Collecting 922 victories over the course of her career to become the second-winningest coach in Missouri Valley Conference history, Holly Hesse retired following the 2024 season with an overall record of 922-889-2 after 36 years as the head coach of Missouri State softball. Under Hesse’s leadership, the Bears averaged 25.6 wins per season, tallied 11 different 30-win seasons and won two regular-season MVC titles, six MVC tournament crowns and made six NCAA Tournament appearances.
At the time of her retirement, Hesse ranked 47th in NCAA Division I history in career victories and second in the MVC in both overall and conference (413) victories. She also ended her career with the most MVC Tournament victories (55).
The winningest coach in Missouri State softball history, Hesse coached 42 different first-team all-conference players which received 59 first-team all-conference honors. Her players went on to earn 30 NFCA All-Midwest Region nods, in addition to Barb Gaines becoming the program’s only All-American (1993) and Erica Shepherd (1997) and Jessica Gorham (2000, 2001) earning CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. To this point, 10 of Hesse’s players have been inducted into the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame.
The most notable program wins under Hesse came against Michigan (1996), Alabama (2006), Oklahoma (1995, 1998, 1999, 2008) and Arizona State (2022), all of which went on to win NCAA DI National Championships.
In Hesse’s final season, the Bears endured a year of ups-and-downs as they finished with a 19-32 record (13-14 MVC). As the No. 6 seed in the MVC Tournament, Missouri State made a run to the semifinals before falling to Northern Iowa, 2-1, to end the season. MoState had three players earn first-team All-MVC honors including first-time honorees in senior Annie Mueller and freshman Kayla Ulrich, while senior Olivia Krehbiel earned the accolade for the second time. Chloe Merced also garnered All-MVC recognition for the first time in her career as a second-team selection. Mueller also earned NFCA All-Region honors for the first time as a third-team selection to cap an incredible senior campaign.
Despite their overall record, the 2024 season was record-breaking for the Bears, beginning with Hesse who became the leader in MVC Tournament victories with 55. Throughout the 2024 season, Krehbiel rewrote the MoState record book as she ended her career as the leader in home runs (31), RBI (135), doubles (46), runs scored (129), total bases (341), slugging percentage (.582) and grand slams (4). Additionally, Mueller put together one of the best offensive seasons in Missouri State softball history, breaking the single-season records for RBI (51), home runs (19) and total bases (107).
In 2023, the Bears owned an overall record of 31-20, which featured a 21-6 record in Missouri Valley Conference action to finish second in the regular season standings for the second consecutive year. MSU went undefeated at home (15-0) for the first time in program history and ended the 2023 season with the second-longest home win streak in NCAA Division I at 18 games. The Bears also secured their first-ever 20-win conference season and their first 30-win season since 2019.
Hesse hit a couple of major milestones throughout the 2023 season, beginning with capturing her 900
th career victory as MSU defeated Southern Illinois, 4-3, on April 26 at Killian Stadium in Springfield. She also collected her 400
th career Gateway/Missouri Valley Conference win on May 7 at Murray State. At the end of the 2023 season, Hesse was one of just 20 active NCAA Division I head coaches with at least 900 wins.
Missouri State’s McKenzie Vaughan and Olivia Krehbiel both earned NFCA All-Region Third Team nods and All-MVC accolades with Vaughan appearing on the first team and Krehbiel on the second team. Kelsie Lewis earned a spot on the MVC All-Defensive Team, as the Bears also boasted three MVC Scholar-Athlete first-team selections in Mackenzie Chacon, Krehbiel and Vaughan.
The 2022 season was full of great moments for the Bears as they compiled a 28-20 record with an 18-7 record in the Missouri Valley Conference to finish as regular season runners up. MSU picked up a Top 25 victory in the first tournament of the season with a 4-0 win over No. 21 Arizona State. The Bears went on to win seven of their eight multi-game conference series and earned the No. 2 seed in the MVC Tournament which was hosted in Springfield. MSU defeated UNI, 10-4, to claim its seventh conference tournament title and secure its seventh trip to the NCAA Tournament. Missouri State headed to the Columbia Regional where the Bears collected a 2-0 victory over Illinois, while dropping two close contests to No. 15 national seed Missouri.
MSU’s Steffany Dickerson earned MVC Pitcher of the Year with a 0.87 ERA and 13-3 record against conference foes. Dickerson, Daphne Plummer, Madison Hunsaker and Olivia Krehbiel earned All-MVC honors, while catcher Alex Boze was named to the MVC All-Defensive Team. Boze and Dickerson went on to earn NFCA All-Region Third Team recognition, and Plummer was named the MVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Hesse and the Bears compiled a 26-17 record in 2021 which featured 16 conference wins and a victory over No. 23 Iowa State (March 7). Missouri State started its conference campaign by winning seven of its first eight contests against league opponents and finished with a 16-6 record in MVC play which earned the Bears the No. 3 seed at the Valley Tournament. Four MSU players - Darian Frost, Olivia Krehbiel, Madison Hunsaker and Daphne Plummer - received All-MVC recognition, and Hunsaker and Krehbiel went on to garner NFCA All-Region honors as well.
