Three Mizzou softball players earn NFCA All-Region honors
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A trio of Mizzou softball players earned NFCA Division I Southeast All-Region accolades, on Saturday. The Tigers' three selections are the most the program has had since 2022, when four players were honored.
Rock Bridge alum and freshman Abby Hay was a Second-Team All-Region selection, while her teammates seniors Laurin Krings and Alex Honnold were Third-Team All-Region picks.
Hay had quite a debut season in the black and gold. The Tiger first baseman is hitting .311 with 23 hits, 15 RBI, 11 runs, three doubles and three home runs, as her team continues NCAA Regional action. She has also recorded six two-hit games during her freshman year, slugging .591 with .423 on-base percentage.
The Columbia native made an immediate impact when she stepped on campus, enough to get her into the starting lineup quickly. Hay has started each of the last 25 contests at first base, totaling 26 starts in 33 games). Her fielding percentage through her debut season is .989.
The All-Region selection was the first of Krings' career.
The senior has tallied 13 wins in 2024, as head coach Larissa Anderson's ace in the circle. Through 146.0 innings, the Colorado native has punched out 115 batters with a 2.64 ERA.
Krings ranks in the top-10 in the SEC for innings pitched and appearances. She is also 11th in the conference with eight complete-games. She's been a consistent force for Mizzou, especially at the back half of the 2024 season. She registered a 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play, which helped her earn SEC All-Defensive Team honors.
For Honnold, the All-Region honors are coming for the second-straight season.
Honnold paced the Tigers at the dish in 2024, batting .346 in her campaign in the black and gold. She's been doubling quite a bit, in fact, she now hold the Mizzou single-season record and SEC-best 21 doubles this season. That mark is the sixth best in all of the NCAA.
She has started out in center field for the Tigers in all 59 games, tallying 35 RBI, 43 runs, five home runs and two triples with a .559 slugging percentage. She's up there with some of the best in the SEC, as her 65 hits on the year ranks sixth in the league. Honnold's 14 stolen bases is also 10th in the conference.
Up next - Hay, Krings, Honnold and the Tigers will face Indiana in the first elimination game of the day in the 2024 NCAA Columbia Regional. First pitch on Saturday is slated for about 4:30 p.m. If Mizzou wins that game, the group will move on to face the loser of the game between Omaha and Washington at 7 p.m. on Saturday.
