Tuesday, March 18
Carbondale, Ill.
5:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Southern Illinois
Softball Set for Two-Game Series at SIU
March 17, 2025 | Softball
| Missouri State Bears (4-19, 3-0 MVC) at Southern Illinois Salukis (11-14, 3-0 MVC) | |
| Dates | Tuesday, March 18 - Wednesday, March 19 |
| Location & Site | Charlotte West Stadium | Carbondale, Ill. |
| Game 1 | Tuesday, 5:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Wednesday, 4:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Missouri State | Game Notes (PDF) | Softball Home Page | Media Guide |
| Southern Illinois | Softball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | March 21-23 vs. Evansville | Springfield, Mo. |
The Starting Lineup
- Missouri State softball continues Missouri Valley Conference play with a trip to Southern Illinois for a midweek series on Tuesday (5:00 p.m.) and Wednesday (4:00 p.m.). As travel partners, SIU will return the third and final game of the series later this season in Springfield.
- After a tough start to the season, the Bears opened MVC action with a dominant series sweep over UIC. MoState outscored the Flames 32-7 on the weekend as the Bears collected two run-rule victories. Missouri State batted .456 as a team and the pitching staff owned a 2.06 ERA in the series.
- Kasey Griffith is in her first season at the helm of the Bears program, and she collected her first career win with a 6-0 victory against Tulsa on Feb. 14. 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 as the leader of the Missouri State softball program.
- 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.
- 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.
- McKenzie Vaughan (Sr., Bella Vista, Ark.) has started to hit her stride after missing the entire 2024 season due to an arm injury. Last week, she batted .571 and slugged 1.143 while driving in 10 runs as the Bears went 3-1 on the week and swept its first conference series against UIC. She leads the team with 18 RBI, eight walks, four home runs and a .609 SLG%. Vaughan owns 23 career home runs, which puts her in a tie for third in program history. She was a 2023 first-team All-MVC selection and NFCA All-Region third team selection as a sophomore.
- The MoState pitching staff is led by the trio of McKenzie Vaughan, Makenzi Swick and Mackenzie Chacon. Swick leads the way with 23 strikeouts on the season, while Vaughan tops the group in ERA with a 4.20 mark and wins with three on the season. Rounding out the group is freshman Aubrey Johansen who has tossed 20.1 innings and earned her first career victory last weekend.
- Alexis Perales (So., Grapevine, Texas) ranks 55th nationally and 3rd in the MVC in caught stealing by, as she has thrown out six runners on the basepaths this season.
- The MoState defense ranks 38th nationally and 2nd in the MVC with 11 double plays on the season.
Series History
Missouri State trails the all-time series against Southern Illinois, 55-64, which includes an 18-36 record on the road in Carbondale. The Salukis won the series a season ago, but the Bears won the final game of the three-game series, a 4-2 win in Carbondale. MoState and SIU have split their last 10 meetings, but the Bears haven't taken a series from the Salukis since the 2022 season.
Players Mentioned
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P/1B
/ SoftballMonday, June 22
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
