Mizzou softball puts final offseason tune-up in the books
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Mizzou softball team put one last offseason tune-up in the books, before the 2026 season begins in Clearwater, Florida, on Friday.
On Sunday morning, head coach Larissa Anderson and her team held the annual Black & Gold intrasquad scrimmage at Devine Pavilion. In that high-scoring contest, team black came out with a 12-9, walk-off win over team gold.
After the scrimmage, Coach Anderson said she was happy with how her team did at the plate.
"Aggressive hitters. That was great," she said. "It was great to actually play in front of fans. I mean, that's that's the exciting part. We've been scrimmaging against each other for a couple weeks now, but being able to do in front of our fans and our support, I mean, that's the big takeaway. Then, being able to get on a plane in a couple of days, that's going to be exciting."
You can watch the full press conference with Anderson in the video player below.
In total, team black and team gold combined for 21 runs in front of Tiger faithful, on Sunday. That performance came as Mizzou is hoping for a more productive season at the dish in 2026.
In the offseason, Coach Anderson hired former Mizzou baseball player and hitting guru Jake Epstein to help bring some new life into the Tiger bats. During a previous interview with ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones, Anderson said that Epstein came in looking to change Mizzou's plate mentality.
"We know our potential," she said, on Sunday. "I mean, we've spent a lot of time on controlling the strike zone and every individual player knows what pitches they can handle and what they're what they're trying to eliminate and how they're able to the strength the strike zone. So, that's what they've spent this entire offseason working on."
Mizzou fans got to see some of Mid-Missouri's best showed off their skills, on Sunday, as well.
Just weeks after graduating early from Southern Boone, former Eagle catcher Gracie Britton impressed in MU's scrimmage. She tallied three hits, one of which was a home run on the first pitch she saw at Devine Pavilion.
"I mean, this is a dream come true for her. To graduate early and being able to wear a Mizzou uniform, I mean, really awesome. I mean, she's had to learn a lot in a very short period of time. Like, we're cramming in six months of work and about two weeks. So, it was really great for her to be able to capitalize on her opportunities," Anderson said.
Up next - Mizzou will kickoff the season down in Clearwater, Florida at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic. The Tigers' first game will start at 9 a.m. CT on Friday against Penn State.
