Mizzou Softball's Rocky Clearwater Invitational Performance: 3 Takeaways

No. 16 Missouri softball's first voyage to Clearwater, Florida was full of success.

The Tigers went 4-1 at the NFCA Division I leadoff classic, including a dominant 10-3 win over No. 7/8 Duke and a victory over No. 20/21 Northwestern. They ended the tournament with a walk-off win over Iowa, and they traveled to Orlando riding high before a battle with UCF. Having been picked to finish No. 7 in the Big 12 preseason poll, it looked like Missouri could continue its momentum against the Golden Knights.

It was in Orlando, however, that the magic wore off. The Tigers fell to UCF 6-5 in eight innings, and while Missouri later picked up wins over Clemson and Ohio State in the Clearwater Invitational, it couldn't shake the losing ways. The Tigers also dropped games to No. 8/9 Florida State, Ohio State and San Diego State; the defeat to the Seminoles was a 9-1 mercy-rule that wrapped up in just six innings.

At 6-5, Missouri will be heading into the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic looking to get back on track. Here are three takeaways from an up-and-down performance in the Clearwater Invitational.

Inconsistent Offense Spells Doom

Missouri's offense experienced extended periods of success, namely against Marshall and Duke. The Tigers run-ruled the Thundering Herd 9-1 in five innings, including six in the first two. They also erupted against the Blue Devils, scoring nine runs in the top of the sixth.

However, Missouri couldn't carry over the offensive momentum from game-to-game. A complete-game shutout by Cierra Harrison saved a three-run performance by MU's offense, who scored just three runs against Notre Dame and three against Iowa, although a late-game collapse by the Hawkeyes gifted the Tigers a victory.

After the UCF game, which saw the Golden Knights end the game on a 6-0 run, Missouri endured more hardship on offense, combining for just five runs against Florida State, Ohio State and San Diego State. One issue was leaving runners on base, which popped up in the previous tournament. The Tigers left eight runners on base against the Buckeyes and nine against the Aztecs. Although they scored 10 runs versus Clemson, Missouri also left 10 runners on base.

At the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic, the Tigers are set to face three ranked teams — No. 5/6 UCLA, No. 20/19 Rutgers and No. 23 Oregon. Should they desire getting back to winning ways, converting with runners on base would be ideal.

Returners Step Up

Over the offseason, Missouri lost a large chunk of offensive production. The departures of Alex Honnold, Jenna Laird and Maddie Gallagher necessitated at least a few returners to elevate into larger roles than last season.

Despite the struggles, the Clearwater Classic featured a handful of Tigers shining. Julia Crenshaw stayed hot at the plate, recording six hits in the tournament. She was responsible for Missouri's only run against Florida State, a solo shot to center field in the bottom of the first inning. Stefania Abruscato registered three RBIs against Clemson and another pair of hits against San Diego State, while Claire Cahalan recorded a hit in three of the last four games. After batting just .143 last season, the speedy sophomore's average is up to .375, albeit at a small sample size.

Elsewhere, Kara Daly hit her second home run of the season in the win over Liberty, a towering blast that cleared the palm trees in center field. She also made a sweet diving catch against SDSU, laying out on a bunt attempt and securing the web gem. Madison Walker recorded three RBIs against the Flames, while Taylor Ebbs is on a four-game hitting streak.

Pitching Staff Struggles

Similarly to the position players, the pitching staff experienced major personnel turnover in the offseason, although the quantity of departures wasn't nearly as great. Rather, Laurin Krings' singular impact lifted Missouri numerous times last season, and MU's returning pitchers would need to elevate their games in 2025.

They've had positive moments thus far, including Harrison's complete-game shutout against Northwestern. But in Missouri's second trip to Clearwater, the Tigers got rocked. After allowing just two earned runs in her first 12 and two-thirds innings of work, Marissa McCann gave up eight hits and six earned runs against Clemson, although she lasted until the seventh inning. Harrison couldn't quell the Seminoles and Buckeyes, allowing 13 hits and 13 earned runs across just five innings against them. In 5.1 combined innings against Florida State and San Diego State, Courtney Donahue allowed 10 hits and six earned runs, including a couple of home runs against the Seminoles.

The only pitcher who exited Clearwater unscathed was Natalie Touchet, who pitched three shutout innings against Ohio State. Taylor Pannell only pitched one and two-thirds innings, while Jayci Kruse pitched just one inning against FSU. As MU prepares to face a pair of high-powered offenses in California -- Oregon is top-10 in most offensive categories, while UCLA is top-five nationally in batting average — Missouri's pitching has to tighten up.