Missouri State at Texas A&M Invitational
Dates	Feb. 17-19, 2017
Game 1	Fri., 10 a.m. vs. New Mexico
Game 2	Fri., 5:15 p.m. vs. Texas A&M
Game 3	Sat., 3 p.m. vs. Texas A&M
Game 4	Sat., 5:15 p.m. vs. Stephen F. Austin
Game 5	Sun., 10 a.m. vs. New Mexico
Location	College Station, Texas | Aggie Softball Complex (1,750)
Follow	@MSUSoftball  |  Live Stats  |  MSU Game Notes

Missouri State softball (2-3) looks to continue its impressive play this weekend when the Bears travel to College Station, Texas for the Texas A&M Invitational. MSU will play two games against host and No. 17/19 Texas A&M, two games against New Mexico and one game against Stephen F. Austin.

The Starting Nine

• Mary Stephens (Sr., Sachse, Texas) earned NFCA Division I National Player of the Week honors on Tuesday. Stephens, who was also named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday, had a stellar opening weekend for the Bears. She led Missouri State in nearly every offensive category, going 9-13 and jacking three home runs with 11 RBI over five games at the Louisiana Tech Invitational in Ruston, La.  She enters the week ranked fifth nationally in home runs (3), sixth in slugging percentage (1.538), seventh in RBI (11) and ninth in batting average (.692).
• MSU head coach Holly Hesse entered the 2017 campaign ranked 36th among all active NCAA Division I coaches with 726 career victories. Hesse begins her 29th season at the helm of the Bears and owns a 726-721-2 (.502) career ledger with two conference Coach of the Year honors.
• The Bears recorded extra-base hits in four of their five games at the Louisiana Tech Invitational, combining for five doubles, two triples and three Mary Stephens home runs.
• Sixteen of Missouri State's 18 roster players were recognized on the fall 2016 Athletic Director's Honor Roll after achieving a 3.0 semester GPA or better for the most-recent academic semester.
• Last season, Missouri State boasted the 13th-best team fielding percentage in the NCAA Division I ranks. The Bears made just 39 errors in 1,442 defensive chances a year ago to lead all Missouri Valley Conference clubs.
• Kaitlin Beason (Jr., Webb City, Mo.) was one of just three Missouri Valley Conference pitchers to throw a no hitter or one hitter on opening weekend. Beason's one-hit shutout against UAPB in the season opener (Feb. 10) helped push her to a 1.91 ERA and 1-1 record with a team-high 6 strikeouts in 11 inings of work.
• Senior 3B Bethany Sullinger (Kansas City, Mo.) was 6-for-12 (.500) on opening weekend with a team-high 8 assists in the field. The shares the MSU single-season RBI record when she drove in 46 runs as a sophomore in 2014.
• Tourney host Texas A&M is ranked No. 19 in this week's NFCA top 25 poll. The Aggies are also ranked No. 17 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll. A&M also puts a 19-game non-conference win streak on the line.
• In addition to batting .692 on opening weekend with 11 RBI, Missouri State senior Mary Stephens was also key in the clutch for the Bears. She was 7 for 9 (.778) with runners on base and 4 for 6 (.667) with runners in scoring position during the five-game La. Tech Invitational. The fifth-year senior also eclipsed 200 career total bases and moved into a tie for fifth place on MSU's career home runs list with 18 while earning all-tournament honors at La. Tech.

Head Coach Holly Hesse
Holly Hesse (Creighton, 1982) is 728-724-2 (.501) in her 29th season as head coach at Missouri State and overall.

She the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history and joined the 700-victory club with a 4-0 win at Illinois State on April 18, 2015, completing a doubleheader sweep in Normal, Ill.

She is also the winningest softball coach in Missouri State history. Her tenure includes two regular-season MVC titles, five MVC tournament crowns and five NCAA Tournament appearances. Hesse recorded her 300th win in 2000, her 400th win in 2004, her 500th in 2007 and victory number 600 in 2012.  Missouri State leads all schools with 70 wins in the MVC Tournament and Hesse has the second-most MVC Tournament wins with 49.

