Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Missouri State

Halle Studer

Softball

Diamond Bears Back on the Road at Louisiana Tech

Missouri State Bears (14-15, 3-6 CUSA) at Louisiana Tech Bulldogs (17-15, 3-6 CUSA)
Dates March 27-29, 2026
Location & Site Dr. Billy Bundrick Field | Ruston, La.
Game 1 Friday, March 27 | 6:00 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 2 Saturday, March 28 | 2:00 p.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Game 3 Sunday, March 29 | 11:00 a.m. | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Missouri State Bears Game Notes | Softball Home Page | Mo State Media Guide
Opponent Louisiana Tech Softball Home Page
Follow Us Twitter | Instagram | Facebook | #WeAreMoState | #Team58
Bears Mobile App App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices)

The Starting Lineup
  • Missouri State hits the road for the second weekend in a row for a three-game Conference USA series at Louisiana Tech. Both squads sit at 3-6 in conference play heading into the weekend, tied for 8th in the league standings. The Bears are 11-4 this season when they score first and 12-2 when leading after 4 innings.
  • The Bears rank 59th nationally and T-2nd in CUSA in double plays (12). Likewise, Mo State's .971 fielding percentage ranks 66th among the all NCAA Division I programs. 
  • Right-hander Emily Koranda (Fr., Marion, Iowa) leads the Bears staff and ranks 3rd in CUSA in ERA (2.54). The freshman hurler ranks 22nd nationally with 3 shutouts and 36th with 2 saves on the year. She was named CUSA Freshman of the Week on Feb. 16 and owns a 7-7 record with 69 strikeouts in 85.1 innings.  
  • 1B Riley Baber (So, Overland Park, Kan.) is leading the way for Missouri State offensively this season with a .351 batting average, 10 doubles and 4 home runs. Her total doubles and 0.36 doubles per game rank inside the top 5 in Conference USA. Likewise, here .649 slugging percentage is 10th in the league. She hit safely in 9 straight games from Feb. 21 to March 6 -- the team's top hitting streak this season. 
  • RF Lauren Rowland (So., O'Fallon, Mo.) posted a hit in every game of the series at Delaware, including the game-winning homer in the series opener last weekend. She leads Mo State in multiple RBI games (4) and is 2nd with 7 multi-hit games this season. She leads the Bears with 19 RBI and 16 walks. 
  • The Missouri State pitching staff has racked up 4 shutouts in the first half of the season, which ranks 44th nationally. The Bears have also allowed just 7.27 hits per seven innings which is 80th in DI. 
  • Coach Kasey Griffith is in her second season at the helm of the Bears after going 20-33 overall and 16-11 in the Missouri Valley Conference in her head coaching debut. She is in her fourth season overall at Mo State and took over as head coach on June 5, 2024 upon the retirement of legendary coach Holly Hesse.
  • Mo State returns two players that received all-conference recognition last season. C Alexis Perales (Jr., Grapevine, Texas) was a second-team All-MVC selection, and 2B Emily Gerardy (Jr., Omaha, Neb.) was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team. Perales was MoState's top hitter in MVC play last season (.328) with 7 doubles, while Gerardy committed just two errors (.981 FLD%) against league competition in the second-most chances on the team. 
Print Friendly Version

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
Lauren Rowland

#2 Lauren Rowland

UTL
5' 5"
Sophomore
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
Lauren Rowland

#2 Lauren Rowland

5' 5"
Sophomore
UTL
Emily Koranda

#27 Emily Koranda

5' 7"
Freshman
P/UTL

Sponsors