Saturday, March 18
Springfield
12:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
Northern Iowa
Softball To Host UNI In Home, MVC Opener
March 17, 2017 | Softball
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After being on the road for 21 games, the Missouri State softball team opens Missouri Valley Conference play against the UNI Panthers in its 2017 home opener, Saturday and Sunday (Mar. 18-19) at Killian Stadium. The Bears and Panthers are scheduled for a 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a single game slated for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
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The Starting Nine
Head Coach Holly Hesse
Holly Hesse (Creighton, 1982) is 738-730-2 (.502) in her 29th season as head coach at Missouri State and overall.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Series
Heading into this weekend's series, the Bears hold a slim, 46-45 lead over the Panthers. MSU is 5-5 against UNI in its last 10 meetings, preventing a Panther sweep from last season's series. On Apr. 23, 2016, the Panthers took an early 2-0 series lead over the Bears, but Missouri State rebounded the next day, winning the third game 9-8. In the Bears' sweep stopper, then-freshman Darian Frost knocked a two-out RBI in the bottom of the seventh to close out the series. At home, the Bears are 24-20 against the Panthers.
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A Look At The Competition: UNI
Placing three spots about Missouri State in the MVC preseason poll, the UNI Panthers enter the first weekend of MVC play with a 12-10 overall record. The Panthers have faced a pair of Missouri State opponents this season, splitting with Oklahoma State (L, 3-5; W, 11-5) and falling to Louisiana Tech (0-8). Other notable UNI victories include Montana, South Dakota State, Idaho State and Sam Houston.
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Through 22 games, two Panthers – Ashley Chesser and Macey Wolfe – carry a batting average over .300. Wolfe ranks within the top three in nearly every offensive category, highlighted by a team-high 20 hits and four doubles. Collectively the team has sent 13 balls out of the park and ranks ninth in the conference with a .244 batting average.
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Freshman Jaci Spencer leads the UNI pitching staff with a miniscule, 1.76 ERA and 5-3 record. The left-handed hurler has collected a team-high 58 strikeouts, ranking fourth in the league. As a staff, the Panthers sit second in the MVC with a 2.42 ERA, combining for 145 strikeouts over 144.1 innings.
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Tying the program record for the second-most wins in a single season during its 2016 campaign, the UNI softball team is under the direction of 10-year head coach Ryan Jacobs.
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Final Details
Saturday's doubleheader will begin with game one at 12 p.m., followed by a second game at approximately 2 p.m. First pitch for Sunday's matchup is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Killian Stadium. For more information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.
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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – After being on the road for 21 games, the Missouri State softball team opens Missouri Valley Conference play against the UNI Panthers in its 2017 home opener, Saturday and Sunday (Mar. 18-19) at Killian Stadium. The Bears and Panthers are scheduled for a 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday and a single game slated for 11 a.m. on Sunday.
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| Missouri State (12-9) vs. UNI (12-10) | |
| Dates | Saturday, Mar. 18 | Sunday, Mar. 19 |
| Location | Springfield, Mo. |
| Site | Killian Stadium |
| Saturday, Mar. 18 Â | Game 1 - 12 p.m. | Game 2 - 2 p.m. |
| Sunday, Mar. 19 | Game 3 - 11 a.m. |
| Follow Along | Live Stats | ESPN3Â (Sat.) | ESPN3 (Sun.) |
| Missouri State | Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Twitter |
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The Starting Nine
- Erika Velasquez Zimmer (Jr., Coppell, Texas) has hit safely in 13 straight games, which matches her 2015 streak as her personal best. The only Bear to hit safely in more games over the last 12 seasons is Rebecca McPherson who had a hit in 15 straight contests in 2015. Zimmer is hitting .500 (20 for 40) in the month of March (11 games).
- Velasquez Zimmer went 4-for-4 in MSU's win over Oklahoma State on Thursday, the most hits by a Bear in any game this season. She also set a team high for runs in the OSU game with three. Last weekend, the junior stand-out batted a team-best .500 (10-for-20) at the Leon Smith Classic in Oxford, Ala.
