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Missouri State

Softball Huddle 2026

Softball

Softball Heads to Louisiana for NSU Tournament

Missouri State Bears (8-6) at City of Lights Classic
Dates Friday-Saturday, February 27-28, 2026
Location & Site Lady Demon Diamond | Natchitoches, La. 
Tournament Central Tournament Central 
Game 1 Friday, 11:00 a.m. vs. UAPB | Live Stats 
Game 2 Friday, 4:00 p.m. vs. Northwestern State | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Game 3 Saturday, 10:00 a.m. vs. UAPB | Live Stats
Game 4 Saturday, 12:30 p.m. vs. Northwestern State | Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+)
Missouri State Game Notes | Softball Home Page
Opponents Arkansas-Pine Bluff | Northwestern State 
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Up Next March 4 at Oklahoma State | 6:00 p.m.

The Starting Lineup
  • Missouri State is coming off a 2-3 weekend at the Green and Gold Classic hosted by UAB. The Bears bookended the tournament with a win over SIU (5-4) and an upset over Ole Miss (3-2). The Bears are 8-6 overall on the year heading into the final weekend of tournament action. 
  • Riley Baber (So, Overland Park, Kan.) is leading the way for Missouri State offensively this season with a .417 batting average, 11 RBI and 8 extra-base hits. In last week's tournament, Baber hit .500 (8-for-16) with four RBI and five extra-base hits. She drove in all three runs in the win over Ole Miss. 
  • Emily Koranda (Fr., Marion, Iowa) is leading the way for Missouri State in the circle. The freshman owns a 1.20 ERA with a 4-2 record and two saves on the year. She has fanned 36 batters in 41.0 innings of work, and opposing batters are hitting just .212 against her. In CUSA, Koranda ranks 2nd in ERA, 3rd in saves and 5th in strikeouts. 
  • Missouri State ranks leads CUSA and is 26th nationally with 7 double plays turned this season. Koranda ranks 19th in the country in complete games and 45th in ERA, and Baber ranks 41st in the country in doubles with six. 
  • MoState returns two players that received all-conference recognition last season. Alexis Perales (Jr., Grapevine, Texas) was a second-team All-MVC selection at catcher, and Emily Gerardy (Jr., Omaha, Neb.) represented the Bears on the MVC All-Defensive team at second base. Perales was MoState's top hitter in MVC play last season with a .328 batting average and seven doubles, while Gerardy committed just two errors (.981 FLD%) against league competition in the second-most chances on the team. 
  • Kasey Griffith is in her second season at the helm of the Bears after going 20-33 overall and 16-11 in the MVC in her debut season as a head coach. She is in her fourth overall season at MoState and took over as head coach on June 5, 2024, following the retirement of longtime head coach Holly Hesse. 
  • Missouri State officially joined Conference USA on July 1, 2025 as a full-league member. The Bears are the 12th full-time member of the league and were joined by Delaware as the two newest members beginning with the 2025-26 year. 
  • The Bears were picked to finish T-10th in the 2026 CUSA Softball Preseason Poll. 
  • The 2026 MoState roster includes 15 returners, six newcomers (four freshmen and two transfers) and features 12 underclassmen.This year's squad contains just three seniors. 
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Players Mentioned

Riley Baber

#22 Riley Baber

IF
5' 10"
Sophomore
Emily Gerardy

#20 Emily Gerardy

IF
5' 2"
Junior
Alexis Perales

#8 Alexis Perales

C
5' 9"
Junior
Emily Koranda

#27 Emily Koranda

P/UTL
5' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Riley Baber

#22 Riley Baber

5' 10"
Sophomore
IF
Emily Gerardy

#20 Emily Gerardy

5' 2"
Junior
IF
Alexis Perales

#8 Alexis Perales

5' 9"
Junior
C
Emily Koranda

#27 Emily Koranda

5' 7"
Freshman
P/UTL

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