Bears Softball Heads South to Face Louisiana Tech

Friday, February 23

Ruston, La.

6:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Louisiana Tech

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Softball Scrimmage on September 9, 2023. Chandler Harris/Missouri State University

Bears Softball Heads South to Face Louisiana Tech

February 21, 2024 | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)Listen Live Stats Tickets

Missouri State Bears (2-6) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (6-1)
Dates	Friday-Sunday, Feb. 23-25, 2024
Location & Site	Dr. Billy Bundrick Field \| Ruston, La.
Tickets	Tickets
Game 1	Friday, Feb. 23 \| 6:00 p.m. \| Listen \| Live Stats
Game 2	Saturday, Feb. 24 \| 1:00 p.m. \| Listen \| Live Stats
Game 3	Saturday, Feb. 24 \| 3:30 p.m. \| Live Stats
Game 4	Sunday, Feb. 25 \| 11:00 a.m. \| Listen \| Live Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes (PDF) \| Softball Home Page
Louisiana Tech	Softball Home Page
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) \| Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	March 8-10 at Tennessee Invitational \| Knoxville, Tenn.

The Starting Lineup - Storylines for the Louisiana Tech Series

Missouri State softball heads to Louisiana Tech for a four-game series beginning on Friday, February 23 at 6 p.m. The squads will then play a doubleheader on Saturday (1 & 3:30 p.m.), before closing the series with an 11 a.m. first pitch on Sunday. The Bears trail in the all-time series against Louisiana Tech, 5-8.
MSU first-year assistant coach, Shelby Hiers, spent the last two seasons on the Louisiana Tech coaching staff. Hiers is in charge of working with MSU's catchers and assisting with the Bears' hitters and offensive strategy.
In 2024, the Bears are set to face six NCAA Tournament teams from last season, highlighted by contests against 2023 Women's College World Series participants Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Missouri State faced two top-15 opponents on opening weekend in Clemson and Oregon, both of which made it to Super Regionals in 2023.
McKenzie Vaughan (Jr., Bella Vista, Ark.) suffered a season-ending arm injury prior to Missouri State's first game of the season in Clearwater, Fla. Vaughan was a first-team all-MVC and NFCA All-Region Third Team selection a season ago, and was named to the all-MVC preseason team for 2024.
Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 905-863-2 career record as the leader of the Missouri State softball program. She is the second-winningest coach in MVC history in both overall (905) and conference (400) victories. She collected career victory No. 900 last season with a 4-3 victory over Southern Illinois on April 26.
Missouri State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, while Krehbiel and Vaughan were named to the All-MVC preseason team.
Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) leads MSU with a .350 average and six walks so far this season. She was named MVC Player of the Week after the first weekend of the season (Feb. 13) for her performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic. The fifth-year Bear continues to climb up the MSU record books, as she is second on MSU's career home run list with 24 and sits just four homers shy of breaking the record (27, Jessie Smith: 2006-09). She also ranks inside the top five in career RBI (105), doubles (36) and walks (84).
Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 4th nationally and first in the MVC with two saves on the season.
Missouri State went undefeated at home for the first time in program history with a 15-0 record in Springfield last season. The Bears currently own the second-longest home win streak in NCAA Division I (18), trailing only Oklahoma (60).
After setting the program's single-season record with 99 stolen bases a season ago, the Bears have already collected 13 stolen bases in eight games this season, leading The Valley and ranking 69th nationally. Abby Ford (So., Ozark, Mo.) is 4-for-4 in steal attempts this year and already owns 30 for her career after swiping 26 bases as a freshman last season.
Missouri State's 2024 roster features 14 players from last year's squad, including its entire pitching staff, now minus Vaughan. MSU's group of newcomers consists of five freshmen and one transfer.

Series History
Missouri State trails the all-time series against Louisiana Tech, 5-8, including a 4-6 on the road in the series. The last meeting between the two teams came on Feb. 10, 2019 at the Sand Dollar Classic in Gulf Shores, Ala. Louisiana Tech won the game, 8-4, putting the game out of reach with a three-run homer after MSU had cut a five-run deficit to just one run.
The last time the teams met in Ruston was on Feb. 24, 2018 with the Bears earning a 2-0 victory. Steffany Dickerson held Louisiana Tech to just four hits while striking out four in the complete-game shutout and a Darian Frost two-run homer in the fifth did the job offensively for the Bears.