SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri state softball team (4-5) looks to improve its success at the Louisiana Tech Invitational, beginning Friday morning in Ruston, La. There, the Bears will face five teams over Feb. 23-25.
 
The Bears begin the invitational Friday with a 9 a.m. matchup against UMass-Lowell, followed by an 11 a.m. contest against South Dakota. Saturday's slate begins at 5 p.m., when the Bears will go head-to-head against host Louisiana Tech before taking on Alcorn State at 7 p.m. MSU concludes action in at the Lady Techster Softball Complex on Sunday with an 11 a.m. game against Saint Louis.
 

Louisiana Tech Invitational
Dates	Friday, Feb. 23 | Saturday, Feb. 24 | Sunday, Feb. 25
Site | Location	Lady Techster Softball Complex | Ruston, La.
Game 1	Friday at 9 a.m. – MSU vs. UMass Lowell | Live Stats
Game 2	Friday at 11 a.m. – MSU vs. South Dakota | Live Stats
Game 3	Saturday at 5 p.m. – MSU at Louisiana Tech | Live Stats
Game 4	Saturday at 7 p.m. – MSU vs. Alcorn State | Live Stats
Game 5	Sunday at 11 a.m. – MSU vs. Saint Louis | Live State
Missouri State	Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Twitter

 The Starting Lineup

• The Missouri State offense is off to a solid start this season. The Bears have outscored their opponents 35-29 and have combined for 66 hits. More impressively, the MSU has racked up 20 extra base hits while limiting its opponents to just 16.
• Not only a threat in the batter's box, Erika Velasquez Zimmer remains untouched in steal attempts. The senior tallied two steals at the UTSA Softball Classic and sits second in the league with six.
• Boasting 20 extra base hits this season, Missouri State leads the league in both doubles and triples. Seven Bears have recorded doubles while five have produced triples.
• After a 9-18 weekend at the UTSA Softball Classic, freshman Daphne Plummer was named the MVC Newcomer of the Week. She drove in five RBI and tallied 13 total bases with three extra base hits during the tournament and finished the weekend with a .500 on base percentage.
• Senior Madison Jones, the cornerstone for the Missouri State infield, made her 140^th start against Kansas on Sunday, Feb. 18. The next Bear nearing the 140-start mark is senior Hailee Vigneaux, who has tallied 133 over the course of her career.
• On February 9, 2018, MSU head coach Holly Hesse eclipsed the 750 career-victory mark thanks to the Bears' 4-0 win over Mississippi Valley State. Only 37 active Division I coaches have reached 750 career victories. Hesse is in her 30th season as MSU head coach and is the second-winningest coach in MVC history behind Illinois State's Melinda Fischer. Hesse was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on January 28th, 2018.
• The Bears boasted an impressive 3.648 team grade-point average to rank No. 2 among the nation's major programs in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association's annual academic release.
• Claiming Missouri State's only home runs this season, senior Kaitlin Beason has belted two balls over the fence this season. Her first home run was a monster shot in the Bears' 16-2 victory against Omaha (Feb. 11) and her most recent dinger was on Sunday, Feb. 18 against Kansas.
• In total, 17 members of Missouri State's 19-man roster were named to the Missouri State Athletics Director's Honor Roll.

 
Head Coach Holly Hesse
Head coach Holly Hesse enters her 30th season leading the Bears' program as the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history with 751 victories. Hesse 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 the winningest coach in Missouri State history with a 753-752-2 record. 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 72 wins in the MVC Tournament and Hesse is tied with the most tournament wins at 50. Hesse was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on January 28th, 2018.
 
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has recognized her program four times as a NFCA Division I Top 10 All-Academic Team including 1999, 2000, 2016 and 2017. The 2017 Bears ranked second in the nation with a 3.648 team GPA.
 
