Wednesday, April 2
Columbia, Mo.
5:00 p.m.
Missouri State University
at
Missouri
Softball Heads to Missouri for Midweek Contest
April 01, 2025 | Softball
| Missouri State Bears (10-22) at Missouri Tigers (18-18) | |
| Date & Time | Wednesday, April 2 | 5:00 p.m. |
| Location & Site | Mizzou Softball Stadium | Columbia, Mo. |
| Tickets | Tickets |
| Watch | SECN+ (Mickey Doolittle, Ashley Moore) | Watch |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Missouri State | Game Notes (PDF) | Softball Home Page | Media Guide |
| Missouri | Softball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | April 4-6 vs. Northern Iowa | Springfield, Mo. |
The Starting Lineup
- Missouri State will hit the road for a Wednesday evening (5:00 p.m.) midweek contest at in-state rival Missouri. The Bears are 15-40 all time against the Tigers, and the last time the two teams met was in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Regional hosted by No. 15 national seed Missouri.
- 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 25 games this season (Baber, Romine, Studer).
- Chloe Merced (Sr., Springfield, Mo.) was named Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Week on Monday. Across a 3-1 week for the Bears, Merced batted .500 (5-for-10) with six RBI, four runs scored, two home runs, a double and a walk. She also slugged 1.200 with a .545 on-base percentage, and was perfect in the field. Merced tied her career high with two different three-RBI performances on the week.
- In the last 10 games, Merced is batting .464 (13-for-28) and leads the team with 13 RBI and 11 runs scored.
- 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 seven home runs, 26 RBI, five doubles and 13 walks. In the circle, she owns a team-best 3.73 ERA and has recorded six of MSU's 10 wins on the season. Vaughan currently sits in third in program history in career homers with 26, trailing only Olivia Krehbiel (31) and Jessie Smith (27).Â
- Missouri State ranks 43rd in NCAA Division I and 3rd in the MVC in non-conference Strength of Schedule. Mizzou will mark the Bears' eighth power conference opponent this season. The previous seven have accounted for nine games on MoState's schedule, which has also featured four games against top mid-major competition in FAU and Texas State.
- Over the last 12 games, MoState owns a 9-3 record and is outscoring its opponents 75-34. In that span, the pitching staff owns a combined 2.45 ERA and the Bears defense owns a .976 fielding percentage compared to a .921 mark from its opponents. Sidney McLaughlin leads the team in that span with a .500 batting average.Â
- The MoState defense ranks 56th nationally and 2nd in the MVC with 13 double plays on the season.Â
- 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.Â
   Missouri State trails the all-time series against Missouri, 15-40, which includes a 3-16 record on the road in Columbia. The last time the two teams met was in the 2022 NCAA Tournament Regional hosted by No. 15 national seed Missouri. The Bears and Tigers faced off twice in the regional with Mizzou coming out on top in a couple of two-run ballgames.Â
   Missouri State fell 3-1 to open the regional against the Tigers, before a 2-0 loss ended the Bears' season.Â
Players Mentioned
3B
/ Softball
C
/ Softball
1B/OF
/ Softball
P/1B
/ SoftballWednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
Wednesday, June 17
Monday, June 15