She began the 2020 campaign ranked 27th among active Division I coaches in career victories. The Bears’ promising season came to an abrupt halt on March 13 with the global COVID-19 pandemic. Despite a 7-12 overall ledger, the Bears faced one of the nation's toughest schedules (28th in Division I and tops in the MVC) with 10 games against squads that were ranked at one time during the season. The Bears knocked off one of those teams on Feb. 9 in Clearwater with a 3-0 shutout of Baylor and took two others to extra innings at North Texas (Feb. 15) and at Oklahoma (March 7). Though there were no conference or regional awards presented in 2020, Steffany Dickerson led the Valley in ERA (1.43).
The 2019 season included a number of highlights for Hesse and the Bears, most notably a thrilling walk-off win over Northern Iowa on March 24 to record her 800th career victory and an upset victory over No. 16 ranked Auburn, 4-3, on Feb. 9 in Gulf Shores, Ala. The Bears also relished their second straight 30-win campaign in 2019, the first time MSU had achieved that feat since reeling off three straight MVC titles from 1996-98.
Missouri State also boasted a pair of All-MVC first-team selections in 2019 with senior third baseman Kyana Mason and sophomore pitcher Steffany Dickerson earning conference distinction. The pair also went on to NFCA All-Region laurels with Mason landing on the first team and Dickerson on the second team.
Hesse joined the 700-victory club with a 4-0 win at Illinois State on April 18, 2015, completing a doubleheader sweep in Normal, Ill. She then picked up her 750th win on Feb. 9, 2018 with a 4-0 win over Mississippi Valley State at the Bulldog Kickoff Classic in Starkville, Miss.
The 2018 MSU Bears logged 32 wins -- the club’s most since 2006 -- and finished second in the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season standings with a 17-8 ledger in league play. Kaitlin Beason earned NFCA All-Region first-team and MVC All-Defensive Team honors. Catcher Darian Frost snagged All-MVC first-team distinction with Beason, Daphne Plummer and Erika Valasquez Zimmer earning second-team All-MVC selections. Senior hurler Holly Kelley also earned NFCA All-Region third-team honors. The Bears ranked 38th nationally in double plays turned and 40th in team fielding percentage (.970).
In 2017, the Bears finished with three all-conference selections, including first-team pick Bethany Sullinger, and three MVC Scholar-Athlete selections in Beason, Velasquez-Zimmer and Sullinger. Velasquez Zimmer also represented the Bears on the NFCA All-Region Team. Kelley also stood out, earning a spot on the MVC All-Tournament Team after tossing an opening-round no-hitter against Drake, the first at the Valley Tournament in 27 years. Likewise, senior Mary Stephens earned NFCA National Player of the Week on Feb. 14 after a sensational opening weekend.
The National Fastpitch Coaches Association has recognized her program four times as an NFCA Division I Top 10 All-Academic Team including 1999, 2000, 2016 and 2017. The 2017 Bears ranked second in the nation with a 3.648 team GPA.
Hesse’s 2016 squad finished ranked 13th in the country with a .973 fielding percentage. The Bears went 22-30 and earned a spot in the MVC Tournament in a do-or-die series to end the regular season. Her team rallied to the challenge and carried the momentum to the MVC Tournament quarterfinals.
The 2015 Missouri State team catapulted into the upper echelon of the Valley by finishing second in the regular season and reaching the MVC Tournament title game. Behind Hesse’s tutelage, the Bears set team records for home runs (48), bases on balls drawn (181), double plays turned (22), sacrifice flies (14) and saves (10). Senior Rebecca McPherson clubbed a program-high 12 home runs, while junior Erin Duewel set the all-time single season slugging percentage mark (.667) for a squad that won 17 MVC games, one shy of the school record.
Hesse and her long-time associate head coaches Sue Frederick and Beth Perine won their 500th game as a staff on March 13, 2014, a 4-3 win in the Bears’ home opener against SIU Edwardsville.
In 2011, Hesse’s Bears overcame an up-and-down regular season to play their best softball when it mattered most. Her Bears, led by Tournament MVP Natalie Rose, won four-straight games to earn the sixth Tournament title in team history. Rose hurled four complete games over three days including shutouts of Bradley and UNI on the opening day. Her team then went 1-2 in the Norman Region of the NCAA Tournament, knocking off Iona in an elimination game.
