No. 5 Missouri State Bears (25-23, 13-11 MVC)

at State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship

• Site: Killian Stadium (1,200)
• Location: Springfield, Mo.
  
• Radio: KBFL AM 1060
• TV: MVC TV-Fox Sports Midwest (Championship Game)
  
• Live Stats: MVC-Sports.com
• Live Video: MVC Live (Thursday and Friday)
• Tickets:  (Tickets available at Killian Softball Stadium ticket window). All-Session Passes $20 adults, $10 students;  Single-day passes $10 adults, $5 students.
  

Tournament Overview

For the first time in nearly two decades, the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Softball Championship returns to Springfield this week, as the Missouri State Bears will host the three-day, eight-team tournament  at Killian Stadium, May 12-14.

The Bears (25-23, 13-11 MVC) wrapped up their first winning season in three years with last weekend's sweep of Evansville and enter the tourney as the No. 5 seed for the second straight season. MSU will square off against the eighth-seeded Bradley Braves (13-40, 6-19 MVC) in Thursday's opening round at 11 a.m. A quarterfinal match-up against the No. 4 UNI Panthers (32-24, 16-11 MVC) awaits the winner at 4 p.m., Thursday.

The Bears took all three meetings from the Braves in Peoria this season (April 16-17) and have won five of six games in the series over the last two years. MSU also won its series with UNI, winning two of three games, March 19-20 at Killian.

 

Follow the Bears

Live stats for all MSU games at the MVC Championship will be available on the Valley's web site, www.MVC-Sports.com. Additionally, free live streaming video of all tournament games except the championship will be carried on MVC Live, which is also available on the Valley's site.

Saturday's title game will once again be carried live on Fox Sports Midwest. R.C. McBride and Laura Leonard will describe the action.

 

Tournament Quick Hits

-Missouri State finished the regular season with its second straight winning conference campaign

-MSU is the fifth seed at the MVC Championship for the fifth time in the last 15 seasons and the seventh time overall, amassing a 12-11 record in its previous six appearances in that slot; the 1997 Bears became the first Valley team to win the tournament title as the No. 5 seed

-Missouri State has amassed more wins (63) than any other Valley team at the MVC Championship; the Bears' five tourney titles are second only to Creighton's six championships over the 28-year history of the event

-The Bears have more two (10) and three-time (3) all-tourney honorees than any other MVC club; with a total of 39 MVC all-tournament selections, the Bears are the second-most decorated team (to Creighton's 45 citations) in terms of total individual honors

-Missouri State brings a combined 0-7 record on the season against the top three seeds into this year's tournament; the Bears are 8-4 against the other four clubs that qualified for the Championship

-In their previous three MVC Tournament experiences as host, the Bears have gone 12-6, including runner-up finishes in both 1984 and 1994; MSU has advanced to at least the semifinal round in each of the three Championships they have hosted             

-Missouri State took five of six games against its first two potential opponents in the Championship; the Bears swept a three-game set from Bradley and took two of three from UNI

-Head coach Holly Hesse needs just six more victories to become the fourth coach in Valley history to reach the 600 career win plateau

-Hesse's career total of 41 victories at the MVC Championship is higher than the total number of teams wins in the tournament for every other Valley club except Illinois State

-Following the Bears' three-game sweep of Evansville last weekend they have now won nine straight at home in the series; MSU is a perfect 6-0 against teams from the state of Indiana this season and extended its win streak to 12 games against clubs from the Hoosier State

-MSU is batting just .190 (110-of 579) in losses this season

-Natalie Rose posted the 13th no-hitter in Missouri State history Saturday against Evansville, marking just the second no-no this year in MVC play and the first overall in the Valley this season to go the full seven innings

-Rose led the MVC with five saves and 229 strikeouts during the regular season; the junior right-hander is fifth on the Bears' career strikeout list with 428 punchouts

-Rose has appeared in all 19 MSU home games this season, posting a 7-8 record and 1.59 ERA

