Wednesday, February 28
Fayetteville, Ark.
5:00 PM
Missouri State University
at
Arkansas
MSU Softball Continues Road Swing at Arkansas
February 27, 2018 | Softball
SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State softball team (8-5) interrupts its preseason tournament slate for a mid-week matchup at the University of Arkansas on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at Bogle Park. First pitch against the Razorbacks is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Fayetteville, Ark.
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The Starting Lineup
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.
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She is the winningest coach in Missouri State history with a 757-752-2 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.Â
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Roughing up the Razorbacks
Entering Wednesday's matchup with a near-perfect, 9-1 record, Arkansas has run-ruled four teams this season. The Razorbacks were on an eight-game winning streak before falling to McNeese State, 6-5, on Feb. 25. Offensively, Arkansas carries a .358 team batting average and has tallied 103 hits, including 15 home runs, in 10 games. On a national scale, the Razorbacks rank seventh in the nation with a .580 team slugging percentage and 10th overall in scoring. Senior Autumn Buczek leads the lineup with 17 hits, nine runs and three steals while hitting .472 at the plate. Hurlers Mary Haff and Autumn Storms have seen equal time in the circle, combining for 76 strikeouts this season. Haff leads the Razorback pitching staff with 50 strikeouts and a 0.94 ERA to go along with her perfect 5-0 record. She has limited opponents to a .123 batting average. Head coach Courtney Deifel is in the midst of her third season for Arkansas.
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Series History
Meeting first in 1997, the Bears and Razorbacks are tied up 19-19 in the teams' all-time series history. MSU won the most recent meeting between the squads, making out with an 11-5 win in five innings at Bogle Park on Mar. 29, 2016. Every starter in the Bears' lineup registered a hit in the contest while Kaitlin Beason and Mary Stephens each had two hits and two RBI. Erin Struemph scattered four hits against the Razorbacks and struck out three batters. Before the Bears' breakout win, Arkansas had claimed the three previous games.
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Final Details
First pitch on Wednesday is slated for 5 p.m. at Bogle Park. Live stats, live updated and a live stream will be available for the contest. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.
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| Missouri State (8-5) at Arkansas (9-1) | |
| Date & Time | Wednesday, Feb. 28 | 5:00 p.m. |
| Site | Location | Bogle Park (1,200) | Fayetteville, Ark. |
| Follow Along | Live Stats | Watch on SECN+ |
| Missouri State | Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Twitter |
The Starting Lineup
- The MSU offense is off to a solid start this season. The Bears have outscored their opponents 60-33 and have combined for 98 hits. More impressively, MSU has racked up 29 extra base hits while limiting its opponents to just 19.
- Senior Erika Velasquez Zimmer enters Wednesday's contest on a nine-game hitting streak. She has recorded five multi-hit games over the course of the season and leads the Bears with 18 hits and nine steals.
- Darian Frost, Steffany Dickerson and Madison Jones earned All-Tournament honors for their efforts at the Louisiana Tech Invitational. Frost hit .500 for the weekend with a team-high four RBI. Her two-run homer was the difference in MSU's 2-0 win over national powerhouse LA Tech. Notching her second triple of the season, Jones collected five hits to go along with a .556 batting average. She also raked in four RBI and one steal. Dickerson was 1-0 on the weekend with a perfect 0.00 ERA against LA Tech, allowing just four hits – all singles –with just one walk and a .167 batting average over 7.0 total innings. The freshman sensation also batted .400 with a double and 3 RBI on the weekend.
- Boasting 29 extra base hits this season, Missouri State leads the league with seven triples and sits second with 19 doubles. Nationally, the Bears rank eighth in the country in triples per game. Madison Jones and Kyana Mason are two of five players around the league to record a pair of triples, while Daphne Plummer and Kaitlin Beason lead MSU with five doubles apiece.
- Captaining the MSU outfield, Erika Velasquez Zimmer is just one start shy of 150 career starts. Fellow senior Madison Jones is six starts away from reaching the 150 mark and has played in 151 games during her time in a Bear uniform.
- Five Bears maintain a .333 or better batting average through 13 games this season. Senior slugger Kaitlin Beason leads the Bears with a .464 average and an impressive .857 slugging percentage. Beason has tallied a team-high two home runs and has collected six RBI in 10 appearances.
- The Missouri State pitching staff has limited opponents to a .231 batting average and sits second in the league with a 2.02 ERA. Steffany Dickerson and Holly Kelley have both logged 24 innings of work in the circle and combine for 50 strikeouts this season. Both hurlers have posted a pair of shutouts while Kelley boasts one save.
- 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.
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.
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She is the winningest coach in Missouri State history with a 757-752-2 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.
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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.
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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.
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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.Â
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Roughing up the Razorbacks
Entering Wednesday's matchup with a near-perfect, 9-1 record, Arkansas has run-ruled four teams this season. The Razorbacks were on an eight-game winning streak before falling to McNeese State, 6-5, on Feb. 25. Offensively, Arkansas carries a .358 team batting average and has tallied 103 hits, including 15 home runs, in 10 games. On a national scale, the Razorbacks rank seventh in the nation with a .580 team slugging percentage and 10th overall in scoring. Senior Autumn Buczek leads the lineup with 17 hits, nine runs and three steals while hitting .472 at the plate. Hurlers Mary Haff and Autumn Storms have seen equal time in the circle, combining for 76 strikeouts this season. Haff leads the Razorback pitching staff with 50 strikeouts and a 0.94 ERA to go along with her perfect 5-0 record. She has limited opponents to a .123 batting average. Head coach Courtney Deifel is in the midst of her third season for Arkansas.
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Series History
Meeting first in 1997, the Bears and Razorbacks are tied up 19-19 in the teams' all-time series history. MSU won the most recent meeting between the squads, making out with an 11-5 win in five innings at Bogle Park on Mar. 29, 2016. Every starter in the Bears' lineup registered a hit in the contest while Kaitlin Beason and Mary Stephens each had two hits and two RBI. Erin Struemph scattered four hits against the Razorbacks and struck out three batters. Before the Bears' breakout win, Arkansas had claimed the three previous games.
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Final Details
First pitch on Wednesday is slated for 5 p.m. at Bogle Park. Live stats, live updated and a live stream will be available for the contest. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.
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#MSUBears
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Players Mentioned
P/1B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
2B
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
3B
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SS
/ Softball
1B
/ Softball
Pitcher
/ Softball
1B/3B
/ Softball
OF
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