April 1, 2016
Missouri State at Loyola
Loyola Softball Park - Chicago, Ill.
Loyola Series Notes 
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The Missouri State softball team (13-16, 2-3) treks to Chicago, Ill., for a three-game weekend set against Loyola (16-12, 0-5). This weekend will mark the first trip by the Bears to the Loyola campus as the only previous meeting in Chicago took place on the campus of Northwestern University in 2014. The teams split a doubleheader that year and MSU swept a three-game series in Springfield last season to take a 4-1 all-time series lead.
Junior pitcher Erin Struemph has found a groove since conference play began two weeks ago. Since March 19, Struemph has pitched four-consecutive complete games and has allowed four or fewer hits in each outing. In her last outing at Arkansas on Tuesday, Struemph recorded career strikeout number 400, just the sixth pitcher in MSU history with as many strikeouts. She has the lowest batting average against (.130) in Valley play and her nine hits allowed are the fewest among MVC hurlers with more than 6 innings pitched.
Senior Erin Duewel hit her third home run in the last five games with a three-run blast in the first inning at Arkansas on Tuesday. It was her team-leading sixth home run of the year and the 19th of Duewel's career tying her for third in MSU history. She also ranks second in the school history with a career .488 slugging percentage.
Tuesday's win at Arkansas showed the potential of the MSU offense. Every Bear in the starting lineup recorded a hit as the team piled up a series-high 11 runs. It was the second time this season that MSU had three different hitters record multiple RBI in a game (March 4 vs. UMKC).
Missouri State's defense continues to be among the best in the nation. The Bears top the MVC with a .983 fielding percentage, a figure that ranks MSU third in the country entering this weekend. It is the fifth-consecutive week that the Bears have been in the top-5 nationally.
As a team, the Bears pitch selection at the plate continues to get better. MSU has struck out a league-low 107 times and are one of four MVC teams with more strikeouts by its pitching staff than by its hitters.
QUICK HITS
- Senior Erin Duewel belted her sixth home run of the season on Tuesday at Arkansas. It was her 19th career long ball, tying her for third in MSU history.
- Junior pitcher Erin Struemph has been dominating since conference play began. She fired a pair of three-hitters against Bradley last weekend and has tossed three-successive three-hitters to begin MVC play.
- On Tuesday, Struemph recorded her 400th career strikeout, just the sixth pitcher in MSU history to reach that strikeout plateau.
- Missouri State's defense enters the weekend ranked third in the country with a .983 fielding percentage. It is the fifth-straight week MSU is ranked in the top-5 nationally.
- The Bears have struck out the fewest times (107) among all MVC teams this season.
- All four of sophomore Kaitlin Beason's home runs have come in the same game in which she has been the pitcher of record.
- Redshirt sophomore Allie Alvstad singled to right against Omaha on March 11, her first hit since returning to the team after beating leukemia.
SCOUTING REPORT
Loyola Ramblers: Loyola ended Northern Illinois' 14-game winning streak with a 9-6 victory in the Ramblers' home opener on Wednesday. The win snapped a six-game losing streak, five of which came to begin conference play. The Ramblers offense leads the league with a .312 team batting average. Sophomore Brooke Wyderski provides the power with a team-best eight home runs. She ranks second in the Valley in home runs and slugging percentage (.866). Wyderski is one of three Ramblers hitting .400 or better. In the circle, all four of Loyola's pitchers has at least one win and each has a sub-5.00 earned run average. As a staff, they hold a 3.41 ERA and opponents are hitting just .260. MSU swept last season's three game series to take a 4-1 series lead.
700 AND COUNTING
Head coach Holly Hesse is second in all-time wins by an MVC coach with 717. She entered 2016 with the 37th-most wins among active Division I head coaches. 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 (968 wins in MVC).
BEARS SOFTBALL IS ON THE AIR
The Missouri State softball team will see all of its home games live streamed through Bears All-Access on MissouriStateBears.com.
Some MSU home games will air on KBFL (1060 AM) and can be heard online via RadioSpringfield.com.
2016 Remaining Broadcast Schedule
Wednesday, April 13 vs. Tulsa [KBFL]
Wednesday, April 20 vs. Wichita St. (DH) [KBFL]
Wednesday, April 27 vs. SIU Edwardsville [KBFL]
LEGACY WEEKEND UPCOMING
Missouri State will celebrate the championship teams from 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2006 during Legacy Weekend at Killian Stadium. The Bears will invite back players from those title teams on April 9-10 with on-field celebration slated for Saturday, April 9. Tickets for Legacy Weekend can be purchased at the Killian Stadium gates on game day.
DUEWEL LANDS IN RECORD BOOK
Senior Erin Duewel belted her 19th career home run in the first inning at Arkansas on March 29. That total lands the Lee's Summit native in a tie for third on the all-time career homers list. Duewel's blast against the Razorbacks was her team-leading sixth long ball of the year and third in the last five games.
MILESTONE STRIKEOUT
Junior Erin Struemph is already making waves in the MSU annuls. She picked up three strikeouts in Tuesday's start at Arkansas. With her strikeout of UA's Lauren Archuleta to end the second inning, Struemph became just the sixth pitcher in MSU history with 400 career strikeouts.
