mean, have that good feeling around their families and our fan base. They, everybody, deserves it and to be able to have that success and being able to celebrate would be a little bit more.”
That celebration won’t come with the expectation of a playoff run as it so often has in recent Missouri softball seasons, but it will come with something new.
Following the longstanding football tradition of seniors getting a rock from the ‘M’ on the berm, the softball seniors will now get a rock from their new ‘M’ in center field.
“I think it’s just super cool to see it all develop,” Anderson said. “From it being a little dream a couple years ago to the North End Zone at Faurot Field being able to make some adjustments, to get the rocks from Faurot and make our own rock ‘M’ and have that tradition that our players are the ones that put the rock in the ‘M’ themselves and being able to take one home with them. It means more, it’s just that added respect and ownership, I would say, that you can take Mizzou with you when you leave here and what it really means to be a Tiger.”
The Tigers haven’t had the success they wanted this season. They haven’t won an SEC series and haven’t been over .500 since dropping their first SEC game of the season to Kentucky, leaving Missouri 10-10.
But the Tigers have been close in so many games this season, losing eight games by just one run and nine more by two runs, including six one-run losses to ranked teams and two to teams ranked No. 1.
“(2024) was very, very successful, but statistically, very similar,” Anderson said. “But they knew how to win and that’s the difference. You might have the same batting average and the same slugging percentage and the same on base percentage, but when players know how to win, then they’re getting it at the right times. This team didn’t, didn’t know how to be able to win and be able to capitalize and take advantage of those opportunities. … You have to learn from every single experience that you have.”
Now the younger players will have one more series and however many SEC Tournament games the Tigers will themselves into to keep learning and preparing for next year, as this year’s seniors say goodbye to a program they have given their all to.
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