The Missouri State softball team will play five home games this week, beginning with a doubleheader Tuesday against North Dakota State. This weekend, the Bears will open Missouri Valley Conference play with a doubleheader Saturday and single game Sunday against Creighton.
The Opponents North Dakota State is 14-7 on the season after posting a 2-3 record at the Kansas Jayhawk Invitational last weekend. The Bison lost to New Mexico, 9-1, and defeated host Kansas, 4-0, on Friday. NDSU lost both of its games Saturday, falling to Drake, 4-3, and to Kansas, 3-2. The Bison rebounded Sunday to defeat Drake, 4-3. North Dakota State started the season 8-0 and have three combined victories over MVC members Drake and Northern Iowa. The Bison are led offensively by freshman first baseman Melissa Chmielewski, who is batting .328 with a team-high 19 hits and 22 RBIs. Allison Bakke is the ace of the pitching staff with a 9-3 record this season, including eight complete games. Bakke holds a 0.92 ERA with 95 strikeouts in 84 innings.
Series Records Missouri State is 2-0 all-time against North Dakota State, including a 7-3 victory over the Bison at the Arkansas Lady Back Invitational last season (2/24). The Bears also defeated NDSU, 12-2, in the AIAW Region VI tournament in 1979.
Coach Holly Hesse Missouri State head coach Holly Hesse (Creighton, ’82) is 490-461-2 (.515) in her 19th season at Missouri State. Last season, Hesse led the Bears to a school-record 40 wins and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. Hesse’s teams have made four trips to the NCAA Tournament (1996, 1997, 1998, 2006) and have won four Missouri Valley Conference tournament championships. She also led the Bears to the Gateway Conference regular season championship in 1992 and the MVC regular season title in 1994. Last year’s second place MVC finish marked the 12th time during her tenure the Bears have finished in the top-five of the conference standings. Last season was also the sixth time the Bears have won 30 games in a season, with an average of nearly 27 wins per season since her arrival in 1989. Hesse won her 400th career game at Missouri State on March 20, 2004, in a 9-1 victory over Indiana State at the Missouri State Softball Field, and is 10 wins away from 500. She ranks 49th among active head coaches in career wins. The Missouri State Bears are playing in their 39th season and have an all-time record of 869-697-2.
Last Week Missouri State posted two shutout victories Wednesday (3/7) against Missouri-Kansas City, defeating the Kangaroos 6-0 in both games of a doubleheader at the Missouri State Softball Field. Junior starting pitcher Melissa Porche and freshman Megan Ramsey each posted three-hit complete game shutouts.
The Bears jumped on the Kangaroos in the first inning of game one, plating five runners. Missouri State got RBI singles from junior Lacie Ballard and freshman Lauren McGinley and used two walks and three hit batsman to take the early 5-0 lead. The Bears closed the scoring with a run in the third, as Ballard singled to lead off the inning and scored on a single by senior Katie Martin.
Missouri State had eight hits in the game, with starting pitcher Porche joining Ballard with a two-hit performance. Junior Michelle Armentrout and sophomore Brooke Kempker each added an RBI. Martin stole two bases and Smith picked up her MVC-leading eighth steal in the game.
Porche was in control from start on the mound, striking out 11 batters while surrendering the three hits in seven innings. The 11 K’s upped her team-leading total to 88 on the season as she improved her record to 7-5.
Game two also saw the Bears take a first-inning lead, as MSU used back-to-back run-scoring doubles from Armentrout and Porche and an RBI single from Kempker to take a 3-0 advantage. Missouri State added a run in the second, third and fourth frames to give starting hurler Ramsey breathing room. Martin singled and stole two bases in the second inning, including home on a double steal with Smith. Porche led off the third with a single and scored on a UMKC error. Smith singled and scored in the fourth to conclude the scoring.
Missouri State also had eight hits in the nightcap, as Martin and Kempker joined Porche with two hits in the game. Martin reached base four times in the game, stole three bases and scored two runs. Smith stole her ninth and 10th bags of the year, as the Bears stole a season-high six in the game.
Ramsey (3-4) picked up the first complete game shutout of her career, striking out five while allowing only three hits in seven innings.