-Rose is coming off a remarkable 2010 MVC Tournament in which she worked 32.2 of MSU's 36.2 innings pitched in going 3-2 with a 2.14 ERA as part of a string of 52 consecutive innings pitched

-Kirstin Cutter tied for sixth in the Valley in stolen bases (14) and ranked 13th in hitting (.324); the sophomore had her career-long five-game hit streak come to an end Saturday vs. Evansville

-Ashley Knehans is batting .462 (6-for-13) on the season against left-handers and brings a .370 career batting average in the MVC Championship into this year's tournament

-Knehans hit .343 (24-of-70) in MVC play to rank 14th in the conference

-Jenna Schwark is hitting .356 (16-of-45) in 19 games at Killian Stadium this season

-Schwark is one of 10 players in program history to garner multiple MVC All-Tournament selections after earning her second straight nod at last year's Championship, where she batted .368 with two homers and seven RBIs

-Tyler Porter batted a combined .438 (7-for-16) against Bradley and UNI during the regular season

-Rose claimed four of MSU's five wins vs. BU and UNI this year, posting a 1.25 ERA and three complete games in six appearances against the two teams

-Left-handed batters are hitting .302 against MSU pitching; righty's are batting just .235, however; Rose has held opposing right-handers to a mere .193 (101-for-523) average this year

-Savannah Wiggins is batting .400 (6-for-15) with runners in scoring position, but MSU has hit just .231 (86-for-372) as a team in those situations this year

-The Bears have struggled with the bases loaded in 2011, registering just three hits in 34 at-bats with the sacks jammed

 

Series Histories

The Bears enter the tournament with an all-time mark of 63-40 in 26 previous entries, including a 41-30 record and four titles in 20 appearances under head coach Holly Hesse.

Missouri State is 46-24 all-time against Bradley after sweeping the Braves in a three-game series, April 16-17, in Peoria. The Bears have beaten Bradley 40 times in 58 meetings under Hesse, good for a .690 winning percentage. MSU is 6-5 vs. Bradley at the MVC Championship, but has lost three in-a-row to the Braves dating back to the 2000 tournament.

The Bears hold the slimmest of all series leads against UNI, coming into the tournament with a 38-36 edge vs. the Panthers. MSU won two of three from UNI, March 19-20, at Killian after the two teams split four games last year. The Bears claimed a 4-3 victory on opening day at the 2010 MVC Softball Championship in Des Moines, and have won eight of their 10 previous matchups against the Panthers at the conference tournament.

 

Scouting the Bears

Missouri State wrapped up a fifth-place Valley finish and its first winning season in three years last weekend and will bring a 25-23 overall mark into the postseason. The Bears, who have dropped seven games to nationally-ranked clubs, returned 12 letterwinners and seven regular starters from last year's 21-32 squad that finished in a tie for fourth in the MVC's regular-season standings. MSU is led by a trio of returning All-MVC performers, including seniors Jenna Schwark and Christa Gammon, who batted .358 and .337, respectively, a year ago to rank among the conference's top six hitters. Sophomore Caitlin Chapin also enjoyed a banner year in her debut season for MSU in 2010, clubbing eight home runs to match a Missouri State freshman record. So far this season, sophomore Kirstin Cutter has paced the MSU attack, ranking among the MVC's leaders in hitting for much of the season with a .324 average coming into the tournament. Senior first baseman Ashley Knehans leads the club with 24 RBIs and ranks fifth all-time at Missouri State in career homers with 16. Schwark has come on as of late, registering seven hits in 10 at-bats over the final week of the regular season to hike her season average to .286, which is the third-highest on the squad.                           

In the circle, junior right-hander Natalie Rose has carried the load once again after finishing 2010 with six consecutive complete games during the Bears' critical run through the MVC Tournament. This year, Rose has an 18-19 record to go along with a 2.18 ERA and a league high of five saves. The Henryetta, Okla., native fanned a career-high 14 hitters in an 11-inning loss to Drake on April 30, then tossed the 13th no-hitter in school history last Saturday against Evansville. She leads the conference with 229 strikeouts on the year.