At the 2010 Valley Tournament, the Bears once again turned to their ace in the circle to surprise the field with wins over two of the league’s top four teams, as Rose pitched six straight complete games to lead MSU to three wins in all before regular-season champ Southern Illinois ended the Bears’ quest for a sixth NCAA bid with a 4-3 decision in the semifinal round.
At the 2008 MVC Tournament, the Bears rode the right arm of senior All-MVC performer Melissa Porche to wins over Evansville, Southern Illinois and Illinois State, moving MSU to within one game of an NCAA Tournament berth.
Missouri State’s 40-17 record in 2006 included a second-place MVC regular season finish at 18-4, marking the 12th season during Hesse’s guidance the Bears have finished in the top five of the conference standings. At the MVC Tournament in Omaha, Neb., Missouri State knocked off the regular-season champs, Illinois State, in the semifinals and defeated Wichita State for the title. The Bears’ march to the championship included three wins by the score of 4-0, and marked the fourth MSU conference tournament title under Hesse’s guidance. Missouri State advanced to the Los Angeles Regional, as the Bears made their fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament under Hesse.
The 2006 team’s 40 wins surpassed the school’s previous top win total of 38 set by Hesse’s 1994 squad. The 2006 season marked the sixth 30-win season under Hesse, who had guided the Bears to an average of 26 wins per season since her arrival in 1989.
Hesse’s most successful stretch at Missouri State came from 1994-98, when her teams averaged 32 wins per season, won an MVC regular-season championship and won three MVC Tournament championships. The Bears advanced to the NCAA Tournament in three consecutive seasons from 1996-98.
In 1998, Missouri State became the first team in league history to three-peat, winning its third straight Valley crown and again punching a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. The Bears played in the NCAA Regional at Stillwater, Okla., and ended the season with a 31-22 record.
The 1997 season saw the Bears finish 35-26 and become just the second team in Gateway/MVC history to win back-to-back tourney titles. Missouri State claimed the league crown in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and represented the Valley in the NCAA Regional at Norman, Okla.
The thrilling, come-from-behind Missouri State win over Southern Illinois in the 1997 MVC winners’ bracket final was Hesse’s 228th career victory, making her the school’s winningest softball coach.
In 1996, Hesse led Missouri State to its first MVC title and its first NCAA berth since 1983 as the Bears rang up a 34-22 record, won four straight games to collect the conference crown in Normal, Ill., before competing in the NCAA Regional at Fullerton, Calif.
Hesse won Gateway Conference Coach of the Year honors in 1992, after guiding Missouri State to a 14-4 mark and the regular-season title. In 1994, she led MSU to the Missouri Valley crown with a 13-3 record and was again voted coach of the year. The 1994 Missouri State club set a school record with 38 wins, won the MVC regular-season title by three games and took second in the league tournament, which MSU hosted.
Off the field, Hesse was active in promoting the sport of softball, women’s sports in general and the coaching profession. Nationally, she was one of the founding faculty members of the NCAA Women Coaches Academy, which was created to enhance the skills and perspectives of women coaches, and to aid in the retention of women coaches in intercollegiate athletics. Hesse has been a speaker at over 30 NCAA WCA events. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Alliance of Women Coaches from 2012-16. She also serves on the Board of Directors for True North Sports, which provides innovative educational programs for all coaches regardless of gender and includes all sports.
Hesse was also a loyal member of the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA) since 1989. She has spoken at the NFCA Convention on three occasions, including the 2021 convention, and made multiple appearances on the organization’s podcasts. Hesse also served on the Division I Head Coaches Committee from 2018-21.
Locally, Hesse was selected as one of the Springfield Business Journal’s 2022 Most Influential Women. For over 20 years, the organization has honored women for their professional and civic accomplishments and contributions. Hesse is also the former president of the Springfield chapter of the Women’s Intersport Network (WIN), having served in that role from 2009-2012.
Some of her other statewide honors include her induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 and the Staff Excellence in Public Affairs Award, presented to her in 2016 by the Missouri State University Board of Governors for distinctive work and accomplishments in support of Missouri State’s public affairs mission.
In 2003, Hesse authored a coaching book, which is available online, entitled “The Diamond of Success: A Philosophical Model for Coaching.” She has also co-authored "Managing Yourself," a Coach Development Academy resource, presented by Truenorthsports.
A 1982 graduate of Creighton University, Hesse came to Missouri State after two years as an assistant coach at her alma mater. Creighton compiled a record of 72-31, won a High Country Conference title and was ranked in the top 20 in Hesse’s two seasons there. She was the first female to receive the coveted Father Reinert Scholar-Athlete award in 1982.
