How MU softball is adjusting to time away from the field, looking ahead to next year

It’s been 51 days since Missouri softball last took the field. Since then, players and coaches with aspirations of shocking doubters amid NCAA sanctions saw their impressive start to the season come to an abrupt end.

“It’s kind of like the same experience we went through when the NCAA sanction result was dropped on us,” Missouri coach Larissa Anderson said. “You go through a period of shock and you go through some anger. You mourn together as a team because your season ended.”

After a 19-7 start, the Tigers had to adapt to time away from the field. For All-American outfielder Cayla Kessinger, this isn’t the first time she’s had a season taken away from her. Kessinger missed the 2019 season after having two major surgeries that removed a rib, detached a muscle and shifted nerves. While Kessinger understands the difference in circumstances, she believes her time away from softball in 2019 has made the lost season in 2020 easier.

“I feel like I was one step ahead of some people,” Kessinger said. “I’ve had that feeling of having something taken away from you and really out of your control. Things happen and you have to take it with a grain of salt and appreciate the time you did have to play.”

Having a consistent schedule is important for athletes. Being able to practice and work out together in person is currently not an option. Staying in shape and developing a routine during this difficult time is a main concern for Anderson and her team.

“Athletes are so competitive and love discipline,” Anderson said. “That’s why they’re successful. The toughest thing for these players is not having a routine. Not being told when to get up, when to go to class, come to practice. All that discipline that’s made them successful.”

While the team isn’t interacting in person, the Tigers have found multiple ways to keep in touch and stay connected. Social media apps such as GroupMe and Snapchat have kept the team unified without games.

“We try to stay as engaged as we possibly can,” Anderson said. “It’s coaches having to be creative.”

Plenty of questions remain for the Tigers going into next season. Financially, many schools are trying to adapt to the loss of games and revenue. Anderson acknowledges that Missouri, along with other Southeastern Conference schools, has the resources that many other universities don’t. For Anderson, it’s a matter of the coaches and athletic departments getting creative.

“We’re in a situation in the SEC that, at times, we do have the finances that we can be able to accommodate all the way through,” Anderson said. “There’s 27 mid-major conferences out there that don’t have the same resources that we do.”

Besides financial constraints, the issue of fair play could be a possible concern. Recently, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to spring sports athletes. Due to this, many schools could have upwards of 35 players on their rosters. Missouri’s lone senior, Eli Daniel, decided Thursday she would not be returning to the Tigers in 2021. Missouri could be at a disadvantage in nonconference play due to the wide range of athletes allowed to participate.

However, these issues don’t impact Missouri in conference play due to roster management restrictions. The SEC allows a maximum of 22 players to be eligible for competition. Still, teams can allow all players on the roster in the dugout during home games, which could work against the Tigers with their lack of returning seniors.

“When you’re home you can have everyone in the dugout,” Anderson said. “Which obviously gives the home team the advantage to have more bodies and more eyes, be able to chart and pick pitches.”

On the field, the loss of Daniel leaves a hole in the Missouri bullpen. Daniel was the lone upperclassmen on a pitching staff that primarily used three freshmen. The absence of a dominant relief pitcher could result in heavier workloads for starting pitchers Jordan Weber, Megan Schumacher and Emma Nichols. However, Daniel believes the young Tigers pitching staff is ready for the task at hand.

“They’re absolutely going to kill it,” Daniel said. “I saw in the freshmen this year something that I haven’t seen in freshmen in a long time. They absolutely love the game and they want to work so hard to be good.

“It makes me really proud to see that because I want to say that that’s how I was when I came in. So seeing that, it makes me very excited to see what they’re going to do.”

While the team continues to prep for next season, The Tigers still await word on whether they are eligible for the 2021 postseason. Anderson understands that the impending decision could take some time due to the current circumstances.

“I think the NCAA pretty much has their hands full right now with a lot of other decision making,” Anderson said. “We’re just sitting and waiting.”

Postseason eligibility or not, adversity is not new for Missouri softball. Kessinger believes the time away from softball can benefit the Tigers in the long run.

“As a growing aspect that’s going to be really good for our team,” Kessinger said. “Having those times to face adversity, so you can learn to appreciate the game that much more and not take things for granted.”