‘I’ve always believed in them’: Larissa Anderson breaks down Mizzou’s 12-2 run
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
It's funny how so much can change in a little more than a month.
On Sunday, Feb. 22, the Mizzou softball team had just lost to Louisiana to close out the Cajun AC Louisiana Clash. That loss put head coach Larissa Anderson and company at 5-11 to start the season.
However, if you fast forward to Monday, March 30, you'll see an entirely different picture, one defined by a young team that focused on making the most of individual moments. That belief and focus from the youngest team in the Southeastern Conference has led to success, too.
Over the course of the last 36 days, the Tigers have been on a tear. Mizzou has won 12 out of its last 14 games, including its first SEC series sweep since 2024, as the group took three from Auburn over the weekend.
"We can't control a lot in our game," head coach Larissa Anderson said, on Monday. "[But], we can control our approach and our effort and the attitude that we put in and we just stay focused on one pitch a time and one moment at a time. That's what they're doing. They're continuing to grind and fight and make those adjustments. I think the most impressive thing about this run is the the belief that they have. I've always believed in them from day one and it's really hard to eliminate the noise and it's just keeping them focused on what they need to do and trusting the process."
You can watch the full press conference with Anderson in the video player below.
Even through Mizzou's slow start to the season, Coach Anderson knew the potential of the roster she had assembled. Through the outside noise and pressure that comes with a slow start to the season, the Tigers trusted the process and what was being built.
"I know what the potential of every single one of them, as far as players, is. I know what the potential of this team is. So, I know what our standard is and every time that they elevate that level and elevate that standard, it's recognizing, okay, this is our new bar," Anderson said. "We communicate about it, we hold them to that accountability, we hold them to that standard and then we just continue to raise that bar. You have to do that with young players, like they don't know what they don't know. They've never been in the situation, they've never been in this atmosphere, they don't understand the pressure. They don't understand the the media and the fan base and, you know, all that comes into it. It's not just about hitting and pitching and fielding, so it's it's educating them along the way, but then also giving them the belief that they're the right people in the right spot and that we believe in them."
Although the team was starting to get their footing at the start of SEC play, it still took a minute to get over the hump. Mizzou started conference action by getting swept by No. 8 Florida, with a pair of one-run losses. In the next SEC series, Coach Anderson's team managed to steal a game from No. 6 Alabama and send the series to a rubber match on Sunday, where the team fell one run short of a breakthrough. However, the team's most recent conference clash got them over that hump.
Mizzou found wins in three different ways in its sweep over Auburn: in shutout fashion, in dominant fashion and in comeback fashion. It's a series that Coach Anderson believes can instill even more confidence in her group.
"I mean, to get the results, like that's huge. It's one thing for me, when we go against the University of Florida and we have an opportunity to win two out of three games there to to say that, but until they actually get the results and they got one against Alabama and now was able to take three on the road against Auburn, it's really tough to do. It's really tough to sweep in this conference on the road, but when they see the results then the belief instills even more," she said.
In the Tigers' recent 12-2 run, the hitters have shined, especially catcher Stefania Abruscato. Since Mizzou's loss to McNeese State on Feb. 21, the junior is batting .446 with a .526 on-base percentage.
"It's really special. I mean, she's understanding what pitches that she can handle. She's spoiling the borderline and she'a just really capitalizing. I mean, she's been really clutch, very, very confident. I mean, this is the player that we always knew that she could be. You know, she's just really putting good passes on the ball right now," Anderson said.
Over the offseason, Abruscato said she felt her confidence growing at the plate every day, as first-year hitting coach Jake Epstein began working with this group. He brought in a more analytical approach than the program's ever seen before. That's something that Coach Anderson has seen taken hold in her hitters, this season.
What's been working so well is Epstein's individualized approach for each hitter, as each of them needs something a little different. Since conference play began and the opponents are fewer, he's been able to get even more specific with them, too.
"He is getting more specific because we're only playing one opponent a day. That's the difference from preseason when you're playing five different teams and you're scouting sometimes 20 pitchers, so now we're scouting two. Then we're spending a lot more time preparing them during the week leading up to what Friday, Saturday and Sunday is going to look like," Anderson said.
The job is far from finished for Tiger softball, but they have taken time to appreciate the progress. Mizzou's series sweep over Auburn got the team above the .500 mark for the first time this season. That's an important benchmark to reach, too, because being at .500 is a requirement to make the NCAA Tournament in May.
Of course, the postseason is always the goal for Anderson's teams, as the program will look to get back to the NCAA stage this season, after missing out on it in 2025.
"It's definitely a relief. I mean, we haven't been above .500 all year long. You know, we started off the season really slow, competitive, but just obviously not getting those wins. You know, when we hit the .500 mark, we celebrated it in left field and then when we got above .500 it's like okay let's not drop down below again," Anderson said. "But, again, like I've been watching a lot of the March Madness and a lot of the coaches interviews after the game. The pressure comes from outside influence and it's keeping these players true to what they're doing, what they believe in, that they know that they're putting in the work, that they don't have control over those results, to be proud in what they're doing and not get caught up in things that we can't control. That's really what this stretch has been all about. It's been about trusting that process, believing in it, believing in each other, buying into everything that you're doing, having a good time doing it and that's what makes this game so great and this team so great. They're just so much fun to be around. So, we can celebrate those little moments regardless if we win or lose, but now when we win, we can celebrate them that much more."
While the softball world watches the run MU's making, it's hard not to notice the play of true freshman pitcher Abby Carr. The two-way threat continues to impress weekend-in and weekend-out. Just in the series against Auburn, the Missouri native recorded three, critical RBIs. In fact, in Sunday's comeback win, Carr hit the go-ahead home run in the fifth inning to take the lead.
Anderson said she always knew the potential of the young superstar that she recruited, but she's been thoroughly impressed with just how quickly Carr has been able to make an impact in her debut season.
"I mean, I didn't know how special she was. I knew she was very talented and I knew she had the potential, but what separates her is her knowledge of the game. I'm going to continue to say that is because of her parents. That is nothing to do with me, has nothing to do with the program. It was her upbringing. It's her mom, who was a Division I pitcher at Pitt and her dad played professional baseball. So, she's been around the game, she understands the game, she she was a competitive swimmer, so she has the ability to really zero in on what does she need to do as an individual? She's such a student of the game, but she's just so carefree and she doesn't make the moment any bigger than it is. That's, I think, what is allowing her to be successful," Anderson said.
Next up - Mizzou will head down to Springfield to meet Missouri State in midweek action on Tuesday at 5 p.m. Then, the Tigers will host LSU for a three-game series, Thursday-Saturday.
