MVC Release | Bears Season Preview Video
 
ST. LOUIS -- Missouri State has been picked fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason softball poll, the league announced Wednesday.
 
The Bears are coming off a 32-20 campaign that culminated in a 17-9 run in the MVC and regular-season runner-up finish.
 
Drake, last year's MVC regular-season and tournament champion, has been tabbed as the 2019 league favorite in the annual coaches' poll, receiving nine of 10 first-place votes and 99 points in all. Southern Illinois, which upset the Bears in the MVC Tournament semifinals in 2018, earned 84 points to finish second in the preseason voting. Northern Iowa (75 points) is picked third with the other first-place vote, while Missouri State is tabbed fourth with 67 points.
 
The remainder of the poll includes Illinois State in fifth (58 points), followed by Valparaiso (53), Indiana State (41), Bradley (28), Evansville (26) and Loyola (19).
 
"The Valley is always a battle -- one through 10," said Bears' head coach Holly Hesse, who is the second-winningest coach in MVC history with 781 victories. "Anybody can beat anybody, and it's exciting to play in the Valley because of that. Finishing in the top three or four would be a really good year for us, and who knows, we could do more."
 
Hesse begins her 31st season at the helm with five starters and three pitchers returning, including a pair of all-conference selections. Sophomore shortstop Daphne Plummer leads MSU's offensive returnees after she finished third in the Valley in hitting (.382) to set a Bears' freshman record. Plummer was an All-MVC second team pick a year ago, while senior catcher Darian Frost earned All-MVC first-team distinction. Frost will redshirt in 2019 after off-season surgery. Surprisingly, the Bears had no players selected to the 2019 Preseason All-MVC Team.
 
Other returning starters for the Bears are outfielder Hannah Heinrichs, and infielders Kyana Mason and Keller Metter. Perhaps the Bears' strength is its pitching staff that includes eight-game winner Erin Griesbauer, strikeout specialist Steffany Dickerson and lefty Madison Hunsaker who was 5-1 in the circle as a freshman.
 
The Bears have 11 squad members and 10 letterwinners back from 2018.
 
Missouri State begins the 2019 campaign February 8-10 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. MSU will take on Western Kentucky, South Alabama, Auburn, Florida A&M and Louisiana Tech in a highly-competitive field.
 
Missouri Valley Conference play begins on March 13 with a doubleheader at Southern Illinois, while the MVC Tournament -- which now includes all 10 teams -- takes place May 8-11 in Peoria.
 
Missouri State's home opener is Wednesday, March 6 against Arkansas at Killian Stadium.