The Missouri State softball team travels for a pair or spring break games at Central Arkansas on Tuesday (5 p.m.) and at Oklahoma State on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) before opening up MVC play this weekend.
 

Missouri State at Central Arkansas | Oklahoma State
Dates	Tuesday, Mar. 14 | Thursday, Mar. 16
MSU vs. UCA	Tuesday, 5 p.m. vs. Central Arkansas | Live Stats | Live Stream
MSU vs. OSU	Thursday, 5:30 p.m. vs. Oklahoma State | Live Stats | Live Stream | Game Notes
Locations	Farris Field • Conway, Ark. | Cowgirl Stadium • Stillwater, Okla.
Follow	@MSUSoftball

 
The Starting Nine

• Junior Holly Kelley was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week following her performance at the Leon Smith Classic. The hurler surrendered just five hits and one run through 16 innings of work, posting a miniscule 0.44 ERA on the weekend.
• Missouri State sits third in the conference with a .313 team batting average and fourth with a 3.14 staff ERA.
• Going 14-for-33 at the pate, the Bears scored a season-high 13 runs in Missouri State's 13-8 victory over Alabama State on Saturday, Mar. 11.
• At the Leon Smith Classic, Erika Velasquez Zimmer went a team-high 10-for-20 at the plate. Going into Tuesday's contest, the junior rides a four-game multiple-hit streak as well as a five game-game scoring streak.
• In the circle, junior Kaitlin Beason leads the Missouri State pitching staff with a 2.41 ERA. The right-hander has tallied 27 strikeouts and four shutouts through 58 innings, posting a 6-5 record this season.
• The Bears posted a 2-2 record against four new opponents at the Leon Smith Classic, pulling out wins against Tennessee State (7-0) and Alabama State (13-8) while falling to Jacksonville State (4-2) and Belmont (3-2).
• After being run-ruled 10-1 at the Louisiana Tech Invitational, Missouri State held Samford to just one run, earning a 2-1 victory over the Bulldogs. In the contest, Kelley earned her third win of the season, surrendering just two hits against the 2016 NCAA tournament team.
• Five Bears – Velasquez Zimmer, Bethany Sullinger, Hailee Vigneaux, Mary Stephens and Madison Jones – carry a .311 batting average or better. The quintet combines for 100 of Missouri State's 156 hits.
• Velasquez Zimmer leads the team and ranks fourth in the MVC with a .429 batting average. She also leads the Bears with 27 hits, three triples, 14 runs, 35 total bases and eight steals.

 
Head Coach Holly Hesse
Holly Hesse (Creighton, 1982) is 736-730-2 (.502) 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
Leading Central Arkansas 6-4 in its series history, the Missouri State softball team won the first five meetings between the two teams. Central Arkansas won the last matchup (Apr. 6, 2016), where Missouri State fell 9-3 at home. MSU started a late-inning rally, scoring three runs in the seventh inning, but it wasn't enough to overcome the large deficit.
 
The Cowgirls of Oklahoma State hold a 25-6 overall series record over the Bears. The last meeting between the two teams was on Mar. 16, 2016 where the Bears fell 4-0 in Stillwater, Okla. In the contest, Beason racked up a career-high five strikeouts against the Big 12 team.
 
A Look At The Competition
Central Arkansas
The Central Arkansas softball team enters Tuesday's contest with a 7-17 overall record. On a three-game losing streak, the Bears suffered a sweep at McNeese State last weekend in Lake Charles, La. Central Arkansas has faced several Missouri State opponents, earning wins against Arkansas-Pine Bluff while suffering losses to Jacksonville State, Samford and Alabama State.
 
At the plate, Briana Whisenhunt leads the Bears' offensive efforts with a team-high 22 hits. The senior carries a .275 batting average, collecting four doubles, two triples and 30 total bases. Central Arkansas carries a .207 team batting average and has sent 10 balls out of the park.
 
In the circle, Kayla Gomness leads the staff with a 2.84 ERA and 4-7 record. She has tallied a staff-leading 40 strikeouts in 74 innings, surrendering 75 hits and three home runs. Collectively, the Central Arkansas pitching staff has held its opponents to a .298 batting average while posting a 3.99 ERA.
 
The Southland Conference's winningest coach over the last five seasons, head coach David Kuhn leads Central Arkansas in his ninth season at the helm for the Bears.
 
Oklahoma State
The Cowgirls carry an 18-10 overall record and will take on North Texas on Wednesday, Mar. 15 before hosting Missouri State on Thursday. Oklahoma State has faced and beaten several MVC teams this season, including UNI, Evansville and Wichita State.
 
A force to be reckoned with, Taylor Lynch leads the Oklahoma State offense with 35 hits, 24 RBI, seven triples and a .393 batting average. Two Cowgirls – Kristin Reasnor and Jessi Haffner – lead the squad with three home runs apiece, while the team has collectively sent 11 pitches over the fence.
 
Brandi Needham leads the Oklahoma State pitching staff with an 8-4 record, as well as a 2.90 ERA. The Dripping Springs, Texas, native has faced 249 batters in 62.2 innings of work. Throwing a little over half of Needham's innings, fellow senior Shea Coats leads the staff with 35 strikeouts over 32.2 innings.
 
 After leading the Cowgirls to the postseason for the first time since 2011, OSU is under the direction of second-year head coach Kenny Gajewski.
 
Final Details
First pitch against Central Arkansas is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Conway, Ark., and Thursday's contest at Oklahoma State is slated for 5:30 p.m. For more information on the Missouri State softball team, visit www.missouristatebears.com or Twitter (@MSUSoftball).