“There’s a different momentum at stake”: Mizzou softball set to open SEC slate

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Mizzou softball team will open up the home schedule with a game against Kansas City on Wednesday afternoon, then the No. 20 Kentucky Wildcats will come to town for a weekend series on Friday.

The Tigers have been on the road for the first month of the season. Head coach Larissa Anderson open up the home schedule with a 15-6 overall record. MU just finished up play in the Oklahoma State/Tulsa Invitational over the weekend, going 3-2 through those games.

"I would've liked to come out with a couple more wins than we did, but we finished off on a great note," Anderson said. "It was nice to see the plate discipline that we had yesterday. Laurin Krings threw outstanding. We got a lot of people in the lineup, a different than we've had, moving a lot of different people around."

Outfielder Alex Honnold sat out in the last game of the Invitational due to a knee injury she got on Friday. Anderson, as of now, she is day-to-day. The goal was to get her rested up for the start of SEC action on Friday and not jeopardize the rest of her season.

Anderson said there is a shift in mentality when conference action begins. She said there is a completely different momentum at stake, so no SEC series is an easy win.

"It's the motto, 'it just means more,'" Anderson said. "It's like our season is in phases and we just finished our first phase of our season and our preseason. Then we're going to the second phase of conference play and then the third phase is post season. One of our goals is to put ourselves in an opportunity that we're gonna be in the top four in the conference and that really starts this weekend."

First pitch against Kansas City is on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Then, the Tigers will open SEC action on Friday, March 10 at 4 p.m. against No. 20 Kentucky.