Softball Continues Sunshine State Stretch with UCF

Wednesday, February 11

Orlando, Fla.

5 p.m.

Missouri

UCF

Haidyn Sokoloski celebrates as she hits a double against Liberty on Feb. 7

2/10/2026 6:00:00 PM | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)

The Tigers will play in their first midweek game of the season, after going 2-3 to open the season at NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic.

Game #6 • Wednesday, Feb. 11 • 5 p.m. CT
Mizzou (2-3, 0-0 SEC) at UCF (5-1, 0-0 SEC)
UCF Softball Complex • Orlando, Fla.
SERIES HISTORY: MIZ leads 3-2 • STREAK: L1
LAST GAME: L, 6-5 | 8 innings (Orlando, Fla. • Feb. 11, 2025)
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
OPPONENT WEB: ucfknights.com

MIDWEEK IN THE SUNSHINE STATE

Mizzou softball takes on UCF in its first midweek matchup of the season, as it takes on the Knights starting at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 11 at the UCF Softball Complex in Orlando, Fla.
The matchup will be streamed via ESPN+.

BY THE SERIES

Mizzou is 3-2 all-time against UCF, as head coach Larissa Anderson's record against the Knights mirrors that, as the Tigers first faced the Knights back in 2015.
MU dropped the first-ever matchup between the two teams, falling 1-0.
The Tigers last faced the Knights in Orlando last season, losing 6-5 in eight innings. Before that, MU had a three-game winning streak.

NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic

Freshman Abby Carr was selected to the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic All-Tournament team after recording one home run with four RBIs, as well as pitching 10.1 innings with a 1.35 era.
Carr made her pitching debut against then-ranked Liberty and held a no-hitter heading into the sixth inning. She ended up pitching a complete game (six innings), allowing two runs and striking out five.
Against BYU (Feb. 7), the freshman recorded her first career RBI with a double, and in the next game against South Alabama (Feb. 8), went deep for her first home run of the season. Against the Jaguars, she would show up in relief, pitching 4.1 innings and allowing zero earned runs.

HAY Now HAY Now

Junior Abby Hay had the most productive outing of the weekend at the plate, as she finished the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic with a team-leading six RBIs, two home runs, as well as finishing with a .375 batting average.
Hay posted the first home run of the season for the Tigers against Liberty (Feb. 7), and followed that with the second against BYU (Feb. 7).
Against South Alabama, Hay plated two RBIs in extra innings with two singles.

DIY Pitching

Senior RHP Courtney Donahue grew up in Wisconsin and was self-taught in the art of pitching via YouTube. Donahue earned a spot with the Des Moines Area Community College before committing to Mizzou.
She has had three siblings join her in the collegiate ranks, with her sister also being at the Division I level at Wisconsin.

HOT Start

Freshman Sidney Forrester is having a hot start to her first season, as she is third on the team in average, .294. She is also second on the team in RBIs with four, as all four RBIs were earned during the game against Liberty (Feb. 7).

DOUBLE TIME

Against Liberty the Tigers excelled in putting the ball into the gap as they had seven doubles as a team. This is the first time MU has posted that many in a game since records began to be tracked.

SOFTBALL AMERICA TOP 100

Senior outfielder Emma Jackson earned her spot as the No. 83 player on the top 100 list and ranked as the 19th-best outfielder in the country according to the outlit.
Jackson is a senior transfer from East Carolina, where she was named to the All-AAC second team in 2025. During her junior campaign, she broke the program's single-season record, slugging 21 home runs. Last season, she finished with a .326 batting average (.453 on-base percentage) and a .730 slugging percentage, as she collected 54 RBIs, nine doubles and 53 runs.

FRESHMAN WATCH LISTS

Three players made their way onto multiple freshman-to-watch lists, as Abby Carr, Sidney Forrester, and Addy Waits were selected to both the Softball America and D1Softball preseason lists.
Freshman RHP, Abby Carr, was the 2025 Gatorade Missouri Softball Player of the Year after posting a 23-0 record with 304 strikeouts and a .242 ERA across 144.2 innings. She was also a two-time Pitcher of the Year and three-time all-state selection in Missouri.
Freshman first baseman/outfielder, Sidney Forrester, was a three-time Oklahoma Class 4A-7 District Player of the Year and earned all-region, all-state accolades in high school. She dominated the level with a .545 batting average (.633 on-base percentage) with 180 hits, 159 RBIs, 46 home runs, 47 doubles, seven triples and 28 stolen bases.
Freshman third baseman, Addy Waits, was a three-time all-conference, all-state and all-district player in her high school career. She set numerous Lee's Summit West High School career records with 180 hits, a .563 on-base percentage, 42 doubles, 70 walks, 49 stolen bases and 157 runs.

