ST. LOUIS – Missouri State softball's McKenzie Vaughan was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week, the league announced today (March 18).
 
Across a 3-1 week for the Bears, which included a sweep to begin conference play against UIC, Vaughan batted .571 (8-14) and slugged 1.143. She led the team with 10 RBI, two home runs and two doubles, and five runs scored.
 
In a midweek matchup against SIUE, Vaughan went 2-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI to set the tone for the week. Following a quiet opening game of the UIC series, Vaughan went 5-for-7 with seven RBI, three runs scored, and a double and a home run over the final two games of the series as the Bears secured the sweep.
 
A two-way star, Vaughan also went 2-0 in the circle with a 2.33 earned run average. She allowed just three earned runs and scattered 13 hits across 9.0 innings of work, in addition to striking out three.
 
The senior from Bella Vista, Ark., now sits in a tie for third place in program history with 23 career home runs. This award marks her first weekly honor of the season and the third MVC weekly honor of her career.
 
Missouri State has five games on the slate this week, beginning with a two-game series at Southern Illinois (March 18-19) before returning home to face Evansville (March 21-23).