Who is Laurin Krings? Stats, more to know of Missouri softball's star pitcher amid NCAA Tournament

Missouri softball is once again playing for a trip to the Women's College World Series, and it has Laurin Krings to thank for it.

Krings, who has been a key part of the Tigers pitching rotation since her freshman season in 2021, dominated inside the circle in Sunday's Columbia Regional elimination game against Omaha, as she struck out 15 hitters across nine scoreless innings in the Tigers 1-0 win over the Mavericks.

Her heroics Sunday inside Mizzou Softball Stadium not only helped advance the Tigers to the Super Regional round of the NCAA Tournament but capped off an impressive regional round: 364 pitches thrown in 25 innings across four games with a 0.56 ERA and 24 strikeouts.

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"I don't think I've witnessed … A more gutsy, gritty performance by not only an individual player in Laurin Krings, but this team,” Tigers coach Larissa Anderson told the Columbia Daily Tribune after the game. “I mean backs up against the wall, losing on Friday and having to win a doubleheader yesterday, a doubleheader today. Just — I'm so proud."

Now Krings will look to continue her success this weekend against No. 10 Duke as Missouri looks to advance to Oklahoma City for the first time in 13 years. Here's what you need to know about Krings as she takes the mound this weekend against Duke in the Columbia Super Regional of the NCAA Softball Tournament:

Who is Laurin Krings?

Laurin Krings is the ace of Missouri's pitching staff, which ranked second amongst all other SEC teams this season with a 1.96 ERA.

The 5-foot-8 right-hander out of Loveland, Colorado has played a key part in the Tigers staff pitching since her freshman year, where she led Tigers pitchers with 122 strikeouts to go along with an 11-3 record and a 3.68 ERA over 29 appearances (13 starts) in 2021.

Krings followed up her freshman season by leading Missouri in wins (16) and strikeouts (185) in her sophomore season, which included her tossing the 12th perfect game in Mizzou history on 12 strikeouts against Bradley on March 6, 2022. She also threw a no-hitter against Bethune-Cookman earlier that season, the first of two no-hitters of her collegiate career.

This season Krings has led Mizzou back to the postseason, specifically the Super Regionals, for the third consecutive season with a team-high 16 wins. Her 2.33 ERA ranks third on the Tigers staff and 25th in the SEC. She earned a spot on the SEC All-Defensive team thanks to her 1.000 fielding percentage in SEC play (22 assists, three putouts, zero errors) this season.

The Tigers' senior ace shoved in the Columbia Regional this past weekend, as she pitched in 25 innings across Mizzou's five games. In the four games that Krings pitched in, she only gave up three runs (two earned) while striking out 24 hitters.

Laurin Krings stats

Krings is having her best season in a Tigers uniform this year, posting a career-best 2.33 ERA with 139 strikeouts and a 16-8 record across 171.0 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are hitting .239 against Krings, which ranks second-best in her career.

Here's a full breakdown of Krings stats during her career at Missouri:

• Record: 56-32

• Appearances: 133

• ERA: 2.79

• Strikeouts: 591

• Walks: 168

• Complete games: 37

• Shutouts: 15

• Saves: Three

• Opponents average: .245

• Innings Pitched: 587 ⅓

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Who is Laurin Krings? Stats and more on Missouri softball star pitcher