In 2017, the Bears finished with three all-conference selections, including first-team pick Bethany Sullinger, and three MVC Scholar-Athlete selections in Kaitlin Beason, Erika Velasquez-Zimmer and Sullinger. Velasquez Zimmer also represented the Bears on the NFCA All-Region Team. Junior Holly Kelley also stood out, earning a spot on the MVC All-Tournament Team after tossing an opening-round no-hitter against Drake, the first at the Valley Tournament in 27 years. Likewise, senior Mary Stephens earned NFCA National Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after a sensational opening weekend.
 
In 2016, the Missouri State University Board of Governors honored coach Hesse with the Staff Excellence in Public Affairs Award in recognition of her distinctive work and accomplishments in support of Missouri States public affairs mission. 
 
Ruffling the Riverhawks
UMass Lowell seeks its first win of the season after going 0-5 last weekend at the Pediatric Cancer Invitational in Clearwater, Fla. There, the Riverhawks fell to No. 10 Tennessee, Missouri and three other programs. The Riverhawk offense has produced 20 hits this season and maintains a .157 batting average. Starting pitchers Kaysee Talcik and Katelyn Ellard have both surrendered 20 hits apiece while Talcik leads the staff with 15 strikeouts and a 3.00 ERA. Head coach Danielle Henderson is in the midst of her fourth season at the helm for UMass Lowell. This will be the first meeting between the Bears and Riverhawks.
 
Conquering the Coyotes
Winning just one game this season, South Dakota enters the Louisiana Tech Invitational with a 1-10 record. Its lone victory was last weekend when the team defeated New Mexico, 5-2. Offensively, Alyssa Fernandez leads the pack with 13 hits, 10 runs and a .448 batting average. Through 20.2 innings in the circle, pitcher Dustie Durham has accumulated a team-leading 11 strikeouts and limits batters to a .232 batting average. The Coyotes look to Robert Wagner, who is in his second season as head coach. This will be the first meeting between the Bears and Coyotes.
 
Topping the Lady Techsters
After finishing second overall in Conference USA last season, Louisiana Tech enters the Louisiana Tech Invitational with a 5-7 overall record. Last weekend the Lady Techsters battled against their in-state foe, No. 7/8 LSU, and fell by a score of 2-1. Junior Morgan Turkoly leads the LA Tech offense with 14 hits and a .350 batting average while the team has combined for 67 hits this season. Preslee Gallaway maintains the lowest ERA on the Lady Techster pitching staff at 2.68 and leads five pitchers with 24 strikeouts in 34 innings of work. Head coach Mark Montgomery is in the midst of his sixth season at the helm for the Lady Techsters.
 
Breaking the Braves
Entering the weekend with just one win, Alcorn State heads to Ruston, La., with a 1-5 overall record. The Braves' lone win was an 8-4 decision against Kentucky State on Feb. 15. Offensively, Alcorn State has scored 15 runs through five games and maintains a .235 team batting average. Robin Harrison leads the pitching staff with nine strikeouts and a 3.46 ERA over 13 innings. Head coach Josef Rankin is in his third season with the Alcorn State softball program. This will be the first meeting between the Bears and Braves.
 
Besting the Billikens
Saint Louis is off to a slow start this season and enters the weekend with a 1-4 overall record. The Billikens have only gathered 37 hits this season and combine for a .278 batting average. In the circle, Kaylea Chappelle leads the staff with a 1-1 record and 1.58 ERA. Collectively the staff carries a 4.91 ERA and have given up 29 runs this season. Saint Louis is led by Christy Connover, who is in her eigth season as head coach. Dating back to 1977, MSU holds a commanding 39-7-1 all-time series lead over the Billikens. The Bears won the first 26 meetings between the two teams, but Saint Louis has made out with the last three contests. The most recent Bear victory was on March 2, 201, where MSU pulled out a 3-1 victory over its in-state foe.
 
Final Details
First pitch against UMass Lowell is slated for 9 a.m. on Friday and will be followed with an 11 a.m. contest against South Dakota. Saturday's action will begin at 5 p.m. against tournament host Louisiana Tech, with the Bears' 7 p.m. matchup against Alcorn State beginning approximately 30 minutes afterwards.  The Bears wrap up the weekend on Sunday against Saint Louis at 11 a.m. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.