Mizzou Softball Enduring Heights of Winter; The Buzz, Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025

While the collegiate softball season starting in February is by no means a new concept, the circumstances surrounding Missouri softball's start to the season is a little more extreme this year.

As the Tigers prepare for the Marry Nutter Collegiate Classic that takes place from Thursday-Sunday, they'll be forced to practice in extreme cold conditions in Columbia. Snow fell Monday morning, and the temperatures are expected to vastly stay within the teens until they leave for Thursday's matchup against Rutgers.

It's by no means the right weather to play softball in, which creates a severe disadvantage in Missouri's ability to prepare for the tournament. While teams are forced to practice or play in these conditions, the MLB holds off live games until April.

"My number one focus is to shout from the rooftops that they need to move the softball season back," Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said Monday. "If we can move the season back and start in March now, you're having the safety and welfare of the student athletes at the forefront."

Changing the schedule is an uphill battle that Anderson alone can't accomplish, but winter weather still affects a vast amount of colleges in the month of February. Once the Tigers departed from the warm weather of Florida, the snow and chilly conditions have prevented them from practicing normally.

Still, Anderson and the Missouri roster are doing everything they can to get ready for some tough battles over the weekend. It may not be the ideal route, but it's the card it has been dealt with.

"All I can focus on is what we do in practice today, and that's going to be the intensity," Anderson said. "Pay attention to the little things. Pay attention to the details. Make all the routine plays and do so in the way we know we can do."

Today's Schedule

Missouri swim & dive at the SEC Championships — Athens, Ga., SEC Network+

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Missouri football legend Kellen Winslow gets shouted out by the College Football Hall of Fame for Black History Month:

Kellen Winslow didn’t play football until his senior year of high school. Four years later, he was a Consensus All-American.

At @Mizzou, his size and speed helped take down top-ranked Notre Dame and Nebraska. In the NFL, he redefined the tight end position, earning a spot in… pic.twitter.com/YrsOtZNR7h
— College Football Hall of Fame (@cfbhall) February 17, 2025

Missouri men's basketball guard Jacob Crews is this week's senior spotlight player:

𝐹𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦

It's what drives @JacobCrews0 and has led him down his path to become a Tiger

Learn more in our latest Senior Spotlight #MIZ 🐯 pic.twitter.com/gXG0pJ1GHy
— Mizzou Hoops (@MizzouHoops) February 17, 2025

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Today's Schedule

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