Missouri State Bears (13-15, 3-2 MVC) vs. Evansville Purple Aces (15-11, 1-2 MVC)
Schedule	Game 1 - Saturday, March 25, 2 p.m. Game 2 - Saturday, March 25, 4 p.m. Game 3 - Sunday, March 26, 12 p.m.
Location & Site	Killian Stadium | Springfield, Mo.
Promotions	Tess Weakly Senior Day  Where's Boomer Scavenger Hunt: All participants receive MSU sunglasses & are entered to win the grand prize - AirPods
Live Stats	Live Stats
Missouri State	Media Guide (PDF) | Softball Home Page
Evansville	Softball Home Page
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	March 31 - April 2 at Valparaiso | Valparaiso, Ind.

Storylines for the Evansville Series

• Missouri State softball (13-15, 3-2 MVC) carries a four-game win streak into this weekend's Missouri Valley Conference series against Evansville (15-11, 1-2 MVC). The Bears swept MVC opponent Drake last weekend before picking up a 5-2 midweek victory over Tulsa on Wednesday. The three-game series versus UE caps a seven-game home stand for the Bears.  
• McKenzie Vaughan (So., Bella Vista, Ark.) was named the MVC Player of the Week on Tuesday after she led the Bears with a .600 (3-for-5) batting average, seven RBI, three home runs, a 2.400 slugging percentage and an .800 on-base percentage last week. She also drew four walks, was hit by a pitch, did not strike out and committed no errors in the field. The award marked Vaughan's second Valley honor this season, as she was named the league's Pitcher of the Week on March 7.
• Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) is MSU's leader in the circle this season with six wins on the season in 14 appearances. She is second on the team with a 3.52 ERA and has tossed a team-high 57.2 innings, six complete games and two shutouts. In conference action, her ERA is 1.94 as she owns a 2-1 record with 11 strikeouts. 
• The Bears continue to show off their speed as they rank 25th nationally and first in the MVC with 57 stolen bases, led by freshman Abby Ford who owns a league-leading 19 stolen bases. Her 19 swipes also rank 14^th nationally. Ellie McCoy ranks 97^th nationally and fifth in the MVC as she is 11-for-11 in stolen base attempts this season.
• MSU entered last weekend's series against Drake having scored 61 total runs on the season. In the last four games, the Bear bats have caught fire as MSU has outscored its opponents, 29-3, and collected two run-rule victories. The pitching has also been stellar in the last four games with the Bear pitchers allowing just three earned runs and striking out 20 batters.

Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Evansville, 51-29, including a 23-13 record in Springfield. MSU has won the last five games in the series, including a road sweep of the Purple Aces last season. The last time the squads met in Springfield was in 2021 with the Bears winning both games of a Friday doubleheader by scores of 1-0 (10 inn.) and 6-1, before the Saturday series finale was canceled.