Standouts Alex Honnold and Jenna Laird were both named to the preseason All-SEC team. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Paige Dale
Staff Writer
University of Missouri softball players Alex Honnold and Jenna Laird were named to the 2024 Preseason All-SEC Team, the league announced Tuesday.
Laird was named to her third-straight Preseason All-SEC Softball Team, while Honnold was featured on the list for the first time in her career.
The preseason All-SEC Team was also selected by a vote of the head coaches. Ten schools were represented on the team, with Tennessee leading the way with five selections.
Georgia and LSU both had four, and Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Missouri each had two. Arkansas, South Carolina and Texas A&M each claimed one preseason accolade. The Preseason All-SEC Softball Team consists of a minimum of 21 players and no ties are broken.
Alex Honnold
Honnold, a senior center fielder, led Mizzou in on-base percentage (.539), slugging percentage (.779), runs (52), batting average (.396) and triples (three) during the 2023 season as she was named a Top 25 Finalist for USA Softball Player of the Year and awarded NFCA Second-Team All-American honors.
The West Des Moines, Iowa, two-hole hitter, was also named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team, posting 19 multi-hit games, and leading the Tigers with 14 home runs.
Honnold has now been listed on three preseason rankings ahead of the 2024 campaign as she appeared on both Softball America’s (January 22, No. 19) and D1Softball’s Preseason Top 100 rankings (January 18, No. 47).
Jenna Laird
Laird was named to the 2023 All-SEC Second Team as she paced Missouri with 198 at-bats, 52 runs and 70 hits as the Tigers’ leadoff hitter. Laird knocked 12 doubles in 2023, while leading Mizzou on the basepaths, going 30-for-34 on stolen bases.
The East Meadow, N.Y., senior shortstop, registered a .978 fielding percentage with 76 putouts, 104 assists and 11 double plays.
For Laird, the preseason list is her second ahead of the 2024 season as she was featured 61st on D1Softball’s Preseason D100 Player Rankings (January 18).
SEC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Mizzou, who received nine votes in the 2024 ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 Poll on Tuesday, was selected to finish 11th (38 points) this season in the 2024 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
Tennessee, the defending SEC champion, has been picked to be the top program for the 2024 SEC softball season following a vote by the league’s 13 head coaches in the annual preseason poll.
Tennessee and Georgia, who finished in second place in the poll, each earned six first-place votes, while Florida had one.
SEC teams are slated to begin the 2024 softball season on Thursday, February 8, with conference play set to begin on Friday, March 8. The 2024 SEC Softball Tournament is scheduled for May 7-11 at Jane B. Moore Field in Auburn, Ala.
Mizzou will open its season at the NFCA Division I Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla., February 9-11.
On opening day, the Tigers will play No. 13 Utah and unranked North Carolina State. That weekend Mizzou will also play Liberty, South Alabama, and No. 5 Clemson.
Mizzou sports information contributed to this story.
2024 Preseason All-SEC Softball Team
| NAME, SCHOOL | CLASS | HOMETOWN |
|---|---|---|
| Rylin Hedgecock, Arkansas | R-Sr. | Valdosta, Ga. |
| Maddie Penta, Auburn | Sr. | Chesapeake City, Md. |
| Nelia Peralta, Auburn | Jr. | Wellington, Fla. |
| Kendra Falby, Florida | Jr. | Odessa, Fla. |
| Skylar Wallace, Florida | R-Sr. | Woodstock, Ga. |
| Jayda Kearney, Georgia | Sr. | Columbus, N.J. |
| Sydney Kuma, Georgia | Gr. | Fresno, Calif. |
| Sara Mosley, Georgia | Fifth Year | Ellijay, Ga. |
| Shelby Walters, Georgia | Gr. | Cohutta, Ga. |
| Erin Coffel, Kentucky | Sr. | Bremen, Ind. |
| Stephanie Schnoover, Kentucky | Sr. | Dothan, Ala. |
| Sydney Berzon, LSU | So. | Buffalo, N.Y. |
| Ciara Briggs, LSU | Gr. | Yorba Linda, Calif. |
| Danieca Coffey, LSU | Sr. | Richwood, Texas |
| Taylor Pleasants, LSU | Gr. | Houston, Texas |
| Alex Honnold, Missouri | Sr. | West Des Moines, Iowa |
| Jenna Laird, Missouri | Sr. | East Meadow, N.Y. |
| Alana Vawter, South Carolina | Fifth Year | Kansas City, Mo. |
| McKenna Gibson, Tennessee | Jr. | Santa Clarita, Calif. |
| Payton Gottshall, Tennessee | Gr. | Massillon, Ohio |
| Kiki Milloy, Tennessee | Gr. | Woodinville, Wash. |
| Karlyn Pickens, Tennessee | So. | Weaverville, N.C. |
| Zaida Puni, Tennessee | Sr. | Carson, Calif. |
| Julia Cottrill, Texas A&M | Sr. | Wichita, Kan. |
2024 SEC Softball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| RANK | TEAM (1ST PLACE VOTES) | POINTS |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Tennessee (6) | 137 |
| 2 |  Georgia (6) | 136 |
| 3 |  LSU | 106 |
| 4 |  Arkansas | 103 |
| 5 |  Auburn | 100 |
| 6 |  Alabama | 88 |
| 7 |  Florida (1) | 77 |
| 8 |  Texas A&M | 75 |
| 9 |  South Carolina | 68 |
| 10 |  Kentucky | 53 |
| 11 |  Missouri | 28 |
| 12 |  Ole Miss | 24 |
| 13 |  Mississippi State | 19 |