Missouri State Bears (27-18) at NCAA Columbia Regional
Game 1	Friday, May 20 vs. [15] Missouri | L, 1-3 Saturday, May 21 vs. Illinois | 6:00 p.m.
Location/Site	Mizzou Softball Stadium | Columbia, Mo.
Tickets	Tickets
Radio	RadioSpringfield.com | Listen Live | Varsity App
TV	Game 1 - SEC Network | Watch  Game 2 - ESPN+ | Watch
Live Stats	NCAA.com
Missouri State	Game Notes | Softball Home Page
Missouri	Softball Home Page
Arizona	Softball Home Page
Illinois	Softball Home Page

The Starting Lineup - NCAA Columbia Regional Storylilnes

• Missouri State heads to the NCAA Tournament and the Columbia Regional after defeating Northern Iowa, 10-4, in the MIssouri Valley Conference Tournament title game. It marked the Bears 7th conference tournament title, breaking the tie for the most Gateway/MVC titles in conference history. MSU also owns the most conference tournament victories with a 75-49 record. 
• Holly Hesse (34th season), Sue Frederick (32nd season) and Beth Perine (27th season) are the longest tenured staff in NCAA Division I Softball.
• With graduation occurring this weekend back in Springfield, those on the team that were set to earn their diplomas took part in a special graduation ceremony in the office of MSU President Clif Smart on Wednesday. 
• Missouri State faced five teams this season that made the NCAA Tournament field (No. 4 Arkansas, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 8 Arizona State, Texas A&M and Wichita State). MSU defeated Arizona State 4-0 (5) in Tempe at the beginning of the season, before beating Wichita State 9-8 in a slugfest at home in Springfield.
• MSU is 21-4 this season when allowing 3 runs or less and is ranked 31st in fielding percentage nationally (.972). 
• Missouri State is led by a trio of fifth-years in Steffany Dickerson, Madison Hunsaker and Daphne Plummer, all of whom were selected to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team this season.
• Steffany Dickerson (Sr., Oklahoma, City, Okla.), the MVC Pitcher of the Year, owns a 1.66 ERA this season, which ranks 30th nationally. She hit the 20-win mark for the second time in her career in 2022, and set a new career high with her 21st victory in the MVC Tournament title game. She became just the third Bear in program history to record multiple 20-win seasons. Her 169 strikeouts to this point also mark a career best for the fifth-year senior.
• In MSU's last 15 games, first-team all-MVC selection Madison Hunsaker (Sr., Peculiar, Mo.) leads the Bears with a .447 average, 21 hits, 6 doubles, and a .509 on-base percentage. She has also knocked in 17 runs and hti three home runs, one of which was a three-run shot to put MSU ahead in the final game of the MVC Tournament Championship as they defeated UNI.
• Daphne Plummer (Sr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) leads the Bears with a .368 average, 56 hits, 32 runs and 28 stolen bases. She has eclipsed the 50-hit mark 3 times in her career and her 28 stolen bases rank 28th nationally.
• Olivia Krehbiel (Jr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) and Alex Boze (Sr., Swansea, Ill.) became just the second pair of Bear teammates to record 10+ home runs in a single season. Boze owns a team-leading 11 long balls and is currently on pace to break the single season slugging percentage record with a .727 mark , while Krehbiel has launched 10 homers. 

Series Histories
    Missouri State is 15-38 all-time against Missouri. In Columbia, the Bears own a 3-14 ledger. MSU and Mizzou last met in 2015, with the Tigers taking home a 6-0 victory in Springfield. Missouri State's last victory against its in-state rival came in 2006 in Springfield.
    MSU has never met with Arizona or Illinois.