Bears Softball Welcomes Illinois State for Three-Game Series

The Starting Lineup

• Missouri State softball continues its six-game home stand as the Bears welcome Illinois State to Killian Stadium for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series. MSU trails the all-time series against the Redbirds, 73-49, but the Bears have won the last four series against Illinois State.  
• In 2024, the Bears’ schedule features six NCAA Tournament teams from last season, highlighted by contests against 2023 Women’s College World Series participants Tennessee and Oklahoma State. Missouri State faced two top-15 opponents on opening weekend in #5 Clemson and #13 Oregon, both of which made it to Super Regionals in 2023. The remaining two teams (SIU and Central Arkansas) made it to Regionals a season ago. 
• Missouri State was picked to finish third in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll, while Olivia Krehbiel and McKenzie Vaughan were named to the All-MVC preseason team. 
• McKenzie Vaughan (Jr., Bella Vista, Ark.) suffered a season-ending arm injury prior to Missouri State’s first game of the season in Clearwater, Fla. Vaughan was a first-team All-MVC and NFCA All-Region Third Team selection a season ago.
• Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 906-872-2 career record in her 36th season as the leader of the Missouri State softball program. She is the second-winningest coach in MVC history in both overall (906) and conference (400) victories. She collected career victory No. 900 last season with a 4-3 victory over Southern Illinois on April 26. She ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories. 
• Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee’s Summit, Mo.) is one of MSU’s top returning hitters from a season ago and continues to climb up the MSU record books. She is second on MSU’s career home run list with 24 and sits just four homers shy of breaking the record (27, Jessie Smith: 2006-09). She also ranks inside the top five in career RBI (107), doubles (38) and walks (92). She ranks third in the MVC and leads the team with 14 walks this season. 
• Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 13th nationally and first in the MVC with three saves on the season. 
• Annie Mueller (Sr., Pacific, Mo.) leads Missouri State in RBI (11), extra-base hits (6), doubles (3), slugging percentage (.440) and is tied for the team lead in home runs (2) this season. The senior right fielder had a nice weekend at the plate last week at the Tennessee Invitational. The senior batted .385, drove in three runs and scored two runs. Four of her five hits on the weekend went for extra bases (two doubles, a triple and a home run).
• Abby Ford (So., Ozark, Mo.) is leading MSU this season with a .288 batting average, 17 hits and 7 stolen bases in 8 attempts from the leadoff spot in the lineup. The speedy outfielder already owns 33 stolen bases for her career after swiping 26 bases as a freshman last season. 
• Freshman Kayla Ulrich (Fr.,Sullivan, Mo.) has started 12 games this season and is fourth on the team with nine hits and is second with eight walks. 
• MSU’s pitching staff ranks 16th nationally in hit batters, putting opposing hitters on base via hit by pitch just four times. 

Series History
    Illinois State leads the all-time series against Missouri State, with the Redbirds owning a 34-18 record in Springfield, as well. However, MSU won the last series (March 19-20, 2022) at home and the last meeting between the two teams at Killian Stadium (May 13, 2022) was a 5-1 victory for Missouri State in the semifinals of the 2022 MVC Tournament that the Bears would go on to win. 
    Last season in Normal, Ill., the Bears dropped the series opener, 7-0, as Illinois State ended MSU’s 10-game win streak. However, Missouri State bounced back to take the final two games and the series win. In game two of the series, a 5-4 win for Missouri State, the Bears recovered from an early deficit to take the lead in the third, before the Redbirds tied it at 3-3 in the fourth. Then, Missouri State used a two-run fifth to ultimately secure the win, returning the favor and ending Illinois State’s 11-game win streak. In the rubber match, the MSu pitching staff shined, allowing just one earned run on three hits in the series clincher.