Powerful Porche Missouri State junior pitcher Melissa Porche led the country last season with seven saves and pitched 16 complete games as a starter, as she went 17-8 with a 2.17 ERA. So far this season, Porche is 7-5 with a 2.05 ERA in 71.2 innings of work, which is third-most in the Missouri Valley Conference. She also currently ranks second in the league with 88 strikeouts and is tied for fourth with her 17 appearances. The Buena Park, Calif., native pitched a no-hitter in the championship game of the Central Arkansas Lead-Off Tournament against host UCA, as the Bears captured the tournament title with a 6-0 victory. Porche took a perfect game into the seventh inning before walking the leadoff batter. The righthander struck out 11 in the game and 33 during the tournament as she went 3-0 and was voted to the all-tournament team. Porche picked up two wins at the Holiday Inn Select Tulsa Festival, including her third complete game shutout of the season in the Bears’ 7-0 victory over Stephen F. Austin (2/23). Last week against UMKC, the hurler picked up her fourth complete game shutout of the season, allowing only three hits, as the Bears defeated the Kangaroos, 6-0, in game one of the doubleheader.
New Position, Same Results Two of Missouri State’s returning all-conference selections from last season are making position changes in 2007. First Team All-MVC selection Jessie Smith has moved from right field to shortstop and Katie Martin has relocated from left field to center field. The new position has not changed the pair’s offensive production, as the two have led the Bears’ offensive attack so far this season.
Martin leads the team with 20 hits, 13 RBIs, four home runs, four doubles, two triples, 18 runs, 16 walks, and 40 total bases. She also leads the Bears with her .678 slugging percentage and is second on the team with a .339 batting average. Martin’s 16 base on balls are tied for the most in the Valley, and her 18 runs tie for third and 40 total bases tie for seventh-most. The senior from Baldwin City, Kan., was the offensive star in the Bears’ 7-0 victory over Stephen F. Austin on Friday, going 2-for-3 with a second-inning grand slam and a sixth-inning RBI double. Martin also launched a solo homer in both games of the SLU Cancer Center Classic (3/4), in a win against Southeast Missouri State and a loss to Saint Louis. In game two of last week’s doubleheader against UMKC (3/7), Martin was 2-for-2 and reached base four times, stole three bases, and scored two runs.
Smith is 10-for-10 in stolen base attempts to lead the team and the MVC, and she is second on the Bears’ squad behind Martin with 18 hits, 16 runs scored, three doubles, three home runs, 30 total bases, and 10 walks. The Blue Springs, Mo., native is third on the team with 12 RBIs, one behind the leaders. The sophomore had three hits, including a pair of two-run homers, and scored three runs in Missouri State’s 20-4 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Feb. 11 at the Central Arkansas Lead-Off Tournament.
The duo has combined to score 34 of the team’s 104 runs and have knocked in 25 of MSU’s 89 RBIs this season. At their new positions, Smith and Martin have posted .980 and .966 fielding percentages, respectively. Smith leads the team with 29 assists.
Fab Four Frosh Missouri State has four freshmen on its roster, and each has played a significant role this season. Lauren McGinley has started every game for the Bears, 18 at first base and two on the mound. The Oklahoma City, Okla., native has six hits with five RBIs and three runs scored, and is errorless in 105 fielding chances. Jodie Shead has started all but three games this season, including 16 in left field. A graduate of softball powerhouse Lafayette High in Wildwood, Mo., Shead is tied for the team lead with four doubles and three sacrifice bunts, ranks third on the squad with 13 hits, and is tied for fifth with 17 total bases. Dusti Foster has started 18 of 20 games at second base for the Bears, picking up six hits, two doubles, five runs, and eight total bases. Pitcher Megan Ramsey has started seven games and appeared in 12 contests, and has a 3-4 record. The Ottawa, Kan., native has emerged as the number two starter for the Bears and has a 2.91 ERA with 28 strikeouts in 43.1 innings. Ramsey pitched a complete game three-hit shutout in game two of the Bears’ doubleheader with UMKC Wednesday (3/7).
Backstop Combo The Bears will utilize two catchers throughout the season in sophomore Jen Carr and junior Lacie Ballard. So far this season, the pair has each started 10 games behind the plate. A native of Lomita, Calif., Carr has no errors in 63 chances, and is tied for second on the team with eight walks. She hit her first career home run, a two-run shot, against Southeast Missouri State (3/4) in a 10-4 MSU victory. Carr has also started two games as the designated hitter. Ballard is hitting .279 with 12 hits, three doubles, a triple, and five RBIs. The St. Louis, Mo., native is third on the team with 13 runs scored. Ballard has four multi-hit games to tie for second-most on the team. She has also made five starts as the designated hitter. Behind the plate, she is 73 of 75 in fielding chances.
