Tuesday, March 12
Springfield, Mo.
5:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
Southern Illinois
Softball Opens Six-Game Home Stand on Tuesday
March 11, 2024 | Softball
| Missouri State Bears (3-13, 0-0 MVC) vs. Southern Illinois Salukis (15-4, 0-0 MVC) | |
| Dates | Tuesday-Wednesday, March 12-13, 2024 |
| Location & Site | Killian Stadium | Springfield, Mo. |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Promotions | Tuesday: White Out | Wednesday: Black Out |
| Missouri State | Game Notes (PDF) | Softball Home Page |
| Southern Illinois | Softball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | March 15-17 vs. Illinois State | Springfield, Mo. |
The Starting Lineup
- Missouri State softball opens up its home slate with a six-game home stand and begins the conference season this week with a visit from Southern Illinois for a two-game series. MSU trails in the all-time series against the Salukis, 54-62, but the Bears are 27-17 at home against SIU. Â
- 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 #5 Clemson and #13 Oregon, both of which made it to Super Regionals in 2023. The remaining two teams (SIU and Central Arkansas) made it to Regionals a season ago.Â
- Missouri State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, while Olivia Krehbiel and McKenzie Vaughan were named to the All-MVC preseason team.Â
- 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.
- Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 906-870-2 career record in her 36th season as the leader of the Missouri State softball program. She is the second-winningest coach in MVC history in both overall (906) and conference (400) victories. She collected career victory No. 900 last season with a 4-3 victory over Southern Illinois on April 26. She ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories.Â
- Missouri State currently owns the longest home win streak in NCAA Division I at 18 games. The Bears went undefeated at home for the first time in program history with a 15-0 record in Springfield last season. MSU's last home loss came on April 30, 2022 against Bradley. Â Â
- Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) is one of MSU's top returning hitters from a season ago and continues to climb up the MSU record books. 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 (107), doubles (38) and walks (90). She was also named MVC Player of the Week following her opening weekend performance at the NFCA Leadoff Classic in Clearwater, Fla.
- Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 10th nationally and first in the MVC with three saves on the season.Â
- Annie Mueller (Sr., Pacific, Mo.) is coming off a nice weekend at the plate at the Tennessee Invitational. The senior batted .385, drove in three runs and scored two runs. Four of her five hits on the weekend went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run). She leads MSU this season with 10 RBI and three doubles.
- Abby Ford (So., Ozark, Mo.) is leading MSU this season with a .302 batting average, 16 hits and 6 stolen bases in 7 attempts. The speedy outfielder already owns 32 stolen bases for her career after swiping 26 bases as a freshman last season.Â
   Southern Illinois leads the all-time series against Missouri State, 62-54, but the Bears own a 27-17 record against the Salukis in Springfield.Â
   Last season, the Bears dropped two games to open conference action at SIU before bouncing back in the third and final matchup in Springfield. In the first game between the two teams a year ago, Missouri State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, but SIU responded with three runs of its own in the home half of the inning. MSU threatened multiple times throughout the game, but the Bears were unable to push any more runs across in a 5-2 loss. The second matchup in Carbondale was similar, with MSU taking a 2-0 lead in the first before SIU plated one in the first and four in the third to take the lead. With SIU leading 7-2, Missouri State posted a three-run sixth to get back in the game, but couldn't complete the comeback bid.
   Last season's matchup against the Salukis in Springfield was a historic one for the Bears. After trailing 2-0, the Bears posted three runs in the fourth which proved to be vital as SIU tied the game up in the top of the fifth as the game entered the final stretch. With runners on second and third with one out in the sixth, Ellie McCoy laid down the squeeze bunt to score Kim DeBold and ultimately secure the 4-3 win for MSU. The victory marked head coach Holly Hesse's 900th career win and the Bears went undefeated at home for the first time in program history.
Players Mentioned
OF/IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
P
/ Softball
3B
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
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P/1B
/ SoftballMonday, June 22
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
