With just nine games left in the softball season, and all nine coming against teams currently in the top-20, including three this weekend against No. 1 Texas A&M, the Missouri Tigers are 22-24 and needing to go 6-3 to guarantee the team a position in the NCAA postseason.
Otherwise, Missouri would need to put together a great run in the SEC Tournament to avoid missing an NCAA Regional for just the second time since 2003 and first time (outside of 2020 when there were no regionals) since 2006.
“We know what’s at stake,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “And you know, it’s been a conversation that we’ve had within the team, like, they’re feeling the pressure. They know what’s at stake. They know their responsibility. They absolutely love this program and, you know, they want to do what’s absolute best and what everyone expects and that just puts a lot more pressure on them.”
But as the Tigers reach the final stretch of the season, they have recently been without multiple of their team leaders in seniors Kara Daly and Julia Crenshaw, both out with injury. Crenshaw did return to the lineup for Tuesday's game against SIU-Edwardsville, though.
“They’re day-to-day, so they’re being evaluated and taking care of their bodies,” Anderson said. “... No one’s 100 percent at this time, at this grind of the season. There isn’t anybody that is 100 percent so it’s really just being able to take care of your bodies, recover the best you possibly can, and get yourself in a position that you’re able to give 100 percent of whatever you’re feeling that day. If it’s 100 percent, you give 100 percent of what you’re feeling at that moment, so 100 percent of 50 percent is good enough.”
In fact, in the Tigers’ series finale against Mississippi State on Sunday, Taylor Ebbs, the designated player, was the only senior who played at all.
“We didn’t have a single senior out on the field and you have a team full of freshmen and sophomores,” Anderson said. “They’ve never been in these situations before, so they obviously are trying to do too much and trying to uphold the standard of the program and the legacy and that’s a lot of pressure for an 18-year old to be able to handle right now without any senior leadership on the field. So it’s just making sure that they control what they can control and enjoy playing the game.”
Anderson said that enjoyment of the game, remembering the love that drove the Tiger athletes to want to continue their careers into college, should help relieve the pressure if they can just forget the pressure for a couple of games.
But with the Aggies on deck, the third No. 1 team the Tigers have welcomed to Mizzou Softball Stadium this season - making Mizzou the first team ever to host three different No. 1 teams in a season - and the window closing on a season recovery, it’s going to be hard to forget.
“I want them to just enjoy playing the game and get back to why they play and just to enjoy the moment,” Anderson said. “And when they do that, and they focus on every single pitch, they play much more free.”
Every game is paramount for the Tigers at this point, starting with the 6 p.m. series opener against Texas A&M today.
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