This week's Murney Student-Athlete of the Week is Missouri State softball's McKenzie Vaughan. The sophomore led the way for the Bears offensively last week as Missouri State went 4-0 with a midweek win over Tulsa and a sweep of Evansville. Vaughan went 3-for-8 (.375) with two home runs, two runs scored, three RBI and four walks. She also owned a 1.125 slugging percentage and .583 on-base percentage for the week. In MSU’s midweek matchup against Tulsa, Vaughan picked up right where she left off the week before with a 1-for-2 outing, including a two-run homer in the first inning and a walk. She also drew the start in the circle against the Golden Hurricane, tossing three innings while allowing two earned runs and striking out three TU batters. In Saturday’s doubleheader against Evansville, Vaughan went a combined 2-for-4 with a home run, a run scored, an RBI and two walks across the two games. Her solo homer in the fourth inning of game two tied the ballgame at 2-2 as MSU eventually went on to win 3-2 with a walk-off in the 10th inning. The dual threat once again drew a start in the circle, this time in Saturday’s second game, as she pitched 3.2 innings and allowed just one earned run, three hits and struck out five Purple Aces. In Sunday’s series finale, Vaughan drew a walk as MSU swept the weekend and pushed its current win streak to seven games. Vaughan leads MSU and ranks second in The Valley with seven home runs on the year.
