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| Missouri State Bears (10-28, 6-11 MVC) vs. Valparaiso Beacons (8-29, 2-12 MVC) | |
| Dates | Friday-Sunday, April 19-21, 2024 |
| Location & Site | Killian Stadium | Springfield, Mo. |
| Game 1 | Friday, 5:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Game 2 | Saturday, 2:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Game 3 | Sunday, 12:00 p.m. | Watch | Live Stats |
| Promotions | Friday – Gracie Johnston Senior Day Saturday – Olivia Krehbiel Senior Day | Future Bears Day | Where’s Boomer? Sunday – Kelsie Lewis Senior Day | Bark in the Park |
| Missouri State | Game Notes (PDF) | Softball Home Page |
| Valparaiso | Softball Home Page |
| Bears Mobile App | App Store (Apple Devices) | Google Play Store (Android Devices) |
| Up Next | April 24 at Southern Illinois | 5:00 p.m. | Carbondale, Ill. |
The Starting Lineup
- Missouri State softball welcomes Valparaiso to Springfield for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference, beginning Friday at 5 p.m. The Bears and Beacons are currently at the bottom of the MVC standings and are looking to gain some momentum heading into the final few weeks of the regular season.
- The Bears are 13-4 all-time against Valpo, including a 4-2 record against the Beacons in Springfield. MSU has won the last nine games in the series.
- Prior to the start of the season, head coach Holly Hesse announced her plan to retire following the 2024 season. Hesse owns a 913-885-2 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 (913) and conference (406) victories. She ranks 19th among active Division I coaches in career victories.
- In MVC games, the Bears lead the league with 18 home runs while ranking fourth in slugging percentage (.436) and fifth in runs scored (70). MSU currently has four players batting over .300 in conference action.
- Kayla Ulrich (Fr.,Sullivan, Mo.) continues to lead the way for Missouri State offensively in her freshman campaign. She leads the Bears with a .389 batting average, 35 hits and a .491 on-base percentage, and is second on the team in RBI (16), slugging percentage (.600) and walks (16). The freshman has also been exceptional in the field this season, owning a .991 fielding percentage as she has committed just one error in 116 chances. In MVC games only, Ulrich’s numbers are even better as she owns a .431 batting average, .725 slugging percentage and .500 on-base percentage.
- Olivia Krehbiel (Sr., Lee’s Summit, Mo.) has solidified herself as one of the best hitters in program history. Krehbiel is tied for the Missouri State career home run record of 27 set by Jessie Smith from 2006-09, and now sits just one long ball shy of taking over the top spot. She leads the team this season with 22 walks and 25 runs scored, and is third on the team with 13 RBI.
- Annie Mueller (Sr., Pacific, Mo.) is one of Missouri State’s biggest power threats. Sixteen of her 29 hits this season have gone for extra bases and she leads the team with 10 home runs, 29 RBI and a .629 slugging percentage. Her 10 homers this season rank 3rd in the MVC and she is just four off of the league lead. Against MVC competition, her slugging percentage rises to .771 as 7 of her 15 hits in league action have been home runs.
- Gracie Johnston (Sr., Augusta, Kan.) ranks 16th nationally and first in the MVC with five saves on the season. She also ranks 15th nationally with 31 appearances in the circle this season.
- Ellie McCoy (Sr., Hastings, Neb.) leads the MVC in hit by pitches with 12, which ranks 20th nationally. She also ranks 12th nationally in hit by pitch/game (0.35).McCoy has already set the MSU single-season record in the category and with 21 HBP in her career, she is just three away from the program’s career record.
- MSU is 8-1 this season when scoring six or more runs and 7-0 when out-hitting opponents.
Series History
Missouri State leads the all-time series against Valparaiso, 13-4, including a 4-2 record against the Beacons at home in Springfield. MSU has won the last nine games in the series. The Bears’ last loss to Valpo was a 5-2 loss on the road on April 1, 2019.
Last season, the two teams met for a three-game Missouri Valley Conference series on the road at Valparaiso. The Bears secured the series sweep and collected two run-rule victories.
In game one of the series, MSU limited the Beacons to just three hits while the Bears scored nine runs on 11 hits. Ellie McCoy led the way in the series opener with three RBI and two runs scored, while Gracie Johnston got the win in the circle. The rest of the series concluded in a Sunday doubleheader with MSU exploding for an 18-1 victory in five innings in game two of the series. Nine different Bears drove in a run in the game, led by Chloe Merced with 3 RBI. In the series finale, MSU secured a 5-2 victory as the Bears took advantage of the middle three innings. Kenzie Derryberry, Annie Mueller and Tess Weakly all drove in runs for MSU, while Mackenzie Chacon earned the win in the circle with four strikeouts.
