No. 16 Mizzou softball returns from the Sunshine State to snow-covered fields to prepare for a West Coast road trip

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Year, after year there's two consistent problems that college softball teams located in the middle of the country and north have to grapple with at the beginning of the season: cold weather and snow.

The NCAA college softball season always kicks off in Feb., which spells trouble for a large portion teams hoping to get some practice in on dirt, before heading to warm-weather tournaments on the weekend to compete with some of the top talent in the nation. That was the case for Tiger softball, ahead of the team's trip to the Clearwater Invitational last week and is a continued problem ahead of the road trip to the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic this coming weekend.

"My No. 1 focus is to shout from the rooftops that they need to move the softball season back," head coach Larissa Anderson said. "Softball should not be played in February. Period. Period. Like, February is not spring and to expect three-quarters of the country to all go just do what we just did, play 11 games in nine days, to come home and not be able to go outside to then go play against three Top-25 teams, to not ever practice on dirt...like, that'd be like a hockey team never practicing on ice. That's unheard of. Like our basketball team never bouncing a ball on a court and then expecting them to go play the No. 5 team in the country. If we can move the season back and start in March, now you're having the safety and the welfare of the student-athletes at the forefront to play in an environment and an atmosphere that's conducive for our sport."

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

Coach Anderson emphasized that moving the softball season back is far above her pay-grade, so all she can do is focus on what her team does at practice day-in and day-out.

After going 2-3 in the Clearwater Invitational over the weekend, Mizzou comes out of the first two weekends with a 6-5 mark on the season. Anderson said these early-season tournaments are meant to expose your team a bit and show you were improvement is needed.

"What was exposed immediately was just the speed of the game. Our younger players aren't used to how fast the game is. We really haven't practiced on dirt, so it's going outside and having Top-25 teams hit the ball at us is, you know, 85 miles an hour plus and our freshmen not realizing how fast that game actually is. The faster it is, the faster you have to make decisions," Andersons said. "The good thing is that the ability is there and the potential is there."

The middle infield is going to be an area that the coaching staff will focus on in the coming weeks, following the graduation of star defensive players Jenna Laird and Maddie Gallagher in the offseason.

Through the first two weeks of the year, Coach Anderson tinkered around with having Jefferson City native Kara Daly play at shortstop with Laird's departure, but Anderson said it's become clear that Daly needs to play in her niche, where she shines. The three-year starter at third base will continue to hold down the corner, while the coaching staff makes some moves in the rest of the infield.

"It was allowing us to have Madison Walker, Kara Daly and Abby Hay all in the lineup and not have to use one of them as a designated player. I didn't want to because I wanted Taylor Ebbs to be our designated player," Anderson said. "Kara gave it a shot, but it's such a different depth-perception, moving her back...Now I have some tough decisions on what to do with Walker and Hay. I know that Walker can play first and, you know, maybe share some time and allow someone to be the designated player, so we're gonna be moving some people around over there."

Defensively, Coach Anderson sees her teams biggest need for improvement in the routine plays.

That consistency will be important in the upcoming Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, California, where the No. 16 Tigers will face three Top-25 squads. Those matchups include a day one meeting with No. 5 UCLA.

"They are hitting the ball extremely well. You know, their team average is close to .400. I mean, they're always gonna be strong in the circle. Their coaching staff is probably one of the strongest coaching staffs in the country. They've been together forever, so it's just a matter of taking advantage of opportunities when we have them because you might only have one," Anderson said.

There are a lot of advantages to bringing your team out to the West Coast for non-conference tournament action. Anderson said near the top of the list is exposing your players to different parts of the country, but it's also vital for recruiting, as young players in the hot-bed that is southern California get to see the Tigers up close and personal.

Mizzou will look to build on its strengths, with less than a month until Southeastern Conference action is set to begin.

Coach Anderson said one of the biggest strong spots she has seen is catcher Julia Crenshaw's abilities as the leadoff hitter this season. The senior is batting .382 to start 2025, with seven RBI, 13 hits and two home runs.

"I would like to see a little bit more RBI production out of her, she left 15 people on base throughout the entire week, so that's something she can just focus on a little bit more. Not trying to do too much in those RBI situations," Anderson said.

As Anderson's team prepares for what will be its 12th game in 13 days, Anderson said this time of year is when you learn about the grind and the response that your student-athletes have, as SEC action looms on the horizon.

"Sometimes you have to will yourself to compete when you've played so many games in such a short window. Being able to have a reset button. Like, in athletics it's so great because you have to have amnesia. The score from yesterday doesn't carry over to today, so it doesn't matter what we did, good or bad, the day before, the next day is a whole new slate. When we rebound and do some of the things...seeing how the resiliency happens within this team, shows me the leadership and the commitment and the dedication that they have," Anderson said.

No. 16 Mizzou will kickoff the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic on Thursday, Feb. 20 against Rutgers. That opening day will include another game against No. 5 UCLA in the evening, as well.