‘No one’s expecting us to win’: Mizzou embraces underdog mentality headed into SEC action

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Sometimes victories don't always show up in the win, loss column. That's definitely been the case for the Mizzou softball team in the midst of the group's 7-13 start to the 2026 campaign.

Although the record doesn't necessarily reflect it, head coach Larissa Anderson emphasized that she has seen growth in her young team through the first 20 games of the season.

"It was great to see [pitcher] Marissa McCann throw a gem, on Saturday. I mean, she looked more normal and that's that's the standard that we expect of her and that she expects of herself. So, that was really good to see that she had a really good outing. Statistically, you look at Abby [Hay]. I mean, she's one that we know that we need. She's been having really quality at-bats. She's healthy, so that's really strong. I think the highlight is Sophie Smith. You know, she's one that she has the underdog mentality. She is. There's just a bulldog in there and just fights like crazy. Her will far exceeds what her what her skill allows her to do and she just is such a true competitor," Coach Anderson said when asked what the positives she took from Mizzou's first home weekend were.

You can watch the full press conference with Anderson in the video player below.

In their first weekend at the Mizzou Softball Stadium, the Tigers split the action in the Mizzou Invitational, going 2-2 through two days of work. MU grabbed wins over both Drake and Wichita State in game one on both Friday and Saturday, but fell to Miami of Ohio twice in the night cap on each of those days.

Coach Anderson said that in those pair of losses to the Redhawks, she thought Miami (Ohio) put some pressure on her team and manufactured runs by putting runners in motion, making the Tigers play a little bit faster. Heading into the rest of the season, she said she'd like to see her team continue to play at that speed.

The leader of Tiger softball added that, despite some of the inconsistencies over the weekend, she does feel like her team's defense has been tremendously consistent, this season. Coach Anderson also noted that she believes their approach at the plate is getting better, as well.

"We're much more selective in what we're trying to hit. We're not definitive, we're not defensive. I mean, early on in the season, I saw a lot of check swings, a lot of indecision where we would be caught in between speeds and I'm seeing that we're better on time and making adjustments, pitch-to-pitch, to be on time," she said.

Mizzou's up and down start to the 2026 campaign has created quite a bit of outside noise, as is the nature of college sports now-a-days. However, Coach Anderson opened up her press conference, on Monday, with some reflection on how well athletes are being prepared for the pressures put on them at this level.

"I read something early this morning from a former collegiate athlete and she said, 'I miss my teammates, but I don't miss the pressure.' It made me think back to, what are we doing before they even get to college to not prepare them for the pressure that they feel at this level from the media, from the fans, from the legacies that are up on the wall," Anderson said. "How can we better prepare them for what they're going to feel here? I don't I don't have a definite answer right now. You know, that's something that I think in today's day and age with the mental pressure that they have, that they need to be comfortable and they need to embrace that pressure. You know, I think back to 10 years ago, 20 years ago, people thrived under the pressure and they wanted to be in those pressure moments. I don't think that we're doing a good enough job preparing for those moments."

As the team looks to get the season back on the rails, Coach Anderson is emphasizing the importance of the little battles. She doesn't want her players focusing on the insane pressure of just one moment or of winning the game, but instead jut winning one pitch or practice or at-bat at a time.

"I feel that they try to do too much in that moment because they want it so bad. The effort is there, the intent is there, the desire is there. They're not quitting on each other. They're not quitting on the game. They want it so bad and they want it for everybody. That's the pressure that they feel because they do want and they know what the expectations are," Anderson said. "It's trying to let them not make the moment bigger than it is and not realize that your entire season is relying on one swing."

Short of putting them in a bubble, it's nearly impossible to block your team from the outside noise. However, you can create your own narrative out of that outside noise.

The narrative for Mizzou softball, right now?

"Be the underdog and and wreck everyone's season and continue to fight," Anderson said.

When asked if her team is where she thought they would be at this point in the season, Coach Anderson candidly said she always believes her teams can be better than where they're at now. She added that this year's team is nowhere near their potential, yet.

However, that does create the opportunity for Mizzou to play as the underdogs, something that the team can relish, especially in its upcoming SEC-opening road trip to Florida to meet the No. 6 Gators for a three-game series.

"You don't have the target on your back. No one's expecting you to win. Like, no one's expecting us to go down to Florida and win except us. That's the mentality we have to have. Like, we want Florida take us lightly. We want Florida to be able to say, 'you know what? Mizzou's in the situation that they're in and maybe they take a pitch off and we capitalize on those opportunities.' But, we can't worry about what Florida does. We have to worry about what Mizzou does and making sure that we're going out to be the most competitive team that we can be," Anderson said.

Coach Anderson doesn't anticipate making many big adjustments ahead of the series against the Gators, but did mention that her pitching order is not 100 percent set, at this point in the year.

She said she will likely make a determination Friday night on who their Saturday starter will be for game one.

Mizzou and No. 6 Florida will get going in a three-game series on Saturday, March 7 at noon CT.