Struemph has been at her best since conference play started. She tossed a complete game three-hitter in a win over Illinois State on March 19, her first MVC start of the year. Then in the Bradley series, she fired a complete game shutout in the opener and allowed a single run in a complete game in the series finale. Then on Tuesday at Arkansas, Struemph allowed one run in her fourth-consecutive start with four or fewer hits allowed.
TRIUMPHANT RETURN
The Bears eagerly anticipated 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 returned to the team in 2015-16.
In her first plate appearance of the season, Alvstad drew a four-pitch walk against Northern Colorado on Feb. 13. On Feb. 19, she drove in her first run of the season with a pinch-hit ground out at Western Kentucky. Alvstad registered her first hit since returning with a single to right field on March 11 versus Omaha in Lawrence, Kan.
TAKE YOUR BASE
This season, the Bears have drawn 65 bases on balls and have been hit by a pitch 11 times. MSU received a free pass to first base by one or both of these means in the first 23 games this season. The only game in those 23 that the Bears did not draw a walk in was against UNI on March 12, but Madison Jones was hit by a pitch. In the Feb. 13 game versus Northern Colorado, MSU drew 12 walks, one shy of the single-game program record set in 2004.
THE BETTER BEARS
Missouri State has played four games thus far this season in which the opponent's mascot was also "Bears". In those games, MSU is 4-0. Missouri State won a pair of shutouts against Northern Colorado in Texas over the opening weekend of the season. Two weeks later, MSU downed Mercer on back-to-back days. MSU has one remaining matchup against an opponent with the moniker Bears, April 6 vs. Central Arkansas.
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.
FROM START TO FINISH
Missouri State saw its starting pitcher toss a complete game in five of the Bears' first eight games on 2016. Struemph opened the season with a complete game against Texas Southern (Feb. 12). Beason tossed a career-long nine inning game later in the day against Detroit. Struemph and Beason returned later in the weekend with identical three-hit complete game shutouts of Northern Colorado.
The Bears have maintained the start-to-finish pace in the circle. Led by Struemph's eight complete games, MSU starters have completed 14 of the 29 games this season.
MAD HITTING STREAK
Sophomore Madison Jones went on a career-best seven-game hitting streak beginning on Feb. 26 and has hit safely in 11 of the last 13 games. Her torrid pace began with a two-hit performance against Austin Peay. The next day, she had a career-high four hits in the Bears' win over Mercer.
Jones had three-consecutive two-hit games to open the Cancer Awareness Tournament in St. Louis. During her seven-game hitting streak, Jones had five multi-hit games and a batting average of .609.
CLUBBING FOR A CAUSE
Sophomore Kaitlin Beason boasts a powerful bat in addition to a reliable arm in the circle. She put both aspects of her game together at the Cancer Awareness Tournament in St. Louis. On March 4, she earned the win in relief against UMKC. She also hit a three-run home run in the game against the Kangaroos.
She returned the next day and pitched 5.0 innings to earn the victory over SEMO. In the win over the Redhawks, Beason belted two home runs, her second career multi-homer game. One of her blasts was her first career grand slam, helping her own cause in the circle.
Beason continued the trend with a home run against UNI on March 12. She pitched 6.0 innings in the start against the Panthers, striking out a career-high four batters.
ROARING INTO BLUEGRASS STATE
Missouri State made its first-ever trip to the state of Kentucky for the second weekend of play. The Bears left little doubt that they were ready to play when the team racked up 17 hits and scored in all but the first inning in a 11-3 win over host Western Kentucky (Feb. 19). Junior Olivia Roark had a career-best three hits and had one of MSU's six doubles in the game, tying a single-game program record.
In day two action, senior Jessie Van Es pitched a career-long 8.0 innings of shutout ball, but a walk-off sac fly by Murray State spoiled the party in a 1-0 nine-inning defeat. In the weekend's finale, MSU got a pair of doubles from Stephens and Roark extended her hitting streak to three games, but the Bears suffered a second-straight walk-off loss to end a weather-shortened trip to the Bluegrass State.
LONE STAR STUD
Sachse, Texas-native Mary Stephens had yet another fantastic weekend in her home state on opening weekend. She blasted a seventh-inning game-tying home run against Detroit on Feb. 12. The next day, she hit another home run, a two-run shot in the first inning of a win over Northern Colorado. After recording a single against host UT Arlington, she ran her hitting streak to four games with a 3-for-4 outing on Feb. 14 versus UNC.
On the weekend, Stephens hit .400 with a team-leading two home runs and four RBI. She also drew three walks, scored four runs and had a .800 slugging percentage.
BEASON'S BEAST WEEKEND
Beason had a breakout weekend in Texas to open the season. The Webb City, Mo.-native notched three career-bests on the weekend. In the season opener versus Texas Southern, she drove in four runs for the first time in an MSU uniform. That same day, she took to the circle and pitched all nine innings against Detroit, three innings longer than her previous long outing. Then on Sunday (Feb. 14), Beason drew three walks against Northern Colorado, her first career multi-walk game.