 

Scouting the Opposition

Bradley has struggled to find its groove for much of the 2011 season, but pulled into the eighth and final spot in tournament on the final weekend of the regular season after being picked last in the Valley's preseason poll. The Braves are led by senior Brittany Fairbairn's .351 batting average and 14 stolen bases, as well as senior Kate Singler's eight homers and 29 RBIs. BU, which is batting .256 as a team, has gotten a lift from junior Julie Sherman, who is hitting .339 with 56 hits and 10 steals. The Braves' pitching duties have been divided evenly between three individuals, with freshman Madeline Lynch-Crumrine carrying much of the load during the conference season. She brings a 4-8 mark and a team-best 3.60 ERA over 118.2 innings-pitched into the tournament.

UNI concluded the regular season with a 32-24 overall record and went 16-11 in Valley play to secure the fourth seed at the conference tournament for the second straight year. Junior Mackenzie Daigh paces the Panther attack with a .360 average to go along with eight homers and 31 runs batted-in. Senior Rachel Gerking shares the team lead in hits (54) with Daigh, while junior Hannah Borschel's .299 mark is second among all UNI regulars. Junior Courtney Dunker powers the UNI offense with her 10 home runs and 30 RBIs, and senior Eranne Daugharthy leads the club with 39 RBIs. Freshman right-hander Jamie Fisher is UNI's top option in the circle with a 20-10 overall record and 2.09 ERA on the season.

 

First Things First

With their three-game sweep of Evansville to conclude the regular season, the Bears ran their home win streak in the series to nine games and their overall streak to six in-a-row against UE. MSU stopped a six-game losing streak in the process and secured their first winning campaign since 2008.

Welcome Back

The Bears are primed to host their first MVC Championship in 17 years, as the conference meet will play out this week at Killian Stadium. The Bears have gone 12-6 in their previous three appearances as tournament host with a pair of runner-up finishes (1984 and 1994) to their credit. Missouri State will be the fifth seed for the second straight year, bringing a 12-11 all-time tournament record--including one title (1997)--in six previous appearances in that slot into this year's championship.

 

That Time of Year Again

Missouri State has made a habit of saving some of its best performances for the Valley Tournament, having racked up more MVC Tournament victories (63) than any other league club. Illinois State (52) is a distant second in that category entering this year's event, and the Bears' five titles are second only to Creighton's six over the 28-year history of the event. Furthermore, head coach Holly Hesse's career total of 41 tournament victories is second in the history of the event and higher than the total number of team wins in the championship for ever other club except Illinois State.

 

Rose in Full Bloom

Right-hander Natalie Rose added another chapter to her breakthrough junior season last Saturday, tossing the 13th no-hitter in Missouri State history as part of a sparkling final weekend of the regular season in which she helped blank Evansville twice while giving up just one earned run on six hits over 17.0 innings to lead the Bears to a three-game sweep. Rose, who started all four Missouri State games last week, held Wichita State to one run through seven innings while fanning eight on Thursday, then notched the first no-no by a Bears pitcher since 2007 Saturday to open MSU's key series with UE. The Henryetta, Okla., native came right back to allow just one more earned run through five innings in the nightcap, and combined with Savannah Wiggins on a three-hit shutout Sunday to wrap up the sweep and propel the Bears past Creighton into the fifth spot in the final MVC regular-season standings.

That effort followed another signature performance the previous weekend, when Rose eclipsed her career high for strikeouts in an 11-inning loss to Drake (April 30). Rose punched-out 14 Bulldogs, surpassing her previous best of 10, which she accomplished on three different occasions.

 

Senior Stars

Missouri State seniors Ashley Knehans and Tyler Porter combined to bat .536 (15-of-28) while slugging .714 to power the Bears' perfect 5-0 week, April 12-17. Each recorded at least one hit in every game, with Porter scoring a team-high six times over the five-game stretch. Knehans tied a career high for hits in a single game April 12 against UMKC, going 3-for-3 in MSU's 9-1 win. She clubbed her 16th home run as a Bear in MSU's series opener at Bradley (April 16) to highlight MSU's three-run first inning that paved the way to a 10-1 rout and eventual series sweep. In all, the duo scored nine runs and drove in six while also playing perfect defense in 36 chances in the field.    