Before her two years in Omaha, Hesse served as an assistant coach for two seasons each at Iowa State University and the University of Massachusetts in Amherst, where she earned her master’s degree in sport management in 1984. Hesse also coached for two seasons at Waukon (Iowa) High, her prep alma mater.
Hesse was a standout pitcher at Creighton, where she became the school’s first 20-game winner and helped the Jays to three consecutive College World Series appearances including the inaugural NCAA World Series in 1982.
A native of Waukon, Iowa, Hesse won an incredible 161 games as a pitcher for Waukon High. She was inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Pitchers’ Hall of Fame in 1979.
Hesse's Career Coaching Summary
| Year |
Team |
W-L |
Pct. |
Conf. |
Pct. |
Conf. Finish |
Postseason |
| 1989 |
Missouri State |
11-37 |
.229 |
4-12 |
.250 |
9th |
|
| 1990 |
Missouri State |
15-23 |
.395 |
7-9 |
.438 |
6th |
|
| 1991 |
Missouri State |
22-26 |
.458 |
6-6 |
.500 |
5th |
|
| 1992 |
Missouri State |
24-28 |
.462 |
14-4 |
.778 |
1st |
|
| 1993 |
Missouri State |
28-21 |
.571 |
8-8 |
.500 |
6th |
|
| 1994 |
Missouri State |
38-13 |
.745 |
13-3 |
.813 |
1st |
|
| 1995 |
Missouri State |
22-25 |
.468 |
7-10 |
.412 |
7th |
|
| 1996 |
Missouri State |
34-22 |
.607 |
13-6 |
.684 |
3rd |
NCAA |
| 1997 |
Missouri State |
35-26 |
.574 |
7-7 |
.500 |
t5th |
NCAA |
| 1998 |
Missouri State |
31-22 |
.585 |
13-5 |
.722 |
2nd |
NCAA |
| 1999 |
Missouri State |
28-22-1 |
.559 |
8-7-1 |
.531 |
4th |
|
| 2000 |
Missouri State |
30-28 |
.517 |
10-8 |
.556 |
4th |
|
| 2001 |
Missouri State |
15-33 |
.312 |
7-20 |
.259 |
10th |
|
| 2002 |
Missouri State |
23-28 |
.451 |
12-12 |
.500 |
5th |
|
| 2003 |
Missouri State |
29-25 |
.537 |
13-12 |
.520 |
6th |
|
| 2004 |
Missouri State |
29-29 |
.500 |
11-15 |
.423 |
7th |
|
| 2005 |
Missouri State |
26-25-1 |
.510 |
16-11 |
.593 |
4th |
|
| 2006 |
Missouri State |
40-17 |
.702 |
18-4 |
.818 |
2nd |
NCAA |
| 2007 |
Missouri State |
21-29 |
.420 |
10-14 |
.417 |
6th |
|
| 2008 |
Missouri State |
28-22 |
.460 |
11-13 |
.458 |
7th |
|
| 2009 |
Missouri State |
19-25 |
.432 |
8-12 |
.400 |
7th |
|
| 2010 |
Missouri State |
21-32 |
.396 |
13-12 |
.520 |
t4th |
|
| 2011 |
Missouri State |
30-25 |
.545 |
13-11 |
.542 |
5th |
NCAA |
| 2012 |
Missouri State |
25-26 |
.490 |
12-14 |
.462 |
6th |
|
| 2013 |
Missouri State |
22-30 |
.423 |
13-12 |
.520 |
6th |
|
| 2014 |
Missouri State |
28-27 |
.509 |
10-16 |
.385 |
8th |
|
| 2015 |
Missouri State |
30-25 |
.545 |
17-9 |
.654 |
2nd |
|
| 2016 |
Missouri State |
22-30 |
.423 |
10-14 |
.417 |
t7th |
|
| 2017 |
Missouri State |
23-26 |
.469 |
10-16 |
.385 |
7th |
|
| 2018 |
Missouri State |
32-20 |
.615 |
17-9 |
.654 |
2nd |
|
| 2019 |
Missouri State |
30-21 |
.588 |
14-11 |
.560 |
5th |
|
| 2020 |
Missouri State |
7-12 |
.368 |
0-0 |
-- |
-- |
|
| 2021 |
Missouri State |
26-17 |
.605 |
16-6 |
.727 |
3rd |
|
| 2022 |
Missouri State |
28-20 |
.583 |
18-7 |
.720 |
2nd |
NCAA |
| 2023 |
Missouri State |
31-20 |
.608 |
21-6 |
.778 |
2nd |
|
| 2024 |
Missouri State |
19-32 |
.373 |
13-14 |
.481 |
6th |
|
|
TOTALS |
922-889-2 |
.509 |
413-355-1 |
.537 |
-- |
-- |
