Scouting report: Keys for Missouri softball vs Duke in NCAA Columbia Super Regional

Missouri softball’s regional round went the distance … and then some.

The Tigers got one of the most inspired individual performances in all of Missouri sports this year out of ace Laurin Krings. Some timely hits and late comebacks made sure the Tigers’ season didn’t come to an untimely end. In the championship, Mizzou went nine innings with Omaha to keep its season alive — a fourth straight win with elimination on the line.

Missouri’s reward?

The ACC champions with the nation’s second-best win-loss percentage are coming to their super regional.

No. 7 national seed Mizzou is gearing up to host No. 10 Duke in the NCAA Columbia Super Regional between Friday and Sunday at Mizzou Softball Stadium in Columbia, Missouri. The winner of the potentially three-game series will advance to the Women’s College World Series, which begins May 30 in Oklahoma City.

Missouri hasn’t made it to that stage since 2012.

Here is what is standing between Larissa Anderson’s team and a spot in OKC:

More: What to know about Missouri softball's NCAA Columbia Super Regional: TV, times, tickets, parking

Missouri softball must find a way around Duke’s elite ace at NCAA Columbia Super Regional

Jala Wright might be Missouri softball’s biggest obstacle to the WCWS.

The ace holds the nation’s third-best ERA at 1.09. She’s made 24 starts as part of 31 total appearances in the circle this year and has a 19-1 record. She’s pitched 148.1 total innings and allowed 90 hits. Opposing batters, who are averaging a .170 clip against her, have managed just nine doubles, one triple and seven home runs. She’s faced 583 at-bats.

And Duke doesn’t get much less stingy as you travel through the staff.

More: How Laurin Krings fought, scrapped and carried Missouri softball to NCAA Super Regional

Cassidy Curd, the Blue Devils’ No. 2 starter, has a 1.37 ERA over 27 appearances, 20 of which were starts. Lillie Walker has made 25 relief appearances and has a 1.61 ERA with 12 wins and four saves.

If Duke’s staff maintains that kind of dominance, it’ll be an uphill battle for Missouri.

Only three Mizzou players enter the super regional with an above .300 average from the plate. Once the Tigers drift past Abby Hay at fourth in the lineup, they have to wait until their cleanup hitter Kayley Lenger to get to a player who makes it on base more than 35% of the time.

To take the final step to college softball’s biggest stage, Mizzou will need to find some production in the middle of the lineup.

No slouches at the plate

It’s never a bad formula to pair one of the nation’s most dominant staffs with a couple of its top hitters.

Duke has done exactly that this season.

Blue Devils outfielder Claire Davidson’s .445 average is good for No. 8 in the nation. She has 73 hits in 164 at-bats, which includes 18 home runs and 21 more extra-base hits. She’s driven in 67 runs this season. Duke’s leadoff hitter, fellow outfielder D’Auna Jennings who bats just ahead of Davidson, is hitting at a .402 clip. Rounding out the top of Duke’s lineup, second baseman Aminah Vega has driven in 51 runs amid her .388 average this season.

Duke’s lineup ranks 12th in the nation in batting average. The Blue Devils score 6.88 runs per game, which is good for No. 7 in the country.

The good news for Mizzou is, as it exhibited across the SEC Tournament and NCAA Columbia Regional, it has one of the most effective staffs around.

Krings, Cierra Harrison, Marissa McCann and Taylor Pannell have been the strength of this Missouri team, holding the 10th best team ERA in the country at 1.96.

That’ll be an intriguing battle, and perhaps the one that keeps the Tigers in the running for a Women’s College World Series berth.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Keys for Missouri softball vs Duke in NCAA Columbia Super Regional