New Missouri softball coach Larissa Anderson said at her introductory press conference Thursday that she had no reason to leave Hofstra. She had been head coach of the Pride for the past four years and on the coaching staff for the past 17.
But after Missouri athletics director Jim Sterk sat down with her in New York and then flew her to Columbia to check out the campus, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity to coach in the SEC, which she called her dream.
“When your dreams align with your opportunity, you know when it’s time, and you know when it’s right,” Anderson told a gathering of both media members and fans in a crowded suite above home plate in the Mizzou Softball Stadium. “… I knew this is where I belonged.”
In introducing Anderson, Sterk emphasized that he sees her as a coach who will build a successful program “the right way.” He described Anderson as “tenacious” and “fearless.” Anderson said her philosophy on how to run a program aligned with Sterk’s. When asked what sold her on Missouri, she leaned over and patted Sterk on the shoulder.
“He wanted to develop a program, and he wanted to do it the right way,” Anderson said. “… Really it came down to the philosophy in being able to align with my personal philosophy, because not every school is built for me.”
Asked to elaborate on that philosophy, Anderson said she will focus on bringing in “the right player” for her coaching style, rather than “the best player.”
“The way I’m going to run this program, it’s going to be tough, and it’s going to be demanding, and we have to make sure that we hold people accountable, and not everybody can handle that,” Anderson said.
Anderson grew up in upstate New York. She said Thursday that she began working at age eight as a dishwasher in the restaurant her parents operated, and she credits her upbringing for her work ethic. She graduated from Gannon University in 1997 and spent one season as an assistant coach there before joining the staff at Hofstra. In her four years as head coach, she led the Pride to a 130-73-1 record, including two Colonial conference titles and two NCAA Tournament berths.
Anderson’s arrival should bring stability to a Tiger program that needs it. Ehren Earlywine was fired in January after a tumultuous final few seasons with the Tigers, and Gina Fogue served as the interim coach in 2018. Senior Kolby Romaine said the players are relieved to finally know who will be leading the program long-term.
“That’s honestly the biggest kind of relief through the whole thing,” Romaine said. “I think, especially with my four years, with everything that we’ve been through, stability is something that is going to help the team.”
Anderson, too, said she understands the need for stability at Missouri. She said she is in Columbia to stay.
“I was at Hofstra for 17 years, so I’m not the type of coach that I’m going to places in a very short period of time and then moving on to another program,” Anderson said. “… I would like this to be my last job. That’s who I am. I’m not the type of person who’s going to be jumping all over the place.”
Everything is not quite stable yet for Anderson, however. She is currently working to compile a coaching staff and to pitch the returning Tiger players on remaining with the school. She said Wednesday that she plans to bring one assistant coach from Hofstra to Missouri, though she didn’t name that coach because the hire hasn’t been finalized. She also said she has reached out to each returning player “in one way or another.” She called the timeline for knowing who will return “day to day,” and she admitted that it’s likely a few players will opt to transfer.
“I’m recruiting 25 people at one time,” Anderson said. “… It’s just making sure that their philosophies and their decision-making is aligning with mine, and if people decide to leave the program, I’ll help them in any possible way that I can to make sure that they find the right fit.”
From there, Anderson will have to assess the team’s needs and begin recruiting first-year players. She deferred comment on Missouri’s likely style of play under her leadership until she has a better feel for the team’s personnel, but she did say she planned to emphasize defense and pitching.
Anderson admitted that amalgamating a coaching staff and a roster will take time, as will earning the players’ trust and getting them to buy in to her system. But Thursday’s ceremony was much more a welcome party than an interrogation. Several fans voiced their pleasure with the hire. And, in her opening statement, Anderson offered them a promise of future success.
“We will win,” Anderson said. “It might not be today, it might not be tomorrow. But once we start to believe in one another and believe in the process, we will achieve greatness.”
