Softball Hosts Kansas City, Travels to Murray State

Wednesday, March 26

Springfield

5:00 p.m.

Missouri State University

Kansas City

Softball Hosts Kansas City, Travels to Murray State

March 25, 2025 | Softball

Game Notes (PDF)

Missouri State Bears (7-21, 6-2 MVC) vs. Kansas City / at Murray State
Dates	Wednesday, March 26 \| Thursday-Friday, March 27-28
Location & Site	Meador Park - Springfield, Mo. \| Racer Field - Murray, Ky.
Game 1	Wednesday, 5:00 p.m. vs. Kansas City \| Watch \| Live Stats
Game 2	Thursday, 5:00 p.m. at Murray State \| Watch \| Live Stats
Game 3	Friday, 3:00 p.m. at Murray State \| Watch \| Live Stats
Game 4	Friday, 5:30 p.m. at Murray State \| Watch \| Live Stats
Missouri State	Game Notes (PDF) \| Softball Home Page \| Media Guide
Opponents	Kansas City \| Murray State
Bears Mobile App	App Store (Apple Devices) \| Google Play Store (Android Devices)
Up Next	Wednesday, April 2 at Missouri \| 6:00 p.m. \| SECN+

The Starting Lineup

Missouri State will host Kansas City (4-20) on Wednesday evening (5:00 p.m.) for a midweek matchup, before hitting the road to Murray State (f9-18, 1-7 MVC) from March 27-28 for another three-game Missouri Valley Conference series.
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. Three of MoState's freshmen have started at least 20 games this season (Baber, Romine, Studer).
MoState is off to a 6-2 start in league action with series sweeps over UIC and Evansville, and three run-rule victories. In conference play, the Bears rank second in the league in batting average (.356) and fielding percentage (.973).
So far in MVC play, the Bears have four hitters batting at least .400, led by Sidney McLaughlin (Jr., Stillwater, Okla.) who is leading the MVC with a .533 average (8-for-15).
McKenzie Vaughan (Sr., Bella Vista, Ark.) continues to lead Missouri State on both sides of the ball. The two-way star leads the Bears with a .318 batting average, six home runs, 25 RBI, five doubles and 11 walks. In the circle, she owns a team-best 4.00 ERA and has recorded five of MSU's seven wins on the season. Vaughan currently sits in third in program history in career homers with 25. She trails only Olivia Krehbiel (31) and Jessie Smith (27).
Alexis Perales (So., Grapevine, Texas) ranks 45th nationally and 3rd in the MVC in caught stealing by, as she has thrown out seven runners on the basepaths this season.
Missouri State ranks 21st in NCAA Division I and 2nd in the MVC in non-conference Strength of Schedule. The Bears have faced seven power conference opponents accounting for nine games on their schedule, as well as four games against top mid-major competition in FAU and Texas State.
The MoState defense ranks 48th nationally and 2nd in the MVC with 12 double plays on the season.
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 stint 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.

Series Histories
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Kansas City, 43-13, including a 21-6 record in Springfield. The Bears and Roos met last season in Kansas City, which resulted in a 6-8 midweek loss for Missouri State after its comeback effort in the sixth and seventh innings fell short. The last time the two teams met in Springfield was in 2023 as MoState held on to win 3-2. McKenzie Vaughan earned the victory in the circle in that meeting after hurling 5.1 relief innings, allowing just one earned run while striking out four Roos.
The Bears also lead the all-time series against Murray State, 5-4, including a 2-1 record on the road. Since becoming conference foes in 2023, MoState is 4-2 against the Racers and has won the series in each of the last two seasons. The Bears have dropped both series-openers, but then bounced back to win the final two games of the series.