SPRINGFIELD – Looking to continue its success this weekend, the Missouri State softball team (17-10) welcomes Missouri Valley Conference newcomer Valparaiso for a three-game series on Mar. 24-25 at Killian Stadium. Saturday's doubleheader is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. and Sunday's series finale is slated for 11 a.m.
 

Missouri State (17-10) vs. Valparaiso (12-11)
Dates	Saturday, Mar. 24 | Sunday, Mar. 25
Site | Location	Killian Stadium | Springfield, Mo.
Game 1	Saturday at 12 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN3
Game 2	Saturday at 2 p.m. | Live Stats | ESPN3
Game 3	Sunday at 11 a.m. | Live Stats | ESPN3
Promotions	Welcome Valpo!
Missouri State	Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Twitter

 
The Starting Lineup

• MSU enters the weekend on a five-game winning streak. The Bears' winning ways began on Mar. 13 with a 7-6, come-from-behind victory at Tulsa, continued on through a three-game sweep of Illinois State and was expanded with MSU's 11-5 victory against UMKC on Tuesday.
• Erin Griesbauer and Madison Hunsaker earned weekly MVC softball awards Monday as the league's Pitcher and Newcomer of the Week, respectively, thanks to their performances in the Bears' victory at Tulsa and sweep of preseason favorite Illinois State.
• Senior standout Kaitlin Beason ranks seventh in the league with a .373 batting average. She boasts 25 hits on the season and maintains a .552 batting average. Right behind her is junior Darian Frost, who has reached base in 10 consecutive games. Frost is batting .348 at the plate and leads the team with three home runs this season.
• The Bears rank fifth in the nation and lead the Valley in triples per game. MSU has tallied an impressive 12 triples this season, where Kyana Mason and Madison Jones lead the lineup – and the league – with three apiece. Erika Velasquez Zimmer has recorded two triples while Darian Frost, Daphne Plummer and Madison Hunsaker have recorded one each.
• Freshman Madison Hunsaker unleashed the Bears first grand slam of the season with a monster shot over the center field wall in MSU's 11-5 victory over UMKC on Tuesday. She recorded her first home run of the season on Mar. 16 against Illinois State and now holds two homers on the season.
• The Missouri State pitching staff combines for a 3.07 ERA. Holly Kelley leads the pitchers with a 2.31 ERA and 7-2 record while Steffany Dickerson follows closely with a 2.38 ERA. Kelley leads the staff with 58 strikeouts and four shutouts in 57.2 innings of work.
• Six hitters in the MSU lineup maintain a .300 batting average or better. Kaitlin Beason, Darian Frost, Erika Velasquez Zimmer, Daphne Plummer, Hailee Vigneaux and Madison Hunsaker are all above the .300 mark and they combine for 30 extra-base hits this season. As a team, MSU is out-hitting its opponents, 200-168.
• 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.
 
She is the winningest coach in Missouri State history with a 766-757-2 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. 
 
Conquering the Crusaders
Off to a slow start in conference play, Valpo enters the weekend with a 0-3 league mark and 12-11 overall record. The Crusaders faced Bear victim South Dakota on Mar. 3 and came out with an 8-7 win in nine innings. Taylor Lawson and Jaymee Lawton lead Valpo with 22 hits apiece and the Crusaders have tallied a total of 150 hits this season. The lineup combines for a .244 average at the plate and has sent 15 balls out of the park. Leading the staff with an 8-4 record, Kenzie Grossmann maintains a 1.41 ERA and has collected 53 strikeouts in 64.2 innings. The Crusaders are led by Kate Stake, who is in her fourth season at the helm for Valparaiso.
 
Series History
Meeting just three times, MSU leads Valpo 2-1 in its all-time series history. The bears won the first contest against the Crusaders, 3-0, on Mar. 14, 2004 and claimed the 2009 contest by a score of 7-6. Valpo won the most recent meeting in 2010, defeating the Bears 4-1. This weekend will mark the first three-game series between the two teams.
 
Final Details
First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 12 p.m. at Killian Stadium. Game two will begin approximately 30 minutes after the end of the series opener. Live stats, live updates and a live stream will be available for all games. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.