Mizzou softball’s Larissa Anderson previews program’s first NCAA Super Regional since 2021
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
The No. 7-seeded Mizzou softball team will host No. 10-seeded Duke in the first NCAA Super Regional in Columbia since 2021. The action will all begin on Friday, May 24.
Ahead of the weekend's big series against the Blue Devils, head coach Larissa Anderson sat down, one-on-one, with ABC 17 Sports Director Nathalie Jones. The pair previewed Super Regional action, while taking a look back at MU's post season journey.
The Tigers did not take the easy road through the Columbia Regional. After a loss to Omaha in the opener, Mizzou had to win four games in two days, in order to advance.
"The conversation in the locker room after the loss was allowing them to be upset," she said. "We were disappointed, but the thing was that we didn’t play our best. So, it was why didn’t we play our best.”
Anderson and company took down Indiana and Washington on Saturday in doubleheader action and followed that performance up with another two games on Sunday, as the Tigers rematched with Omaha in the NCAA Regional Final.
It was a battle between two standout pitchers in the Maverick's Kamryn Meyer and MU's Laurin Krings. However, in the end, Krings and company came out on top in both games. Coach Anderson said she inspired her teammates with a gutsy performance in the circle, as she made starts against Indiana, Washington and Omaha. That made for four starts in two days and nearly 400 pitches thrown. She ended it all, sending her team to Super Regionals, with a nine inning, complete-game shutout on Sunday night.
“I mean, probably one of the most gutsy, heroic performances I've ever seen out of an athlete," Anderson said.
Through the gritty wins just days ago, Mizzou gained some confidence, heading into NCAA Super Regional action. Anderson said it showed her team that they need everyone, from pitchers to batters to players in the dugout, in order to succeed.
However, MU's meeting with Duke will be a tough one, as it's the first time the two teams have ever met on the diamond.
"They have a lot of experience. They've been to three Super Regionals in a row, um veteran players, have been in the program since day one," Anderson said.
The Blue Devils come to Columbia with a 50-6 overall record and a 20-4 mark in the ACC. Head coach Marissa Young and her team have had quite a post season run, winning the ACC Championship against Florida State and then sweeping their way out of the NCAA Durham Regional.
Coach Anderson said that, in addition to the standout pitching from last weekend, her team will need to get their bats going earlier in the game, as her lineup will face a couple of standout Blue Devil pitchers.
Duke allowed just two runs, as the program steam rolled it way through regional play. Pitchers Jala Wright and Cassidy Curd will be the two to watch in the circle at the Mizzou Softball Stadium. Wright boasts a 19-1 record in 2024 with a 1.09 ERA, while Curd is 11-3 overall with a 1.44 ERA.
Anderson said finding success against future All-Americans like those two all comes down to taking a swing at it early.
"Be aggressive early in the count," she said. "Just don't get behind. Once you get behind, especially with an All-American pitcher, then they're not gonna throw you anything good to hit."
If Mizzou can win two game against Duke, the team will advance to the program's first Women's College World Series since 2011. Overall, it would be the seventh trip in program history. However, Anderson has made sure her team isn't look too far ahead.
“This weekend we got to look at one game at a time," she said. "We know what's at the end of the rainbow.”
First pitch between the Tigers and the Blue Devils is set for 1 p.m. CT on Friday, May 24. Game two is slated for 12 p.m. CT on Saturday, May 25.