IN THE CiRCLE

Heading into the 2026 season, the Tigers bring back 20 wins on the mound, as senior RHP Cierra Harrison, and junior RHP Marissa McCann both return for another season in the Black and Gold.
McCann led the Tigers in strikeouts in 2025, recording 113 in 148.0 innings pitched. She finished her sophomore year with a 3.69 ERA, and limited opposing batters to a .262 batting average. She also notched six complete games in 24 starts.
Harrison is ready for her final campaign; last season, she recorded 10 wins with a 3.94 ERA and 89 strikeouts. Harrison heads into this season with a career of success, having compiled a 2.87 ERA, an overall record of 32-13, and a no-hitter on her resume.
The Tigers only bolster their pitching staff over the course of the offseason, adding freshman RHP Abby Carr and sophomore transfer RHP Rylee Michalak. As a freshman at Houston, Michalak appeared in 23 games and started 14 of those, and ended up leading the team in strikeouts (35) and wins (6). She was previously the No. 38 player in the class of 2024 according to the final Extra Elite 100 rankings by Extra Inning Softball.
Other returners include senior Courtney Donahue and junior Nathalie Touchet. Donahue transferred to the Tigers ahead of the 2025 season, after being named the 2024 TUCCI/NFCA NJCAA DII Pitcher of the Year. Touchet is the top saves-getter for Mizzou with two, and posted a 2.47 ERA as a bullpen pitcher for the Tigers.

TIGERS ON TV

Mizzou will have 10 national broadcast games, including two on the MLB Network during the opening tournament (Feb. 7, vs. Liberty at 12 p.m. CT; Feb. 8, vs. South Alabama at 12 p.m. CT).
The Tigers will play eight conference ESPN affiliate games, with two on the ACC Network during the Shriners Children's Clearwater Invitational.
The following eight games will be broadcast on the SEC Network, with Mizzou hosting three (Apr. 4 LSU at 2:30 p.m.).

POSITIONAL RETURNERS

Mizzou returns five starters from the 2025 season: junior catcher/outfielder Stefania Abruscato, junior outfielder Claire Cahalan, senior utility player Kayley Lenger, sophomore infielder/outfielder Madison Uptegrove and first basemen junior Abby Hay.
Abruscato started the majority of the games in 2025, playing in 56 and starting 55, primarily as an outfielder. This season, she will take on the role of catcher, as she slashed .244, with an on-base percentage of .328, and led the team in doubles with 15.
Cahalan recorded the highest average amongst the primary starters with a .266 batting average, and led the team in both triples (3) and stolen bases (11).
Lenger comes into the season as one of the best defensive players on the squad, having tallied only one error last season and recorded three assists from the outfield. She recorded a .989 fielding percentage and was even featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays for a diving catch she posted against Texas (4/5).
In her second season with the Tigers, Uptegrove will be a player to watch, as she started in 47 games as a freshman and recorded a .361 on-base percentage. She was dynamic from the plate, recording 12 extra-base hits, including five home runs.
Hay will hope to rebound and repeat her first year as she heads into her third campaign. She was named to the All-SEC second team and the NFCA Southeast All-Region Team in 2024, recording a .306 batting average with 16 runs, four doubles, a triple, five home runs, and 23 RBIs. Last season, she compiled 15 runs, seven doubles, three home runs and 15 RBIs.

FRESHMEN

The Class of 2025 boasts a wealth of talent, with seven players joining as freshmen. Included in that class was the trio that was selected to the National Watchlists: Forrester, Carr and Waits. Joining them is catcher Jaley James, infielder Avery Porter, infielder Avery Adcock and outfielder Linny Ramsey.
One addition to the Class is catcher/infielder Gracie Britton, who reclassified from the Class of 2026 to join the Tigers early.
This Class brings together over 17 all-state honors, eight player of the year distinctions and multiple NFCA All-Region accolades.

NOTABLES FROM 2025

The Tigers finished the 2025 season 25-31 overall and 6-18 in the SEC.
MU hosted one of the toughest schedules in the country, ranking ninth in strength of schedule, and, despite a sub-.500 record, was 42nd in the RPI rankings.
Last season, the Tigers played 32 ranked games and recording nine wins, including two against the No. 1 team in the country at the time (Oklahoma & Texas A&M).

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