MVC Release

ST. LOUIS – Following the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, senior Bethany Sullinger as well as juniors Kaitlin Beason and Erika Velasquez Zimmer earned MVC Scholar-Athlete team honors, announced by the league office on Monday, May 15.  Beason and Velasquez Zimmer picked up first-team honors while Sullinger brought in honorable mention accolades.
 
Picking up the first scholar-athlete honors of her career, Beason led the MSU pitching staff with 12 wins and a 2.37 ERA. She led the conference and ranks 17^th in the nation with eight shutouts on the season. Receiving the MVC Commissioner's Excellence Award as well as earning a spot on the MVC Honor Roll in 2016, the junior had a 0.58 ERA with near no-hitter in picking up 10^th win in Indiana State series to earn MVC Pitcher of the Week honors. The hurler tallied a season-high seven strikeouts against Jacksonville State (3/10/17) and launched a walk-off grand slam in the Bears' victory over UMKC. At the plate, the Webb City, Mo., native ended the season with 28 hits, 24 RBI and a .283 batting average. Majoring in Psychology, Beason carries a 3.55 GPA.
 
A member of the 2016 MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention team, Velasquez Zimmer earned her way onto this season's MVC Scholar-Athlete first team and MVC All-Conference second team thanks to her outstanding production both on the field and in the classroom throughout the season. Named to the 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District team, Velasquez Zimmer led the squad with 58 hits on the season, a .349 batting average, 25 runs, and 14 stolen bases. The junior went on 10 and 13-game hitting streaks this season, including a 4-for-4 performance at Oklahoma State where she produced three singles and a double. The speedster leads the team with 15 multiple-hit games as accumulated five assists and 63 putouts in center. In MVC action, she fielded a near-perfect .977 fielding percentage with 41 putouts and two assists. Velasquez Zimmer has maintained a 3.87 GPA in Exercise and Movement Science throughout the 2017 season.
 
Receiving her second career MVC Scholar-Athlete honorable mention nod, Sullinger contributed as a consistent force for the Bears both on offense and defense. A member of the All-MVC first team, she maintained a .333 batting average through 49 games, racking up 47 hits and 25 RBI, as well as a team-leading eight doubles, five home runs and .511 slugging percentage. At the hot corner, Sullinger tallied 92 assists and maintained a .934 fielding percentage. In conference play, she led the squad with 25 hits, five doubles and 13 RBI. Against the Redbirds of Illinois State, Sullinger belted back-to-back homers, going 5-for-7 on the day with 4 RBI. The Missouri State Senior Female Athlete of the Year totals 14 multi-hit games on the season and has a team best seven multi-RBI games as well. Working towards her master's degree, Sullinger boasts a 3.57 GPA in Educational Technology.
 
In order to be eligible, student-athletes must have at 3.2 GPA or higher, be at least a sophomore in athletic and academic standing and meet certain playing requirements. The Bears capped off the 2017 season with a 23-26 overall record and 10-16 mark in MVC action.