Armentrout Returns Junior third baseman Michelle Armentrout returned to the Bears’ lineup against UMKC (3/7) following a nine-game absence due to an injury. The Broken Arrow, Okla., native had a hit and RBI in both games against UMKC. In 11 starts this season, Armentrout has a .313 batting average with 10 hits, three doubles, a triple and a home run. Her .563 slugging percentage ranks second on the team and her 18 total bases are fourth-best. Armentrout was named to the season-opening UCA Lead-Off Classic all-tournament team, as she was 8-for-15 with two doubles, a triple, a home run, and five RBIs in the five games. In the season opener against Jackson State (2/10), the junior hit a three-run triple to account for all the scoring as the Bears won 3-2.
Shewmaker Shines While filling in for the injured Michelle Armentrout at third base from Feb. 25 through Mar. 4, Jana Shewmaker provided the Bears with an offensive spark. The junior from Buffalo, Mo., hit .360 with nine hits, 13 RBIs, and 16 total bases in the nine games she started during this time. While only starting 11 of the team’s 20 games this season, Shewmaker is tied for the team high with 13 RBIs. Her .323 batting average and .548 slugging percentage rank third on the team and her .405 on-base percentage is fourth-best. She has accumulated 10 hits, two doubles, a triple, and 17 total bases this season. Making her first starts of the season at third base at the Holiday Inn Select Tulsa Festival (2/23-2/25), junior Shewmaker led the Bears with nine RBIs and a .455 batting average in the tournament. She went 3-for-4 with five RBIs in the Bears’ 14-6 victory over Eastern Illinois (2/24). In Missouri State’s 6-5 eight-inning loss to Tulsa, the St. Louis Community College transfer added a two-run double and RBI groundout.The third baseman also led the team with 11 assists in the tournament, as she earned all-tournament honors.
Shewmaker led the Bears with four RBIs in their 10-4 victory over Southeast Missouri State (3/4). The third baseman hit a two-run double in the first inning and added her first homer as a Bear, a two-run shot, in the second. With the return of Armentrout, Shewmaker will be used primarily as a designated hitter.
Bean Ball Brooke Kempker leads the Valley in a category she’d rather not-- hit by pitch. The sophomore outfielder from Jefferson City, Mo., has been hit seven times this season in 39 plate appearances, which is nearly once every five times she steps to the plate. Kempker, who has started 11 games and played in 15, leads the Bears with a .345 batting average and .485 on-base percentage.
One-run Setbacks Missouri State has not had much luck in one-run games this season, as the Bears are 1-5 in games decided by one run. MSU lost decisions of 2-1 to Centenary (2/18), 3-2 to Eastern Illinois (2/25), 6-5 to Tulsa (2/25), 1-0 to Oklahoma State (2/28) and 3-2 to Saint Louis (3/4). The Bears’ lone one-run victory came in the season-opener, a 3-2 win over Jackson State (2/10).
Early Offense The Bears are 10-1 this season when scoring the first run of the game, and 9-0 when tallying a run in the first inning. On the contrast, MSU is 0-10 when their opponent scores first, including an 0-7 mark when the opposition scores in the first inning.
Hit or Miss The recipe for a Missouri State victory this season has been simple: outhit the opponent. When the Bears outhit their oppositions, they are 10-0. However, when opponents equal or surpass MSU’s hit total in a game, the Bears are 0-11.
MVC Preseason Poll The Missouri State softball team was picked to finish fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll. The Bears accumulated 57 points, finishing behind Wichita State (71 points), Southern Illinois (83 points), and preseason favorite and defending regular season champion Illinois State (86 points). Creighton was picked fifth, followed by Indiana State, Bradley, Drake, Evansville, and Northern Iowa. Senior centerfielder Katie Martin, junior pitcher Melissa Porche, and sophomore shortstop Jessie Smith were all-MVC selections a season ago. Smith was only the second freshman in school history to be named to the first team, while Martin and Porche were second-team picks. However, no Bears were selected to the 2007 MVC preseason all-conference team.
Up Next Next week, Missouri State will hit the road for MVC contests at Wichita State and Bradley. The Bears will play a doubleheader in Wichita on Wednesday, March 21, and will play a three-game series in Peoria Saturday and Sunday, March 24 and 25.
