SPRINGFIELD – The Missouri State softball team (10-8) concludes preseason tournament play at the Shocker Softball Tournament this weekend at C. Howard Wilkins Stadium in Wichita, Kan. The Bears will play a pair of games against Western Illinois and host Wichita State on Saturday and Sunday.
 
Game one against Western Illinois is slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday, Mar. 10, and will be followed by a 2:30 p.m. showdown against former Valley foe Wichita State. The Bears will face the Leathernecks once more on Sunday at 11 a.m. and MSU concludes action in Wichita against the Shockers at 4 p.m.
 

Shocker Softball Tournament
Dates	Saturday, Mar. 10 | Sunday, Mar. 11
Site | Location	C. Howard Wilkins Stadium | Wichita, Kan.
Game 1	Saturday at 12 p.m. – MSU vs. Western Illinois | Live Stats
Game 2	Saturday at 2:30 p.m. – MSU at Wichita State | Live Stats | Watch
Game 3	Sunday at 11 a.m. – MSU vs. Western Illinois | Live Stats
Game 4	Sunday at 4 p.m. – MSU at Wichita State | Live Stats | Watch
Missouri State	Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Twitter

The Starting Lineup

• Claiming 21 of the Bears' 118 hits, Erika Velasquez Zimmer ranks third in the Valley in hits and ties for third with 14 runs scored. The senior has recorded five RBI and 26 total bases and leads the lineup with 10 steals on the season.
• Shutting out Abilene Christian Sunday morning, senior Holly Kelley recorded the second no-hitter of her MSU career in a near-perfect performance in the circle. She was masterful through six frames and collected five strikeouts against 19 batters. Kelley allowed just two base runners in her third shutout of the season, and posted back-to-back 1-2-3 innings in the fourth and fifth. She went 2.1 innings against the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners and tallied two strikeouts in the outing.
• Redshirt sophomore Hannah Heinrichs has reached base in five of her last five games. She and senior Hailee Vigneaux lead the Bears with two-game hitting streaks going into the weekend.
• Hailee Vigneaux had a fantastic weekend at the Courtyard Marriott Tournament, going 6-for-10 at the campus of Oklahoma. She broke up a no-hitter against standout Paige Parker in the Bears' first game against the Sooners, and recorded one of MSU's two hits in its second meeting with the two-time defending national champion. In the Bears' 8-0 run rule over Abilene Christian, she went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate and led the lineup with three steals and three runs scored.
• Senior infielder Madison Jones is just one start away from her 150th career start. The cornerstone for the MSU infield, Jones has tallied 149 starts over the course of 156 games and has racked up 119 hits and 309 putouts.
• A perfect 1-0 on the weekend, Steffany Dickerson was a force to be reckoned with in the circle. The newcomer tossed a complete seven innings against Abilene Christian on Saturday where she fanned seven hitters and scattered five hits in the Bears' 3-1 win. Against No. 4 Oklahoma, she entered the game in relief and held the Sooners to just two runs in 3.2 innings. She struck out two batters on defending national team.
• The Bears tallied a season-high five steals against Abilene Christian on Sunday, Mar. 4 at the Courtyard Marriott Tournament. Hailee Vigneaux led MSU with three, while Kaitlin Beason and Kelly Metter both picked up their first steals of the season.  
• 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 759-755-2 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. 
 
Silencing the Shockers
Equaling the Bears with a 10-8 overall record, Wichita State has faced four ranked teams this season. Facing a common opponent, Arkansas, Wichita State edged out the Razorbacks 1-0 on March 6. They also took a series at Nebraska, but fell to Washington, Ohio State and Michigan. As a team, the former Valley foe maintains a .243 average at the plate and has collected 106 hits this season. Paige Luellen leads the Shockers with a .370 batting average while Ryleigh Buck leads the way with 15 hits. The Shocker pitching staff combines for a 3.56 ERA and Bailey Lange has been the go-to hurler. She leads the crew with a 6-4 record and 62 strikeouts over 58.1 innings. Wichita State is led by Kristi Bredbenner, who is in the midst of her seventh season at the helm for the Shockers. Missouri State leads Wichita State 59-52 in its 42-year series history. The Bears split at Wichita last season and fell to the Shockers later on in the season.
 
Leveling the Leathernecks
Off to a slow start, Western Illinois enters Saturday's contest with a 6-13 overall record. Currently on a two-game losing streak, the Leathernecks faced No. 12 Auburn on March 3-4 and fell by scores of 6-2 and 7-0. Jasmine Lara leads the lineup with 20 hits and 11 runs while batting .370 at the plate. In the circle, two pitchers – Emily Ira and Megan Lotarski – maintain a 3.29 ERA. Ira leads the staff with 51 strikeouts and 49 innings while Lotarski boasts a 3-5 record. Head coach Beth Golitko is in her first season leading the Leatherneck softball program. The Bears hold a slim, 24-21 all-time series lead over Western Illinois and have won the last four meetings against the Leathernecks. The last time the squads met was back in 2012 when the Bears won 2-0 in Memphis, Tenn.
 
Final Details
First pitch against Western Illinois is slated for 12 p.m. on Saturday and will be followed by a 2:30 p.m. contest against host Wichita State. Sunday's action will begin at 11 a.m. against Western Illinois, with the Bears' final tournament matchup against the Shockers beginning approximately 4 p.m. For all the latest information on the Missouri State softball team, visit missouristatebears.com or follow @MSUSoftball on Twitter.