- MSU head coach Holly Hesse entered the 2017 campaign ranked 36th among all active NCAA Division I coaches with 726 career victories. Hesse is in her 29th season at the helm of the Bears and owns a 738-730-2 (.502) career ledger. She has earned two conference Coach of the Year honors and coached five NCAA Tournament teams.
- Junior Holly Kelley (Cypress, Texas) was named the Missouri Valley Conference Pitcher of the Week on Monday following her performance at the Leon Smith Classic in Oxford, Ala. The hurler surrendered just five hits and one run through 16 innings of work on the weekend, posting a 2-0 record in 3 appearances with 0.44 ERA. She came into Thursday's game at Oklahoma State, tied 3-3, and pitched three shutout innings in relief against the Cowgirls to earn the win.
- Missouri State's .315 team batting average ranks 48th nationally and is the third-best in the Missouri Valley Conference. Likewise, MSU's .381 on-base percentage ranks second in the MVC.
- The Bears' defense has been stellar through their first 21 games of the campaign, accounting for a .965 fielding percentage, which is the second-best in the MVC and 84th among all DI programs. Last season, Missouri State boasted the 13th-best team fielding percentage in the NCAA Division I ranks (.973).
- The Bears are 10-4 this season when scoring first and 10-2 when leading after four innings. MSU is also 11-2 when out-hitting their foes.
- Five of Missouri State's nine losses this season have come by a single run. MSU is 2-5 in one-run games on the year. Since back-to-back road losses to No. 19 Texas A&M (Feb. 17-18), the Bears are 9-4 overall with three of those losses by one run and another loss by two runs.
- As a team, the Bears are hitting .286 with runners in scoring position. The club's top three RISP hitters are: Olivia Roark (Sr., Ottumwa, Iowa) 7/18 (.389); Darian Frost (So., Lee's Summit, Mo.) 8/21 (.381); and Bethany Sullinger (Sr., Kansas City, Mo.) 9/25 (.360).
Head Coach Holly Hesse
Holly Hesse (Creighton, 1982) is 738-730-2 (.502) in her 29th season as head coach at Missouri State and overall.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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The Series
Heading into this weekend's series, the Bears hold a slim, 46-45 lead over the Panthers. MSU is 5-5 against UNI in its last 10 meetings, preventing a Panther sweep from last season's series. On Apr. 23, 2016, the Panthers took an early 2-0 series lead over the Bears, but Missouri State rebounded the next day, winning the third game 9-8. In the Bears' sweep stopper, then-freshman Darian Frost knocked a two-out RBI in the bottom of the seventh to close out the series. At home, the Bears are 24-20 against the Panthers.
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A Look At The Competition: UNI
Placing three spots about Missouri State in the MVC preseason poll, the UNI Panthers enter the first weekend of MVC play with a 12-10 overall record. The Panthers have faced a pair of Missouri State opponents this season, splitting with Oklahoma State (L, 3-5; W, 11-5) and falling to Louisiana Tech (0-8). Other notable UNI victories include Montana, South Dakota State, Idaho State and Sam Houston.
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Through 22 games, two Panthers – Ashley Chesser and Macey Wolfe – carry a batting average over .300. Wolfe ranks within the top three in nearly every offensive category, highlighted by a team-high 20 hits and four doubles. Collectively the team has sent 13 balls out of the park and ranks ninth in the conference with a .244 batting average.
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Freshman Jaci Spencer leads the UNI pitching staff with a miniscule, 1.76 ERA and 5-3 record. The left-handed hurler has collected a team-high 58 strikeouts, ranking fourth in the league. As a staff, the Panthers sit second in the MVC with a 2.42 ERA, combining for 145 strikeouts over 144.1 innings.
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Tying the program record for the second-most wins in a single season during its 2016 campaign, the UNI softball team is under the direction of 10-year head coach Ryan Jacobs.
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Final Details
Saturday's doubleheader will begin with game one at 12 p.m., followed by a second game at approximately 2 p.m. First pitch for Sunday's matchup is scheduled for 11 a.m. at Killian Stadium. For more information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.
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#MSUBears
Players Mentioned
C/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
1B/3B
/ Softball
OF
/ SoftballMonday, June 22
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