Feb. 10, 2016
UT Arlington Invitational Notes 
Missouri State at UT Arlington Invitational
Allan Saxe Field - Arlington, Texas
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The Missouri State softball team (0-0) opens the 2016 season on Friday morning against Texas Southern at the UT Arlington Invitational. The matchup with the Lady Tigers is the first meeting between the programs and the first of eight games against 2015 NCAA Tournament teams for the Bears. MSU will also play Detroit, host UT Arlington and Northern Colorado, twice, over the course of the weekend in the Lone Star State.
The Bears head into 2016 with three returning All-MVC first team players and all three earned Preseason All-MVC honors on January 27. Senior Erin Duewel set the benchmark for single season slugging percentage with a .667 mark last year. Junior pitcher Erin Struemph paced the MVC in saves and is averaging just shy of a strikeout per inning through her first two years in the circle. Sophomore Erika Velasquez Zimmer led the team in hitting with a .361 batting average, the highest by a freshman in program history.
MSU head coach Holly Hesse heads up the program for the 28th season. She earned her 700th career win last season and enters 2016 with the 37th-most wins among active Division I coaches. She is second all-time in Valley history with 704 wins, trailing only Illinois State's Melinda Fischer.
Missouri State was picked second in the MVC preseason coaches poll after finishing second in 2015. MSU racked up 17 conference wins, one shy of the program high, and reached the MVC Tournament finals. The Bears bring back seven starters and 13 letterwinners from the 30-win squad.
Despite the loss of three seniors, two of which have their names ingrained in the MSU record book, the Bears have plenty of optimism entering 2016. After missing all of 2015 to battle through acute myeloid leukemia, redshirt sophomore Allie Alvstad's return to the playing field is a daily inspiration for the team. Additionally, two big bats return to the lineup after an injury-riddled 2015. Bethany Sullinger tied the single season RBI standard in 2014, but missed all of 2015. Madison Jones also is healthy to begin 2016 after back-to-back injury-shortened seasons.
MSU travels to Arlington for the second time in three seasons. In 2014, the Bears went 5-0 to take the title of the UTA Maverick Invitational. Sullinger hit a scorching .625 that weekend with a 1.250 slugging percentage, three home runs and nine RBI en route to MVC Player of the Week honors. Struemph capped the weekend with a complete game shutout, the second in as many games by MSU pitching.
The five games in Texas this weekend begin a 19-game road swing before the Bears' home opener on March 8 versus Central Arkansas.
QUICK HITS
- Missouri State returns three All-MVC first team members from the 2015 squad. All three, senior Erin Duewel, junior Erin Struemph and sophomore Erika Velasquez Zimmer, were named to the preseason All-MVC team this spring.
- Velasquez Zimmer earned MVC Newcomer of the Year honors in 2015 after leading Missouri State with a .361 batting average, the highest for a freshman in school history, and 19 stolen bases.
- Senior Erin Duewel was one of two MSU players in 2015 to surpass the previous single season home run record. She belted 11 long balls, one shy of teammate and current record holder Rebecca McPherson.
- The Bears obliterated the previous home run record by clubbing 48 home runs in 2015, surpassing the previous single season high of 34 set in 2006 and 2010.
- Missouri State's Erin Struemph led the Valley with six saves and ranked eighth in the nation in the category in 2015.
- Mary Stephens became the first MSU player to record five hits in a game, going 5-for-5 twice in 2015. She also drew 32 walks on the season, the third-best single season total in school history.
- At least one MSU player had multiple hits in 47 of the 55 games last season. Freshman Erika Velasquez Zimmer led the team with 19 multi-hit games.
- The Bears turned a league-best 22 double plays in 2015, surpassing the previous program high of 20 set back in 2006.
- MSU set five team records in 2015 with 181 walks drawn, 48 home runs hit, 22 double plays turned, 14 sacrifice flies hit and 10 saves earned.
SCOUTING REPORT
Texas Southern Lady Tigers: Texas Southern is coming off of back-to-back SWAC titles and NCAA Tournament appearances and ended 2015 with a 25-18 record. However, the Lady Tigers will have to replace four All-SWAC players including Player of the Year Thomasina Garza. TSU was picked to repeat as SWAC champions in the 2016 preseason poll. Senior outfielder Brianna Simpson and sophomore pitcher Jasmine Fulmore were named to the preseason All-SWAC team. Simpson was the 2015 national leader in sacrifice hits. Friday's meeting will be the Bears' first-ever game against Texas Southern.
