KELLIE BECHER KESSLER
Softball, 1993-94
Inducted February 16, 2002

Kellie Becher was a two-year pitching standout in one of the brightest eras in SMS softball as she made the Missouri Valley Conference her personal showcase as a senior in the 1994 season. A native of Olathe, Kan., who came to SMS after two seasons at Johnson County (Kan.) Community College, Becher was the 1994 MVC Player of the Year. She was an all-conference and all-region first team selection as she posted a 31-6 record in leading the Bears of coach Holly Hesse to an overall mark of 38-13 and the regular season MVC title. Becher pitched in 39 of the Bears’ 51 games and threw 253 of the 303 innings SMS played during the ’94 season. She logged a 0.72 earned run average and recorded 16 shutouts. Her 36 starts, 33 complete games, 16 shutouts, 262 strikeouts and 31 victories still stand as SMS single season records. Becher walked just 23 hitters. In the conference tourney in Springfield, SMS dropped its opening game and Becher hurled four straight wins as SMS came back through the losers’ bracket to get into the championship round and a 14-inning, 3-2 loss to Drake. As an SMS junior in 1993, Becher posted a 16-12 record with a 1.32 ERA to win her first all-MVC selection as she led the league in innings pitched, strikeouts and shutouts. A product of Olathe South High School, Becher was a junior college first team all-America selection at Johnson County in 1992 and helped her team to back-to-back Jayhawk Conference titles.