Porter extended her career-best hit streak to eight games April 20 after picking up hits in each of the Bears' two wins over Wichita State. The Broken Arrow, Okla., product batted .455 with seven runs scored over the course of her career-best eight-game hit streak.

Fellow seniors Christa Gammon and Jenna Schwark got into the act as well in MSU's sweep of the Shockers. Schwark, who went 3-of-7 against WSU, posted three multi-hit games to go along with five runs scored and three RBIs in five contests the April 16-20. Schwark saved her best week of the season for last, batting .700 and slugging 1.200 to help the Bears go 3-1 to wrap up the regular season with a fifth-place Valley finish. The Broken Arrow, Okla., product reached base safely in seven consecutive plate appearances, spearheading MSU's doubleheader sweep of Evansville (May 7) by going 5-for-6 with a home run and two RBIs. Schwark sparked both game-clinching rallies with hits-one of which went the distance for her second homer of the season-in a pair of one-run victories for the Bears.

Gammon, meanwhile, was 3-of-6 at the plate with a pair of runs batted-in, including the game-winner in the seventh inning of game two at Wichita State April 20.

As a group, the four MSU seniors batted .407 with 19 runs scored and 15 RBIs during the Bears' seven-game win streak.

 

Close Encounters

By going 2-0 in one-run contests last week, the Bears are now 14-7 on the season in such affairs. That mark offers a substantial improvement over MSU's record in one-run games over the previous two years, as the Bears went just 14-20 in those outings in 2009 and 2010.

 

The Bears Under Holly Hesse

Missouri State head coach Holly Hesse (Creighton, '82) is 594-581-2 (.506) in her 23rd season at Missouri State. Last season, the Bears finished 21-32 and tied for fourth in the MVC regular-season race before reeling off three wins in two days at the MVC Tournament to reach the semifinal round.

Hesse led the Bears to a school-record 40 wins and a berth in the NCAA Tournament in 2006. 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. Missouri State's 2006 campaign was the sixth time the Bears have won 30 games in a season, and they enter the 2011 season with an average of over 24 wins per season since her arrival in 1989. The Bears' fourth-place MVC in finish last year marked the 13th time during her tenure MSU has finished in the top-five of the conference standings. Hesse won her 500th career game at Missouri State in a 1-0 triumph over Indiana State on April 22, 2007.

Who Came up with this Schedule, Anyway?

Missouri State played seven games against four ranked opponents during the regular season. In those seven outings, the Bears were out-hit 62-21 and out-scored 44-4 in going 0-7 against No. 13 Texas (twice), No. 18 Missouri, No. 10 Oklahoma (twice) and No. 18/21 Oklahoma State (twice). Indiana, which the Bears defeated 3-2 in eight innings on March 12, cracked the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25 poll for the first time all season on May 3, coming in at No. 24. Additionally, two other MSU opponents (Illinois State and Tulsa) are receiving votes in Top 25 polls this week. The Bears now have a 15-game losing streak vs. teams ranked in the USA Today/NFCA Top 25, with their last win coming at then-No. 11 OU on March 19, 2008.

 

Back in the Hunt

The Bears fifth-place Valley standing represents their second upper-division finish in as many years. In 28 seasons in the Gateway/MVC, Missouri State has finished fifth or better on 16 occasions-including 11 times in the last 16 seasons-and 14 times during head coach Holly Hesse's 23-year tenure.

 

MVC Preseason Poll

The Missouri State softball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2011 Missouri Valley Conference coaches' preseason poll. Defending champ Southern Illinois shared top billing with 2010 runner-up Illinois State, with each garnering 94 points in the poll. Drake (72) came in third in the voting, followed by UNI (69) and MSU with 57 points. Defending Valley Tournament champion Creighton (54) finished right on the Bears' heels, while Evansville (39), Wichita State (36), Indiana State (19) and Bradley (16) rounded out the poll.

-MSU-