Wednesday, April 17
Springfield, Mo.
4:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
vs
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Kansas
Softball Returns Home, Welcomes Kansas on Wednesday
April 16, 2024 | Softball
| Missouri State Bears (10-27) vs. Kansas Jayhawks (26-14-1) | |
| Date & Time | Wednesday, April 17 | 4:00 p.m. |
| Location & Site | Killian Stadium | Springfield, Mo. |
| Watch | ESPN+ (Mike McClure, Chelsea Turner) | Watch |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Promotions | Bears Fund Tailgate | Maroon Out | Foam Finger Giveaway |
| Missouri State | Game Notes (PDF) | Softball Home Page |
| Kansas | Softball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | April 19-21 vs. Valparaiso | Springfield, Mo. |
The Starting Lineup
- Missouri State softball is back at home following an eight-game road stint. The Bears welcome the Kansas Jayhawks to Springfield for a Wednesday afternoon (4 p.m.) midweek matchup. KU has won the last six games in the series and this marks the first meeting between the teams since 2022.Â
- Current Kansas graduate assistant Steffany Dickerson is a MSU softball alumni. Dickerson (2018-2022) owned a career 2.24 ERA and 62 wins in the circle. She was named the MVC Pitcher of the Year in 2022 and helped lead MSU to an MVC Tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance that same year.
- Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 913-884-2 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 (913) and conference (406) victories. She ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories.Â
- In MVC games, the Bears lead the league with 18 home runs while ranking third in slugging percentage (.436) and fourth in runs scored (70). MSU currently has four players batting over .300 in conference action.Â
- Kayla Ulrich (Fr.,Sullivan, Mo.) continues to lead the way for Missouri State offensively in her freshman campaign. She leads the Bears with a .382 batting average, 34 hits and a .481 on-base percentage, and is second on the team in RBI (16), slugging percentage (.596) and walks (15). She is one of the MVC's best hitters this season, ranking 3rd in average and on-base percentage, 5th in OPS and 8th in slugging percentage.Â
- Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee's Summit, Mo.) is one of MSU's top returning hitters from a season ago and in the program's history. Krehbiel is tied for the Missouri State career home run record of 27 set by Jessie Smith from 2006-09, and now sits just one long ball shy of taking over the top spot. She leads the team this season with 22 walks and 25 runs scored, and is third on the team with 13 RBI.Â
- Annie Mueller (Sr., Pacific, Mo.) is one of Missouri State's biggest power threats. Sixteen of her 29 hits this season have gone for extra bases and she leads the team with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and a .641 slugging percentage. Her 10 homers this season rank 3rd in the MVC and she is just three of the league lead. Against MVC competition, her slugging percentage rises to .771 as 7 of her 15 hits in league action have been home runs.
- Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 16th nationally and first in the MVC with five saves on the season. She also ranks 17th nationally with 30 appearances in the circle this season.Â
- Ellie McCoy (Sr., Hastings, Neb.) leads the MVC in hit by pitches with 12, which ranks 19th nationally. She also ranks 11th nationally in hit by pitch/game (0.36).McCoy has already set the MSU single-season record in the category and with 21 HBP in her career, she is just three away from the program's career record.Â
- MSU is 8-1 this season when scoring six or more runs and 7-0 when out-hitting opponents.
   Missouri State trails the all-time series against Kansas, 19-76, including an 8-24 record at home in Springfield. The Jayhawks have won the last six games in the series, as MSU's last win in the series came on March 14, 2010 with an 8-7 victory on the road at KU.Â
   The last time the Bears and Jayhawks met was on Feb. 19, 2022 in a neutral site meeting at the Texas A&M Invitational. Kansas came away with an 8-0 run-rule victory in that matchup. Current Kansas graduate assistant Steffany Dickerson was the ace on that 2022 Missouri State pitching staff, but she did not throw against the Jayhawks in the loss.Â
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Players Mentioned
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