Hesse's 2016 squad finished ranked 13th in the country with a .973 fielding percentage. The Bears went 22-30 and earned a spot in the MVC Tournament in a do-or-die series to end the regular season.  Her team rallied to the challenge and carried the momentum to the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.

The Series
The Bears are 5-2 all-time against New Mexico, but haven't played the Lobos since the 2005 season. MSU earned a 7-1 win over New Mexico on Feb. 26, 2015 at the North Texas Mean Green Classic to snap a two-game skid against UNM. The Bears also hold neutral-site wins over New Mexico in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1985 with losses in 1997 and 2004. New Mexico shut out the Bears 2-0 in 2004 and 1-0 in 1997.

MSU is 5-1 against Stephen F. Austin, including a 7-0 victory over the Lady Jacks on Feb. 23, 2007 in the most-recent game between the clubs at the Holiday Inn Tulsa Select Invitational. The teams split a doubleheader in Natchitoches in 1992 and MSU won single games vs. SFASU in 1978, 1979 and 1980.

Missouri State is just 2-11 all-time against Texas A&M in a series that dates back to 1978. In College Station, the Bears are 1-4 with a 5-3 win over the Aggies in 1985. MSU also won a neutral-site game against A&M in 1979 in Norman, Okla.

Scouting the Opponents
* New Mexico
  Off to a solid start in the 2017 season, New Mexico boasts an almost-perfect, 4-1 overall record. The Lobos opened up the season at the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz., where they picked up wins against Seattle, St. Mary's, Western Michigan and UC Riverside.
  Offensively, the Lobos carry a .234 team batting average and racked up 30 hits on opening weekend. Senior Jasmine Casados leads the team with eight hits, two doubles and 10 total bases while boasting a .667 slugging percentage. At the Kijikawa Classic, the New Mexico sent two balls out of the park and brought in 15 total runs.
  In the circle, redshirt-senior Tess McPherson leads the pitching staff with a perfect 3-0 record and 0.00 ERA. The right-hander threw 20 inning innings and struck out eight hitters, only surrendering 11 hits.    
  Collectively, the Lobo pitching staff carries a 1.85 ERA and has recorded two shutouts.
  Head coach Erica Beach enters her seventh season at the helm for the New Mexico softball program.  

* Stephen F. Austin
  After going 0-5 at the Mississippi State Tournament in Starkville, Miss., the Ladyjacks look to improve their record going into the Texas A&M invitational. Giving up a total of 13 runs, SFA recorded losses against Western Kentucky, Georgia State and host Mississippi State.
  Sophomore Lauren Becker leads the Ladyjack offense, boasting a .455 batting average with five hits and six total bases. Only three members of the SFA squad are hitting over .300 and the team has brought in 30 total hits, including five extra-base hits.
  In the circle, Makayla Sikes saw the most time in the circle at the Mississippi State Tournament, going 0-2 while outing in 12.2 innings of work. The junior leads the staff with 10 strikeouts and saw action in three of the Ladyjacks' games opening weekend.
  SFA looks to new head coach Nicole Dickson, who enters her first year of coaching at the NCAA Division I level.

* Texas A&M
  Ranked No. 17 and No. 19 in this week's national polls, Texas A&M hosts this weekend's invitational with a perfect 5-0 record. Last season the Aggies were runners-up at the NCAA Regional held in Lafayette, La., and finished 10th in the Southeastern Conference.
  At the plate, Texas A&M racked up 24 runs off 29 hits. Tori Vidales led the way for the Aggies, going five-for-15 while carrying a team-leading .385 batting average. The junior recorded one double, triple and home run and brought in five runs at the Aggie Classic.
  Three Aggie pitchers were perfect in the circle, earning five wins and a total of 28 strikeouts. Samantha Show and Trinity Harrington earned two wins apiece combining for a total of 24 innings.  Show leads the staff with 11 strikeouts and a 0.00 ERA.
  Entering her 21st season, head coach Jo Evans is on pace to earn her 800th win at Texas A&M during the 2017 season.

Up Next
  After a weekend off next week, MSU resumes its spring slate in the We Back Pat Invitational at UMKC, March 3-5 with games against Saint Louis, SEMO and UMKC.