Decorated senior class departs Missouri softball having left high standard of excellence (2024)

Brandon HaynesSt. Louis Post-Dispatch

Tears filled their eyes. Looks of disbelief crept onto their face, and reality began to set in — this was it.

Five seniors who had played roles in shepherding the Missouri softball team to heights it had not seen in more than a decade buttoned up the Tigers’ jersey for the final time Sunday night. For the second time in four seasons, the quintet led the team to within one victory of the Women’s College World Series, falling one run shy of the season-ending tournament.

“I think what’s really special about our five seniors is they set a new standard, not just wins and losses, but their standard for excellence and what they did every single day. They bought in from Day 1,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said after the seventh-seeded Tigers’ 4-3 loss to No. 10 Duke on Sunday in the title game of the best-of-three Columbia Super Regional series.

Missouri’s senior class included a quartet of four-year players in starting pitcher Laurin Krings, shortstop Jenna Laird, center fielder Alex Honnold and left fielder Chantice Phillips. Maddie Gallagher, an impactful transfer who started in each of the past two seasons for the Tigers, accounted for the fifth.

Anderson said together they not only altered the trajectory of Missouri’s program but cultivated a culture of loyalty and trust.

“When you look at college athletics right now, how many impact seniors are at the same institution for four years? At any level? Very, very few,” Anderson said. “That’s really what we want to instill here.”

Anchored by its current senior class, Missouri posted a 163-83 record over the past four seasons, including its winningest season since 2011 with this year’s 48-18 campaign. The Tigers placed fifth in the Southeastern Conference and earned a spot in the SEC Tournament title game after being selected to finish 11th in the preseason coaches’ poll.

In the end, though, the senior class finished their career in the same spot where they capped their freshman season in 2021 — one win shy of the WCWS.

“It’s been amazing,” Laid said. “I wouldn’t have asked to go out any other way.

“Maddie Gallagher said something in the locker room; she was like, ‘I would take this result over and over again if it meant I got to play with you guys again. That just shows the impact she’s had on this team and the impact this team has had on her. … We would all die for one another.”

The 2021 Southeastern Conference freshman of the year, Laird started all 246 games of her Missouri career. She earned all-conference honors each season, landing on the All-SEC first team in her freshman season and following that up with three successive second-team selections.

“(Laird) will do absolutely anything for anybody within this program and anyone in the community because that trumps her own personal needs,” Anderson said.

Honnold, a two-time selection to the All-Southeastern Conference second team, set the single-season doubles record this season (21) and capped her career with a .331 average, 22 home runs, 50 doubles and 119 RBI. She became the 26th player in program history to be named a National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American with her second-team selection in 2023.

A familiar face in the circle all four seasons, Krings lowered her earned run average each season en route to a 57-34 career record with a 2.79 ERA. The right-handed pitcher excelled in the postseason, tossing 83⅓ NCAA Tournament innings with a 9-3 record, 81 strikeouts and a 1.76 ERA.

“(Krings) did everything for us. She’s Mizzou,” Laird said. “I’m gonna always think of her as one of my best teammates.”

Gallagher, who transferred in from South Carolina ahead of the 2023 season, provided a steady presence in the infield and added a reliable bat to the lineup. The Port Washington, New York, product had one home run, seven doubles and 25 RBI this season.

Known for her dugout antics and lively attitude, Phillips appeared in 104 games during her Missouri career, starting 74 of those. The in-state product from Kansas City smoked four home runs and added 23 RBI across her four seasons as a Tiger.

“To just keep working until you can’t anymore,” Missouri freshman Abby Hay said when asked what she’s learned from the senior class. “They taught me a lot, just how to be myself and how to play the game right.”

Hay, an All-SEC second-team honoree this season, headlines the next wave of Tigers that will try to build upon the foundation laid by the departing senior class. Missouri is projected to return its entire pitching staff outside of Krings but will lose its top three hitters in the lineup.

A few of those holes may be filled when the Tigers will welcome in an eight-player signing class next season, which includes four in-state recruits (Madison Uptegrove, Abbie Wilhelm, Kadence Shepherd and Jordyn Thurman), three prospects from Texas (Saniya Hill, Sophie Smith and Nevaeh Watkins) and a Des Moines Area Community College transfer (Courtney Donahue).

Other deficiencies will likely be alleviated through the transfer portal, where the culture and legacy that the senior class left will have a chance to shine through for those wanting to lead the charge for the next age of Missouri softball.

We want people who want to be part of this program that are here for the right reasons, that are loyal, committed (and) hard-working,” Anderson said. “And I will do absolutely anything for them because I can trust them.”