Bears Softball Travels to Arkansas and UCA

Friday, February 28

Fayetteville, Ark.

10:00 a.m.

Missouri State University

Iowa

Bears Softball Travels to Arkansas and UCA

February 26, 2025 | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)

Missouri State Bears (1-9) at Woo Pig Classic & Central Arkansas
Dates	February 28-March 2 at Woo Pig Classic \| March 3 at Central Arkansas
Location & Site	Bogle Park - Fayetteville, Ark. \| Farris Field - Conway, Ark.
Tickets	Woo Pig Classic \| Central Arkansas
Game 1	Friday, 10:00 a.m. vs. Iowa \| Live Stats
Game 2	Friday, 12:30 p.m. vs. Illinois \| Live Stats
Game 3	Saturday, 10:00 a.m. vs. Iowa \| Live Stats
Game 4	Saturday, 12:30 p.m. vs. Illinois \| Live Stats
Game 5	Sunday, 12:30 p.m. at #11 Arkansas \| Watch \| Live Stats
Game 6	Monday, 5:00 p.m. at Central Arkansas \| Watch \| Live Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes (PDF) \| Softball Home Page
Opponents	Iowa \| Illinois \| Arkansas \| Central Arkansas
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) \| Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	March 7-8 at Texas State \| San Marcos, Texas

The Starting Lineup

Missouri State softball hits the road once again this weekend as the Bears head to the Woo Pig Classic hosted by Arkansas from Feb. 28-March 2, before a Monday one-off contest at Central Arkansas. MoState begins the season with 20 games away from its home in Springfield.
MoState finished the 2024 season with a 19-32 overall record and finished sixth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 13-14 conference ledger. MSU's season came to an end in the semifinals of the MVC Tournament after falling 2-1 to second-seeded Northern Iowa.
The Kasey Griffith era of Missouri State Softball is officially underway and she collected her first career win with a 6-0 victory against Tulsa on Feb. 14 in the I-10 Border Classic. Griffith was named the seventh head coach in the history of the program on June 5, 2024, and this marks her first time serving as a head coach. The Dallas Center, Iowa, native has been on the MoState staff for the last two seasons, including serving as associate head coach in 2024.
Griffith stepped into the lead role following the retirement of longtime head coach Holly Hesse at the conclusion of the 2024 season. Hesse owned a 922-889-2 career record in 36 seasons at the helm of the Missouri State softball program. At the time of her retirement, Hesse ranked 47th in NCAA Division I history in career victories, and she is the second-winningest coach in MVC history in both overall and conference (413) victories.
The Bears were picked to finish sixth in the MVC Preseason Poll, while Kayla Ulrich was a Preseason All-Valley Team selection at first base.
After turning in a stellar freshman campaign in 2024, in which she led Missouri State and the MVC with a .361 batting average, Ulrich (So., Sullivan, Mo.) has picked up right where she left off to begin the 2025 season. She is leading the team with a .394 batting average, .545 slugging percentage and .459 on-base percentage.
In addition to Ulrich, the Bears also return All-MVC second-team performer Chloe Merced and they get a boost from two-way player McKenzie Vaughan, who missed the entire 2024 season with an arm injury. MoState also brings back two members of its 2024 pitching staff in Mackenzie Chacon and Makenzi Swick.
Vaughan (Sr., Bella Vista, Ark.) was a 2023 first-team All-MVC selection and NFCA All-Region third team selection as a sophomore. In her sophomore campaign, Vaughan batted .318 and set the MSU single-season HR record (14) while also posting a 4.09 ERA in the circle with 68 strikeouts.
The 2025 MoState roster includes 12 returners, nine newcomers (seven freshmen, two transfers) and features 12 underclassmen. From last year's squad, the Bears had eight departures which included seven seniors.
Brynn Romine (Fr., Gravette, Ark.) is making an impact early, batting .304 with seven hits, four runs and a team-leading five walks.

Series Histories
   Missouri State leads the all-time series against Iowa, 7-2, which features a 3-2 record at neutral site locations. The two teams haven't met since the 2022 season at the Jayhawk Invitational, a matchup the Bears won 4-3.
   MoState and Illinois have met just once in the programs' histories in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. The Bears defeated Illinois, 2-0, at the NCAA Columbia Regional hosted by No. 15 seed Missouri. Senior pitcher Steffany Dickerson tossed a one-hit shutout, while Olivia Krehbiel's two-run homer in the third inning was all the offense the Bears needed to secure the win.
   The Bears trail the all-time series against Arkansas, 19-24, including a 6-15 record in Fayetteville. The last time the two teams met was at another tournament hosted by the Hogs, the Razorback Rumble in 2022. MoState suffered a 1-6 loss in the first meeting with Arkansas in the tournament, before falling 3-11 in five innings to the Razorbacks a couple of days later.
   Missouri State owns an 8-7 advantage in the all-time series against Central Arkansas, including a 5-4 record on the road in Conway. The most recent meeting between the squads was a midweek matchup last season in Springfield, in which MoState won 7-6. Missouri State walked it off in the bottom of the seventh after Ellie McCoy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to grab the win.