Detroit Titans: Detroit had a rough 2015 season finishing last in the eight team Horizon League with an overall record of 10-40. Only two of the five players who hit better than .250 a season ago return. Sophomore Savvy Ferstle hit .309 as a freshman with five home runs. Senior Christa McGahuey hit .282 with nine home runs and is the leading returner in the circle. As a pitcher, she had a team-high five wins and was the lone Titan with a sub 5.00 ERA (4.93). MSU defeated Detroit in the only prior meeting which occurred in 1986.
Northern Colorado Bears: Northern Colorado was picked sixth in the 2016 preseason Big Sky Conference poll. UNC finished 2015 with a 17-25-1 record and fifth in the Big Sky. Leading hitter Rachel Johnson is among 10 returning players. She hit .354 with four homers and 20 RBI for a Bears' team that hit .297 on the year. Junior hurler Jayme Reddacliff led the UNC staff with a 4.68 ERA, 10 complete games and two shutouts. Missouri State leads the all-time series 5-1 and beat UNC 4-1 at Killian Stadium in the last meeting in 2014.
UT Arlington Mavericks: UT Arlington reached the Sun Belt Tournament title game and finished 2015 at 27-28. Junior Shelbi Sikes set the single season school mark with 45 RBI as the Mavericks posted team records in batting average (.316), runs scored (338), hits (456), RBI (316) and walks (226). Junior Sam Montes returns to the circle after leading UTA with a 4.56 ERA, 13 wins and a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Missouri State won both games at UTA in 2014 and leads the all-time series, 8-6.
700 AND COUNTING
Head coach Holly Hesse is second in all-time wins by an MVC coach with 704. With a 4-0 victory over Illinois State on April 18, 2015, Hesse earned milestone win 700. She trails only current Illinois State coach Melinda Fischer (959 wins).
TRIUMPHANT RETURNS
The Bears eagerly anticipate the inspirational return of redshirt sophomore Allie Alvstad. She missed the entire 2014-15 academic year to battle through acute myeloid leukemia. She received a bone marrow transplant in December 2014 and has returned to the team in 2015-16. She appeared in 29 games with 8 starts and had 4 RBI as a freshman in 2014.
Madison Jones and Bethany Sullinger also return to the team after missing part or all of 2015. Jones suffered her second-straight injury-shortened season, but is healthy entering 2016. Sullinger missed all of 2015 with an injury. She tied the single season record of 46 RBI in 2014.
PRESEASON PICK
Missouri State received more first-place votes than any other Valley squad, but finished second in a top-heavy Missouri Valley Conference preseason coaches poll released by the league office on January 27. The Bears also were well represented on the preseason All-MVC team with senior Erin Duewel, junior Erin Struemph and sophomore Erika Velasquez Zimmer earning nods. All three players were All-MVC first team members in 2015.
FAB FROSH
Missouri State sophomore Erika Velasquez Zimmer had a fabulous first season in a Bears uniform. She earned MVC Newcomer of the Year honors after hitting a team-best .361. Her batting average was the highest ever by a freshman at MSU. She also led the Bears with 19 multi-hit games, 19 stolen bases and was the only MSU player to hit a grand slam in 2015.
RECORD SETTING SQUAD
The 2015 squad broke five team records on the season. On April 22, the Bears hit three home runs giving them 36 as a team, the highest single season total in program history. MSU went on to club a total of 48 home runs on the year.
Missouri State drew plenty of free passes as well. The 181 walks drawn was a team record besting the 2006 total of 170.
The Bears turned 22 double plays in 2015. The previous team-best was 20 set in 2006. MSU also earned 10 saves with all four hurlers recording at least one save. The Bears had seven saves in 2005 and 2006, the highest total prior to this season. MSU had 14 sacrifice flies in 2015, a program record.
GOT EACH OTHERS BACKS
All four Missouri State pitchers have recorded a save last season. The staff of Chelsea Jones, Jessie Van Es, Erin Struemph and Kaitlin Beason combined for a league-high 10 saves. Struemph's six saves led the league and ranked eighth in the nation last season. It was the most saves by a Missouri State team in program history surpassing the previous high of seven team saves set in 2005 and 2006.
WAITING IN THE WINGS
Head coach Holly Hesse has commitments from three players to join the 2017 squad. Joining the Bears for the 2016-17 academic year are Erin Griesbauer (Blue Springs, Mo.), Darby Joerling (Defiance, Mo.) and Carsten Warner (Nevada, Mo.).
